Our community welcomed Volkswagen with a lot of hope for a future that included new businesses and more jobs for our families.
Now, we’re learning that Volkswagen isn’t keeping its word in honoring our state’s right to work status and is now working with the United Auto Workers. Millions of dollars later, Chattanooga is learning that the UAW, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, will be given the power to determine contracts for all workers at the VW plant.
If you decide to join the union, your pay won’t be based on your work, attendance or success. It will be based on what an outsider decides it to be. If you have a college degree, a high school degree, previous experience, it won’t matter. It’s about the union.
I am running for the Hamilton County Commission in District 1 to keep our area competitive and free of interests like the labor union that hurts the average worker and will actually devalue our children’s’ education.
UAW, you’re not welcome.
Randy Fairbanks
Candidate, District 1
Hamilton County Commission
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Well, I see people running for office that have nothing positive to say will stoop to new lows by bringing children into the picture.
I am very proud that the employees at VW will get to vote the way they want to vote and who wins the vote wins instead of self-serving politicians having the last say so.
I know that Randy is trying to and will probably get the right wing Tea Party vote, but, Randy, have you forgotten about the many labor unions that built Chattanooga that are part of a nationwide and international union?
I suspect when someday unions are strong again, good ole Randy will think unions are great
Michael S. Kennedy Sr.
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You are right, Mr. Fairbanks, the state of Tennessee is a right to work state. The state is also an employment at will state which you did not say. Not only does your employer have the right to terminate your employment without giving a cause; you have a right to terminate your employment and freedom to join or not join a union. Just because VW employees have a union doesn’t mean they all have to join or can never quit the union.
"It's the employees' decision and they should be able to make that decision on their own without coercion from either side. If so, I believe the employees of VW will vote to stay their course and vote NO on the UAW." -Claude Ramsey
The workers should be able to vote without intimidation or influence from either side, this includes you, Mr. Ramsey. Let the workers decide what a novel concept; seems like an idea most politicians can’t or refuse to understand.
A year ago I was what most consider anti-union. I consider myself a conservative but no longer a Republican. After many hours of research I have come to the conclusion we have a corruption problem in this country. Corruption has deep influence in our government, corporations, and yes even some unions. Well guess what, out of those three guess which one I can personally really help change to be a positive for my family? Unions. If every worker would join and be active there would be a diversity of viewpoints that would be hard to manipulate by government or corporations.
A word to politicians and corporations in Tennessee. If you had treated working people with dignity and respect, you would not have people like me changing how we feel about unions. You almost killed unions in this area but your greed and corruption got the best of you. I am just glad you did not fake it a little longer or we would be in real trouble as workers.
In closing, VW workers the vote is yours and I respect your decision either way.
Charles Thomason