An employee at Chattanooga’s Volkswagen plant voiced her opinion against the United Auto Worker union in a letter today published in the Chattanoogan. Non- Management Specialist Kaye Fiorello urges her fellow employees to “Please make an educated vote and not an emotional one.”

 Fiorello brings up some of the alternatives that the employees have instead of an organized union stating:

You don’t need the UAW to get the works council, you just need a union. You can form your own private “VW” workers union, and ensure that you really do have a voice and our own interests at heart.  Besides that, you won’t pay 2 or 2.5 percent of all your pay in ‘dues’ only to see 2/3 of that go up to Detroit and never to come back to you. (If you make $40,000 a year, that is $1,000, of which, around $600 goes to north.)

If successful in organizing, all employees in the plant will be effected, even those that choose not to be a member. Fiorello explains:

If the UAW (or any union) is voted in, regardless of your desire not to be a part of them, you will be a part of them.  See, once a union is voted in, you become ‘covered’ under them as you are part of the ‘bargaining unit.’ That means anything they vote away or in, will affect you, even if you do not join them and pay dues. That means that when it comes time to negotiate the new wages and benefits (you do not necessarily keep what you currently have, that is all up for renegotiation), you could lose things that you have come to enjoy, including your current pay or retirement plan, the cars, the medical benefits, the daycare, your bonuses, everything is up for re-negotiation.