Southern governors warn automobile workers against UAW’s “scare tactics” pushing unionization
Just a day before workers at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, are scheduled to vote on whether or not to join the United Auto Workers Union, six southern governors signed a joint statement warning workers that unionization could risk their job security.
So far, the UAW has failed to gain traction in the South. Unionization efforts at this particular Volkswagen plant have already failed twice, both in 2014 and in 2019. If the vote passes, it could propel the UAW efforts further in the South. Workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, have already petitioned labor officials for a union election and are just awaiting a date.
The UAW has spent nearly $40 million in this latest campaign to appeal to non-union workers in the South. However, with Tennessee being a right-to-work state, workers are not obligated to join unions, which could impact the strength of UAW’s bargaining power.
In the joint statement signed by Republican Govs. Bill Lee (TN), Kay Ivey (AL), Brian Kemp (GA), Tate Reeves (MS), Henry McMaster (SC), and Greg Abbott (TX), the governors emphasize that unionization will stop job growth in the auto industry to “the detriment of American workers.”
“The reality is companies have choices when it comes to where to invest and bring jobs and opportunity,” the letter stated. “We have worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to bring good-paying jobs to our states. These jobs have become part of the fabric of the automotive manufacturing industry. Unionization would certainly put our states’ jobs in jeopardy – in fact, in this year already, all of the UAW automakers have announced layoffs.”
Tennessee granted Volkswagen $544 million in incentives for opening its Chattanooga plant, thus allowing the foreign automobile company to avoid states like Michigan, where the union wields strong influence. Since 2008, it has invested $4.8 billion in the plant and the past two years has created 1,200 jobs.
“We’ve seen unions decline in many places all across this country for the last decade. And we’ve seen plants close that made the decision to go union,” Lee said. “So I hope that’s not what happens here.”
The letter also pointed out how UAW has claimed to be a democratic socialist, and accused the union of being “more focused on helping President Biden get reelected than on the auto worker jobs being cut at plants they already represent.”
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UAW gained national attention after employees from the Big Three automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis) in Detroit led a historic six-week strike. The union negotiated for workers a pay increase of at least 25% over the course of four years, including cost-of-living adjustments.
The vote for the Chattanooga plant will occur over three days, with results being announced on Friday.
