A recent attempt by the United Auto Workers (UAW) to unionize a Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga fell a tad short. The UAW is considering court action, citing undue meddling in the election effort by various Tennessee public officials, all Republican. (One GOP heavy, feeling his oats, growled a message at VW to this effect: "Nice tax break ya got there. It would be a shame if something happened to it.")
Among other things, the workers were told that Volkswagen's plans to expand the Chattanooga plant might be jeopardized if they voted for the union. Seems plausible except for one bothersome li'l detail: Senator Tom Corker, Governor Bill Haslam (the former Chattanooga mayor, by the way) and other Republican poobahs, evidently failed to communicate with the corporate folks at VW before making such brash --- and untrue --- statements.
It seems as if it never occurred to Corker and Company, that VW's European style corporate culture wasn't in synch with their own values. Among VW's 106 assembly plants world-wide, the Tennessee factory --- the only one in the US --- also happens to be their only facility without a Euro-style works council. The works council is an arrangement of regularly scheduled meetings between labor and management that encourages a free flow of ideas. A union provides the structure for the works council.
Officially, VW maintained a neutral stance prior to the election. But it seems as if they really wanted the union to succeed. In the wake of the defeat, VW has announced that they're reconsidering any plans they may have had for expansion in the South. It's a blatant contradiction to the Republicans' anti-union message. So it looks as if Mr. Corker's fibs are coming back to bite him, his fellow Republicans and all the good people of Tennessee.
What did he say again in the wake of the union's defeat? Oh yeah. "I am thrilled for the employees at Volkswagen and for our community and its future". It's probably true that some of the workers who voted nay are reflexively opposed to unions. But in light of widespread pro-union sentiments expressed among the rank and file before the election, many believe that some folks may have flipped their votes as a reaction to the Republicans' fear-mongering; perhaps enough to alter the outcome.
I think the union's challenge effort will sprout legs. Stay tuned!
Tennessee in the news now is coincidentally on my mind, as I'm just finishing David Halberstam's 700+ page tome, The Children. It's about the brave eight young people in leadership in SNCC and the SCLC who worked with Dr. King back in the 50s and 60s. Tennessee figures prominently because of the ground breaking civil rights work done in Nashville. But the Deep South and its border states (Tennessee) never gave up the stupid prejudices/privileges of the past, still send idiots like Corker (-reeaaly fulfilling his name, that one!) to Congress.
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