Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Obama weighs in on contentious union vote at Volkswagen plant
Reuters ^ | 02/14/2014 | Richard Cowan & Bernie Woodall

Posted on 02/14/2014 2:16:38 PM PST by Rusty0604

P resident Barack Obama on Friday waded into a high-stakes union vote at Volkswagen AG's plant in Tennessee, accusing Republican politicians who oppose unionization of being more concerned about German shareholders than U.S. workers.

Obama's interjection in the war of words on Friday, albeit behind closed doors, underscored how much is stake in the three-day vote by VW's 1,550 hourly workers. The vote is due to end at 8:30 p.m. ET and the results could be announced soon after that.

Obama said everyone was in favor of the UAW representing Volkswagen except for local politicians who "are more concerned about German shareholders than American workers," according to a Democratic aide who attended the meeting with Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: obama; tn; unions; vw
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-35 next last
No, Obama, politicians opposed to UAW ARE concerned about American jobs.
1 posted on 02/14/2014 2:16:38 PM PST by Rusty0604
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

Obama is only concerned about those union dues going straight to DemoRAT campaign coffers.


2 posted on 02/14/2014 2:19:05 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (Islam is a religion of peace, and Moslems reserve the right to behead anyone who says otherwise.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

Dear Reader once again sticks his nose where it is not welcome. Isn’t there a golf course open somewhere?


3 posted on 02/14/2014 2:22:46 PM PST by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604
accusing Republican politicians who oppose unionization of being more concerned about German shareholders than U.S. workers.

That is so disingenuous, as VW management has been strangely silent and Wall Street suggests management is heeding the orders sent by the VW directors, where union personnel have directorships.

They are just going to build the next auto plant in Mexico anyways.

4 posted on 02/14/2014 2:22:54 PM PST by Zuben Elgenubi (NOPe to GOPe)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

Good God-why can’t he just mind his own business and STFU? He’s making sure the plant gets moved to Mexico at the first opportunity, along with the jobs...


5 posted on 02/14/2014 2:28:24 PM PST by Texan5 (" You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum; Army Air Corps; Zuben Elgenubi; Rusty0604
Union Vote influencing is against the law

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) would be in their right, and legally required to do so, to declare this vote invalid based on Obama's actions.

Like that's ever gonna happen....IHTFP

6 posted on 02/14/2014 2:30:06 PM PST by onona (The entitlement army doesnÂ’t vote for candidates, they vote for gravy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

German Shareholders are probably more concerned about American workers than Lamar Alexander or Obama.


7 posted on 02/14/2014 2:31:55 PM PST by ObamahatesPACoal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Texan5

He’s making sure the plant gets moved to Mexico at the first opportunity, along with the jobs...
*******************************
VW would have to be crazy to not move to Mexico ,,, if this plant goes union they could always sublet the old GM Shreveport plant from Elio motors ... but they would know that Obozo would force unionization on them after a short time in that state too... he’s just plain killing jobs and making the 10th ammendment more important than ever.


8 posted on 02/14/2014 2:32:55 PM PST by Neidermeyer (I used to be disgusted , now I try to be amused.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Army Air Corps
Isn’t there a golf course open somewhere?

He's due to land here in the Coachella Valley in an hour or so.....road closures until Monday afternoon, so it's a fair guess that he'll get in some rounds - given that we'll be in the 80's all weekend.

9 posted on 02/14/2014 2:34:49 PM PST by ErnBatavia (The 0baMao Experiment: Abject Failure)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Neidermeyer

In reality,

ObamaDontCare

about American Jobs
about American Defense
about America’s Middle Class or Poor
about Blacks
about Whites
about Asians and Hispanics
about anyone butt his own narcissistic consumption of as much as he can

ObamaJustDontCare


10 posted on 02/14/2014 2:36:12 PM PST by FreeAtlanta (Liberty or Big Government - you can't have both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

No German shareholders, no plant. Period.


11 posted on 02/14/2014 2:39:29 PM PST by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

The hilarity of suggesting that Germans are ever neutral about anything doesn’t know Germans very well.

However, that being said, Germans do try very hard to be inscrutable about what they actually *do* want. They very carefully calculate all eventualities, which is why is it typically very hard to fight Germans in the defense.


12 posted on 02/14/2014 2:39:38 PM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy (WoT News: Rantburg.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604
Anyone have a guess how this will come out... I'm almost afraid to watch the results tonight, but hopeful at the same time that there are enough to send the growing message to UAW and Obama!
13 posted on 02/14/2014 2:44:14 PM PST by GizzyGirl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GizzyGirl

Suspect VW will conveniently close plant in the near future and move it to another right-to-work state or Mexico. What is at stake here is jobs. Foreign manufacturers open plants in America only if it is cost efficient. Take that away, and more jobs go to Germany and/or the nearest country to America where cost savings are realized. I never cease to be amazed by low information voters who think nobody deserves a return on capital. Take away the return on capital, and how will funds be attracted for building the plants and providing jobs? If you rely on the government, we’ll soon be driving base Beetles and Trevants.


14 posted on 02/14/2014 2:56:04 PM PST by Boomer One
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

I thought he was gonna march with the unions, like he did in Wisconsin. Oh wait, he was AWOL when Walker was kicking the union’s collective asses.


15 posted on 02/14/2014 2:59:31 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist (15 years of FReeping! Congratulations EEE!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

several of those 1500 workers live in my town...

they didn’t say they were planning to join a union when they started to work at VW ...

they did say their wages would be very good...

I know they started at more than minimum wage...


16 posted on 02/14/2014 3:01:36 PM PST by Tennessee Nana
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Boomer One; GizzyGirl

Actually, the Union in Germany was quite vocal about wanting this plant to be unionized, and VW doesn’t seem to have a problem with it.

VW will not be closing this plant anytime soon, but once they are reminded how the UAW rolls, they may eventually regret this decision to welcome the union into their plant.

I expect that the workers will likely vote to unionize, or else there probably wouldn’t have been a vote held in the first place.


17 posted on 02/14/2014 3:25:48 PM PST by Pox (Good Night. I expect more respect tomorrow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Pox

It took 10 yrs for the UAW to kill the first UAW plant in Pennsylvania. Suffocation is a slow process.

One thing nobody has mentioned is that Tenn is RTW.
Doesn’t that mean you don’t have to pay dues if you don’t want to?


18 posted on 02/14/2014 3:29:41 PM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Rusty0604

If the workers vote for the UAW and VW leaves this will be like the second or third time VW has tried to make it in the US.. and failed. We probably will not get anymore chances.


19 posted on 02/14/2014 3:29:42 PM PST by JSteff (It was ALL about SCOTUS.. We are DOOMED for several generations. . Who cares? Dem's did and voted!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Boomer One

That’s why there are now auto manufacturing plants in San Antonio, Texas.


20 posted on 02/14/2014 3:29:59 PM PST by tbw2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-35 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson