What a Shock: VW, Union Colluding Despite "Neutrality" Agreement

Posted by Matt Patterson on Sunday, February 9th, 2014 at 3:13 pm - Permalink

Volkswagen has been bending over backwards to help the United Auto Workers (UAW) walk into its Chattanooga assembly plant.  And adding insult to injury, the company is hiding its collusion with the union behind a pretense of neutrality.  From the Wall Street Journal:

"Volkswagen has pledged to remain neutral as the United Auto Workers and antiunion employees campaign for support ahead of a unionization vote next week at the German company's Chattanooga, Tenn., plant.

But a contract signed last month by the auto maker and the UAW shows Volkswagen and the UAW are working in concert in several ways, including coordinating their public statements on the elections and "aligning" their communications with the plant's employees.

The contract, which was made available to workers this week, was signed Jan. 27 and lays out a joint plan for holding the unionization election Feb. 12 through Feb. 14, and, if the UAW prevails in the vote, for moving forward with negotiations on a labor contract."

The contract, according to the Journal, specifies that the company and the union shall "...advise one another of their planned communications," as well as, "align messages and communications through the time of the election."

Some neutrality.