GOP + CORKER = Outside interference IN VOLKSWAGEN PLANT UNION VOTE!

UAW LOST 626 TO 712 vote against UNION = jaw-dropping in unopposed campaign

CORKER (R-TN) = LIES AND LIES SOME MORE TO STOP UNION

GOP LIES = NO future state subsidies + SUV PLANT LIE + NO ONE WILL MOVE TO TN!

Volkswagen = signed 22-page neutrality agreement pledging not to interfere in election

Factors = GOP Outside interference and THREATS + PRESSURE by supervisors.

GOP public anti-union threats by right-wing politicians:

Tennessee’s Governor Haslam (R) = “I think that there are some ramifications to the vote in terms of our ability to attract other suppliers. When we recruit other companies, that comes up every time.”

Haslam (R) = “When the governor made his comments, we saw some movement at that time”

— Williams, UAW – announced it was exploring legal options and might petition the National Labor Relations Board to order a new election because of the threats issued by Corker, the governor and the leaders of the Tennessee State House and Senate.

Haslam (R) + CORKER (R) = ARE Blamed for loss due to GOP public anti-union threats

Haslam (R) + CORKER (R) = UAW President Bob King informed reporters, “We’re also outraged by the outside interference in this election. Never before in this country have we seen a U.S. senator, a governor and a leader of the Legislature threaten the company with incentives and threaten workers with a loss of product. That’s outrageous.”

GOP HOUSE AND SENATE 2 days before Election = suggested that Volkswagen might not receive future state subsidies if the plant unionized.

Corker (R-Tenn.) = pledged not to comment publicly about the ongoing election

Corker (R-Tenn.) = “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.”

Volkswagen Chattanooga Chairman CALLED Corker A LIAR = union election would have no effect on the SUV decision

Corker (R-Tenn.) = DOUBLED DOWN = “Believe me, the decisions regarding the Volkswagen expansion are not being made by anyone in management at the Chattanooga plant…”

Corker (R-Tenn.) = “After all these years and my involvement with Volkswagen, I would not have made the statement I made yesterday without being confident it was true and factual.”

Corker (R-Tenn.) = “When Sen. Corker said he was not going to be involved and then he came back from Washington, D.C., we had a feeling that something was happening. Forty-three votes was the difference, so it’s very disturbing when this happens in the United States of America when a company and a union come together and have a fair election process.”

Corker (R-Tenn.) = Threats issued by Corker and GOV

Corker (R-Tenn.) = Burton’s argument = mirror Corker = “It’s not about union or anti-union, it’s about the way the UAW conducts business.”

GOP = Threats of workers losing their jobs by POLITICIANS is unusual.

MID MGT + Low-level supervisors not eligible for the union ignored the directive and actively opposed the UNION = wearing “Vote No” T-shirts in the days leading up to the union election = “The salaried people stood out front every day this past week with [anti-UAW] shirts on, and I truly believe they swayed the votes their way.”

“What the UAW is offering, we can already do without them.  We were only given one choice [of a union]. When you are only given one choice, it’s BS. It would be nice if we had a union that came in here and forthright said, “Here is what we can offer.”

— Worker Burton

UAW President Bob King responded, “Our philosophy is, we want to work in partnership with companies to succeed. Nobody has more at stake in the long-term success of the company than the workers on the shop floor, both blue collar and white collar. With every company that we work with, we’re concerned about competitiveness.”

Neutrality agreement hampered UAW’s ability = barred UAW from holding one-on-one meetings with workers at their homes except at the worker’s express request = shocked  some + difficulties in getting the UAW to engage the broader Chattanooga community despite the UAW being continually blasted on local talk radio, newspapers and billboards = Community activists said they had a hard time finding ways to coordinate solidarity efforts with the UAW = “There’s no way to win in the South without everyone that supports you fighting with you.  Because the South is one giant anti-union campaign.”

But for one Southern man, progress still feels achievable.  “I’m a stubborn man,” says Cliett. “Some are talking about quitting. I will be walking into the plant on Monday with my head held high and preaching the message of solidarity.”