VW union Vote Update

[dryhorn2]

OK lets here the out come of the VW vote from some insider .. emoQuestion

 

[Hook1]

As a union electrician, I would not suggest unionizing. They will be forced to pay more and they will be at the mercy of the employees. That sounds good and all but that will surely lead to layoffs. The electrical union priced themselves right out of the market. I was making $26 per hour but I only worked half of the year. A person can't live on unemployment and after so long my insurance would run out. I took a pay cut and started working elsewhere and make more per year with no missed time. Only my opinion though.

 

[buzz]

53-47...against!
Not a insider...was scrolling on channel 9.

 

[shawnr]

The union is a good thing, I'm sorry it did not get in ,everyone makes more because of the union and it protects your rights

 

[foodsaver]

Shawn I don't know you from adam but that is silly. The unions had their place in history but that place is gone. The working conditions and salary at VW are great. The only thing the unions would do at VW in Chattanooga is bilk funds from the workers. Why don't you explain how effective the unions have been in the last decade in Detroit?

 

[dhpro]

foodsaver i dont know you from adam but your silly!

 

[spnplgr]

Yep, Detroit is a good example of some of the finer things caused by unions. Thirty years ago, I managed a unionized manufacturing facility. They caused the company too many unnecessary problems including missing critical deadlines and producing inferior products.

 

[dryhorn2]

Does anyone remember Wheeland Foundry in Chattanooga.. Nothing good comes with a union.

 

[Oldman]

ditto

 

[buzz]

foodsaver..I agree...seems like just yesterday..AMERICAN TAXPAYERS....spent Billions...bailing out the auto industry.....thanks to the UAW. I doubt those leaders lost a dime or a days sleep.

 

[yellburt]

<font color="#3300cc"><font size="4"><font face="georgia,palatino">i was at wheland foundry for 25 an one half years..the reason they went out of buesneiss was the street family just got tired of running it so gordon street turned it over to his daughter lura ..an she run it in the ground the union had nothing to do with it going out of bussiness . it was all a planned deal ... she wanted to break the mold an she dam well did..ALL A PLANNED DEAL.............. emoUSA
</font></font></font>

 

[buzz]

I always thought the MOUNTAIN folk might have had a hand in it closing.....smog...obstucking their view.

 

[Jmax]

There is a good and bad side to Unions. I got involved years ago at Krogers when I was young. At the time I worked there I was just a High Schooler but they had a "Right to Work" state, you did not have to join. The Union always asked folks to join. I was no different. They wanted me to join up but in looking at it their rules were killing me as a kid. I needed hours so I could make some money. Their rules allowed senior workers with time more then me to take my hours. emoBang If I was scheduled for hours that someone wanted who had been there longer then me that person could just say they wanted them and I got screwed. There were weeks especially around Christmas when people wanted more hours for Christmas Money that I got no hours at all. emoAngry Then they kept wanting me to join up and pay dues!! I thought they were nuts. Pay with what? I finally found another job and left. It really put a bad taste in my mouth about Unions.

I think there is a place for them even with the bad experience I had. If an employer is unfair, unsafe, poor conditions, poor work areas, ex...The Union can address these issues on behalf of the workers as a whole. You file a grievance and it follows a path to be reviewed. However if there is a good communication program between the management and the workers the Union is not needed to speak for you. There will also be times that you may want to speak for yourself but cannot due to the Union flow of how it is suppose to work. You also may not be happy with how your representative "Fixed" the issue but your stuck with it since that was the agreement reached. Third party representation is not always a good thing. Not to mention your paying for the representation with dues you have to pay if you are a member of that Union.

The best folks to know if the VW plant needed a Union representation were the workers themselves. It would appear they have spoken. I hope for all sides it works out the best for everyone. emoAngel Jmax

 

[captain kirk]

IF MAN LOVED HIS NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, WE WOULD NOT NEED UNIONS. BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE.

 

[BASS MAN]

aman

 

[finbully]

All I can say is I've been laid off twice in 30 some years of working and both times it has been in union companies. They have done me no good whatsoever.

 

[jpbass]

I think some of you guys need a history lesson. If it weren't for unions and people standing up for workers rights there would be no weekends, employer provided benefits or overtime pay. The greed of the giant corporations has ruined America. I agree when organized crime got into the unions it really hurt their credibility but without unions employees don't have a voice. Collective bargaining is a great thing for the worker and you only see that in unionized companies. Look at Walmart. That's the way things go when you don't have any bargaining power with a company. They set record profits every year while providing less benefits to their blue collar worker. They have mostly part time workers now so the they don't have to provide benefits.

 

[shawnr]

We'll said jpbass , I am glad things are good at the vw plant but they can thank union members in other factory's for keeping the bar high

 

[foodsaver]

All of those benefits are now ensured by the federal government. 30-40 years ago there was a place for unions. Now that our federal government has grown to include some of those protections they serve no use. Especially at a place that pays more than the local competition and provides better benefits. If you want to unionize at least do it at a plant that doesnt have great conditions for their workers. There is a reason UAW hasn't been able to move south and it appears to me that is because the foreign auto factories are providing good benefits for their workers without being coerced to do so by the UAW. What I don't understand is why the UAW won't learn the lesson that workers in the south are trying to teach them.

 

[jpbass]

Foodsaver you might want to read the article from the Washington Post on the whole reasoning for the union vote. VW supported the vote because their support and success dealing with the work councils in Europe. The Chattanooga VW plant is the only one in the world without employee representation and evidently it's working for VW.
Thats probably a big reason why VW in Chattanooga is a good place to work with good benefits and pay. Tennessee just has a lot of anti-union politicians like Bob Corker who are totally against collective bargaining and rights for the blue collar worker because of their white collar background.