Workers at the Volkswagen plant here will decide whether to form a union.Misrepresentations, exaggerations and even outright lies have been invoked by the United Auto Workers (UAW) in its recent campaign to win union recognition at a Volkswagen manufacturing plant in Chattanooga. Reports have indicated that the UAW is seeking union representation at the Chattanooga facility by coercing workers into signing union cards.
Eight union workers recently filed federal charges against the UAW on the grounds that labor organizers tricked them into signing union cards. The complaint alleges that the UAW told the employees that by signing the cards they were expressing their support for a secret ballot vote, when in reality, they were signing cards in support of union representation.
When these workers tried to object, they were met with punitive obstacles. In fact, the complaint alleges that labor officials told workers that they had to physically appear at a union office in order to rescind their signatures. Further, the veracity of the campaign launched by labor bosses is highly dubious, as it utilized outdated cards to establish employee sentiment. A reasonable observer would conclude that the legitimacy of the campaign is highly suspect and the tactics employed by union bosses are not in-line with American democratic values.
Card check is a flawed approach, as it allows Big Labor to coerce and threaten employees into joining the union. When labor organizers follow workers after work, call them incessantly or even show up at an employee’s home and pressure him or her to form a collective bargaining unit, it is difficult to object. The UAW has used such tactics in the past to circumvent fair elections, which in turn does irrevocable damage to workplace democracy, which is the hallmark of American labor law. And the real losers in this ordeal are workers such as those at Volkswagen, who are being coerced into supporting a union they do not want.
Based on the recent allegations made by Volkswagen’s eight workers, the UAW has done everything but treat employees respectfully and fairly. Volkswagen deserves praise for electing to build automobiles in the United States, as the company’s decision directly benefits the U.S. economy by creating high paying jobs. However, given the circumstances, Volkswagen must step in and take action, rather than acquiesce to the UAW’s demands.