Tennessee's GOP governor says Volkswagen plant workers made a mistake in union vote

[In It to Win It]

Tennessee's GOP governor says Volkswagen plant workers made a mistake in union vote

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee said Monday that he thinks workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga made a mistake by voting to unionize under the United Auto Workers in a landslide election but acknowledged the choice was ultimately up to them.

Ahead of the vote, Lee and five other Southern Republican governors spoke out publicly against the UAW's drive to organize workers at factories largely in the South, arguing that if autoworkers were to vote for union representation, it would jeopardize jobs.

Instead, the union wound up pulling 73% of the vote at a facility whose workers had narrowly rejected the union in 2019 and 2014. The Volkswagen plant vote was the first to follow a series of strikes last fall against Detroit’s automakers that resulted in lucrative new contracts. Workers at Mercedes factories near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will vote on UAW representation in May.

Lee told reporters Monday that the Volkswagen vote was “a loss for workers." He noted that he has a “long history with skilled workers" — workers are not unionized at his family's business, Lee Company, which employs about 1,600 people in home, facilities and construction projects.

“I think it's unwise to put your future in somebody else's hands,” Lee said at an event in Gallatin. “But those workers made that decision based on the individual circumstances of that plant. I think it was a mistake, but that's their choice.”

[Orrex]

1. If Republicans oppose it, then it's probably a good idea.

[Emile]

2. Why anyone who works for a paycheck would vote

for any damn republican, it's beyond me. .

[keithbvadu2]

3. Putting jobs in Trump's hands...

Jobs chart (not recent), shows Trump negative job growth.

[Freethinker65]

4. Tennessee voters made a mistake voting for Bill Lee

[DoBW]

9. exactly my thoughts

Bare Lee useful

[leftieNanner]

5. "unwise to put your future in somebody else's hands"

You mean the workers at your company shouldn't put their futures in YOUR hands, Mr Lee??

[haele]

6. VW prefers a Union shop because they have less liability

When it comes to the workplace environment and workforce. There are procedures in place that clearly point out who is responsible for what. That shuts down all sorts of potential legal and PR nightmares, especially public outrage or lawsuits and investigations.
They can always point to the Union whenever something arises in that grey area between spheres of responsibility and say "Why didn't you negotiate that?"
The workers did not make a mistake. Only greedy plantation mentality business owners don't understand the benefits of a Union to Management, risk management, and the potential bottom line.
If you need both a workforce and a broad customer base to make a profit, you need unions - or at least a comfortable workforce to give the impression that you as a business values all stakeholders, not just the shareholders.

Haele
Haele

[Deuxcents]

7. Keep your eyes wide open..interference or sabotage comes to mind

With an attitude like that governor’s. Not accusing, just saying..

[Prairie Gates]

8. DO OVER!!!

[RANDYWILDMAN]

10. $204,366

The salary of the Governor in question and we can all see why he does not need a union,


I wonder does he get a bonus is he brings more low wage non union businesses to Tennessee ???

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. Hey Gov