GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) — 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.
Antiques Roadshow guest shocked at stunning five
Top Chinese diplomat stresses China
Interview: Uncertainty to push business away from Europe, says expert
Youth in Xinjiang celebrated the coming of Spring Festival with song and dance
Jaiswal strikes form as Rajasthan beats Mumbai to stay on top in IPL
Uninsured driver, 33, who hit district judge with his car seconds before the father
Moment So You Think You Can Dance star fears she's suffered 'acid attack'
BRI a path of happiness benefiting world
David Beckham's best pal Dave Gardner reveals guests at Victoria's star
How Wisconsin HVAC engineer Nicolae Miu loved his dog and his guns