Why Are VW’s German Union Bosses Backtracking On Their Expansion Ultimatum Now?

By: LaborUnionReport (Diary) | November 17th, 2013

There really is only one way to describe the rather sudden reversal of position among VW’s German union bosses on the potential expansion of VW’s Chattanooga plant…Last Thursday, Bernd Osterloh, the head of the Volkswagen’s global works council and a member of the company’s supervisory board stated that expansion of VW’s Chattanooga plant would not hinge on unionization of the plant’s employees:

In his only U.S. interview, Osterloh told The Associated Press that the pending decision about union representation for workers at the automaker’s lone U.S. plant will have no bearing on whether the company will decide to add the production of a new SUV in Tennessee or in Mexico.

“Those two things have nothing to do with each other,” Osterloh said during the interview, which was conducted in German. “The decision about a vehicle will always be made along economic and employment policy lines. It has absolutely nothing to do with the whole topic about whether there is a union there or not.” [Emphasis added.].....That’s quite a turn around from last June when VW union officials issued an ultimatum to the Chattanooga workers through the press.....To Read More....

Related: Why Doesn’t The UAW Want A Secret-Ballot Election At VW? In Short: Because The UAW Knows It Will Lose.