Tennessee workers deserve protections, but they also deserve the freedom to choose to unionize and live in place where our local economy is thriving.
Raul Lopez
Guest Columnist
- Raul Lopez is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Latinos for Tennessee.
The United Auto Workers has its eyes set on expanding its footprint in Tennessee and the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga.
But if past is prologue, there is reason to be concerned.
For this we can look to what happened in Michigan.
What was considered a success for the United Auto Workers union in Michigan was a long-term catastrophe for many of the actual workers.
After a much-hyped strike against the big three automakers last year, over 5,000 auto workers were laid off across the country.
Untold numbers of employees working for suppliers also lost their jobs. It’s part of a long-term pattern for the union. The UAW has ruined Michigan and Detroit. It once had 1.5 million members back in the late 1970s. Today its membership is down to less than 150,000 workers.