Friday, March 14, 2014

Koch-linked group sues UAW, VW to prevent workers from joining union

A secretly funded anti-worker group linked to the Koch brothers is suing the UAW and Volkswagen to stop workers from forming a union at the automaker's Tennesee plant. Reuters reports the Koch-linked National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is providing free legal counsel three workers who filed Wednesday's lawsuit.
Filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee in Chattanooga, the complaint alleges VW provided "things of value" to the UAW in the unionization drive.
"Things of value" include neutrality, letting union representatives onto the property and letting union representatives talk to workers.

One could argue that First Amendment rights are "things of value," but those are granted by the U.S. Constitution.

And here's why we say National Right to Work is linked to the Kochs: According to Jobs with Justice
The National Right to Work Committee and its legal arm, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation ... claims to be a “worker advocate,” but an examination of its press releases issued between 2003 and 2005 showed no reference to any attempt to improve benefits or working conditions for workers; ... Meanwhile, the organization continuously pushes reports with outdated and flawed information to advance right to work. National Right to Work refuses to disclose its donors. However, like ALEC, the group has connections to the ultra-conservative Koch brothers.
Meanwhile, the UAW is fighting to keep OTHER outside groups (presumably funded by the same sociopath billionaires as National Right to Work) away from the UAW-VW election.