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February 17, 2014

Volkswagen Workers Reject Union in Blow to U.S. Labor 
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In a blow to organized labor in the United States, Volkswagen workers in
Chattanooga, Tennessee, have voted against forming a union. The United
Auto Workers had sought to represent plant workers in what would have
been its first presence at a foreign-owned U.S. factory. But the union
faced intense opposition from Republican lawmakers, including threats
suggesting the plant might miss out on future subsidies or on a new SUV
line if the union succeeded. Outside groups also played a role; the
D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform funded more than a dozen local
billboards urging an anti-union vote.

 

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