The head of the United Auto Workers local in Chattanooga today asked a rival labor group at the Volkswagen assembly plant to disclose its funding.
UAW Local 42 President Mike Cantrell, in a letter to the head of the American Council of Employees, said ACE should disclose its sources of funding and organizational support.
"Given the many competing political interests that have been at play here in Chattanooga, our fellow employees remain understandably suspicious about a group that does not provide full disclosure," Cantrell said in the letter.
ACE President David Reed said funding for ACE is coming from people "who want to put us on a level playing field" with the Detroit-based UAW.
Reed, who said he hadn't seen the letter yet, wouldn't be specific about how ACE is funded. But he said its support is coming from people like himself and others in the community.
"They've got Detroit funding," he said. "We've just got our own local folks trying to do what's right with employees."
See more in Saturday's Times Free Press.