Leaked documents linked to the United Auto Workers battle for the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. point to a connection between Governor Bill Haslam and the German automaker regarding a $300 million incentive in exchange for over 1,300 jobs at a proposed SUV plant within the state.
WTVF-TV reports the incentives were contingent "to works council discussions between the State of Tennessee and VW being concluded to the satisfaction of the State of Tennessee." By the time Volkswagen entered into election talks with the UAW in January, however, the Haslam administration formally notified the automaker that it was withdrawing the offer, citing that it had kept the offer on the table past the 90-day window normally reserved for incentives when the incentive in question had no such expiration date.
Though Haslam has denied any such connection to the incentive — dubbed "Project Trinity" — U.S. Senator Bob Corker claimed as early as February of this year that the offering would be made should the workers at the Chattanooga plant vote against representation by the union.
As for the UAW, organizer Gary Casteel stated the following in response to whether the now-public documents were a game-changer in the union's appeal to the National Labor Relations Board over the election results:
To me, it puts pressure on the state to do what they should have done in the first place — and that's give the incentives with no strings attached, just like they would any other company, union or non-union.
from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA
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