Despite the current conditions, unions have not given up and, in some instances, are trying new approaches or new locations to expand membership. One such effort is the ongoing attempt by the United Auto Workers (UAW) to establish a foothold in auto factories in the South. An attempt was made at a VW plant in Tennessee early in 2014, and after a contentious and divisive campaign, the UAW lost a close election. However, the UAW apparently was not discouraged by this outcome and are at it again. In 2015 the UAW has continued an effort to organize a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama, as well as the VW plant in Tennessee.
Search the web for all you can find both on the effort to unionize the VW plant in Tennessee and the Mercedes plant in Alabama. The paper you will write will essentially have two sections, and should be appropriately separated. In section 1 you should analyze the approach/strategy utilized by the UAW in Tennessee, with the approach used in Alabama. What are the differences and similarities between the approaches? Are conditions in the two plants similar or different that would justify using either the same or a different approach? Why do you think they again focused on a plant making a German brand, what is the significance of doing so? Discuss these questions and whether you think the UAW will be any more successful this time around, in either Tennessee or Alabama.
Explore the social, political, and economic factors at play in the South. Why is an anti-union attitude apparently so prevalent in the South? Who does this opposition to unions benefit and why? Who does it harm and why? Would union-level wages and benefits provide an economic boost to many of the Southern states that have some of the lowest average incomes and highest levels of poverty in the nation? Why or why not? What do you believe are the reasons behind the opposition to unions in the South? And why is the UAW determined to unionize plants there?
Create a 6-8 page paper (exclusive of cover and reference pages). The paper should be word-processed, double-spaced with 1" margins, 12 point font, follow APA 6th Edition format, and be free of spelling and grammatical errors. At a minimum, you must utilize, cite within the text of your paper, and reference at least three sources for each of the two sections.