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| Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, right, is in hot water after newly-released documents show his administration offered incentives to Volkswagen pending a rejection of United Auto Worker representation. |
The plot continues to thicken in the aftermath of the controversial February 14 vote that narrowly rejected United Auto Worker (UAW) representation at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, TN plant.
According to documents recently obtained by NewsChannel 5/WTVF (Nashville, TN) reporter Phil Williams, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam lied when he said his administration didn’t tie a $300-million incentive package to the rejection of the UAW.
Click here to read and watch the report.
The documents and emails outline the state’s confidential “Project Trinity,” which guaranteed Volkswagen incentives and tax credits, “subject to works council discussions between the State of Tennessee and VW being concluded to the satisfaction of the State of Tennessee.”
Leading up to the vote, Republican lawmakers held news conferences threatening to take away any incentives if UAW won the election.
“After seeing the confidential documents, UAW organizer Gary Casteel argued that they show the Haslam administration was part of a coordinated anti-union campaign doing exactly what they had denied – using hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayers as leverage,” the report says.
The UAW is appealing the election results and the National Labor Relations Board has scheduled an April 21 hearing. Meanwhile, a right-to-work (for less) organization is citing anonymous sources that tell them Volkswagen is considering throwing out the election results and accepting UAW in the plant. Click here to read the news release.
Click here to read and watch “Haslam Administration Linked $300M Offer to VW-UAW Process.”
