General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forumsu.s. senator bob corker (r-tn) lied to workers/state regarding volkswagen's intentions...
Tennessee was the most vocal opponent, saying that he was told that VW would not build a new SUV in Chattanooga if workers approved the union. That was later denied by a VW
executive in Tennessee.
http://www.tennessean.com/viewart/20140214/BUSINESS01/140214013/VW-workers-Chattanooga-plant-reject-union
lpbk2713
(42,772 posts)That's always a good sign to believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.
ladjf
(17,320 posts)is no more than a smart political move. "The end justifies the means". nt
spanone
(135,919 posts)ladjf
(17,320 posts)for being smart enough to cheat and profit from it. It is a culture that is void of ethics.
Whatever it takes to "win".
okaawhatever
(9,478 posts)if they voted for a union they would lose the SUV. What he said was:
"I've had conversations today and based on those am assured that should the workers vote against the UAW, Volkswagen will announce in the coming weeks that it will manufacture its new mid-size SUV here in Chattanooga," said Corker, without saying with whom he had the conversations.
In the past few weeks, Volkswagen officials have made several statements that the vote will have no bearing on whether the SUV will be made at the Chattanooga plant or at a plant in Puebla, Mexico
____________
I think it was a lie of omission and fear-mongering based on insider information. What Corker said was that they WOULD get the SUV if the voted against the union. What he didn't say was that they would get the SUV REGARDLESS of the vote. I think Corker learned VW was gong to give the SUV to the Chattanooga plant and used that info to make the statement in such a way that it seemed like they would lose the vehicle if they voted pro-union. He never said the opposite. That's the key. Basically, they were getting the SUV either way and he wanted to swing the anti-union vote with threats.
VW's response was only that the vote would not determine who got the SUV line. Probably because they had already made the decision to give it to Chattanooga. They never said Corker was wrong in his statement.
spanone
(135,919 posts)okaawhatever
(9,478 posts)should start, like yesterday. I don't know what the laws are regarding politicians in this situation but it seems there are two issues. One is if they can prove he lied. The other is if there's a law against a politician getting involved in a union election in the first place. I hope there are laws against politicians getting involved in union elections, that conviction should be a no-brainer.
spanone
(135,919 posts)As workers at Volkswagens Chattanooga plant prepare to vote next week on joining the United Auto Workers labor union, Gov. Bill Haslam is making a last-minute pitch to the German automaker against unionization.
Were trying to be really clear: I think that there are some ramifications to the vote in terms of our ability to attract other suppliers, Haslam told The Tennesseans editorial board on Wednesday. When we recruit other companies, that comes up every time.
Haslam, along with Republican U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, a former mayor of Chattanooga, has been an outspoken critic of UAWs involvement in efforts to represent employees at what is the United States only Volkswagen plant.
Haslam confirmed he has communicated to Volkswagen officials this week. Weve told the company that from our standpoint, we have concerns.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20140206/NEWS0201/302060039/Gov-Haslam-tries-keep-UAW-out-Tennessee