Folks,
Greetings from Rio de Janeiro, where I am getting ready to go directly to Chattanooga in a week.
With the union campaign heating up there, I won’t have time to go back to Pittsburgh. I’m going directly to Chattanooga so I can dig in for the fight.
Chattanooga Officials Threaten to Cut Tax Incentives if VW Unionizes
This week, Republican Chattanooga County and City officials held a press conference outside of Volkswagen’s plant.
Appearing in front of a banner that read “Protect Our Jobs – Vote NO UAW,” the elected officials told assembled reporters and TV crews that the city and county have invested millions of dollars into the plant over the years and they would be closely monitoring the election
In a County Council meeting this week, Hamilton County Mayor Welton Wamp warned that if the workers at the plant voted to unionize that it would have “major consequences” for the plant moving forward; a subtle reference that the county may vote to cut off millions of dollars of subsidies for the plant.
However, Volkswagen in 2022 expanded their plant to produce electric vehicles, making any downsizing extremely unlikely with the incentives that President Joe Biden has provided for electric vehicle production.
For more on why the plant is unlikely to close, check out Dave Dayen at the American Prospect.
(Be sure to also check out my 5-page analysis of why the UAW drive at VW in Chattanooga is very different than two previous drives that I covered there in 2014 and 2019)
Donate Hotel Points for UAW Election Coverage in Chattanooga
I am going to have to stay for more than a week in Chattanooga to cover the UAW Election at Volkswagen. To avoid having to rent a car, I am going to stay in downtown Chattanooga and have the camera operator drive us around.
It will likely cost us nearly $700 for a week’s stay.
If anyone has any hotel points that they want to donate to help us defer the costs, please contact me [email protected]
Donate to Help Us Cover the Historic UAW Election at Volkswagen in Chattanooga
German Courts Could Crack Down on Union Busting in Alabama
This week, the UAW announced that they are going to file for a union election at Mercedes within the week, meaning that a union election will likely be held by late April or early May.
The union has already filed multiple National Labor Relations Board charges against Mercedes in the US, but now the UAW has also filed charges against Mercedes Benz in Germany.
Under the “German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains,” UAW can be held liable for the mistreatment of its workers in Alabama.
The UAW is the first American company to file a complaint under the new law, which just took effect last year.
“Workers at Mercedes-Benz’s sprawling assembly and battery plant in Vance, Ala., are organizing to join the UAW and have faced fierce backlash from company management,” the UAW said in a statement. “Every Mercedes-Benz plant in the world is unionized — except the company’s two plants in the United States”.
Read a full list of the charges that UAW has filed against Mercedes-Benz in a German Court.
Union Democracy Revolt Squashed in Major League Players’ Union
Last week, Payday covered how major league players had risen up in revolt against the Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark and demanded that Harry Marino receive a leadership role in the organization.
However, now it appears that the uprising has been quashed with the help of sports agent Scott Boras.
“We still have issues to discuss, but one thing clear among the MLB executive subcommittee members is that this is no longer a Harry Marino discussion, in any respect,” said MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark in a statement released by the union.
California Schools to Compete w/ Fast Food Companies to Hire Workers after $20-an-Hour Minimum Wage
This week, California enacted a $20-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers. Now, some schools in California say they are competing with fast food companies to hire workers, particularly to work in cafeterias.
“They are all very worried about it. Most are saying they anticipate it will be harder and harder to hire employees,” Carrie Bogdanovich, president of the California School Nutrition Association, told the AP.
Simpsons to Air “Night of the Living Wage” on Sunday
Finally, the Simpsons will air an episode on Sunday entitled “Night of the Living Wage.” The episode is set to air on Sunday Night at 8/7c on Fox and the next day on Hulu. From TV Regular:
“When Marge lands a job in a high-pressure ghost kitchen, she quickly realizes that the working conditions are less than ideal. Determined to improve the situation for herself and her fellow workers, Marge decides to take action and start a union. However, her noble efforts lead to unexpected consequences, and she finds herself facing challenges she never anticipated.
As Marge navigates the ups and downs of her new job and union endeavors, audiences can look forward to plenty of laughs, heartfelt moments, and perhaps even some valuable lessons about the importance of standing up for one’s rights. Don’t miss “Night of the Living Wage” on April 7 at 8:00 PM, only on FOX.”
For more, check out TV Regular.
Simpsons writer Cesar Mazariegos said the episode was inspired by the Hollywood Strikes.
“We wrote this ep in the lead up to the @WGAWest and @sagaftra strikes, and produced it after winning our contract,” tweeted Mazariegos. “Our amazing @IATSE animators and production staff did a hell of a job on this one, and their contract is up next.”
Check out a preview clip of the episode, which is a parody of the hit show “The Bear.”
Strikes & News Elsewhere
- Chile port worker stage protests nationwide
- South Korea’s president meets leader of doctors’ strike as he seeks to end their walkout
- Immigrant who died in ICE custody spent 13 years in solitary — many in WA prisons
- Mayo Clinic pushes back against Rochester nurse unionization efforts
- Potbelly Sandwich spent $100k to fight union
- University of Montana grad employees form union
- Finally, reporters at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle have voted to strike during the eclipse this week when the town will be flooded tourists.
Alright yinz, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, story ideas, comments and complaints to [email protected]
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Love & Solidarity,
Melk
