Well, isn’t that rich?
This week, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga will vote on whether to join the United Auto Workers. To hear some Tennessee politicians and their C-suite buddies tell it, a yes vote will signal the apocalypse — rather than employees choosing to have a voice in decisions related to better pay, benefits and working conditions.
Gov. Bill Lee recently warned that VW workers “shouldn’t risk their futures” by joining the union and urged them not to give up “the freedom to decide for themselves and hand that over to a negotiator on their behalf.”
Well, bless his heart. Lee is a wealthy construction company heir whose family business, Lee Company, had annual revenue pegged at more than $220 million in 2019, when he became governor. You think he’s had any qualms about lawyers, economists, brokers and personal representatives negotiating on his behalf?
Ten years ago, then-Gov. Bill Haslam opposed an earlier VW unionization effort. He’s now part of the Nashville Predators ownership group. It’s fair to assume he’s had some people in his corner when he bought into the NHL franchise. By the way, if you didn’t already know it, the NHL players have a union.