Volkswagen Union Plans To Answer Worker Layoffs With Executive Ousters

The rift between Volkswagen AG’s workers and executives deepened after powerful labor leaders said they lost faith in management of its main car brand and demanded job protections amid the towering cost of the carmaker’s cheating on emissions.

In a letter published on labor union IG Metall’s website, union leaders attacked management of the namesake passenger-car brand for trying to use the scandal to push through deep cutbacks and called for a comprehensive agreement to safeguard German workers and factories. The strongly-worded letter drew a diplomatic response from Volkswagen, which offered to start negotiations.

“We have the impression that the diesel scandal is being used as a back door to undertake personnel cuts that wouldn’t have been on the agenda a few months ago,” Bernd Osterloh, the works council chief and a supervisory board member, said in the letter. “The brand’s management board lacks reliability.”

PUGPROUD - 4/7/2016 1:05:50 PM

+2 Boost

When the sh*t hits the fan its every man, woman and union worker for themselves! This is not going to end well...but we've known that for some time.

Vette71 - 4/7/2016 5:27:54 PM

0 Boost

This doesn't bod well for Chattanooga. Pull all that production back to Germany!

VW's management ought to work for stock plus 1 Euro a year. If they can get the company back on track the company's stock will be worth something and they will make out. If not ...... . Unfortunately that is something foreign to Euro managers. Lee Iaccoca did something along those lines in the 1980's turning Chrysler around.

MDarringer - 4/7/2016 7:10:23 PM

+1 Boost

This is where Obama should say "If you close Chattanooga, we will ban sales of all VWAG products in the USA." Executive order...use it.

Vette71 - 4/7/2016 9:32:34 PM

+1 Boost

Matt while BO can't do that the EPA and other government agencies can negotiate a settlement that could spell out X number of vehicles of a given type (hybrid, electric, certified and US tested diesels, etc.) to be built and sold in the USA (Chattanooga) in lieu of direct cash value. Get clever about how this thing is settled.

MDarringer - 4/8/2016 8:57:57 AM

+1 Boost

@Vette71, the Dictator in Chief can do anything and get away with it....

MDarringer - 4/7/2016 7:08:42 PM

+2 Boost

Do we not see how giving unions power is dumb?