The prospect of the United Auto Workers gaining a new foothold at Volkswagen’s plant in Tennessee worries some Southern Republicans, who say laws banning mandatory union membership have helped lure foreign automakers.
But Volkswagen faces pressure from labor interests on its supervisory board to grant workers a stronger voice at the plant. And Handelsblatt, a German business newspaper, reported Monday that UAW President Bob King and five other officials discussed the Tennessee plant with the company’s employee relations chief last week at VW’s headquarters in Wolfsburg.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam warned Tuesday his state’s prospects could suffer if the UAW succeeds in representing workers at Volkswagen’s lone U.S. assembly plant in Chattanooga. It’s an argument that many Southern politicians have made, fearing that union representation would deter businesses — and badly needed jobs — from coming to their respective states.
“We have heard from other folks that we’re recruiting that that would be dampen their enthusiasm with Tennessee,” Haslam said
via RN-T.com – GOP dreads prospect of new UAW foothold in South.
Comments ( 0 )