Quote
Originally posted by: malibber2
There have been no allegations of illegal activity. The only threats and intimidation have been from the conservative politicians.
Since Don Diego commented on this thread I'd love to hear how he feels about Coker Motors?
DonDiego thanks malliber2 for his request.
For the record the quote in malliber2's post, above, was not made by DonDiego.
DonDiego agrees with malliber2: There have been no allegations of illegal activity.
One VW worker in the VW plant has spoken out that he is being treated unfairly in his efforts against the Union.
So far as DonDiego can tell there have been no "dictates" from the State and local politicians to VW managers or to the VW workers or to the UAW.
DonDiego has no doubt the UAW is sincere in preferring the VW plant be unionized.
DonDiego has no doubt those Tennessee politicians who voice doubts are sincere that it should not be. DonDiego suspects that in addition to the fears of economic effects [e.g. higher costs, loss of competitiveness, etc.] they also would like to avoid the almost certain Democrat Party electioneering which will emanate from the new Union offices. The local pols fear interference/damage to the present communication between VW and the Chattanoogans on economic development.
DonDiego does not know how the voting will go.
VW intends to create a works council in the plant, as it has in most of its plants worldwide, and expects the Union to be part of that plan.
"The U.A.W. and many labor relations experts say it would be illegal to have a works council at an American company without first having a union voted in, because without one the works council might be considered an improper employer-dominated employee group."
So, there's gonna be a vote next week. No one has tried to stop it.
DonDiego opines, given the discord, that such a vote is to be preferred over just accepting the Union because the Union claims that a majority of workers signed cards requesting an election. It's the most straightforward method to avoid unwarranted combative arguments.
DonDiego's reason for not commenting on the matter earlier is just this, . . . the election will resolve things as it should. Everything else is just political blather, . . . umm, no offense intended to malliber2.
Notes
__Everything stated above by DonDiego, is pretty much in malibber2's original link The New York Times
__Nothing DonDiego has read suggests that Senator Corker deserves the hatred expressed in this thread. With the exception of the despicable Dallas Cowboys (and sometimes the Islamists seeking his destruction), DonDiego avoids expressing such malevolence towards anyone.
__DonDiego's personal experience with a Union dates to the the Summers of 1967/68/69 when the United Steel Workers [USW] represented him at the Bethlehem Steel Company [BSC]. The Union took some dues money from him.
The Union was largely responsible for many extremely inefficient work rules at the Plant. It struck DonDiego as strange that the two men responsible for operating each in-plant locomotive were not bothered that a third man onboard - the Fireman - sat in the cab every day for 8 hours doing absolutely nothing and earning as much pay as each of the other two.
In 1995 after roughly 140 years of metal production at its Bethlehem, Pennsylvania plant, the Bethlehem Steel Company ceased operations and closed the plant. In 2001, Bethlehem Steel filed for bankruptcy. The Bethlehem Steel Company is no more.
Most of the plant-site was leveled, including a recently constructed state-of-the-art oxygen furnace, visible from DonDiego's familial home. Some relics of the grand-age-of-steel were left standing like the row of blast furnaces [on which DonDiego had worked] and some of the older turn-of-the-20th-century buildings in anticipation of an Industrial Museum Complex, . . . comprising a riverside park and exhibits and walkways and educational activities and hotels and shopping complexes. All that was, in fact, built is the Sands Bethlehem Casino. The nearby ore-bridges are deteriorating from absence of maintenance; the collapse might be worth watching.
