U.S. Senators Urge Volkswagen To End Delay In Tennessee Union Election
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - Three Democratic U.S. Tuesday questioned the decision by Volkswagen AG's U.S. Earlier this month, the largest German automaker won its bid to put off a union election for 1,700 workers at the Chattanooga plant until its challenge to a smaller United Auto Workers bargaining unit at the factory is settled. The National Labor Relations Board in a single-sentence, 2-1 decision on May 3 granted Volkswagen's motion to stay an election petition filed by some of its workers last month. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Sherrod Brown of Ohio wrote to Scott Keogh, president of Volkswagen Group of America, on Tuesday, expressing "deep concern with delays" to the election. Volkswagen did not immediately comment Tuesday. In December 2015, 160 skilled trade maintenance workers voted to unionize and affiliate with the UAW, the union said. VW declined to bargain with the union, saying the unit needed to include both skilled trade maintenance workers and production workers. VW began production at the plant in 2011 and builds the Passat car and the Atlas SUV. The senators "have heard that facility supervisors in Chattanooga are engaging in direct anti-union conversations with workers in the workplace, including pulling workers off the production line to ask if they support the union," they said. In February 2014, workers at the plant narrowly voted against union representation, which had been seen as organized labor's best chance to expand in the U.S. UAW membership has plummeted 75 percent since 1979 and now stands at about 396,000. The UAW has failed for two decades to organize foreign automaker plants in the United States.
But there are ways to lower car premiums. Verivox tells you how. Who makes common cause with the parents, can save heavily in car insurance. If novice drivers register their car as a second car in the name of their father or mother, the insurance usually classifies the vehicle in the SF class 陆. The contribution rate in SF class 陆 is between 70 and 90 percent. Some insurance companies offer even better conditions under certain conditions. Compared to the SF class 0 can save a few hundred euros a year. Driver newcomers who wish to register their vehicle in their own name can also slip into damage class 陆 or better if they use the parent-child scheme. The car must be insured with the same insurer as that of the parents. However, young drivers then can not always collect their own damage-free years, so do not climb in the SF class. True to the motto "Pay how you drive" can novice drivers with so-called telematics tariffs save money. The only requirement: You drive carefully and with foresight.
And how does it work? A small box built into the vehicle evaluates not only the speed but also the braking and acceleration behavior, as well as where and when the driver is on the road. With exemplary driving style, novice drivers can enjoy discounts on insurance costs. That's up to 40 percent for some insurers. Among other things, the type class of the vehicle has an influence on the amount of the insurance premium. The more frequently the vehicle type is statistically involved in accidents or stolen, the higher the type class and the more expensive the insurance. Drivers should, therefore, inform themselves before buying a car. Also, by assuming the claim-free class, the amount of the car insurance premium can be sharply reduced. The prerequisite is that the novice driver has driven the vehicle regularly and that there is a first-degree relationship or a domestic community. So if grandma does not want to drive anymore, she can give her grandson the SF class.
The crux: Damage-free classes can only be accepted in the amount that the novice driver would have "experienced" himself with the duration of his license. If you have a driver's license for one year, you can only claim the SF class 1 - even if your grandmother is classified in SF class 20. All remaining SF classes expire. But: once you give up your SF classes, you can not undo that. New drivers usually do not buy a new car but are satisfied with an older car at the beginning. If the user for example, is older than ten years and has only a small residual value, then the protection of legally required vehicle liability is sufficient. Partial coverage may be useful if the vehicle is between five and ten years old and still has some residual value. It covers damage to wildlife, marten bites, theft, and glass breakage. If novice drivers decide for a new car with quite a high residual value, the full insurance is sensible. She also jumps in vandalism and self-inflicted accidents on their own vehicle. However, this increases the price of car insurance.