General Discussion

pampango

(24,692 posts) Mon Feb 3, 2014, 06:34 PM Feb 2014

German auto union puts pressure on Volkwagen US to unionize and adopt "works councils".

Volkswagen Group of America’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has experienced something unusual: a union welcomed by management but faced with resistance from some workers. A combination of outdated labor laws and union intransigence has created this oddity.

German law requires “works councils” in which management and labor groups meet to collaboratively sort out workplace issues. Consequently, there is a works council at every Volkswagen plant -- except the one in Chattanooga. Now, under pressure from IG Metall, the German union, Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s headquarters has decided it wants a works council in the U.S., too.

But there’s a hitch. U.S. labor laws prohibit companies from discussing working conditions with employee representatives -- unless they belong to outside unions. In the 1930s, Congress feared businesses would create bogus “company unions” to keep union organizers at bay, so it banned “management-dominated” labor organizations.

The UAW says it has majority support for union representation based on publicly signed cards. But some workers at the Chattanooga plant claim the UAW misled them about what signing the cards meant, and several have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-30/how-union-law-hurts-a-nonunion-auto-plant.html

The tone of the article is decidedly anti-union but the content is interesting in that the German autoworkers union is pressuring Volkswagen in the US to follow German laws that govern unions and the worker councils that are part of the German manufacturing.

It would be interesting to see a more pro-union take on this situation if anyone knows of one.

4 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

German auto union puts pressure on Volkwagen US to unionize and adopt "works councils". (Original Post) pampango Feb 2014 OP

since I don't think the media d_r Feb 2014 #1

This message was self-deleted by its author moondust Feb 2014 #2

Trust righties to be all pro-management: Unless the management is pro-union Populist_Prole Feb 2014 #3

That "article" was written by the Heritage Foundation. One of the articles in the Chattanooga paper okaawhatever Feb 2014 #4

d_r

(6,907 posts)

1. since I don't think the media

Reply to pampango (Original post)

Mon Feb 3, 2014, 06:44 PM

Feb 2014

is going to have a more pro-union take, here is UAW's press release:

http://www.uaw.org/articles/volkswagen-workers-vote-union-representation

here's the local paper:
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/feb/03/uaw-will-try-election-chattanooga-plant-king-says/

Here's Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/03/us-autos-uaw-vw-idUSBREA120XJ20140203

Here's what wall st journal says-
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304851104579360932530134494?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702304851104579360932530134494.html

Response to pampango (Original post)

moondust This message was self-deleted by its author.

Populist_Prole

(5,364 posts)

3. Trust righties to be all pro-management: Unless the management is pro-union

Reply to pampango (Original post)

Mon Feb 3, 2014, 07:24 PM

Feb 2014

To red state righties, this is all about power/control and NOT business.

Fucking redneck ideologues.

okaawhatever

(9,478 posts)

4. That "article" was written by the Heritage Foundation. One of the articles in the Chattanooga paper

Reply to pampango (Original post)

Mon Feb 3, 2014, 08:09 PM

Feb 2014

was written by the head of the National Right to Work Foundation. A tea party, neo-con backed group with donations from the Koch brothers.
(James Sherk is the senior policy analyst in labor economics at the Heritage Foundation

You asked for a more pro-union response. Well, I've never been in a union, or even in a field with union workers, but I can see some glaring omissions. The author compares the decline of union workers and the rise of non-union workers as if unionization was the deciding factor. What they aren't accounting for is the fact that those numbers match the decline in domestic car sales and increase in import car sales. The American car manufacturers failed to get on board with higher mileage cars. Detroit thought the American didn't want a car like a Honda that got good gas mileage. Even after the OPEC embargo they drug their feet. Those decisions were made by management and the board of directors. It was American hubris, plain and simple. Even Jonathan Demming (I think that's his name) the guy who was the father of manufacturing excellence was ignored by American manufacturers. His ideas were embraced by Toyota. Again, not a union issue.
One of the reasons for the failure of American plants and manufacturers was massive legacy debt. The companies promised great retirement and medical care. When those costs skyrocketed, they couldn't keep the promises and stay competitive. American manufacturing management thought they owned the world and rarely considered a time when someone else wouldn't compete with them. Look at union organized plants for American automakers now, they're doing fine. Quite profitable.

I'm sure a union person can be more enlightening, but it doesn't take much to see a few obviously false comparisons being made in the article. It's kind of a shame that a neo-con group can get their article in Bloomberg as if it's a real article, when it's nothing more than an advertisement for the neo-cons.

Reply to this discussion