Critics dismissed and denigrated unionization at Volkswagen plant, but workers won the day

Re: “ Here's why Tennesseans should reject United Auto Workers tactics to organize workers,” by Mike Sweeny, April 17 (digital), April 21 (print, Daily News Journal).

I was extremely amused to see Mike Sweeny’s guest column in my DNJ.  Will someone please tell him that the vote is over and the Volkswagen workers won by a margin of 70 percent?  Despite his concern about “big liberal guns” getting involved and despite Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (and fellow Republican governors in the South), Sen. Bill Hagerty, Sen. Marsha Blackburn and other conservative “big guns” lobbying against a union-winning vote in a big way, the workers did win.

His concern for the workers being denied “their right to weigh the pros and cons of union representation in private” was totally unwarranted. Also, despite his statement that “all they ( the workers) want is for union representatives to leave them alone,” those same workers who were for the union won the day!

I can testify that my union gave me input into the day-to-day conditions of my working life. 

Another view: Southern governors like Tennessee's Bill Lee fear unionized workers will become powerful

Also, it helped me gain financial security in my older years. Despite efforts by anti-union folks to break us, my union still stands.

I am proud of it and these workers in my field today! I am also very thankful as I look back at our elected union leaders during my working years. I saw them dead tired as they labored into the night to better my life and also the lives of all other workers like me.

One aggravating thing is that management working against us also received the same benefits which we won by collective bargaining, as well as did those fellow workers who were anti-union!

Hurrah for the victory in Chattanooga. I look forward to more of the same!!

Steve Cates, Murfreesboro 37130

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee auto workers win the day in union vote despite the haters