Update: AP Revision to VW-Chattanooga Story Laments UAW's Loss of 'Potential Watershed Moment'

Newsbusters.org ^ | February 15, 2014 | Tom Blumer

[Kaslin]

Following revisions to initial stories at the Associated Press, aka the Adminstration's Press, can be a revealing if sometimes tedious exercise.

A case in point is how reporters Tom Krisher and Erik Schelzig, who are both more than likely represented by the News Media Guild in their jobs at the wire service, changed the tone of their second report following the rejection by employees at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee plant of representation by the United Auto Workers union. And speaking of changed tones, UAW President Bob King suddenly moved from conciliatory to confrontational in the 3-1/2 hours between the first and second AP reports.

Let's compare the two reports' headlines and their opening two and three paragraphs, respectively (bolds are mine throughout this post):

11:17 p.m. Friday (excerpted at this NewsBusters post early this morning; AP's flushes original reports at its national site down the memory hole once revisions appear; the older version can still be found here, but that may change)

VW WORKERS AT TENNESSEE PLANT REJECT UNION

Workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee have voted against union representation, a devastating loss that derails the United Auto Workers union's effort to organize Southern factories.

The 712-626 vote released late Friday stunned many labor experts who expected a UAW win because Volkswagen tacitly endorsed the union and even allowed organizers into the Chattanooga factory to make sales pitches.

2:52 a.m. Saturday

UAW FALLS 87 VOTES SHORT OF MAJOR VICTORY IN SOUTH

Just 87 votes at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee separated the United Auto Workers union from what would have been its first successful organization of workers at a foreign automaker in the South.

Instead of celebrating a potential watershed moment for labor politics in the region, UAW supporters were left crestfallen by the 712-626 vote against union representation in the election that ended Friday night.

The result stunned many labor experts who expected a UAW win because Volkswagen tacitly endorsed the union and even allowed organizers into the Chattanooga factory to make sales pitches.

The first report's headline and opening paragraph represented the real news, namely that workers rejected union representation in an election. The second report completely changes the focus to a lament about how the UAW came so close.

It would be interesting to see if Krisher and Schelzig had "victory!" verbiage prepared in advance. The discussion of a "watershed moment for labor politics" in a report about a loss which they described as "devastating" in their first report would seem to indicate that they had it in reserve and decided to use it, even in defeat.

As to King's attitude change, here is how the two AP reports compare:

11:17 p.m. Friday

King, however, stuck to statements he made earlier that the union would seek a vote and respect any decision made by workers.

"While we certainly would have liked a victory for workers here, we deeply respect the Volkswagen Global Group Works Council, Volkswagen management and IG Metall for doing their best to create a free and open atmosphere for workers to exercise their basic human right to form a union," King said in a statement.

2:52 a.m. Saturday

After 53 percent of the workers voted against his union, King said he was outraged at what he called "outside interference" in the election. He wouldn't rule out challenging the outcome with the National Labor Relations Board.

"It's never happened in this country before that the U.S. senator, the governor, the leader of the House, the legislature here, threatened the company with no incentives, threatened workers with a loss of product," King said. "We'll look at all our options in the next few days."

As far as I can tell, no one threatened anyone.

Republican Volunteer State Senator Bob Corker did tell reporters Wednesday, according to a Reuters report, that he had "been 'assured' that if workers at the Volkswagen AG plant in his hometown of Chattanooga reject United Auto Worker representation, the company will reward the plant with a new product to build."

That's not a threat. As I observed last night, if Corker's statement is true, there isn't any good reason why he shouldn't be allowed to say it.

In the first report, the AP reporters noted that local UAW officials were considering challenging the results, but that King wasn't going along with the idea. It would appear that the union chief saw his militancy bona fides slipping away, and is now singing from the sore losers' hymnal.

AP's second report did contain what should be a useful contribution to the national labor relations discussion:

VW wanted a German-style "works council" in Chattanooga to give employees a say over working conditions. The company says U.S. law won't allow it without an independent union.

[cripplecreek]

There isn’t a whole lot on their page but the Union Conservatives are operating in something like 35 states now. They helped with the language of the right to work law here in Michigan which made it unstoppable.

Bowman himself testified against the UAW over political fundraising on capitol hill. Just today he announced that he was seriously considering a run for congress against John Dingell as a republican.

http://www.unionconservatives.com/

[Kaslin]

I am not sure what your comments have to do with the article

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The NLRB will step in and find something wrong with the way the election was conducted.

The life blood of the Democrat party is union dues.

[gooblah]

Administrative press i like it.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

If you look around the Internet for example in the Washington Post, you’ll see articles that were prewritten before the vote that assumed the vote would go for the union

[GATOR NAVY]

There isn’t a whole lot on their page but the Union Conservatives are operating in something like 35 states now.

Thanks for that info-I sent them an e-mail asking if they have anything here in Alaska. My workplace recently tried to de-certify the Teamsters and our petition was denied by the NLRB (surprise, surprise.)

[Jane Long]

The UAW made auto workers some of the best compensated employees in US industry. It wasn’t sustainable, but it was easy to see the attraction.

***************************

That should be a lesson model for all liberal programs....as they are ALL unsustainable.

[cripplecreek]

My neighbor is a union steward and he’s a member of the Union Conservatives.