Lee joins governors' statement against unionization of autoworkers

Gov. Bill Lee announced Tuesday his opposition to unionization efforts in Tennessee in a release, joined by other Republican governors.

The statement targets the United Auto Workers just one day before employees of Volkswagen in Chattanooga are set to vote to join the UAW. It may come as no surprise to autoworkers since Lee opposed the UAW’s 2019 effort to unionize at the plant. The governor’s office was reportedly working with Volkswagen to defeat the organizing plans, according to The Intercept.

Now, the union’s efforts are more widespread than just Chattanooga with workers in Tuscaloosa and Montgomery launching their own campaigns to join the union. Along with Lee, governors from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas issued a joint statement against the unionization campaign.

“As Governors, we have a responsibility to our constituents to speak up when we see special interests looking to come into our state and threaten our jobs and the values we live by,” the statement said. “The reality is companies have choices when it comes to where to invest and bring jobs and opportunity. We have worked tirelessly on behalf of our constituents to bring good-paying jobs to our states. These jobs have become part of the fabric of the automotive manufacturing industry.”

The statement claims that unionization would jeopardize jobs in the states and said that “all” UAW automakers have announced layoffs this year. There have been reports of buyout offers and layoffs at the companies for various reasons.

“The UAW has come in making big promises to our constituents that they can’t deliver on,” the governors’ statement said. “And we have serious reservations that the UAW leadership can represent our values … A successful unionization drive will stop this growth in its tracks, to the detriment of American workers.”

Lee was largely silent in the fall of 2023 during the UAW’s Stand Up Strike efforts that resulted in pay raises among other changes to union workers’ contracts. General Motors employees in both Memphis and Spring Hill joined the picket lines during those efforts.

The Post reached out to the UAW for comment but did not hear back by publication time. John Rutherford, president of the Local 1853 in Spring Hill, told the Post the governor's statement was no surprise.

"I think he's a little nervous because we're starting to organize and grow in the South," Rutherford said.

He added that there has been "monstrous growth" in Spring Hill thanks to the General Motors plant that employs UAW workers. He also said talk about layoffs can often be misleading as the industry often goes through "good layoffs" which happen temporarily when a plant shuts down in order to prepare for new products and growth.

"We're there just to check and balance the employer," Rutherford said. "We just want to earn an honest day's wage."

In response to Lee’s statement, Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis) issued a statement supporting Volkswagen workers attempting to unionize.

“Unlike Tennessee’s governor, we applaud Volkswagen workers for engaging in the democratic process and we would welcome the UAW’s expansion in Chattanooga,” she said. “We aren’t surprised to see Gov. Bill Lee join with other anti-union states trying to tip the scales against workers.”