“Mit 712 zu 626 Stimmen haben die Angestellten im VW-Werk Chattanooga die Gründung eines Betriebsrats nach deutschem Vorbild abgelehnt. An der geheimen Abstimmung beteiligten sich 89 Prozent der Beschäftigten. Der Standort im US-Bundesstaat Tennessee verfügt damit weiter als einziges großes VW-Werk weltweit über kein Gremium zur betrieblichen Mitbestimmung.” (Quelle: SPIEGEL ONLINE)
“The vote this week came in a region that is traditionally anti-union, and as a result many said the U.A.W. faced an uphill battle. The union saw the campaign as a vital first step toward expanding in the South, while Republicans and many companies in Tennessee feared that a U.A.W. triumph would hurt the state’s welcoming image for business.
Standing outside the Volkswagen plant, Mike Jarvis, a three-year employee who works on the finishing line, said the majority had voted against U.A.W. because they were persuaded the union had hurt Detroit’s automakers. … Republican politicians in Tennessee as well as some outside conservative groups made sure that the plant’s nearly 1,600 workers heard plenty of anti-union arguments.” (Source: New York Times)