this would be a big step forward for the united auto workers. it will make an effort to unionize other plants down in the south. why not? they have workers in alabama, georgia, mississippi. is there something about this depressing wages in the south? do the southerners down there not like workers? it's a cultural thing, i believe. get it cheap. get it as cheap as you possibly can. nobody is forcing them to join. it's freedom. meanwhile, if something is good for workers, i guess we can say that we know that the republicans are against it. this is unprecedented. senator bob corker and tennessee governor bill haslem, they're trying to scare employees into voting no. painting a negative se narrir - scenario. >> the officers a month ago talking about fighting and combat and all those kind of things, if that's the environment, the uaw is the people to choose. >> now we're into insults and k accusations. can you point to any place in america where there have been sticks pulled out to fight? if workers don't stick up for themselves, they won't have any

that's why he supported the united auto workers plan to unionize the plant.y would set up a council that give workers a say in things like work hours and training. >> it would help us have more open communication with management for improving anything on the lines or anything the employees may discern is important to them. >> reporter: 1600 hourly employees are voting this week by secret ballot. if the uaw is successful in unionizing the plant, it could lead to a push in other foreign-owned plants. >> i feel like they are ramming this down my throat. >> reporter: mike works in the plant's body shop. he feels a union would create more red tape and hurt his work hours. >> they [ technical difficulties ] >> -- instead of six days a week, and we have a three-day weekend every week. let's not mess that up. >> reporter: the united auto workers has declined requests to speak about the specific plan. while volkswagon has said it is staying neutral, some outside conservative groups are weighing in. the center for worker freedom has rented billboards in tennessee, blam

employees at the volkswagen plant in chattanooga are casting ballots on whether or not to join the united auto workers union. if approved it would be the first foreign-owned auto plant represented by the uaw in the u.s. in 27 years, and the first ever in the south. phil lebeau has more. >> 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

state in the country for union membership so why did volkswagen employees reject a plan to join united auto workers more on that just a moment also another day another miscarriage of justice in florida of a mistrial in the case of the loud music shooter michael dunn finally wake americans up to the dangers of stand your ground shoot first laws and america could be living like the jetsons but instead because of president reagan we're stuck in the stone age of the flintstones are you why is that i still need to. you need to know this the fight to preserve the american middle class took a big hit this weekend on friday night retired u.s. circuit judge samuel h. 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

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

and workers at a volkswagen plant in tennessee voted against joining the united auto workers which wouldve been the first foreign auto manufacturer in the south to unionize. >>> a jury entered it's fourth day of deliberation of michael dunne who shot and killed over loud music. >>> preparations for a spectacular nighttime parade are finally being completed. al jazeera easily is a bernard's more. >> in chinatown preparations for a happy new year. >> it's like thanksgiving for chinese. all the family members get together and have a feast. >> good buy to the year of the snake. dave thomas and his team are making the floats that will welcome the year of the horse. >> this year we carved more horses than you could get on a prairie right now. >> reporter: his east-west float company will build 21 floats this year sponsors pay anywhere from $30,000 to more than $100,000 to get one of thomas' floats in the famous san francisco chinese new year parade. >> how long did it take? >> this is ten day's worth of work, and i usually start with the emotions. i start the emotions and then i build a float

united states with a union. >> some say the action could reverberate through the auto industry. >> surprise. >> they're also running some radio ads as well. >> they're piling out like clowns out of a circus car. >> deprive what it calls the united obama workers union. >> volkswagen is a german company. >> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. i want you to focus on the word freedom because how many times have we heard the republicans and the conservative movement talk about freedom. they love that word. everything is connected to freedom, except in the workplace. 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

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 heavier lift at these other plants. make no mistake. the textbook has been written on how to defeat them. the outcome of the vote was influenced by these guys right here. senator bob corker of tennessee and governor bill haslem. they were pressuring employees to vote no. this was a flat out republican anti-media blitz is what it was. workers were swayed into voting against their own self-interests when you look at it. here's what republicans were saying leading into the vote. put yourself in their position if you heard stuff like this from an elected official. >> the officers a month ago talking about fighting and combat and all of those kind of things, if that's the kind of environment you want, uaw are the people to choose. >> there's no question if the uaw comes there,

my first guest says that it is a major victory for workers and the united auto workers union who work together to unionize it and we have the most powerful organized union foundation and joins us tonight from washington. all right. first, this question has to be foremost in the mind. so why would they work to unionize their plan? >> no, that is a great question. we think that unions are part and parcel of the management structure. working with unions and hey mentioned that that is important to them. here they are allowing us to germa. >> the vote wasecisive. it was 712626 with the union with 90% participation and what does that say to you? sumac important thing to remember and they claimedthat they had a majority to base on the claim in chattanooga. volkswagen is almost ready to do that until the couragus employees that work ere stood up and said wait a minute. and we found those and they had a signature by 611 of their employees and this went aw when something you've been taing about as well with other things. 53% said no. >> every part of this with every endeavor and certainly a con

they know what the united auto workers have done to other places.ell, grover the top union guys are having a meeting in texas right now figuring out where they'll go from here. i guarantee you are not invited. thank you for joining us, however. yeah, boohoo. >> i can be with you if not with them. stuart: thank you, good to see you. i've got to update what's happening from overseas. in kiev, the capital of ukraine. the protesters creating what they call a ring of fire, protesters from the riot police. three months of protests have come to a violent head here. demonstrators want stronger ties to europe. ukraine's president wants stronger ties to russia. the country is split. the protests have been violent. at least 26 people have been killed in the last 36 hours and that includes a number of police officers shot in gunfire. that's a serious situation, but no financial implications so far. two tech stories for you coming up after the break. fans of netflix' "house of card" listen up. your internet provider might limit how much content you could stream.

my first guest says that it is a major victory for workers and the united auto workers union who work together to unionize it and we have the most powerful organized union foundation and joins us tonight from washington. all right. first, this question has to be foremost in the mind. so why would they work to unionize their plan? >> no, that is a great question. we think that unions are part and parcel of the management structure. working with unions and they mentioned that that is important to them. here they are allowing us to germany. >> the vote was decisive. it was 712626 with the union with 90% participation and what does that say to you? sumac important thing to remember and they claimed that they had a majority to base on the claim in chattanooga. volkswagen is almost ready to do that until the courageous employees that work there stood up and said wait a minute. and we found those and they had a signature by 611 of their employees and this went away when something you've been talking about as well as with other things. 53% said no. >> every part of this with every endeavor an

. >> the volkswagen factory rejects the united auto workers. >> we don't have to pay those great bigues. >> conservatives rev up their anti-union rhetoric. >> when people look at detroit, they see the uaw. >> why not talk about unions that are sending jobs to mexico. >> wasn't that a great misinformation package? just for a correction of what was just seen there so our audience isn't confused, the vote down in chattanooga, tennessee, had 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 tha

the united auto workers played a constructive role in pushing up wages and standards and benefits and then through pattern bargaining spread that go throughout the economy. over the last 30 years, we've seen a change and we've seen rather aggressive employer strategies to defeat unions and to keep unions out. that's part of the reason why we have unsustainably growing in equality, a massive redistribution of wealth over the past 30 years. there's problems like pensions, but workers work all their life and pay into pension funds and when they get to retirement, the pension funds are not something that have come from the sky, they're something workers have paid into. as far as the city of detroit is concerned, some of these right wing bill boards say the u.a.w. destroyed detroit and chattanooga next if we let them in. that's ridiculous. the u.a.w. never had anything to do with running the city of detroit. the city of detroit was massively mismanaged. there's no reason why they couldn't have handled their pension obligations if it was managed better, but those pensions were certainly not

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 blames the uaw bankrupting u.s. automakers this detroit. corker has been the most vocal opponent and was crucial to bringing volkswagen to chattanooga. >> how many companies from south korea or japan or germany, how many of them do you think make a stop in detr

. >>> the tennessee workers have said no to union. 712 voted against joining the united auto workers, 626 voted for it. al jazeera's erica ferrari has more. >> it's a sting to auto workers in general. after secret voting, tennessee's auto workers say no to union representation. >> my heart is pounding with exceeding joy. we are thankful that it turned out the way it did. >> volkswagen has invested $1 billion in the tennessee plant. the company was lured there by more than $577 million in state and local incentives. some viewed unionizing as a setback that would only benefit the uaw. >> the problem is the uaw has a need for our money. they don't care about these guys. they really don't. >> reporter: the campaign was seen as organized labor's best chance to expand into foreign-owned plants in the south. that very idea brought more reaction from outside interests than from the plant workers themselves. conservative groups rented billboards in tennessee and blamed the uaw for detroit's financial troubles. while governor bill haslam spoke out, volkswagen remained neutral throughout. even a

united auto workers is asking for a revote. union claiming outside interference including anti-union comments by tennessee senator bob corker. they want the national labor relations board to call for an election. >> "techknow" visits a college in new york city that trains crime scene investigators. we have the preview. >> i'm here in the heart of new york city where they train the best of the best in tomorrow's crime scene investigators. professor here are the cutting edge of forensic technology to help them stay one step ahead of the criminals. >> wow, what type of information are we going to be getting? >> we're going to see the bullet approach where it's stable flight. then we see it's in intersection with the glass and then we see the fracture pattern of the glass. the glass will have fractures. it will have radial and concentric fractures. >> testing human biological evidence that could one day solve crimes. >> we had him show off his work and grabbed a volunteer. >> we're going to have each of you smell a flower, and i'm

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

brian llensa is wlifb more. >> this he voted against the united auto workers union. the chattanooga volkswagen plant opened in 2011 and volkswagen's only u.s. plant. it would have been the first successful effort to unionize workers in the south. bob king admitted the union has no long-term future if they cannot begin to organize in the south where there are 74 automaker assembly plants. friday's vote is major win for republicans like senator bob corker who argue unions will push auto companies away. corker has been the most vocal opponent and crucial bringing volkswagen to chattanooga. >> how many companies from south korea or japan or germany, how many of them do you think make a stop in detroit to look at locating there? none. not a one. it's because of the culture the uaw has largely contributed to. >> corker releasing this statement after last night's vote. "needless to say, i am thrilled for the employees at volkswagen and for our community and its future." the debate did get messy anded . politicians threatening to cut off the plant to expand if the union was

workers at a volkswagen plant in tennessee reject the united auto workers after a costly antiunion campaign. all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. a new report based on top-secret documents from edward snowden has revealed how the united states and britain targeted the whistleblowing website wikileaks after it published documents on the u.s.-led war in afghanistan. according to report co-authored by glenn greenwald and published intercept.org, britain's top spy agencies eagerly monitored visitors to wikileaks site by collecting their ip addresses in real time. the national security agency added wikileaks founder julian hunting" target list alongside al qaeda suspects. the documents also show the u.s. urged its allies to file criminal charges against assange over the afghan war logs. we will be joined by julian assange and his attorney michael ratner after the headlines. in iraq, a series of deadly car bombings has rocked baghdad and the area south of it today, one day after another wave of explosions killed at le

al vox wagon plant voted against joining the united auto workers.t would have been the first in the south to union eyes. 712 voted against joining that union. 626 voted for it. er i can a fer arari has more. >> it's stinging after three days of secret balloting, employees say no to union rep presentation. it's hard to hold the emotion back. my heart is pounding with exceeding joy. we are thankful it turned out. >> volks waggen has invested a billion dollars in the plant that started building mid sized sedans three years ago. they were ludics by more than 57 state and local incentives. some viewed it as a setback that would only benefit the uaw? >> the uaw has a need for our money. they don't care about these guys. they really don't. >> campaign was seen as organized labor's best chance to expand into foreign-owned plants in the south. >> very idea brought more reaction from outside interests than from the plant workers, themselves. conservative groups rented billboards in tennessee and blamed the uaw for detroit's financial troubles while ten's repu

they were deciding whether or not to unionize and join the united auto workers. first, the company was neutral. the company had made the decision to stay out of the choice. this is a decision to be made by the workers. we have seen time and time again how employers can interfere with this choice by workers. they write your paycheck and decide whether or not you get that promotion and they can fire you. the employer can wield powerful influence over the workers as to whether or not they want to unionize and yield that power lawfully or unlawfully. volkswagen said this is the workers' decision and let's leave it up to hem them. the employer chose to imbrace the notion that it had the freedom to choose and that happened in tennessee. but there is a second extraordinary thing that happened and that is despite the fact that the employer was neutral, a free and fair election was still rendered impossible because of interference and threats from outside parties. and what we saw here was unprecedented and the shameful actions by outside parties interfered in a private de

tennessee senator bob corker is whining about the united auto workers.e villain all of a sudden. the guy who won by cheating, he still isn't happy. here's what corker told reporters about the uaw on thursday. >> my knowledge of the uaw came into play, and let me say this i think my involvement from their officer perspective, getting took your base question, i probably am public enemy number one to the uaw. >> oh, no, the keyword's not enemy, the keyword is involvement. your involvement, senator. make no mistake, corker should be public enemy number one for the unions because he's writing the back on how to defeat them. guy intimidated workers at the chattanooga vehicles wagon plant, made threats about production not being in chattanooga if the vote didn't go the right way and they voted in the union. in the end, corker's misinformation campaign, i guess you could say it paid off. workers voted against unionization and their own self-interests. now, here are just a few examples so we don't have history revisionism going on here. here's a few examples of c

. >>> workers at a volkswagen plant in tennessee have voted against joining the united auto workers which would have been the first foreign manufacturer in the south to unionize. a florida jury is now on day four i in deliberations of the trial of michael dunn he killed a teen after they argued over the volume of news anything his car. >>> four people dead in i understand neesha after volcano erupts. seven airports closed with ash problems being sucked in to engines. "real money" is up next on al jazerra america. good job, a home for your family, a better future for your children. somewhere along the way, that reality. >> paycheck to paycheck. enough? treadmill. >> to keep middle class families from falling behind. >> people are struggling today. >> their struggle is the story of today's america, a country that counts on those in the middle to lead on the path to prosperity. i am ali velshi.

. >> reporter: the united auto workers has declined requests to speak to al jazeera.ome outside conservative groups are weighing in. the center for worker pre.com has rented billboards in tennessee, blaming the uaw for detroit's financial troubles. tennessee's governor has also said the union will hurt the chances of attracting other companies. >> they have said if the uaw comes in there, we will be much less likely to locate a plant close to chattanooga. >> reporter: a solid majority of workers at the plant, the uaw says, want to unionize. this whole is being facilitated by the national labor relations board. del, we won't have a result any time today. likely that will be sometime friday or early in the weekend. >> jonathan martin in chattanooga, tennessee where you can see the snow is falling there as well, jonathan, thank 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 hom

. >> reporter: it's a stinging blow to the united auto workers union and organized labor in general afteree days of secret balloting, employees at the volkswagen chattanooga plant say no to union representation. >> my heart is just pounding with exceeding joy. we're thankful that it turned out the way that it did. >> reporter: volkswagen has invested $1 billion in the chattanooga plant which began building pass at mid side sedans lee years ago. it was lured there by $77 million in state set backs. >> it's a problem that uaw has a need for our money. they don't care about these guys. they really don't. >> reporter: the campaign was seen as organized labors as as a chance to expand in foreign-own the plants in the south. that brought more reaction from outside interests than the plant itself. conservative groups rented billboards in tennessee and blamed uaw for detroit tease problems. and others spoke out claiming that the union would hurt the state's chances of attracting other manufacturers. >> between the two institutions, volkswagen and the uaw i know of not one incident of aggression o

we have ford, chrysler and mitsubishi which is organized with the united auto workers. all three of those companies, they've grown enormously. mitsubishi has a new product line. but for a governor to interfere with union election is just plain wrong. they don't think you were doing the right thing. >> the state is interesting. the other thing is volkswagon said to us what i costs to build a car and number two we want to attract a network closer. neither of those will be easier. suppliers everywhere said if it comes flat out we'll be a lot less interested. >> our state, i have ford and i have chrysler and i have mitsubishi and all of them and their suppliers want to have the workers organized. they like to work with people who get a fair wage and decent benefits. i think this is a value difference again, whether it's the minimum wage or the right to organize an union. these are fundamental american issues. >> so fundamental we let the workers vote and they voted -- >> if you interfere with the election. >> the president tried to interfere as well. >> woodruff: we know th

he has been against it, and he said this, quote, that he has been assured if workers reject united auto country will reward the plant with the opportunity to build the new mid-sized suv. volkswagen officials have made several statements, saying that the vote will have no bearing on whether the suv will be made at the chattanooga plant or at the plant in mexico. tennessee republicans have also threatened to take away volkswagen's tax incentives if the workers join to vote the uaw. in step america's mayor, virg menaro says rather than dealing with the intimidation and fighting, volkswagen can just pack up and come on the his city. >> the legislature, the governor, they have the nerve, the item merit to threaten the expansion based on unionization? it's incredible. i was amazed by it, but then i smelled opportunity. >> volkswagen plans to invest $7 billion in north america in order to bill its midsized suvs. virg bernero with us. good to have you with us. >> good to be back. >> always looking for an opportunity to help the american worker. i love it. you wrote a letter to the ceo of volksw

income inequality statements and made up the central argument of his speech at final day of the united auto works annual conference in washington. after working the room with a few biden moments, the vice president made a passionate plea on behalf of human rights. >> you guys are the only guys keeping the barbarians at the gate. this is a concerted, full-throated, well organized, well financed long-term effort waging a war on labor's house because they know -- they know not all business, these guys on the right, they know without you there they call every shot. i never thought i would be back re-fighting after all this time in my career the wave of right to worke efforts. the right to pay you a lower wage. the right to make sure you don't have a say in your working conditions. it's not a right to work. it's a right for them to eliminate your right to have a say in your work. >> woody allen's son is coming to his defense amid renewed allegations the actor and director sexually assaulted his adopted daughter. moses farrow, the adopted son of mia and allen is speak out with "people" magazine s

this was a real setback for the united auto workers.nions have been doing better in tennessee than most people think. >> it's a surprise. we looked at the number of union members nationwide. last year, tennessee had the number one growth rate among states. 33,000 new union members inside tennessee. you have to put into perspective that's only about 6% of tennessee's workforce, there's still a long way to go. >> what may account for the absence of unions in the south? >> well i think a lot of it is just generational. you have labor battles fought in the north many years ago, and there were a lot of plit issues that separated -- political issues that separated a lot of the southern states, even going into some racial issues that you know, there was a fear in some acases that potentially by bringing in unions they might have to offer similar benefits to both white workers as well as black workers, so there was some conflict there. but that goes a long way back and what you find now is that the south is a hotbed for the gop, and there's a f

. >> autos stinging blow to the united auto workers union and organized labor in general after three days of secret balloting, employees at volkswagen chattanooga plant say no. >> my heart is just pounding with exceeding joy. we're thankful that it turned out the way that it did. >> volkswagen has invested $1 billion in the plant which began building passat mid size sedans three years ago. the company was lured there with state an benefits. >> the problem with the uaw has a need for our money. they don't care about these guys. they really don't. >> the campaign was seen as organized labor's best chance to expand into foreign owned plans in the south. that brought more reaction from outside interests than plant workers themselves. conservative groups rented billboards in tennessee and blamed uaw for detroit's financial troubles. while senators spoke out. volkswagen remained neutral throughout. >> between the two institutions, volkswagen and the uaw i know of not one incident of aggression or animosity coming out of this problem. >> the uaw adding while we're outraged by politicians an

. >> a lot of talk is this the end of the united auto worker, ups they can organize in the south, theying away. i guess i don't buy that because i think that they will still make a lot of efforts in the south and they have the strength in detroit and a lot of political support from the democrats and the administration. >> yeah, i think you're right. i think unions and the democrats have become something of a self sustaining system here. but there is no question a real sense that if they can't do it when they have the support of management, when can they. >> it looked like yesterday's solution. it's a big problem for the democrats here. affiliated with the old industrial unions like the ua wcht and the public sector unions, they don't look like they have any forward vision. >> but it's the private sector -- private sector unions at least have a stake in economic success. the union movement becomes dominated by public sector unions and government unions where it's easier to organize. isn't that a particular problem maybe for some of the images that they project, a problem for the private

workers will decide over the next three days whether they want to organize under the united auto workers. a yes vote would be a big victory for the union movement which has declined over the decade. and it would open the door for unions at other foreign-owned auto factories across the south. the rank and file are casting their ballots. this is a story filled with a lot of twists and turns and drama. tell us about it. >> ali there has been a lot of outside pressure, political pressure, a lot of people campaigning from outside groups. you know, actually today volkswagen did not allow any outside groups or anyone who is not an emplo employee to be her. the if the uaw is successful, many feel it would definitely signal a change for other foreign-owned automakers in the south like bmw and nissan. >> now here's one of the things it's unusual the company has been very clear on the fact that if their workers vote to unionize they're not getting involved. they're not working actively against the unionization, that's not typical. >> i'm having trouble hearing you. i don't know if has anything to d

close but workers at a volkswagen plant in tennessee rejected a proposal to unionize under the united auto workers banner. it's a big defeat for the union's long-term plans to organize auto plants in the south. now the uaw may be looking to organize workers at a mercedes plant in alabama and a nissan factory in mississippi. >>> well, blackberry gets a big powerful shareholder and that's where we begin tonight's market focus. dan loebs third point revealed it has a 10 million share stake in blackberry. the hedge fund now has a 1.9% position in the company, making it the fifth largest shareholder. the troubled smartphonemaker also scored an upgrade from svr capital because of recent changes at the company and positive momentum. that helped lift shares more than 5% to $9.46. passengers flying on united airlines suffered widespread delays this morning because of problems with the company's computer reservation system. the flight tracking site, flight aware, reported that 16% of the airline's flights were delayed as of midday but that was also caused by weather issues in parts of the country. s

the vice president was like a kid in a candy store on wednesday when speaking to the united auto worksn. they gave him a preview of the 2015 stingray z6 super car. >> there's a lot of reasons to run for president. there's one overwhelming reason not to run for president. i would like to get that z6 with 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds. >> all smiles. that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. it's thursday, that means bob franken joins me from washington. all smiles as well, bob, today? >> yes. i was thinking about hillary clinton pointing out that she hasn't drive an car since the '90s. >> that's true. she did say that. let's talk about the president for a second. president obama reportedly told a group of senate democrats that he knows he's not popular in some states, so he wouldn't be offended if he wasn't invited to visit during midterms. what does that say about obama and what is at stake in the midterms? >> first of all, i think about the only democrat who would welcome him is maybe clay aiken. but -- who, by the way, i should point out some of the people who know about these things,

a devastating blow to the united auto woeshgs union's efforts to organize plants in the south that areun by foreign automakers. uaw chief bob king saying lab hear no future if it can't spread south. many viewed the vw plan the only chance to gain foothold in that region. >>> meanwhile, a new bombshell report on a miami dolphins bullying scandal. confirming that richie incognito and two other players harassed jonathan martin and others on a daily basis. shouting vulgar insults and racist taunts, martin left the team in october. his agent says martin feels vindicated by the findings. >>> i'm camie colby. i look forward to seeing you at 1:00 p.m. eastern here on fox. now back to "forbes." >>> are you tired of the winter storms jacking up your heating bills? now there's a different kind of storm brewing in d.c. that may give electric bills a real jolt. try an 80% jolt. testimony by an obama energy official exposing that shocking number. it's all stemming from a new epa rule for cool-powered plants in the name of fighting global warming and another example of social engineering that ignores

chrylser is expected to pay $5 billion to the united auto workers trust in the final payment owned from its bailout. the car company signed off on a bond sale that will reimburse the uaw health-care trust. chrysler is owned by fiat. fiat is planning an ipo for this fall. in our cover story, the auto industry is shifting gears. winding down, in australia--- toyota, the last automaker there announced it will cease australian production in 20-17, ending australia's 66-year-old auto sector. while, in germany, audi plans to add shifts to keep up with rising demand in china and in the u-s. if you're looking for a serious car shopper, look no further. janice nowak ofwest suburban chicago spent more than 20- minutes inside one car, an audi a3. and then talked with a representative for ten minutues longer, who told her audi could deliver a 20-15 model to her by april. for mercedes, she's have to wait until september. "absolutely, time is a factor. my bmw is 13-years old and while it's been great, i'm tired of it and want a new look." nowak's sense of now multiplied by countless consumers explain

. >>> the united auto workers union is evaluating its next steps. employees voted against joining the union. the 712, the 626 vote represents a big defeat for organized labor in the country. the uaw spent millions of dollars on the campaign. while volkswagen department get involved, many did pushing antiunion arguments. it's a setback organizing other auto plants in the south. there are fewer than 400,000 members of the uaw today. that's down 75% from 1979. overall, just 11.3% of all-american workers are union members. in a statement following the vote the uaw said in part, quote, while we're outraged by politicians and outside special interest groups interfering with the basic legal right of workers to form a union, we're proud that these workers were brave and stood up to the tremendous pressure from outside. >>> so your musical choices may reveal a lot about your political party. pandora says that they do and the company is now hoping to make some cash off of that notion. the internet radio service is starting an advertising service that says it

as of next week, foreign-owned volkswagen could see its u-s workers join the united auto workers union. whatever the outcome, the vote by 15-hundred tennessee workers will impact the auto industry. the vote which is scheduled for next thursday and friday, is the first time in 13 years that the uaw has attempted to organize workers of a foreign car company. the uaw would like to bolster its rolls with a yea vote -- while a nay vote could depress wages across the industry. factory orders fell in december- but not as much as expected. the 1.5% decline was the largest since july, however, economists predicted 1.7% drop. fewer orders for aircraft was a big part of the hit according to data from the commmerce department. the demand for durable goods - fell 4.2% but that was slightly less than the estimated 4.3%. sixteen female employees at jp morgan will split a 1.4 million dollar settlement for allegations of discrimination. j-p morgan denies the women at an ohio call center were openly ridiculed and not given bonuses. in a 2009 lawsuit, the employees allege they were refered to as "girlie'

15-hundred auto workers at the automaker's plant in chattanooga are voting whether to have the united auto workers represent them.as our cover story explains, some think this would open the door for the uaw at other foreign - owned car plants in the south. at the heart of the vote at volkswagen's plant open just three years in chattanooga is the establishment of what the company calls "work councils." "where labor aand management meet and discuss ways to improve the plant." but u-s labor law requires employees to vote on whether they want a union to represent them in these councils. it's to prevent such a forum from becoming overly pro-management. if the union wins, it would be the first foreign-owned auto plant in the u-s to unionize. perhaps only the first one. "the uaw is already working on mercedes and on nissan in mississippi." and that's where opponents have drawn a line in the tennessee sand. they include tennessee's governor bill haslam and u.s. senator bob corker. "we've had several businesses that have told us if the uaw come in, it would dampen their enthusiasm for tn." senator

voting against a plan presented by the united auto workers. the uaw met fierce resistance from state republicans who fear add union shop would discourage other businesses from coming to tennessee. >>> and there has been quite a drop in u.s. gun sales. there were 1.6 million requests for fbi background checks in january. that's about one-third less than a year ago. background checks are often considered to be the most accurate means of tracking legal gun sales. last year's surge was sparked by fears of new gun restrictions, following the newtown, connecticut, shooting. >>> tension inside a florida courthouse as the jury in the loud music trial could have a verdict. michael dunn charged with first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old jordan davis. dunn says he acted in self-defense after the teen threatened him. the jury reconvened this morning arounden 9:00 a.m. eastern time, and just about 30 minutes later actually had questions for the judge. >> the first question -- is the defense of self-defense separate for each person in each count?

. >>> last weekend we told you how voters in tennessee voted down a plan to join the united auto workers' union. they've now filed an appeal citing what it calls interference by politicians that it says deprived the workers of their federally protected right to have a union. senator bob corker, who criticized the unionization plan issued a statement saying the uaw is quoting only interested in its own survival. not the interests of the auto workers. >>> apple says several of its products are vulnerable to hackers's in a statement issued friday the company cited risks to consumers using mac computers, the iphone 4 or later models, the ipod touch and ipad 2, 3 and air. the company says the security risk stems from a problem with encrypted data sent to a wireless internet connection allowing to user names and passwords. an update can be downloaded for some of the affected products. mac computer users are still at risk. >>> the developments in the last few weeks in ukraine have further strained the all right fraught relationship between the united states and russia. for more on that and othe

workers at the german auto maker's chattannooga tennessee plant voted against joining the united auto workers union. an "anti union" fight is now said to be brewing in the south, as a conservative group aims to bring the anti union efforts to u-a-w plants in mississippi and alabama. the manager of the volkswagen plant in chattanooga says workers did not vote down the idea of a works council to represent themselves. but the idea faces legal pushback. the strike by faculty continues at the university of illinois at chicago. more than a thousand professors and lecturers are protesting over wages. the union - chicago united faculty - is asking for a four-and-a-half percent raise for 2014, while the university is offering 3.25%. raise amounts for the next two years are unspecified. tuesday, about 300-people attended a rally in support of the chicago-based faculty "the university seems to be sitting on a slush fund of billions of dollars that could be spent to lower tuition or raising faculty salaries." a university spokesman says the school values it's faculty, has made a fair contract off

bob corker claimed that if workers at a chattanooga volkswagen plant voted against joining the united auto workers walk so i can would reward them by building this new line of s.u.v.s and tennessee he said i've had conversations today and based on those m. assured that should the workers vote against the u.a.w. volkswagen will announce in the coming weeks that it will manufacture its new mid-size s.u.v. here in chattanooga at a volkswagen chattanooga plant ended up refuting corkers comments that the u.a.w. thinks that the senators threat ended up playing a big role in swaying the chattanooga election against the union senators threat may also play a big role in determining volkswagens future plans for the american south that's because as a german company volkswagen is required to include workers in all business related decisions it does this by doing it by using something called a works council a special union like organization that works with management on a number of issues including safety in strategy if the workers of all boats wagons chattanooga plant had voted to join the u.a.w. they

. >>> the united auto workers is trying to build support among workers at the 17-year-old mercedes plant in vance, alabama. union organizers following the same route they used to reach this week's vote among workers at the chattanooga volkswagen plant. that voting ends tonight. the uaw has been working with german unions and the labor management group at mercedes' parent daimler. >>> investors are taking interest in general motors. that is where we begin "market focus." according to regulatory filings as of the end of december jana partners added to its position upping it to nearly 8 million shares. leon cooperman of omega advisers opened a stake in the largest u.s. automaker buying more than 1 million shares. that sent the stock up 2% today. to $35.95. >>> vf corporation saw fourth quarter earnings climb 10% on sales growth in its outdoor brands like the north face. but results fell short of estimates because of declines in some of the company's units like its jeans business. and that contributed to an outlook wranglers. shares tumbled 5% to 56.85. >>> j.m. smucker missed earnings estim