Chattanooga rejects UAW

GoFaster

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Coles notes ... as I understand it.

The UAW has been trying to get into the "transplant" (import) plants in the southern USA for decades with no success.

UAW membership used to be around 1.5 million. Now it's around 400,000. But they have not downsized their organization and they now have to sustain pension obligations inherited with the GM and Chrysler bankruptcy. They desperately want new members (organize additional plants) to sustain their bloat.

VW management wants a "works council" - basically a joint body of management and workers to address whatever concerns arise - similar to what they have elsewhere in the world. This is the way the unions work in Europe. But this type of arrangement is illegal in the USA, it has to be independent. It's believed that VW management wants this in order to placate the unions in Europe. So VW has actually let UAW into the plant and discussed the matter with them. No one knows what sort of agrreement that they've come to, but the UAW has gotten into some other organizations (notably some Magna plants - another traditionally non-union environment) by agreeing to things that they historically have not done; e.g. a "no strike" clause.

VW has stated in the past that having a "works council" was essential if the Chattanooga plant was to receive additional products. To ME, this makes little sense - but it is likely to placate their unions elsewhere in the world. Certain politicians in Tennessee have been saying exactly the opposite.

So it came to a vote, and the UAW lost. They are now prohibited from trying to organize for another year.

What's it all mean? If VW wants a "works council" they will have to do it some other way. The vote is quite likely not a vote against the "works council" concept, or even a vote against the concept of unionization, but rather it's likely a vote against the UAW specifically. The workers there have certainly seen what the UAW has led to elsewhere. I can't say I blame them for not trusting the UAW to bring in the sort of strangling work rules seen elsewhere.

For the UAW, this is a serious blow. If they cannot organize at a plant which had management not opposing them, and in some ways even encouraging the concept (even if it's different from UAW's traditional model) they have no chance anywhere else.
 

CT_Gman

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I agree, they are probably smarter than most.;)
I wonder if it's as easy to vote out a union, as it is to vote one in?
ah.. no! The UAW is no longer needed... anywhere, IMHO.
 

pruzink

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Why does VW want the UAW in Tennessee?

The VW plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee just voted by a margin of 712-626 not to be represented by the UAW. I have a lot of respect for the workers at this plant rejecting the UAW when you look at what it has done to American car manufacturers & Detroit. What I cannot for the life of me understand is VW's disappointment with the workers rejecting this union.
"The German "co-determination" model mandates works councils, which connect employees to management, at all large German companies. Following the union vote, the head of Volkswagen's works council told German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the automaker would hesitate to expand in the U.S. South."
VW may have good relations with their "co-determination" model in Germany; I can't imagine them feeling that way trying to deal with the UAW.
 

Ol'Rattler

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VW should just set up the work council with the intent of the workers forming their own union actually managed by the employee members and not affiliated with any existing union.:cool:

The UAW really needs to but out. UAW is all but hurt and saying that the vote needs to be thrown out because the workers were unfairly influenced.:rolleyes:

UAW should have absolutely zero rights to petition for anything for a group of folks they don't even represent.
 

Intech

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Coles notes ... as I understand it.

The UAW has been trying to get into the "transplant" (import) plants in the southern USA for decades with no success.

UAW membership used to be around 1.5 million. Now it's around 400,000. But they have not downsized their organization and they now have to sustain pension obligations inherited with the GM and Chrysler bankruptcy. They desperately want new members (organize additional plants) to sustain their bloat.

VW management wants a "works council" - basically a joint body of management and workers to address whatever concerns arise - similar to what they have elsewhere in the world. This is the way the unions work in Europe. But this type of arrangement is illegal in the USA, it has to be independent. It's believed that VW management wants this in order to placate the unions in Europe. So VW has actually let UAW into the plant and discussed the matter with them. No one knows what sort of agrreement that they've come to, but the UAW has gotten into some other organizations (notably some Magna plants - another traditionally non-union environment) by agreeing to things that they historically have not done; e.g. a "no strike" clause.

VW has stated in the past that having a "works council" was essential if the Chattanooga plant was to receive additional products. To ME, this makes little sense - but it is likely to placate their unions elsewhere in the world. Certain politicians in Tennessee have been saying exactly the opposite.

So it came to a vote, and the UAW lost. They are now prohibited from trying to organize for another year.

What's it all mean? If VW wants a "works council" they will have to do it some other way. The vote is quite likely not a vote against the "works council" concept, or even a vote against the concept of unionization, but rather it's likely a vote against the UAW specifically. The workers there have certainly seen what the UAW has led to elsewhere. I can't say I blame them for not trusting the UAW to bring in the sort of strangling work rules seen elsewhere.

For the UAW, this is a serious blow. If they cannot organize at a plant which had management not opposing them, and in some ways even encouraging the concept (even if it's different from UAW's traditional model) they have no chance anywhere else.
Excellent analysis. The German worker/ management concept has worked for decades, and I don't want to hijack this thread, but it one of the prime reasons that their excellent health care system works and is very popular. The entire system is based on worker and management satisfaction.
 
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