Press Coverage of UAW's VW-Chattanooga Loss 'Somehow' Overlooks One

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

[Kaslin]

The rest of the title is: 'Outside Influence': President Obama

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Anyone think VW played Devil’s Advocate? Pretend to be open to unionization knowing that it will Epic Fail anyway?

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Makes me proud to be a VW fan.

Maybe I’ll see if I can get a job down there sweeping the floor in the VW factory.

[cripplecreek]

Obama has been kind of a disaster for unions. He came to Michigan to try to stop the RTW law from being passed as well.

[ladyjane]

How soon before the Department of Justice (Injustice) decides the vote was illegal?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Kaslin. Related:

• The Tennessee GOP's union-thwarting push has backfired
• Workers at Tennessee Volkswagen factory reject United Auto Workers union
• Loss at Volkswagen plant upends union's plan for U.S. South (Workers voted against union)
• United Auto Workers Union Stunned by Devastating Defeat in Tennessee
• Awesome: Left-Wing UAW Rejected in Chattanooga
• Union Suffers Big Loss at Tennessee VW Plant
• Volkswagen workers in Tennessee vote no to union representation
• VW workers at Tennessee plant reject union
• U.S. senator drops bombshell during VW plant union vote (Tennessee)

[Blood of Tyrants]

No, from all I have heard, they thought that the union would give them a built in organization to form a worker’s quality improvement committee. Little did they know that the UAW’s primary purpose is to raise money to give to DemocRats and to keep bad workers on the job.

[ncfool]

The forgot to count the dead uaw votes and they also found votes today in the trunk of the uaw officials Government Moters car.

[clintonh8r]

Has FUBARack ever had an unexpressed thought?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Ah, so VW thought the German work experience would translate into America as well.

[ken5050]

One comment, one question:

Lest they forget: About 20 years ago, VW opened a brand new assembly plant in Pennsylvania. 100% UAW closed shop. IN the 7 years it was open, there were SIX strikes. VWS finally shut it down.

In the big 3, which are closed shops, the workers all pay union dues. As part of the contract, the big three pay into the UAW pension and health care funds..( which are in big trouble, but that's another story) If the UAW had won in Tenn, would those workers who chose to be represented by the union now have been covered by the union plans, instead of what VW is now providing?

[Graybeard58]

lower-paid workers typically are required to pay in the same amount in union dues as those who receive much higher pay.

Wrong. The U.A.W. assesses union dues of two hours pay per month. So while all do have to pay the same two hours pay, the statement is untrue that they have to pay the same amount.

[Chode]

Lest they forget: About 20 years ago, VW opened a brand new assembly plant in Pennsylvania. 100% UAW closed shop. IN the 7 years it was open, there were SIX strikes. VWS finally shut it down.

i guess their corporate memory has Alzheimer's

[tcrlaf]

“If the UAW had won in Tenn, would those workers who chose to be represented by the union now have been covered by the union plans, instead of what VW is now providing?”

Not right away, but remember how the first VW plant in Penn. was sacrificed to the great cry of “PARITY!!!”, a couple of months after the UAW came in.

[Verginius Rufus]

Another case when Obama thought he could sway the vote was when he tried to get the Olympics for Chicago.

His latest defeat is good for Tennessee, just like his defeat in the case of the Olympics was good for the Olympic Games.

[tanknetter]

Anyone think VW played Devil’s Advocate? Pretend to be open to unionization knowing that it will Epic Fail anyway?

No, I don't think they did.

I think that they really wanted the "Workers Council" that is pretty engrained in their corporate culture to exist at the TN plant. They accepted that in order to make that happen they needed to have the UAW come in.

I also don't think they understood what impact the UAW being in their labor-relations mix would have. Actually, I think they were downright clueless in assuming that the downside of having the UAW in would be offset by the benefits provided by the Workers Council.

Here's what I don't get - why is having outside union representation a legal prerequisite to having a Workers Council? Why wouldn't the establishment of an independent local union be adequate? Other than it would cut a big national union (UAW) completely out of the mix, and the legal deck is completely stacked in the favor of big national unions. So I guess the question is rhetorical.

It still seems to be a COMPLETE violation of the whole freedom of association thing ...

[fella]

The word ‘union’ stirs up bitter feelings in the South especially in places like Chattanooga where so much fighting took place and where so many families lost so many forbearers.

[trebb]

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

You mean like Zero and his minions care more about the "rights" of illegals than the Rights of Citizens?

[ops33]

The article is suggesting that if Obama kept his mouth shut there was a possibility of the workers voting for a union.
Some things are priceless.