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ProSense

(116,464 posts)
Mon Feb 3, 2014, 12:23 AM Feb 2014

US auto union close to big win thanks to Germany's VW

US auto union close to big win thanks to Germany's VW

By Joseph Szczesny

Detroit (AFP) - American labor leaders are closing in on a decades-long goal of organizing a factory run by a foreign automaker, thanks to a bridgehead opened up at Germany's Volkswagen.

While a vote has not yet been scheduled, the United Auto Workers says that a majority of the 1,700 workers at VW's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee have signed cards asking for union representation.

<...>

Bringing German-style labor relations to the United States could change labor dynamics across the entire auto industry, said Harley Shaiken, a labor expert at the University of California Berkeley.

"They view the relationship with employees as critical," he told AFP. "The relationship is more important than the anti-union ideology harbored by local political figures around the Chattanooga plant."

http://news.yahoo.com/us-auto-union-close-big-win-thanks-germany-034945292.html
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US auto union close to big win thanks to Germany's VW (Original Post) ProSense Feb 2014 OP
Good news. TheMathieu Feb 2014 #1
Yay! Unions coming to Tennessee! Fawke Em Feb 2014 #2
K&R.. thanks ProSense! Cha Feb 2014 #3
That's good news. Or should I say, more good news. JDPriestly Feb 2014 #4
I've hauled Passats out of that plant. A HERETIC I AM Feb 2014 #5
Kick! n/t ProSense Feb 2014 #6
 

TheMathieu

(456 posts)
1. Good news.
Mon Feb 3, 2014, 12:26 AM
Feb 2014

Every union, big or small, strengthens the fabric of our country.

"could change labor dynamics across the entire auto industry"

Exciting.

Fawke Em

(11,366 posts)
2. Yay! Unions coming to Tennessee!
Mon Feb 3, 2014, 12:27 AM
Feb 2014

When other workers see how this will help those workers, perhaps unions throughout the state will spread!

A HERETIC I AM

(24,371 posts)
5. I've hauled Passats out of that plant.
Mon Feb 3, 2014, 01:12 AM
Feb 2014

It is interesting that Volkswagen, heavily unionized in Germany, intentionally located a plant in the US in a "Right to work" state like Tennessee.

They aren't the only one, either. Nissan has a plant in Smyrna, TN south of Nashville. The UAW has had no luck organizing that plant.

I've hauled cars out of most of the foreign nameplate assembly plants in the south, namely;

Volkswagen, Chattanooga
Nissan, Smyrna, TN
Kia, West Point, GA
BMW, Spartanburg, SC
Mercedes Benz, Vance, AL
Toyota, Georgetown, KY

Not in the south, but I've also hauled out of;
Honda, Marysville, OH.
NUMMI (Toyota/.GM Joint venture) Fremont, CA
Subaru, Lafayette, IN
Ohio Assembly, Avon Lake, OH (Built the Nissan minivan)



Those are just the foreign makes. There are probably one or two that have slipped my mind.

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