Picture an election where an entity is given
nearly unfettered access to voters for two years and then is allowed to
call for a surprise vote with only a few days' notice. Then imagine
that the entity loses the vote and complains that "outside forces"—who
happen to be community leaders—should not have been allowed to speak or
share their point of view. While most Americans can contemplate such a
scenario playing out in another country, this is what has been happening
in Tennessee.
Just over two weeks ago, an election was held at the Volkswagen plant in my hometown of Chattanooga to determine whether the
United Auto Workers would represent the workers there. UAW operatives
spent two years inside the plant working to organize it. Initially, the
UAW tried to take away the workers' right to vote and force its way in
through "card check," an attempt to entrench the union without a
democratic election. Fortunately, the company insisted on a secret
ballot for its employees. They voted on Feb. 14 not to organize,
although in the week leading up to the vote, only the UAW was allowed
inside the plant, where the union was given an audience with the workers
on company time.
The future success of
the plant is an issue of great importance to me and our community, and I
have been involved with it in various capacities for many years. As
mayor of Chattanooga, I worked with others to build the industrial park
where Volkswagen now sits. As a U.S. senator, I made the first call to
Volkswagen to ask that they consider Tennessee, and key discussions
around VW's recruitment took place at my home in Chattanooga.
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