Posted on 04/21/2024 9:54:56 PM PDT by RushingWater
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Workers in attendance for Friday's United Auto Workers (UAW) watch party feel they've made history.
And for those Volkswagen employees who wanted unionization, the third time was the charm.
In order to unionize, the UAW needed 50% plus one vote.
Both previous UAW elections fell short of this, with 2014's election showing 47%, and 2019's election showing 48%.
But Friday night, employees won by a landslide with the official National Labor Relations Board results reporting 2,628-985 votes for union representation.
Some who came to watch the vote were from other right-to-work states in the U.S., wanting to see similar changes back home.
"We get a win here in the south in Tennessee, that can mean big things for Texas. And that's why I'm here," said Tevita Uhatafe. Tennessee Representative Justin Jones also showed support for unionization.
"To the other elected officials who are afraid of unions, I just want to say, don't be afraid of people power. Don't be afraid of people coming together to say we should be treated as human beings, that is what a union ensures" Rep. Jones said. Late Friday evening, President Joe Biden released a statement congratulating workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant, saying in part:
"I am proud to stand with auto workers now as they successfully organize at Volkswagen." And Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, who spoke out against UAW, also issued a statement via Facebook Saturday morning, saying in part:
"Now that the UAW won in Chattanooga, I hope they will at least learn from our success as they try to overcome their reputation for job corruption and job losses." Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly supported the workers' choice in a statement on Facebook Saturday, saying in part:
"I'm hopeful that this new era of leadership at the UAW works in good faith with Volkswagen leadership to build a better Volkswagen and a better Chattanooga, for the benefit of all of us." Employees will now begin the bargaining process with the union.
I wonder if VW will close the plant? And do these workers really want to work for UAW fat cats? And support democrats via UAW dues?
Apparently yes.
I would expect VW to close that plant for other reasons — mainly, that it is such a small player in the U.S. auto market to begin with. I just looked up the 2023 sales figures, and it appears that Volkswagen has the lowest sales figure of any auto producer with a U.S. manufacturing presence.
What braindead percentage votes Rat and unwittingly for Chinese EVs?
Maybe Fetterman v2 could get a clue and wake them up.
Funny you should mention Fetterman. VW built small cars at a former Chrysler plant Pennsylvania for more than a decade before that fiasco was shut down in the late 1980s.
killed the golden goose they did....
Epic quote from a VW executive overseeing the dismantling of the Westmoreland, PA plant in the late 1980s: “We wouldn’t reopen this plant if the UAW agreed to work for free.” Ouch.
Can they just close it down and relocate? Seems like an expensive process. But I hope they can and do.
For the limited volume of units produced at that location they may as well just close it and ramp up production at other existing plants around the world.
Most of what VW sells here is made in Mexico anyway.
If, however, the union bosses are Marxists who consider "safe working conditions" equivalent to allowing men to use women's restrooms or imposition of CRT, DEI, etc. then this is going to end very badly.
I guess all those preppers who flocked to Tennessee to get away from the liberal madness chose the wrong state.
“If unions stick to requests for reasonable salaries and working conditions then okay.”
Have they ever done so?
VW spent a lot on E-technology and really want some trend to start up (it won’t). I always thought they missed the boat on selling the VW Scirocco. That was the car with impact and built for guys.
Well some mob boss somewhere is happy.
For example, support some lefty stuff as long as it applies to workers/unions rather than LGBTQ freaks in exchange for border controls and deportations.
“If, however, the union bosses are Marxists who consider…”
The whole union movement is Marxist/socialist.
The Westmoreland plant built diesel Rabbits and those nifty VW pickup trucks.
Be careful what you wish for comes to mind.
They may have voted to join the union(doesn’t matter how people vote, what matters who counts the votes), but there is no Union contract between VW and union, so shutting down sounds likely
Reminds me of hostess employed who stuck for higher wages…. Were told you do this and we close, and they did. Fat cat union leadership didn’t suffer just employees sold a bill of goods by them, or 20 “minimum “ wage…. There is only one minimum wage and that is zero.
NOMAD doesn’t spit in food, call off, be rude….., reality is a bitch
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