The people of Chattanooga and Hamilton County are fed up with politicians who choose to put self-interest before the economic well-being of Tennessee’s hardworking middle class.
State Senator Bo Watson and his conspirators’ attempts to extort Volkswagen and its employees is anti-business, anti-worker, and anti-growth. How can the senator claim to be pro-business while threatening Volkswagen’s proposed expansion and the accompanying jobs that would employ thousands of Chattanoogans?
The Democratic Party is tired of such childish tactics. Instead, we wholeheartedly embrace the pragmatism of Mayor Andy Berke who promises to “never put politics above jobs.”
It’s time all politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, work together to maximize economic opportunities and strengthen the middle class. The Volkswagen “works council” model provides one way to do just that: organized workers in partnership with management will maximize production, expand productivity, and grow the region’s economy. Why would anyone want to threaten something so quintessentially American?
We are left wondering why certain politicians who claim to be free market are meddling in a private business’s affairs. Volkswagen wants this vote and trusts its employees to make their own decision. Furthermore, Volkswagen does not appear worried at all, regardless if the vote is for or against the union.
It is time for the politicians to butt out and let Volkswagen runs its business the way it sees fit.
Terry Lee
Chairman, Hamilton County Democratic Party