As UAW lobbies Tennessee Volkswagen workers on unionizing, auto workers should be wary

The United Auto Workers has its eyes set on expanding its footprint in Tennessee and the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga.

But if past is prologue, there is reason to be concerned.

For this we can look to what happened in Michigan.

What was considered a success for the United Auto Workers union in Michigan was a long-term catastrophe for many of the actual workers.

After a much-hyped strike against the big three automakers last year, over 5,000 auto workers were laid off across the country.

Untold numbers of employees working for suppliers also lost their jobs. It’s part of a long-term pattern for the union. The UAW has ruined Michigan and Detroit. It once had 1.5 million members back in the late 1970s. Today its membership is down to less than 150,000 workers.

Counterpoint: Southern governors like Tennessee's Bill Lee fear unionized workers will become powerful

Unionization would stifle economic gains of Tennessee

Unions continue to push for more money until they run businesses out of the country. The UAW’s most recent demands included a 40% wage increase, restoration of defined-benefit pensions, payment for all health-care costs for retirees and only a four-day work week while getting paid for five days.

Unrealistic demand terms like these result in stifled economic growth as employers look for more business-friendly environments.

Tennessee autoworkers should stand strong against the union. International automakers support more than 117,000 careers in Tennessee and have generated $8.4 billion in total employee compensation.

Nationwide, international automakers represent a growing sector of our economy providing hundreds of thousands of high-quality, good-paying American jobs – 16% of which are held by Latinos – and supporting millions more across the country.

They provide health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance and cover an average of 90% of health care premiums, while offering an average of 25 days of paid time off on top of paid holidays and other leave benefits. Let’s not throw that away.

Workers deserve information and transparency

Some of the UAW’s tactics have me concerned about workers’ rights. Consider the card check campaign that was conducted in Chattanooga. The process of card check strips away the privacy and autonomy of workers, subjecting them to overt pressure, coercion and intimidation tactics. Workers are coerced into publicly declaring their stance on union representation by signing or abstaining from signing authorization cards. The mere collection of enough signatures could swiftly tip the scales in favor of unionization, leaving dissenting voices unheard.

Simultaneously, politicians in Washington and union leaders are exerting immense pressure on international automakers to acquiesce to neutrality agreements. These agreements, a departure from established legal norms, muzzle employers from disseminating crucial information about unionization to their employees. Under the guise of neutrality, employers are effectively gagged from discussing the potential drawbacks of union membership, leaving workers at the mercy of one-sided narratives peddled by unions.

Moreover, the mishandling of union dues raises serious questions about transparency and accountability. Workers' hard-earned dues, intended for the betterment of labor conditions, often find their way into the coffers of union bosses or are diverted towards partisan political contributions. The staggering amounts funneled into left-leaning causes, including hefty sums directed towards political attacks on figures like Governor Bill Lee, underscore the divergence between workers' interests and the political agenda advanced by union leadership.

In the midst of this tumult, the fundamental rights of Tennessee's workers hang in the balance, overshadowed by the relentless pursuit of power and influence by unions and their political allies. As the battle rages on, the need for informed decision-making, transparency and genuine advocacy for workers' rights becomes ever more imperative in safeguarding the integrity of labor representation in the state. Workers deserve transparency and a private or secret ballot vote on any unionization attempt.

Tennessee workers deserve protections, but they also deserve the freedom to choose to unionize and live in place where our local economy is thriving and providing employment opportunities to live out their version of the American Dream.

Raul Lopez is the co-founder and chairman of Latinos for Tennessee.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee workers should be wary of UAW unionization efforts