Haven’t written about UNION issues in a while but the news
about the UAW (United Auto Workers) talking to VW (Volkswagen) about possible UNIONIZATION
at their plant in Chattanooga, TN perked my interest up.
The UAW has been desperately trying to unionize foreign auto
manufacturers in the United States for years. The UAW is basically dying
because there really is no need for their form of unionization in our day and
age.
Yes, there was a need for the UAW at one point in our
industrial history but now they are just guys trying to hang on to the good
life at the worker’s expense.
The UAW has not been able to unionize any foreign auto
makers in the U.S. because most are located in the South where unions are not
looked on favorably by the population (Communists) and because many Southern
states are Right-to-Work states which Michigan just became (the hub of the
UAW).
The attempt to unionize VW in Chattanooga is a little different
in that the UAW will not employ their usual bullying tactics to get workers to
vote the union into the plant; the UAW may be invited to join a WORKS COUNCIL
at the plant.
In Germany, manufacturing plants have works councils that
are composed of labor and management and deal with any and all labor issues at
the plant. This has proven to be an effective way to deal with labor issues and
the German unions at VW are pushing for the establishment of a works council
system in the U.S. facility but labor laws are very different in both
countries.
If the American workers at VW (2,000) vote to allow the UAW
to join such a council; the UAW is in and we may expect that to also be applied
to Mercedes-Benz in Alabama and BMW in South Carolina; the other German auto
makers in the U.S.
Although I would be in favor of works councils on principle,
allowing the UAW into German auto manufacturing plants in the U.S. is like
allowing a fox into a hen house; it is dangerous and could prove very detrimental
to the workers, the company and to the state where the plants are located.
I don’t know all the facts about this issue yet but am very
concerned that this move could give the UAW a new life when in fact it needs to
die because there is absolutely no logical reason for them to exist.
No comments:
Post a Comment