I can’t determine the reason for each and every no vote in the UAW vote at the VW Chattanooga plant, but I can guess from experience the reason for some of them.
Twice I was active in a union organizing effort at a bus company in the Twin Cities. The response of many of my fellow employees was that they didn’t want their money to go to a union. The unions lost in both votes.
Of course, it doesn’t help if politicians reinforce this opinion, but I think that many unions have to overcome an already existing bias that unions are just a money-grabbing nuisance.
See also http://www.cpinternet.com/~mdmagree/union_part_1_2000-08-02.html and http://www.cpinternet.com/~mdmagree/union_part_2_2000-08-17.html. You might have to copy and paste these URLs into your browser. When I click on them, my browser links me to the home page of Enventis, the owner of cpinternet.
