You guys are awesome.
Posted on 03/13/2014 12:02:57 PM PDT by RoosterRedux
Three anti-union Volkswagen workers have sued the German automaker and the United Auto Workers in a U.S. court, alleging that VW and the union improperly colluded in the run-up to a union election in Tennessee that the UAW lost.
The lawsuit marks the latest fallout from a hard-fought contest at VW's plant in Chattanooga, where workers voted 712-626 last month not to join the UAW. The union is asking federal regulators to scrap that result and hold a new election.
Filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the complaint alleges VW provided "thing of value" to the UAW in the unionization drive, violating the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA).
VW managers helped the UAW in days leading up to the mid-February election by agreeing not to oppose its unionization drive, granting the union access to its property and allowing it to meet with employees during work hours, the lawsuit said.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Ping.
It appears to me that the UAW must have promised VW to keep wages and benefits low in exchange for union dues.
Why else would VW allow the UAW to meet with employees while they were working?
Sounds to me like Texas is getting a VW plant in the near future.
VW does not hate unions. Their entire framework depends on it in Germany, so having the UAW meet with employees is not the end of the world.
Two words here--pattern bargaining. In Europe VW and the unions have a stable relationship. Here, in America, unions grow until they weaken and kill the host. If VW caves in to unions, it will place additional pressure on other plants to cave to unions in what were previously "right to work" states.
“VW does not hate unions. “
I’ve heard that they want a union at the table. Doesn’t matter to them which one.
“Why else would VW allow the UAW to meet with employees while they were working?”
One article described VW’s management as “touchingly naïve.” They were trying to create the same type of worker’s council they had in Germany. And, the UAW probably led them to believe they would do that. But there’s no way. The union turns the employees into the enemy of management. The workers get rewards for finding violations, so, where I’ve worked, the workers set you up. At one place, they blocked my boss’s office with a file cabinet. Then they waited until he came back, moved it aside to get in and accosted him for moving it, filed a grievance and each got an extra $250 while my boss got written up. As a new and unbriefed employee I carried a $250k piece of equipment to a shelf behind a taped line on the floor. I saw they were eagerly waiting for me, but didn’t feel threatened. Suddenly they were all over me. Again, they all got $250 bucks and I got written up for carrying something past the taped line. Only union members can do that.
Yep, VW is naïve.
I assume all the mgmt that was around when their UAW unionized plant in Pennsylvania went out of business in the 80s has retired.
Poor corporate memory...
I believe in Germany it is called “codetermination” and includes having union reps on the board of directors.
Back in the 80’s, VW tried this in Pennsylvania with unions and such. It didn’t work out for them for various reasons.
Hello gleeaikin
VW has apparently not done its homework about the UAW.
Can’t explain ... Know you will understand.
I don’t mind.
It seems like during the auto bailout the UAW agreed that new hires would be paid only $14 per hour instead of the previous wages.
If someone else recalls this differently, please post.
Otherwise this would be enough incentive for VW to want a union.
I think the Dem dominated NLRB is gonna go all in..rule in the UAW's favor...just to create chaos..
Hey, don’t like the results of the election? Just demand a new one! Can we do that for 2012?
You guys are awesome.
Check out The political lessons of the UAW debacle in Tennessee
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.