tennessee dealt a painful blow to the american labor movement. in a vote of 712 to 626, the 1,500 men and women of the volkswagen plant in chattanooga voted against instead, thanks to tennessee republicans, the opposition forces were outside the plant. republican governor bill haslem announced that auto suppliers wouldn't relocate to chattanooga if the workers unionized. tennessee senator bob corker, the city's former mayor and a man whom two weeks ago pledged not to get involved, he issued the following pronouncement just two days ahead of the vote. should the workers vote against the uaw, volkswagen will announce it will manufacture its new mid size suv here in chattanooga. there was just one problem with his statement. it wasn't true. the chairman of volkswagen, a man named frank fisher, responded. there is no connection between our chattanooga's employees decision and where to build a new product for the u.s. department. grover norquist launched the center for worker freedom. this billboard delivered the suggestion of socialism, united obama workers. and this one meant to strike fear in the hearts of workers everywhere. detroit, brought to yo

>> it's tremendously important for the workers in chattanooga, tennessee.to be a part of the codetermination system globally. they believe in representation. they believe in codetermination. they say codetermination is a critical factor in their success. and this will give chattanooga workers the right to sit on the global works council, to have input on quality and productivity, on where new product goes. it's a tremendous opportunity for the workers in chattanooga. >> so explain this german works council. what does that mean? this is the first time i think a lot in our audience have ever heard that term, what it means, what impact it would have. >> under the german coded codetermination law where it is set up by law in that country, they set up works councils that look at the workplace issues, health and safety issues, production standard issues, overtime issues, things like that the works council deals with. in the u.s. under normal contract relationships, that's all dealt with as part of the contract. in chattanooga, if the workers decide they want uaw

the right wing propaganda worked in chattanooga, tennessee. the republicans and their allies here, they have this "win at all costs" attitude. the democrats have to get a labor team together and have the same attitude and approach. do whatever it takes. little football story. chuck nole, the old coach of the pittsburgh steelers. he got in locker room with the team. they were going through some turmoil. he put dwit. what's that all about? dwit. do whatever it takes to get the title. they did. they won it that year. friday night, the employees at the chattanooga plant voted against the united automobile workers union. they rejected the measure by 87 votes. close vote. very close, but no cigar. volkswagen said it could still institute a workers' council. unfortunately, this vote is a major setback for the united auto workers. it would have been the first foreign owned plant to unionize in the united states. the uaw still has plans to organize other foreign plants in the south, but of course because of what unfolded here, it's going to be a heavie

now but while high speed internet access may seem out of reach for many americans down in chattanooga tennessee it's been a reality for a while that's because chattanooga is home to the gig a taxpayer own high speed fiber optic network according to the new york times back in two thousand and nine. one hundred eleven million dollars stimulus grant from the federal government which allowed that city to get the gig up and running maintain and operate by chattanooga's publicly own city alone to utility companies e.p.b. the gig allows chattanooga residents to surf the web at lightning fast speeds for less than seventy dollars per month residents browse the world wide web on a high speed fiber optic connection that shoots data back and forth at one gigabyte per second that's one thousand megabytes where i live here in washington d.c. at the pay a lot just to get a twenty megabyte per second connection chad no gets a. megabytes as the new york times points out one gigabyte percent in its fifth. and the average internet speed for homes in the rest of the united states and just as fast as the internet s

lightning fast internet speed shouldn't be just in chattanooga tennessee they should be everywhere in this country urban and rural the internet was developed by universities in the military and brought into being by an act of congress that al gore side it was never meant to be controlled by giant corporations it should be a public utility run by and for we the people and not just another profit line on a giant corporations balance sheet free of the internet from corporate control. and that's the way it is tonight tuesday february fourth two thousand and fourteen and don't forget democracy begins with you get out there get back to your state of. play. it will be. science technology innovation all the list of melanin still around russia we've got the huge earth covered. by marinates join me on earth into impartial and financial reporting commentary contributes and much much. only on bombast and only on. the chance our forces at. play. play six nations and the finish line of the marathon. we're going to. come up. with. the please please play put it on your cultural phenomena like the ban

. >>> plus right now volkswagen workers in chattanooga, tennessee, are voting whether to unionize.ells us why he's invited them to move to michigan. when you order the works you want everything. an expert ford technician knows your car's health depends on a full, complete checkup. the works. because when it comes to feeling safe behind the wheel, going the distance and saving at the pump you want it all. get our multi-point inspection with a a synthetic blend oil change, tire rotation, brake inspection and more for $29.95 or less. get a complete vehicle checkup. only at your ford dealer. there's nothing like being your own boss! and my customers are really liking your flat rate shipping. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen. [ male announcer ] introducing fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. you walked into the hotel as a "5" but when she saw the room... you turned into a weird "7". when she saw the roof-top pool... you went to:

rich edson, we have flown him all the way to chattanooga, tennessee. dow the fine folks there will understand a word that you say, rich. rich: they are picking up on the accent. looking at this movement that pushed against the effort to organize workers here at the volkswagen plant, the uaw was granted somewhat unusual access. almost a partnership with volkswagen. there was an expedited election. they are saying that this is a big failure. this all continues. it has been the first bite. one employee says he does not want this town to become detroit. >> who is growing. who is moving forward. look at detroit. look at city blocks of empty houses. what is the common denominator? the uaw. >> one possible other chapter this past election. it could be a point of contention. the uaw said there is influence from outside. they're basically saying that volkswagen would decide to build another plant here if they rejected the uaw. the nlrb could decide to hold another election if they determined there was undue implements. dagen: volkswagen was extremely cooperativ

rich joins me right now from chattanooga, tennessee. you've been on the ground trueing to be a get a hoot hold in the southeast and here in the southeast. they saw it was the best opportunity to do so because they say they had somewhat of a partnership with volkswagen here. volkswagen agreeing an expedited time table to hold it. allowing the uaw to come to their plant and try to persuade their workers to join the union. they fell short as for why they rejected the union. one employee says he doesn't need union. >> if we have an issue, we have a the right to go to a supervisor, manager, to our hr department and fight for our own right..3 nobody is going to fight for me like i'm going fight for me. somebody else has other interests. >> the election might be over but the fight isn't. there are a number of plants here in the southeast that the uaw is trying to get to get to representative their workers. it's something they've been trying for years. the push continues without the partnership they had with volkswagen on the expedited time tab

. >> volkswagen employees in chattanooga, tennessee voted against joining the uaw last week.ve been the first in the south to be organized by the union. >> jon: first in the south run by humans obviously. we remember how violent that struggle got for the keebler elves when they unionized. that elf is ten times bigger than i would have thought. it's not surprising. i'm sure vaiks -- volkswagen pulled out every trick in the book. what tactic did they go with the dead fish? the goons? the dead fish goons? [laughter] which was it? >> vaiks wagen was neutral to pos -- volkswagen was neutral to positive because they've had good relations with unions. >> they wants a work council slash union at this facility in chattanooga. >> jon: the old reverse psychology trick. go ahead be in the union. we'll be best friends forever let's us enjoy a rave together. ♪ [laughter] sthump. [ laughter ] apparently we store these in the carpet. [ laughter ] so the germans like the union or as they would say, they felt ubergubenvagen -- [laughter] -- vokes waken was -- volkswagen was okay with it who wa

in chattanooga, tennessee, wrapping up three days of voting on whether to end the auto workers union. some say that unionization will be bad for business. >>> opposition in the uk, controversial proposals over fracking. in northern ireland, politicians will support similar votes across the country. more from northern ireland on growing concerns about what fracking could do to the environment. >> in northwestern ireland, the farthest reach in the united kingdom. remote? but why not frack for gas? after all, there's shale in those hills. but there are people here, and they rely on the land for farming and tourism and water and air for life. when the g8 had a meeting here last year, all of the security people who feared anti-globalization protests, the anti-frackers are still mad now. >> it's going to ruin everything, and it's irreversible, which is a huge worry for humans here. if it goes wrong, there's nothing you can do. >> so something here that has not been tried before in the uk, asking the people in a referendum if they want fracking or not. >> it's very port that we are informed

. >> jonathan martin in chattanooga, tennessee where you can see the snow is falling there as well, jonathanthank you very much. ♪ >>> wall street fighting right now to regain its footing. amazon, says it is highing, saying it needs to fill 2500 full-time jobs at its discenters across the country. they say they offer, benefits, bonuses and stocks. >>> and home depot is also hiring. they said they need to fill about 80,000 positions for the spring. spring is its peak sales season. >>> for years people have been buying cars, art, even houses online and you can bid on a doctor. >> reporter: zach foster will be the first person to admit he does don't be to the doctor very often, but when he wasn't feeling well, he said a new website made finding a doctor too easy to resist. >> it allows me to determine how much i would spending and how much i would have left if i needed further testing. >> reporter: zach is one of about a half dozen patients who are shopping for health care. >> the train has left the station on cost transparency. consumers are now asking questions about costs, and providers are

. >> reporter: on a cloudy day in chattanooga, tennessee, workers at the volkswagen plant are starting to clear up their future. voting on whether or not to join the united auto workers union, a move some workers believe will make their plant more competitive. >> we will have an opportunity to voice our concerns and the things that we hope to improve the company. and i think that will work better for us than the current system. >> i want us to have a voice in the global works council. and i want us to be able to bring more products, more cars here to chattanooga. >> reporter: vw's plant in tennessee is a rare opportunity for the uaw to add members after a foreign-brand plant in the southern u.s., something it's never done. over the last 35 years, as foreign automakers like bmw, toyota, and others started building cars in right to work states in the south, their workers have never moved to join the uaw, even though their pay and benefits would have likely increased. meanwhile, as big three plants primarily in the north shut down, uaw membership began to drop. after peaking at 1.5 millio

last friday, workers at the chattanooga tennessee vw factory voted against union representation. they were also told by a republican lawmaker volkswagen would award the factory another model if the uaw was rejected. in west virginia -- the company accused of causing a water crisis is headed back to court. tomorrow, freedom industries attend a bankruptcy hearing. it filed for chapter 11 in january following a massive chemical spill that polluted water, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. it is now trying to speed up the process so it can hire consultants to reasearch the chemical spill. free pizza is prompting nationwide outrage. chevron made headlines by giving out free pizza coupons to residents of dunkard township, pennsylvania. that's after a fire raged for four days last week at a chevron fracking site following an explosion that killed one victim, and left another missing. regarding the coupons-- chevron tells first business "it's been well received." however, critics flocked to facebook and twitter to air complaints. " it renforces the negative stereotypes people hav

. >>> a union vote in chattanooga, tennessee, is sending shock waves across the country today.gen workers voted against unionization and set big labor on its heels as they try to move into the south. the past year, they've been wooing 1,300 workers. volkswagen themselves vowed to stay neutral while union leaders were allowed plenty of access and heavily lobbied the workers. even president obama weighed in on friday, advocating unionization behind closed doors. at the same time, there was powerful pressure from corker and has lynn. at the center of the debate, the workers were circulating a rumor, if they vote against unionizing, the plant might expand. grover norquist, conservative anti-tax activist, launched a new branch of his lobbying effort called the center for worker freedom, and this norquist group put up 15 billboards like this one across chattanooga pushing for a no vote. this bill board shows a rundown section of detroit and blames the uaw for the city's bankruptcy. senator corker, who helped bring volkswagen to town when he was chattanooga's mayor, told workers that

chattanooga, tennessee, is now ground zero when it comes to union rights in america. we got a dandy of an election going on, folks. today workers of the chattanooga volkswagen plant started a voting period as to whether they're going to join the united auto workers. freedom. if this plant votes to unionize, the uaw would establish the first ever german style works council. it would negotiate wages and benefits for the plant. it is a right to work state. workers, they're not going to be forced to do anything. they don't have to join the union. nobody is beating the living tar out of them. they can do what they said. that's why i asked you to focus on the word freedom. it's what the republicans love. make no mistake, if this plant unionizes, it would have national implications. the chattanooga plant would be the first foreign assembly plant to unionize in the united states. hold it right there. wow, that's a mouthful. we love china. we love everybody else who takes our jobs, but if a foreign company comes into our territory, wait a minute. they're a foreign company. we c

and autoworkers at volkswagen plant in chattanooga tennessee voted to reject a union. it would have been the first time the uaw organized workers at a foreign plant. scott bauer of trading advantage joins us now for some trader talk on this tuesday morning. good morning to you. >>hi there angie. >>what are you watching for this week? will you be watching the commodities space? >>last week we saw the heavy volume was really in the commodities space. and actually lots of volatility especially in natural gas and oil and gold. we saw gold top1300 for the first time in quite a while. although the market had this huge comeback, the huge rally got us back almost to near our highs where we saw volatility actually just get hammered in the overall market. in the commodities space, volatility is actually as rampant as we have seen it in the last probably couple of years. so i expect that volatility to continue. i expect there to be more pressure in the nat gas space, the oil space, and actually with rates subsiding to where they have beenthe 265-275 levelthat finally has accounte

chattanooga is the greatest community. i love it and i represent the whole state of tennessee, the whole state is different. i could not be more proud of it. i gave a talk in marietta, georgia the other day about how tender the became the -- chattanooga became the way it was. i became so emotional about my hometown. chattanooga was one of the things that -- what is unique is our city has been able to keep the civic, business, and cultural center downtown. so many cities across our country have not. we have a lot of dntrepreneurialism there an some great manufacturing especially recently rate -- brought in a great company. it is filled with people who are so unique. people who give of themselves to make other people's lives better. it is a very unique place in that regard. if you look at the outdoor amenities, i just yesterday rode my bike with my wife elizabeth along the riverfront which again, as a community, we is an outstanding place to live. i do not know about community that has a better quality of life in america than chattanooga. it interesting thing is, keeps getting better. we have been able to buil

payne announced that a united auto workers led union drive at a volkswagen plant in chattanooga tennessee had failed while six hundred twenty six workers voted in favor of joining the union seven hundred twelve workers eighty six more voted against doing so the result of the three day long election was shocking to many u.a.w. organizers up until the very end. most thought they did score a big victory in the volunteer state and for good reason to tennessee is actually the fastest growing state in the country for union membership and because the union the u.a.w. wanted to create in chattanooga was supposed to be part of a plan to create a european style works council like they actually have in germany volkswagen didn't oppose the unionization rose fight with. but it appears that a last minute scare campaign by led by republican lawmakers including tennessee senator bob corker of tennessee governor bill haslam worked like a charm it's hard to see just how many votes corker has the other conservatives took away from the u.a.w. but there's no question that there are scare tactics had a huge im

chattanooga is the greatest community. i love it and i represent the whole state of tennessee, the whole state is different. i could not be more proud of it. i gave a talk in marietta, georgia the other day about how tender the became the -- chattanooga became the way it was. i became so emotional about my hometown. chattanooga was one of the things that -- what is unique is our city has been able to keep the civic, business, and cultural center downtown. so many cities across our country have not. we have a lot of dntrepreneurialism there an some great manufacturing especially recently rate -- brought in a great company. it is filled with people who are so unique. people who give of themselves to make other people's lives better. it is a very unique place in that regard. if you look at the outdoor amenities, i just yesterday rode my bike with my wife elizabeth along the riverfront which again, as a community, we is an outstanding place to live. i do not know about community that has a better quality of life in america than chattanooga. it interesting thing is, keeps getting better. we have been able to buil

organized labor taking a major blow in the south as employees at the volkswagen plant in chattanooga, tennessee, voted against joining the united auto workers union. the decision expecting to obstruct the long-term plans to organize other auto plants down south. brian llenas live with more. >> united auto workers membership and influence has been declining for decades. uaw publically admitted that the union has no long-term future if they cannot begin to organize outside of detroit's three major auto companies and expand to the at least 14 foreign auto assembly plants in the southern united states. which is why yesterday's vote was such a big deal. chattanooga volkswagen plant was seen by supporters as the uaw's best chance to begin expanding into the south. after three days of secret balloting, workers at the plant voted friday night 712-626 against joining the uaw. it's a stunning vote, particularly because vw was seen as friendly to the union. they maintained they were neutral throughout the vote. friday night's vote is a major win for republicans like senator bob corker of tennessee, who bl

today's contestants are -- a paralegal from chattanooga, tennessee...anguage-arts teacher from chaparral, new mexico... and our returning champion, a compliance analyst and voice-over artist from broadview heights, ohio... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!" -- alex trebek! thank you, johnny. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. those of you who keep track of such things know that, by now, arthur has moved and the way he's been playing, he could easily go over $200,000 in total winnings at the end of this half-hour, but chris and claire are not intimidated. they are here to stop him. good luck to all three of you. here we go! jeopardy! round. and these are the categories. happy to welcome you in. alex: arthur, start. done that for $800. arthur. who is tchaikovsky? he's the one. naming rights, $1,000. chris. what is miracle-gro? no. claire. what is raid? no.

a correction of what was just seen there so our audience isn't confused, the vote down in chattanooga, tennesseehad the united auto workers union had been voted it, it was optional for the workers to join the union. it was just whether the union was going to represent certain workers when certain issues come to the workplace. great to have you with us tonight. appreciate your time. >> great to be with you. >> do unions hinder or enhance jobs in this country? >> do they have disagreements with management from time to time? sure they do. the icons of u.s. industry from ge and boeing and gm and chrysler, they're represented by union workers. they make great products. they make the top selling pickup in the united states. there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that unions and the uaw in particular are now parking lot of the -- part of the challenge. none of that has to do with the hard working men and women who put those cars together. >> when the automobile loan was fished out, the unions had to go back, redo the entire game plan as far as wages, pension, benefits, health care, everything was r

rich edson is live for us outside that plant in chattanooga, tennessee. lucky assignment. see is beautiful. rich, what can you tell us? >> reporter: and beautiful weather down here. 60 degrees, barely a cloud in the sky. as for this union election, if you look at what the uaw has been trying to do, peak membership of 1.5 million members back in 1979. now around 400,000. really looking to create a stronghold here in the southeast with the foreign auto manufacturers and unable to do so. the anti-union movement says this gives them great momentum because they say this was an unusual case. volkswagen almost partnering with the uaw, allowing an expedited election, allowing the uaw to come in and try to sell their union to its members. it failed 712-626. as for why the majority of its workers voted against unionization, one worker says he thinks the uaw is bad for business. >> who is growing? who is moving forward? who is paying their people great and who is not? look at detroit where there are city blocks of empty houses. so what's the common denominator there? the uaw. >> repor

volkswagen workers in chattanooga, tennessee have voted against forming a union.wouldited auto workers have had its first presence at a foreign-owned factory. outside groups also played a role. americans for tax reform funded a dozen local billboards urging an antiunion vote. journalist to reveal the national security agencies web of spying has been awarded the 2013 george poll awards in journalism. glenn greenwald, laura poitras, ewan macaskill, and barton gellman were among the winners announced on sunday. other winners include matthieu aikins for uncovering convincing evidence that a u.s. army unital formats -- forces killed individuals. is whoquestion really else knew about these incidents before and? oneis it possible that level above the chain of command could not have known about war crimes. there were serious evidence about war crimes. if they were not involved in the cover-up, they must have been willfully blind. >> to see the rest of our interview, as well as past interviews with glenn greenwald and laura poitras, you can go to our website, democracynow.

he would start a this is development firm, would not engage in lobbying, was going back to chattanooga, tennesseet as the video shows, i found him on capitol hill talking to current members of congress about palantir. after histo him discussion with lawmakers, he said he is overseeing their operations on capitol hill. palantir is a controversial company backed by venture capitalists here in the silicon valley area and it works or intelligence agencies to synthesize large amounts of data 2011here was a scandal in that i helped to break, where developed a others domestic spying program using the same government technology to spy on unions, different labor activists, progressive media outlets. it is not clear how far that proposal went, but they did start gathering intelligence on all types of left of center organizations and individuals. you more aboutk this morphing of lobbyists into other forms of influence peddling. the american league of lobbyists actually changed their name, and a rebranded themselves as the government relations professionals. it reminds me a bit of united fruit company changi

. >>> the united auto workers is repealing last week's vote at volkswagen chattanooga tennessee plante union is claiming outside interference. >>> president obama met with the dalai lama over the objections of the chinese government. the president voiced his support for tibet at the meeting but said he does not support tibetan independence. i'm tony harris in new york city. real money with ali velshi is next. if you want to learn more on any of these stories head to our website at www.aljazeera.com. >> protests turn violent this week. in ukraine, thailand and venezuela. i'll tell i couldn't their struggles aren't so different from our own. detroit's debt debacle could pull some people out of retir retirement and back to work. and maintaining good credit starts when you're young. i'm ali velshi. and this is real money. >> this is real

tennessee, but they haven't left yet. i want to bring in two volkswagen workers from the chattanooga plant. i see you have some supporters behind you as well. great to have both of you guys with us tonight. justin, you first. how much of an effort has been pushed by the employees to get this vote where it is now? >> this effort has been all the employees. the uaw is supported, but it was the employees who contacted the uaw, not the other way around. it's been the employees who have done all the talking to other employees. it's been the employees who have done this entire process. >> so the uaw didn't come banging on your door with sticks and drums and everything else saying we've got to unionize from this shop. it was by the employees, is that what i'm hearing? >> yes. >> what would the uaw do for workers at this plant? what's the upside here? >> the upside that we see and the one that we're truly interested in is it will help us fix the one problem we have here at the plant here in chattanooga. we have failed to fully embrace volkswagen's system. there's conflict between management and lab

it doesn't prohibit another union to organize the plant here in chattanooga, tennessee. as for now this is vick at this for antiunion group, 712-626. a week after it happened. both sides say they will continue efforts on one hand, unionize a number of plants down in the southeast. on the other hand to try to prevent it. back to you. adam: rich edson, it is important for the labor unions. for inmanufacturers setting up shop in the south. it started with honda years ago in ohio. that is another story, rich, thank you. what does this vote mean for unions going forward? let's bring in former national relations labor board peter someburg. sir what is the role of a labor union in this day and age? >> that's a question which i think the uaw did not answer. you know, my understanding from people on the ground is that the workers voted against the uaw, one, because of its history. the one common denominator among the detroit three when they declared bankruptcies was the uaw. in fact employees would say to one another, i vote for the uaw is like buying a ticket on the titanic. so

workers of a tennessee volkswagen plant are voting on whether to form an union. the chattanooga plant is owned by foreign automakers. jonathan martin in chattanooga for us, jonathan, a lot of people are watching this. >> reporter: yes it's been watched closely by a lot of state leaders and union leaders, this could change other foreign-owned plants in the south. >> we're confident we'll win the vote. >> reporter: john wright works in quality assurance in chattanooga. he's happy with his pay and benefits but feels he has no voice in key decisions made by management. that's why he supports the uaw. the council would give blue- and white-collar workers a say in work hours and training. >> it would help us have more communication, more open communication with management for everything on the lines, or anything that the employees are concerned, anything that concerns them. >> reporter: they're voting by secret ballot. and there is a lot riding on the outcome. it could lead to a push for union at other foreign plants in the south. like. >> obama: bmw. >> i feel like they're ramming th

build their cars in america so that they can avoid union fox correspondent joins us from chattanooga, tennesseeig of a blow is this one to the unions? >> good evening, judge. this is significant for a number of reasons. but mostly because unions saw this as one of their best opportunities to try to organize, try to represent one of these plants here in the south owned by foreign auto manufacturer and that's because they basically had volkswagen working with them. work places volkswagen estimated timetable. the union to come into the factory out. last week or so. join union. this has really been what was seen as probably the best case that they had to try organize one of these plants, unable to do 712 to 626 on this one. all of this because of an agreement with volkswagen and united workers now the uaw will stay out of this plant for the next year and not try to organize this plant. it doesn't stop another union from coming into this particular plant or the uaw from going to different plants in the southeast. we know reportedly that they have been going to try to organize different automakers bu

. >>> westboununited auto workerss appealing the vote at volkswagen chattanooga, tennessee, plant.the union is claiming outside interference including anti-union comments by senator corker. >>> producing 800 million plant in central mexico on friday more than 200,000 cars will be assembled there every year. 200,000 vehicles more than japan, and there will be more cars made in mexico with mazda, nissan and audi all opening plants. >>> the release of a blueprint with how it plans to deal with its $18 billion debt. the plan is not sitting well with everyone. >> reporter: detroit has a plan to dig itself out of bankruptcy facing $18 billion in long term debt. city manager kevin orr called for cuts for thousands of retirees, banks and bondholders. the emergency manager announced a plan that is subject for approval by judge and will likely undergo appeals. but donald smith who worked 30 years as a city detention officer said any cut to his pension will hurt. he received $800 pension check each month. under orr's proposal that would drop to around $500. >> this makes such a drastic affect

workers at the volkswagen plant in chattanooga, tennessee, voting down the united auto workers union attempt to unionize that shop. the defeat surprising many. this as volkswagen supportive of the uaw efforts. bryan yennis has more on what this could mean for the union's expansion plans. >> reporter: the united auto workers membership and influence has been declining for decades. the uaw has publicly admitted the union has no long-term future if they can not begin to organize outside of detroit's three major auto companies. and expand into southern united states, which is exactly why last night's vote was so big. the plant was seen by union supporters as the uaw's best chance to begin expanding into the south. but after three days of balloting workers at the plant voted friday night 712-626 against joining the uaw. while friday night's vote is a major win for republicans, like senator bob corker of tennessee, who blamed the uaw for bankrupting u.s. auto makers in detroit. he has been the most vocal opponent and was crucial in bringing volkswagen to chattanooga. the plant became a pol

. >>> an unusual twist on an old tale tonight in chattanooga, tennessee. autoworkers there are voting on whether to join a union, and the company management is encouraging it. john roberts tells us why. >> four years after it opened its doors as a non-union shop, the volkswagen plant has become a battle ground. >> they will be stronger when they come turth with the uaw. >> i have been in three unions, i didn't have a good deal under any of them. >> voke weiagons head office was to create a union. that would give assembly workers a say in how things are wrun. they demand they form or join a union first. >> i'm proud to be working at volkswagen. >> the uaw who has long sought to unionize workers in the campaign, left. >> opponents have launched a counter campaign, warning chattanooga could become the next detroit. >> it will be a threat to both the jobs that this plant has created in chattanooga and the economic health of the community as a whole. >> tennessee officials have warned volkswagen may lose state incentives to expand if it goes union. bob korber h

we turn now to chattanooga, tennessee, where employees at a volkswagen plant have rejected membershipunited auto workers union. in a blow to organized labor, volkswagen workers voted against the measure by vote of 712 to 626 d rilling attends to make it the first unified -- unionized foreign owned car factory in u.s. outside groups also played a role, the dc-based americans for tax reform funded more than a dozen local billboards urging an antiunion vote. by law, the uaw cannot begin another organizing effort at the volkswagen plant for another year. >> to find out more about the implications of the vote, we go to houston, speak with steven greenhouse, the labor and workplace reporter for "the new york times," who's been following the events leading up to the vote at the volkswagen plant. his most recent pieces, "labor regroups in south after vw vote." he is also author of, "the big squeeze: tough times for the american worker." talk about what happened. a majority of the workers had to sign on to have this vote. the vote took place. both sides thought they would win. the uaw lost. wa

plant int a volkswagen chattanooga, tennessee are in their final day of voting on whether to form a union. the united auto workers is seeking to represent the plant's 1,550 eligible employees in what would be its first presence at a u.s. plant owned by a foreign company. the union push has faced intense opposition from republican lawmakers and outside groups. this week republican senator bob corker claimed he had been "assured" that volkswagen would reward the plant with a new car to build if its workers reject unionization. volkswagen has denied corker's claim and critics say he's engaged in scare tactics. on thursday, corker doubled down on his statement, saying his information is even more credible than volkswagen's top local executive, who himself said there is "no connection" between the vote and the company's plans. also this week, state senator bo watson said future legislative incentives for volkswagen could have a quote "a very tough time" if the workers unionize. right-wing groups have also weighed in. the dc-based americans for tax reform has purchased over a dozen local billbo

. >> this is a historic vote taking place in chattanooga, tennessee.voting on whether they want to join the united autoworkers. they vote through friday night. at least one worker explained to us why he's interested in joining theu aw. >> we don't have a seat at the global works table and we need to have chattanooga there. we need to be there to raise our hand and say we need another car here, bring it to chattanooga, we're ready. >> the stakes could not be bigger for the uaw which has been shut out of the deep south. it's membership peaked at 1.5 million in 1979, dropping down to 355,000 a few years ago. one labor professor says when you look at what's at stake for the uaw, this could be the beginning of a turn. and there you have a shot of volkswagen versus general motors over the last year, actually volkswagen alone. kelly, this vote goes through friday night and for the uaw, big implications if they can actually convince these 1500 members to join the uaw. kelly? >> certainly. stay with us, if you would, joining us in a first on cnbc interview is b

our own rich edson joins us now from chattanooga, tennessee.ich. >> well, sandra and david, when you look at the momentum the antiunion group says they have, volkswagen basically letting them come in, expedite the timing on selection, let them set up shop within the factory here in chattanooga to try to lobby workers but it doesn't work. the workers here voted basically not to have the uaw represent them but this might not be over yet pause the uaw said there was undue outside influence from a number of politicians who basically promised if the workers rejected the uaw that volkswagen would expand their operations here and uaw could challenge the results. >> there is still some issues that have to be sorted out about this election. we'll let the people that do that, others and what not, further down the road. >> we've asked the uaw if they do plan on challenging the result. they have not gotten back to us. we tried to get to the national labor relations board who would make the decision to allow a challenge to go forward they have not gotten ba

facility that's the most advanced, environmentally sound facility in the world right here in chattanooga, tennessee this about? it's about one thing. it's about money and it's about power. >> now, in the arena of public opinion, do you think most common sense folks would say, that's involvement? that's real involvement in an election? overall, corker flat-out lied about the united auto workers union. >> we support the works council notion that they are trying to implement. we just had concerns about the uaw. we know of their track record. we know what's happened in communities were they've been located. we know they have been a job-destroying entity through the years. >> no, no, no, no. corker is lying when he makes comments like that about the uaw. uaw has saved thousands of johns all over the country and they have the numbers to back it up. let me be clear, folks. corker's intimidation of plant workers was absolutely unprecedented. never in american history has a sitting united states senator inject himself and launched into an intimidation campaign against unionization. i mean, it's so bad, uaw

the election is taking place at this volkswagon plant in chattanooga, tennessee, where 1,500 workers are trying to decide if they want to be part of the united autoworkers union making it the first factory owned entirely by a foreign car maker to be organized by the unite autoworkers. now, here's the thing. the workers inside the plant appear to want the join the union and executive, management inside the plant appear to not want to interfere saying "volkswagon is committed to neutrality and calls upon all third parties to honor the prince. of neutrality." volkswagon operates a union workforce in their home of germany and also operate something called a works council, a committee of white and blue collar workers who work with management on policies and solves problems. volkswagon seems interested in a german style council at the chattanooga plant. you would think, great, workers are going to choose on their own, corporation's going to stay out of it which basically never happens in union election and it's a free country, right? we've got free market capitalism where the big bad gover

here is sergeant andrew smith using his chair in the snow and who lives in chattanooga, tennessee, and is allowing him to get up and around even in the bad weather down south. also, they have donated $200,000 to independencefun.org so more of the track chairs can be made. and you guys are patriots. and another charity for vets, the fisher hats. as you know we're raising money for them off of my presidential interview. >> the super bowl was ten days ago and america is still buzzing over the embarrassing lop-sided victory of bill o'reilly over president obama, everybody is talking about it in an historic move. bill is historically auctioning off the historic notes of hi historic interview. and the winner will then present evidence of bill's meticulous presentation. >> so inviting the french president, he is mocking my interview with the president. dubious, and if you would like my original notes you can bid on them at billo'reilly.com. and factor tip of the day the fisher house is a very worthyitt going to say it. please check out the factor website, different from bill o'reilly, and no