On April 19, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that workers at a Volkswagen auto plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The union won by a 73% majority, with more than 2,600 votes – a historic feat. This was the UAW’s third attempt in 10 years to organize the plant after it failed to do so in 2014 and 2019. It is also the
I hear Bernie Sanders' voice in the background excoriating the pure selfish greed of the Koch Brothers who took on non unionization as a major cause in their pursuit of inducing poverty on the masses. Here's evidence of a step toward helping those who work to make a "living" wage. And, the irony and great news: the VW corporation sees unionization "improving productivity, morale and working conditions." Wonderful report Judd and Tesnim!
Autoworkers are many things, but no matter what Republican governors, the Koch network and other right wing corporate shills believe, they are not stupid. And they can see that union auto workers have higher pay, better benefits and more job security than non-union workers. And they can see VW and Mercedes paying huge salaries to executives and paying huge dividends to shareholders and they want their share.
When all else fails, claim "they" are coming for your guns. Good grief! Good for the workers. I really hope this ushers in the undoing of the Republicans' business model of poverty level wages and stock buybacks.
Are enough people waking up to republican fear-mongering, lies, corruption and moral disfunction? What a difference a brief 7 years made in the instance.
More than 40 years ago, Reagan started the process of breaking up unions to support supply-side economics, which has moved an estimated 50 trillion (don’t think people realize how big that number is) to the wealthy. Now, in year four of Joe Biden, union workers strike and win against the Big 3; union is approved in the Deep South; Ukraine support is approved in the Republican House and brought to the floor by a MAGA speaker; Trump is on trial. All of this is connected. Maybe some of the tide is turning to bringing back the positive worker economy we had before Reagan.
Shawn Fain is a real leader. He is up against the Koch Fascist network—he is at Ground Zero for the fight for democracy. Let’s hope all those mindless MAGAts discover where their actual interests lie and quit backing the people who want to see the middle class wiped out with Shock Doctrine, Libertarian fascism.
This is the beneficial reality when persons are well informed, which can cost money... that worker support groups don't have in abundance. Or...when the other side of the motivational coin is that workers are informed just enough, and finally pissed off enough from having been lied to repeatedly and abused such that they have no other option but to try out the dreaded Union.
Imagine what could result from a future of no lies, corruption and greed, on all sides, if they were to work together...
Perhaps we could focus our energies on solving the climate change issues as opposed to trying to game each others side?
This is progress for American workers. Automakers have been exploiting tax payers and workers (especially in southern states) for many years. Here in South Carolina, the governor and legislature roll out the welcome mat (and the checkbook)for any manufacturer (auto or otherwise) wanting to locate in the state. It’s not unusual to see southern states pony up millions of dollars in tax credits, for example, SC provides $1500-$25,000 credit for each new, full-time job created. Right-to-work laws make unionization efforts futile. Volkswagen is no stranger to unionized workplaces. Their manufacturing plants in Germany employ skilled laborers who are represented by IG Metall and Works Council, one of the strongest unions in the world. Unions will help grow the US middle class; already the most powerful and wealthy group of people in the world, estimated to spend $40 trillion this year.
Great report. This vote made me very happy when announced. I feel very much that each of us participating and working on things to right the wrongs caused by the 1% can make a difference. I hope Alabama MB employees will follow suit.
This spirit is why I worked to get Ossof, Warnock and Fetterman elected even though I am several states away. By sending postcards, phone banking and small donations as I could and thousands of others did as well, we helped their elections.
I did so in my own state to turn the legislature blue last fall and though we have a GOP conservative Gov. we are at least a buffer towards his repressive policies.
Power to the People! Join the fight to keep our democracy.
So happy that the unions are making such great progress, even in the South! Let's hope no voter forgets this November that these proworker gains are being made under Joe Biden/a democratic administration. And please vote accordingly. Even in the South🤞
Good on UAW and workers in Tennessee! The old game of bringing new plants to the South, where they still think unions = communism is about to fail. Just as the strength of people (mostly women) refusing to be sent back to pre-Roe days, prevails over a mute SCOTUS, the southern "strategy" for Jim Crow is out of step with the 21st Century. The only way workers can achieve decent wages now is through union strength. The billionaire$ in charge are about to get their comeuppance as the proles protest with their voices, feet and votes! Just look at what the message was in Tennessee - coming for your guns! It always goes back to the fear factor. They got NOTHIN!
I'm extremely excited about the unionization of the VW plant. And as a proud Michigander, I have to defend Detroit every opportunity I get. Chattanooga and Detroit have an almost identical violent crime rate (I'm assuming they're fear mongering using Detroit's notoriety as an unsafe place) but Detroit is actually cool. Not to mention all of those UAW workers in the metro Detroit area are spreading their new income all over to area businesses.
I love this freedom thing, which was also a line taken by the anti-union cabal (because unions are supposed to take away freedom). That is, freedom for the bosses to continue to under-pay their workers while taking home ever-larger earnings themselves. As far as I can see it's those who shout loudest about freedom in the USA who are most in favour of shutting down other people's freedoms - women's rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights and often basic human rights - so they can impose their own definition of freedom on everyone else. In this case, not allowing freedom of association to try to restore the balance against those who hold the purse strings.
The other thing is that their short-term greed is short-sighted. The whole country (including them) does better when wealth is better spread, because when the poor begin to be able to spend more and lift themselves out of poverty, their spending goes straight back into the economy and boosts consumption all round. That's what happened in the immediate post-war until the eighties.
I hear Bernie Sanders' voice in the background excoriating the pure selfish greed of the Koch Brothers who took on non unionization as a major cause in their pursuit of inducing poverty on the masses. Here's evidence of a step toward helping those who work to make a "living" wage. And, the irony and great news: the VW corporation sees unionization "improving productivity, morale and working conditions." Wonderful report Judd and Tesnim!
Autoworkers are many things, but no matter what Republican governors, the Koch network and other right wing corporate shills believe, they are not stupid. And they can see that union auto workers have higher pay, better benefits and more job security than non-union workers. And they can see VW and Mercedes paying huge salaries to executives and paying huge dividends to shareholders and they want their share.
When all else fails, claim "they" are coming for your guns. Good grief! Good for the workers. I really hope this ushers in the undoing of the Republicans' business model of poverty level wages and stock buybacks.
Are enough people waking up to republican fear-mongering, lies, corruption and moral disfunction? What a difference a brief 7 years made in the instance.
Stay tuned for Good News!
More than 40 years ago, Reagan started the process of breaking up unions to support supply-side economics, which has moved an estimated 50 trillion (don’t think people realize how big that number is) to the wealthy. Now, in year four of Joe Biden, union workers strike and win against the Big 3; union is approved in the Deep South; Ukraine support is approved in the Republican House and brought to the floor by a MAGA speaker; Trump is on trial. All of this is connected. Maybe some of the tide is turning to bringing back the positive worker economy we had before Reagan.
Shawn Fain is a real leader. He is up against the Koch Fascist network—he is at Ground Zero for the fight for democracy. Let’s hope all those mindless MAGAts discover where their actual interests lie and quit backing the people who want to see the middle class wiped out with Shock Doctrine, Libertarian fascism.
This is the beneficial reality when persons are well informed, which can cost money... that worker support groups don't have in abundance. Or...when the other side of the motivational coin is that workers are informed just enough, and finally pissed off enough from having been lied to repeatedly and abused such that they have no other option but to try out the dreaded Union.
Imagine what could result from a future of no lies, corruption and greed, on all sides, if they were to work together...
Perhaps we could focus our energies on solving the climate change issues as opposed to trying to game each others side?
Follow Shawn Faim and the UAW's campaign to organize Volkswagen and other autoworkers to win a living wage with this interactive visual guide.
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/04/20/volkswagen-uaw-vote-shows-power-of-organizing/
This is progress for American workers. Automakers have been exploiting tax payers and workers (especially in southern states) for many years. Here in South Carolina, the governor and legislature roll out the welcome mat (and the checkbook)for any manufacturer (auto or otherwise) wanting to locate in the state. It’s not unusual to see southern states pony up millions of dollars in tax credits, for example, SC provides $1500-$25,000 credit for each new, full-time job created. Right-to-work laws make unionization efforts futile. Volkswagen is no stranger to unionized workplaces. Their manufacturing plants in Germany employ skilled laborers who are represented by IG Metall and Works Council, one of the strongest unions in the world. Unions will help grow the US middle class; already the most powerful and wealthy group of people in the world, estimated to spend $40 trillion this year.
Great report. This vote made me very happy when announced. I feel very much that each of us participating and working on things to right the wrongs caused by the 1% can make a difference. I hope Alabama MB employees will follow suit.
This spirit is why I worked to get Ossof, Warnock and Fetterman elected even though I am several states away. By sending postcards, phone banking and small donations as I could and thousands of others did as well, we helped their elections.
I did so in my own state to turn the legislature blue last fall and though we have a GOP conservative Gov. we are at least a buffer towards his repressive policies.
Power to the People! Join the fight to keep our democracy.
So happy that the unions are making such great progress, even in the South! Let's hope no voter forgets this November that these proworker gains are being made under Joe Biden/a democratic administration. And please vote accordingly. Even in the South🤞
Thank you Tesnim and Judd - great reporting and wonderful news!!
Good on UAW and workers in Tennessee! The old game of bringing new plants to the South, where they still think unions = communism is about to fail. Just as the strength of people (mostly women) refusing to be sent back to pre-Roe days, prevails over a mute SCOTUS, the southern "strategy" for Jim Crow is out of step with the 21st Century. The only way workers can achieve decent wages now is through union strength. The billionaire$ in charge are about to get their comeuppance as the proles protest with their voices, feet and votes! Just look at what the message was in Tennessee - coming for your guns! It always goes back to the fear factor. They got NOTHIN!
I'm extremely excited about the unionization of the VW plant. And as a proud Michigander, I have to defend Detroit every opportunity I get. Chattanooga and Detroit have an almost identical violent crime rate (I'm assuming they're fear mongering using Detroit's notoriety as an unsafe place) but Detroit is actually cool. Not to mention all of those UAW workers in the metro Detroit area are spreading their new income all over to area businesses.
I love this freedom thing, which was also a line taken by the anti-union cabal (because unions are supposed to take away freedom). That is, freedom for the bosses to continue to under-pay their workers while taking home ever-larger earnings themselves. As far as I can see it's those who shout loudest about freedom in the USA who are most in favour of shutting down other people's freedoms - women's rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights and often basic human rights - so they can impose their own definition of freedom on everyone else. In this case, not allowing freedom of association to try to restore the balance against those who hold the purse strings.
The other thing is that their short-term greed is short-sighted. The whole country (including them) does better when wealth is better spread, because when the poor begin to be able to spend more and lift themselves out of poverty, their spending goes straight back into the economy and boosts consumption all round. That's what happened in the immediate post-war until the eighties.
Absolutely the best news