Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Tennessee auto workers reject union

Sounds like the German labor organization is feeling threatend by the prospect of more jobs leaving their country.

Sounds familiar.

Exactly. I watched Senator Corker's interview and he was spot on. I mean just how many times do we have to show that GM has over a 16 BILLION DOLLAR nut to crack in the way of non-productive pensions and benefits before they turn the first nickel of profit. And I'll also add, you keep saying "well if that's what they wanted it's fine by me" but by your comments insinuate they were too stupid and gullible and fell for the politican's sales pitch instead of the union's typical lying bullshit?

Will:

Why do you figure VW set up in the south in the first place if they favored unionization? Did they really not see this coming?

VW is not anti union. I'd bet my last dollar they are however anti UAW.

A family member is corporate council/labor relations for an auto manufacturing supplier who has plants in Germany. We've discussed the difference between U.S. unions and German labor unions. Will is spot on with how the Germans operate. My cousin's husband also worked in plant management at an European auto plant, his observations also mirror Will's...

Honestly I am out of the loop as far as VW is concerned. Went to grad school with a few folks that work there but haven't spoken to them in years. But I have had discussions with management folks in the US big 3 who understand the way it works pretty well.

If I had to hazzard a guess it would be that the management at VW honestly did not understand the extent to which the folks in TN would resist their organizational style. And knowing a bit about how the industry works, parts centers are vital lifelines. You can't just say "I want to build a plant say, here!"

Not if here isn't an efficient place to supply parts and supplies to. I guess they looked at the south and saw the new plants and planned to take advantage of the centrality of TN to the parts suppliers of both the old plants up north and the new ones down south. Now I'm guessing they'll choose a place slightly north of TN for their next expansion.

Honestly I am a bit surprised that the UAW bought into the VW effort to unionize. Like I said their style isn't what many here like to criticize and it certainly isn't what the UAW was used to 30 years ago. Maybe old dogs do learn new tricks. And that is a very good thing. Both management and labor should have learned some big lessons from mistakes over the past few decades.

To those who like to shoehorn things into some kind of Marx worldview where you have the capitalist on one side and the proletariat on the other? This is something that really doesn't fit into that way of thinking. I could see where it would be considered a threat to those who have no other way of looking at things.

I don't think we've heard the last of this though.

Will

I would be if I made 28 dollars an hour as apposed to 40, 2 weeks vacation forever or 8 weeks after 21 years. pension vs no pension. Ya I would be damned pissed over it, no profit for the worker all to the company. My non-union sports store just loves when the union boys walk through their door and their prices reflect that. Wasn't it Raygun that says put the money in the hands of the worker (referring to taxes, but that can be said of work as well) . The code of conduct is the collective agreement aka contract, both parties have to live up to that.

No rebuttal so revert to middle school slur's.

http://www.google.com/search?q=soci...en&q=communist+party+supports+unions

Why does a openly socialist if not out right communist president support unions and unions endorse him?
Why do democrat/socialist politicians support unions and unions endorse them?
Why does the American communist and socialist parties support unions and endorse them?

Being a union member that pays dues obviously by proxy supports these politics.

Hmm... non union here, 20 years gets me the same exact deal you get. And no union to put up with.

See no reason for them this day and time.

Unions (my experience with the UAW) do more than stand around with their hands out collecting union dues.

They may well, but if I'm getting the same a union guy got, and I"m happy with it, why jump through hoops.

Most are happy because it gets them more money. I could use some more like anyone else too, but we'd just spend it anyway.

Get by just fine as is, no dues, no meetings no nothing. 20 years, 50% of my check at retirement. Can't beat that with no strings attached.

That's good for you, sincerely . Your employer obviously decided to compete in the labor market and your skill set is complimentary to the business. Many people in our local have moved on to supervisory and management positions, we seem to be the feedstock for that, to the point that the company puts 3 cents of every hour worked into our education fund per the collective agreement, this generates 10's of thousands of dollars per year.
A companies controllable cost is labor, when they want more they will come knocking on your door. My skill sets are required in heavy industry and heavy industry is pretty much all union in my area. So , I've found that it is better to work with the union and smart employers do this as well.
Unions are still needed in the modern workplace. Not only for fair wages but good working conditions.

Unions learn their lesson when they believe they can't be replaced. Management learns their lesson when they get what they pay for...and it ain't enough. Yes, they can learn. The UAW would be wise to study history and try not to repeat others mistakes.

I guess I don't consider health & safety training along with continuous job training as "jumping through hoops".

You guys need to study the history of the UCAW. Political favor is only as good as the politicians tenure.

The only person I need to talk for me is me, period. I don't need collective anything. I'm pretty sure I am the one with my best interest at heart.

In some situations, there are too many "me"s to be heard without a collective spokesman. Not that we would put ourselves in those situations.

Again, no union here, we have saftey meetings constantly, and health also including a pay you back health incentives program for participants on 2 seperate levels including days off and bonus checks etc..

I look for what I want in a job. I go there for a reason.

I don't go to a job that doesn't have what I want and then b!tch about it until it changes.

As to the hoops... I have a good friend that was a union boss locally and a rep on the national level to the UPRR locally. At least from what I've heard, you better be good to the union and do whatever they ask including walking off a job with no pay, etc.... even if youdon't agree with the particular issue they are having, if you intend to get any good out of them for you. Thats from hearing stories and conversations on hunts we both went on. Not from asking questions.

I don't ask him much as he'll get off into his stupid democrat stuff and that will then set the next argument. Grins.

Actually I don't know of many local places that don't have health and wellness and safety training.

And I get double doses since I volunteer my free time, sans pay, as fire and ems also.

I can see why you'd need continuous training tightening lug nuts.