A ‘Smoking Gun’ in TN Pols’ Anti-UAW Campaign?

[mountain grammy]

Source: Moyers and Company

In February, workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tenn., plant voted by a narrow margin against joining the United Auto Workers (UAW). In the weeks leading up to the election, during a heated anti-union campaign by outside “pro-business” groups, Republican state lawmakers had held press conferences threatening to withhold incentives from the company if workers opted to join the union. It was widely reported that Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam may have made similar threats, but according to Nashville’s local News Channel 5, “the governor had emphatically denied rumors heard by Democratic lawmakers that state incentives were tied to Volkswagen rejecting the UAW.”

But yesterday, the station reported that it had uncovered documents that appear to contradict the governor’s statements. Phil Williams reports, “documents leaked to NewsChannel 5 Investigates offer conclusive proof that the Haslam administration wanted a say in the automaker’s deal with organized labor — in exchange for $300 million in economic incentives to help VW expand its Chattanooga operations.”


Volkswagen opened the Hamilton County facility in May 2011 with great fanfare.

Initially producing the midsize Passat, there were hints of more to come. It was located on a 1,400-acre site with plenty of room for expansion.

Last year, when Volkswagen began talking about adding a midsize SUV to its product line, the Haslam administration began discussing financial incentives to convince the company to build it in Chattanooga.

At the same time, VW began talks with the UAW about creating a workers council to help run the plant.

NewsChannel 5 Investigates obtained a summary from last August for what the Haslam administration called “Project Trinity.”

Marked confidential, it offers Volkswagen incentives of some $300 million — in exchange for 1,350 full-time jobs at a new SUV facility.

The catch?

“The incentives … are subject to works council discussions between the State of Tennessee and VW being concluded to the satisfaction of the State of Tennessee.”


Read more: http://cdn.billmoyers.com/wp-content/themes/billmo

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"to the satisfaction of the State of Tennessee." Unbelievable.

It's got the attention of the union workers in the Germany VW plants too.

[Dustlawyer]

1. K&R! This is why we need unions! When business becomes so powerful that it can get

the Government to do its dirty work, the individual worker is screwed.

[Rod Beauvex]

3. No...

When business gets so big it tells government what to do, that means we don't have a functional, legitimate government.

[elzenmahn]

5. There's a word for it...

FASCISM.

When you merge corporate and state interests, this is what you get. Look at Italy in the 1930's.

Same shit. Different day.

[freshwest]

6. It's the curse of the red states, but it can happen in blue states, too. It's relentless and sadly,

many voters are taken in by various memes to make them hate unions. I have seen it upfront, and the process is heartbreaking.

The workers in that plant were taken in and felt they had no choice, or had something against the UAW. Tennessee elected Corker, et al, and with constant indoctrination by Faux, Rush, Beck and also some of the church pulpits, they are inoculate to most of our arguments.

The unions are seen by some as socialist, crooked or no longer needed, and they don't want them. It is an uncomfortable fact, that unions are also up against.

I am very encouraged that the union workers in Germany have taken note and hope they will come eduate American workers when they take their summer vacations, if they still get them. They can show red state workers what they are missing out on!

[mountain grammy]

4. thanks

[Scuba]

7. So the Republican Governor was ready to spend $300M of taxpayer money to undermine TN workers.

Sounds treasonous.

[dotymed]

8. I am a retired Union carpenter now living in Tn.

It is so frustrating to hear the same anti-Union meme that I grew up hearing. The low paid workers here live in impoverished
ignorance.
VW WANTS A u UNION at this plant. These corrupt fucking greedy politicians are afraid that well paid employees may open their eyes and realize that these bastards are ruining their lives.

[Blue_Tires]

11. +1

[HereSince1628]

9. Was this governor just trying to be pragmatic

assuming that money meant more to VW than worker's rights to organize? :not sarcasm:

I mean this governor was just doing what other governors, some of whom moved on to DC, have done for at least 40 years...giving corporations various financial incentives to develop in their states. :ridicule:

[volstork]

10. Our governor

is a crook. His brother Jimmy Haslam (the smart crook) is the trillionaire owner of Pilot Oil. Bill is the stupid crook, that's why he went into politics. They are both still crooks.

http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/investigations/pilot-flying-j/2013/12/30/cleveland-l-browns-owner-haslam-faces-2014-challenges/4253355/