Greetings from the Burgh, where we are celebrating the Guardian’s preview of my new book on “The 1945 GI World Series in Hitler’s Nuremberg Stadium: Baseball’s ‘Double Victory’ Against Segregation at Home and Abraod.”
Check out the full 8,000 word story here that I presented at the Baseball Hall of Fame on the 80th Anniversary of the GI World Series this summer.
Thanks yinz for all the help in funding the book to get to this point and already receiving attention from the Guardian. Thank yinz so much!
UAW Calls Strike Vote at Chattanooga Volkswagen
Last week, Volkswagen declared that they had given their “last, best, and final offer” to the UAW. The offer included some raises and improvements in other benefits.
However, UAW Vice President Chuck Browning argued that the contract did not do enough in terms of job security provisions. "The company claims that the language they have proposed gives you job security," UAW Vice President Chuck Browning said in a video to UAW members. "It does not."
(Check out the UAW’s full analysis of the contract proposal here on YouTube)
Chattanooga-Area County Commissioner Threatens Workers as VW Pushes Best, Last & Final Offer
As Volkswagen attempts to push the contract down workers’ throats by claiming that it is a “last, best and final offer,” they are trying to force the UAW to call a vote on the contract.
In a desperate attempt to intimidate workers, the Republican Hamilton County Commissioner, whose jurisdiction gives millions in tax benefits to Volkswagen Chattanooga, called on the UAW to force a vote on the contract.
"Volkswagen put forward a final union contract offer over a month ago that offers significant gains for Chattanooga workers, including a 20% wage increase, a cost-of-living allowance, a $4,000 ratification bonus, lower health care costs, and much more. Many employees have been reaching out to the UAW to vote, and the UAW has refused,” Hamilton County Commissioner Jeff Eversole said in an announcement at a press conference.
The tactics used by the GOP in Chattanooga are similar to the tactics that they have used for more than a decade to sometimes successful dissuade union votes by implying that the plant may close if the union gets “too greedy” (their words, not my mine, as the son of a Volkswagen auto assembly line worker).
In response, the union has advised workers to stand tough and united as they schedule a strike authorization vote.
UAW Confident Heading Into Strike Vote Next Week
“Final Offer? Not Until We Say So,” the UAW said in a statement. “Volkswagen is so desperate to force through its “final offer” that they’ve refused to even sit down with us, which is against the law. They want us to think that the only choice we have is to take whatever they hand out.”
The rank-and-file leadership at Volkswagen Chattanooga does not appear to be breaking down. They have called for a strike vote for more than 4,300 union members at Chattanooga.
For more than a decade, the UAW fought to organize at the plant, winning on its 3rd vote in 2024 with 73%. (See our multimedia essay from Chattanooga, "UAW Wins Historic Volkswagen Union Election in Landlslide")
The union’s leadership feels confident that their membership is united behind them and has called for a strike vote.
“Vote YES to give your bargaining committee the power to call a strike—so we can fight for real job security, fair wages, affordable healthcare, and dignity on the job,” the union said in a statement.
See the full statements from UAW’s rank-and-file leadership and follow their website for updates on the bargaining. The website has an especially interactive profile of the rank-and-file bargaining committee and their deep, multi-page analysis of the situation at Volkswagen.
Full Disclosure: My mother, while pregnant with me, was involved in union recognition strikes at Volkswagen in Westmoreland County, PA. The company has repeatedly blamed the closing of their last North American plant, where my mother worked, on the union. See my 2015 piece on the effect that Volkswagen’s plant closing in Western PA had on me personally as a young child)
Volkswagen Germany Warns of Layoffs as Chip Shortage Continues
As Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga vote on a contract down in Tennessee, the Germany-based multinational has warned of layoffs. From the European-based news agency Reuters:
Volkswagen told workers on Wednesday it cannot rule out production stoppages due to supply chain issues, in a sign of how a dispute over Dutch chip maker Nexperia is threatening to disrupt Europe's auto sector.
Auto industry bodies have sounded the alarm over the possible impact on production, after the Dutch government seized control of the Chinese-owned Nexperia last month, citing intellectual property concerns, while China curbed exports of its finished products that are needed by European car makers.
VW issued an internal letter to staff saying production had not yet been impacted by chip shortages, a company spokesperson told Reuters.
"In view of the dynamic situation, however, we cannot rule out an impact on production in the short term," the spokesperson added.
Payday Traveling to Chattanooga November 13th - 18th
Tonite, I found a cheap $229 ticket to fly to Chattanooga, Tennessee to go down and cover what is happening there. I’m going down to figure out what’s going on.
I’ve spent over 11 years of my life covering Chattanooga, lived there for a year when I was starting Payday Report. The fight in Chattanooga has been the most inspiring that I’ve covered and many of you have funded us for years to go down and cover it. Please, if you can, help out once again and cover this.
Alright folks, I’m crashing out, but keep sending comments, complaints and cooking recipes to melk@paydayreport.com
Thanks for all the support. The fights ahead are inspiring - let’s cover them!.
Love & Solidarity,
Melk
