they see volkswagen working with the uaw. volkswagen just signed an agreement with the union to allow the union to come in and despite the questions of whether this could actually work in america, if it's even legal in america. the workers are seeing that both the company and the union are on the same side. and that a lot of them are questioning, hey, who is representing us. who is coming to make sureÑi that our interests are heard. and when you have the union and the company working together, the workers may get lost in the shuffle within that's your concern at this point? the workers, the workers can vote on this, right. so they have the power to join the union. >> the workers can vote on this. and the workers are facing a very quick election. remember, volkswagen themselves were the ones that petitioned the national labor relations board to have this election. and the speed that this election occurred is veryjprare. and a lotÑi of workers are saying, a lot of workers who are opposed said our views aren't being heard. volks

we welcome volkswagen. don't tell me the uaw can't do great work. >> if the nlrb doesn't get involved here, what are they good for? >> you're right on. they need to draw a bright clear line on the sand and go after this guy. it was a big lie. it was calculated. it was despicable what he did. what country do we live in? in america, people have the right to choose who they associate with. this is america. even in tennessee, corker, it's a part of america and the workers have a right to choose. he tainted that election. it should be redone. it's time for the nlrb to stand up and do the job they were put there for. >> good to have you with us tonight. if senator corker is really for unions as he said in that interview on fox today, i'm sure the unions are going to be able to count on him for support when it comes to the employee free choice act. i doubt it. answer tonight's question at the bottom of the screen. >>> coming up, we are following the breaking news on the xl pipeline. we'll bring you a major develop

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 would have been able to create a works council of their own but friday's election results throughout possibility out the window and now they had a volkswagen's works councils someone who has a direct role in that company's business plans international is. saying that if volkswagen doesn't see any i

but it depends on what the blokes wagon decides to do for instance volkswagen. the election was tainted we're going to recognize the union and begin barking they just do it they just do it it's it's it's it's one point in our history it was common practice before that partly act is very common and the right to work committee would find somebody and follow suit meanwhile. the unions in there the company is saying the praises of having a relationship workers are no longer afraid of the company moving because the companies embrace in the union and the workers and eventually a court would order the n.l.r.b. our court would order that they have to have another election because the u.a.w. did not prove that they represented all the workers so they'd have another election i think they'd win that election so. recognize. let the right to work committee. file a charge and file suit let it be adjudicated meanwhile you're inside and people are learning what it's like to be a member of a fine union like you a death if you know stewart well organized labor might be taking a h

up next, volkswagen top labor leader, issuing threats in chalk talk.how you why the days of corporate and lake ar ultimatums -- labor ultimatums y be coming to an end. stay with us. in the new new york, we don't back down. we only know one direction: up so we're up early. up late. inking up game-changing ideas, like this: dozens of tax free zon across new york state. move here. expand he. or start a new business here... and pay no taxes for 10 years. with new jobs, new opportunities and a new tax free plan. there's up.y one way for your business to go. find out if your biness can qualify at start-upny.com lou: what a billionaires,nd bor leaders have in common? they both belve they should be able to buy boa and tell the -- votes and tell the rest of us what to d we talked about venture capitalist tom perkins before, he said that rich get more slo votes because they are rich. >> 54 kingperkins system is you don't get t vote, but what i think is, should be like a corporation, you pay a million dollars in taxes you should get a million votes. lou: exciting

up next, volkswagen top labor leader, issuing threats in chalk talk. i show you why the days of corporate and lake ar ultimatums -- labor ultimatums may be coming to an end. stay with us. no two people have the sa financial goals. pnc investments works with you to understand yours and helps plan for your retirement. talk to a pnc investments financl advisor today. ♪ (vo) you are a business pro. eker of the sublime. you caseparate runway diculousness. om fashionhat flies ofthe shelve and u...rent from national. because only national ts you choose a car in the aisle... and go. and only national isanked highest in car rental customer satisfaction by j.d. power. (natalie) ooooh, i like your style. (vo) so do we, business pro. so do we. go national. go like pro. ♪ e what's new at projectluna.com lou: what a billionaires, and labor leaders have in common? they both believe they should be able to buy boats and tell the -- votes and tell the rest of us what to do, we talked about venture capitalist tom perkins before, he said that rich get more slo votes becau

in a volkswagen plant.tay with us. ♪ [music break] >> steven greenhouse with nermeen shaikh. >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! we turn now to chattanooga, tennessee, where employees at a volkswagen plant have rejected membership in united 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 o

uaw and volkswagen wants to help the works, unlike the republicans. when union membership goes down, so do middle class wages. i want to believe this chart over bob corker's bogus lies any day. republicans want to keep the power and the money at the top. they want to see that these lines continue to go down. in fact, mr. corker, don't you want those lines to go up in the state of tennessee? i've never seen an elected official work against working families the way this guy does. republican tennessee governor bill haslem is also trying to scare people about the uaw. >> there's no question that if the uaw comes in there, it will impact our ability to recruit business to tennessee. that would dampen our enthusiasm for tennessee. >> some people say. give me some names. start listing companies that don't want to go to tennessee if this vote goes through. give me a break. republicans will say anything and do anything. republicans know that the people and the facts are against them. they have resorted to petty scare tactics and i don't think the folks are goi

what in hell is volkswagen doing?german company and in german the union leadership, the union bosses actually sit on the board of directors. so they've been pressuring volkswagen to oppose the workers in tennessee. when west coast vagen went to tennessee, they got $500 million or more of taxpayer dollars with a promise that they wouldn't throw in and bring the uaw, not auto workers, the detroit labor unions that have done so much damage to detroit and other cities to bring that to tennessee. and now, of course, volkswagen being pressured by its own unions in germany to throw in with the union bosses and not allow workers to hear the truth about what unionization has done to the auto industry and auto workers and to unemployment in other cities. and they're doing this in an area paid for with u.s. tax dollars. it's a real problem. >> you're running, as i understand it, 13 billboards, that's what i read in the paper. you're also running some radio ads as well. >> yeah. >> mori nicely, can this be stopped? i wanted to as

and volkswagen auto workers say no to the union. >> the syrian peace talks in geneva ended in a stalematemes bays has the latest. >> reporter: dr. brahimi sounded frustrated, he was as diplomatic as ever, but if you listen carefully he made it clear who he thought was to blame for where we are right now. he explained that they sho theyt items on the agenda and set out the order they should be discussed and the contention over what is the most important issue here. he decided the two issues that should be discussed on two consecutive days. first they should discuss fighter terrorism, stopping violence in syria on the first day, and on the second day they should move to the item of the transitional governing body that will be formed to rule syria in the future. he said quite clearly it was the government side who objected to that agenda. moments after they spoke both sides came out to meet the pre press. >> the syrian delegation accepted from the beginning within the first three minutes of the meeting the agenda proposed by the international mediator, mr. brahimi. we did accept the draft ag

coming up, volkswagen, uaw and the motor industry hanging on the out come. you are watching "real money," keep it here. >> the auto industry is bracing for big changes. it all hinges on a vote taking place right now at a volkswagen assembly plant in tennessee. 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 employ employee to be here. 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 h

the chattanooga volkswagen plant opened in 2011 and is volkswagen's only u.s. plant. it would have been the uaw's first successful effort to unionize workers in the south and a first step to expanding outside of detroit's big three. even uaw president bob king has publicly admitted that the union has no long-term future if they cannot begin to organize in the south, where there are about 14 foreign automaker assembly plants. but friday night's vote is a major win for republicans like senator bob corker of tennessee who say unions just would push away auto manufacturers. corker has been the most vocal opponent and was crucial in bringing volkswagen to chattanooga. >> how many companies from south korea or japan or germany, how many of them you think make a stop in detroit to look at locating there? none. not a one. and it's because of the culture that the uaw's largely contributed. >> corker releasing this statement after last night's vote, quote, needless to say, i am thrilled for the employees at volkswagen and for our community and its future. the debate got a littl

they want to build the new volkswagen cross blue.pany hasn't said it will build the suv in chattanooga, but workers have been talking about it throughout the voting process. and senator corker says he's in talks with volkswagen about it this week. >> we have conversations set up for later this week on the telephone. i'm very hopeful based on assurances that we've been given that that will work out. >> so what does this vote mean for the on ons, and was it fair to use detroit to persuade workers to vote no? joining me is phil lebeau, who covered the story on both sides. phil, i can't help but look at the republican opposition on this and corker and haslam, and it seems there was fear of the uaw becoming a political force in tennessee, that that was his primary motivation. but what was the motivation on the side of the uaw to organize? what was the motivation of the 600-plus foal bes who did want the uaw to represent them in talks with volkswagen? >> well, you have to keep in mind that volkswagen has a structure as a corporation that w

thought this was in the bag just because volkswagen didn't oppose it because. you know from germany which is entirely unionized basically. i think it's possible they thought the neutrality agreement they signed with folks i can really give them an edge i mean they were let into the plant last week to give you the u.a.w. was to get pro union presentations to workers and you know that's the complete opposite from what happens in a campaign that's opposed by management. yes you have work you know sitting in captive audience meetings hearing about how terrible unions are so you know maybe it maybe there was a little bit of hubris there are market will just jessica studs thanks so much for being with us tonight thank you coming up comcast says its plan a forty five billion dollars takeover of time warner cable is going to be just great for consumers but should we celebrate or fear the merger of the two biggest cable companies in the country. i want to answer right after the break. i got a quote for you. it's pretty tough. if they were it's about story. let's give th

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 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, ua

. >> reporter: after three days of secret battling and employees at 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 it did. >> volkswagen has invested a billion dollars in the chattanooga plant, which began building passat three years ago. they were lure there for the state and union incentives. many view it as a set back. >> the problem is if the uaw has a need for hour money. they don't care about these guys. they really don't. >> the campaign was seen as a chance to expand to foreign plants in the house. that brought more outside interestings than the plant itself. >>> volkswagen remain neutral throughout even allowing the auto workers union into the plant during the process. >> between the two institutions, volkswagen and the uaw i know of not one instance of aggression or animosity coming out of this process. >> the uaw adding while outreached by--outraged by politicians and outside special interest groups interfering with the basic legal rights, we're proud that workers were

i'm sure vaiks -- volkswagen pulled out every trick in the book. 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 was against it? >> politicians worked hard on this once. they came out strongly against the union. they said it was because they thought it would hurt economic development in the region. >> jon: politicians that has to be pesky democrats because they stick their noses where they don't believe. i believe the germans call that [making up a word] beautif

they were angry at volkswagen who was neutral. they were angry that volkswagen had a long track record of working with labor unions through joint work counsels that reduce company costs and were angry that majority of the workers signed cards saying they wanted the u.a.w. to represent them and were afraid if the process was on the level. in the end, free and fair union elections became their biggest fear. a free and fair election became their biggest fear. if volkswagen wouldn't scuttle these elections, they would. on the eve, they launched their assault. a barage of untrue statements, the kind we see from union busters all the time to scare and intimidate and bully and to bully and bully hard, working ought oove plant workers into rejecting the union. one of these third parties, an elected official, went to the press on the first day of the voting, the first day that the workers had a chance to vote and he said, he had been quote, assured," if the workers voted against the union, they would launch a new line of the s.u.v.s. this

hyundai, nissan, volkswagen, bmw.f they want build here they will move to mexico and we'll lose jobs. david: more likely to be build here now. nlrb can be accused of anything in the obama administration, not antilabor. they were watching the vote carefully. if they saw anything bad there would be people indicted. lauren fix, phillip dine, state of the unions is his book. lauren, thank you very much. >> pleasure to be with you. sandra: imagine a deepwater project that could create nearly 200,000 jobs in the u.s.? we see the man behind this bold idea, fascinating really. we'll learn about the unusual way that he is raising money to actually fund this massive project. >>> and, can be depressing but tax season is just around the corner. you may be interested to hear what you pay in overall taxes has a lot to do with where you live. next the american cities with the highest and lowest taxes in the country. david: i'm packing my bags. ♪ so ally bank really has no hidden fees on savings accounts? that's right, no hidd fees.

you wrote a letter to the ceo of volkswagen. would be better off in michigan than tennessee? >> well, look, we're a car town. we make things. it's what we do. it's in our dna. it's in our blood. we make the cadillac cts, ats, the buick enclave and the chevy traverse. this is what we do. we have a manufacturing tradition. we have a tremendous manufacturing prowess. and we embrace all manufacturing, union, nonunion, you name it, we wake it. we have a great relationship with uaw. that's one of the reasons general motors continues to expand here. if they're going to try to punish people for exercising basic american rights in tennessee, that's another thing we respect is basic american rights and american law, labor law, that allows workers to make the decision without coercion. i mean, corker should put a cork in it, don't you think, ed? give me a break. >> i just find this amazing that he is out saying that he has been assured. he should tell us by who. and what was the correspondence. was it a comment in passing? is there a lette

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 and outside special groups interring with the basic legal right to form an union, we're proud that these workers stood up. >> perimeter grest >> three al jazeera journalists remain detained in egypt. peter greste spoke on their release. >> the rains may haven't baited for now there is an awful lot of damage and clean up to come. i'll phil ittner in western london. i'll have that story coming up next. real reporting that brings you the world. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> every sunday night, join us for excusive... revealing... and surprising talks, with the most interesting people of our time. hip hop pioneer russell simmons talks with soledad o'brien >> i make mistakes everyday, i don't try to count them... >> about his music.... >> the artist should s

volkswagen was fut ral.hey allowed the union into the plant. >> between the two, i know of not one incident of any aggression or animosity coming out of the process. >> the uaw adding while we are outraged from poll timps, interfering with the basic legal right. we are proud that the workers were brave and stood up to the pressure. >> the uaw saw membership drop. >> joining us to discuss the repercussions of the vote is a professor. thank you for being here. why is this issue so divisive? >> it's divisive because there's so much antiunion ideological settlement that has come to play in the campaign it's an interesting case where the company said it would be neutral. the workers had a chance to vote. they were voting on a model, one that would include councils. >> the union signed up a majority of workers. what we saw happen was a massive fear campaign on the part of antiunion groups that came in and someoning enough votes. two questions here. first frank fisher that says they came together. what is a work co

. >>> up next, volkswagens top leader. days of corporate and laborlmatums may be coming to an end. stay with us. >>> what a billionaire and labor leaders have in common these days? well, they both believe they should be able to buy votes and tell the rest of us what to do. we have tald about venture capitalist tom perkins before. he's quite a fellow. he says the rich get more votes because, well, they are rich. >> tom perkins system is, you don't get to vote unless you pay $1 of taxes. i think, treat it like a corporation. you pay $1 million in taxes, you get 1 million votes. that's an exciting idea, huh? >> then billionaire tom styre. his net worth is about $1.5 billion, steyer i planning on spending $100 million to boost democrats who make global warming a priority. no there's this fellow. he's brned osterloh. he's mad as hell abo the uaw losing the election in tennessee. now, he's threatening the plant workers, businesses, companies, saying if they don't unionize in tennessee, it will affect their presence in the south.

volkswagen was allowing them to come into the plant, talk to the workers, and volkswagen wasn't opposing this. the feeling is that if the uaw could not win with that support and the backing of volkswagen it will be unlikely that they will be able to do that at least any time soon elsewhere. >> do we have an idea why the workers decided against a union? >> you know we just don't know for sure. you know a lot of them had concerns, just you know what would happen. of course the goal from the uaw was to set up this german style work council where they would have you know a say in things that are going on inside the plant. but you know, also there was a lot of outside influence and so it's not clear how much of that influence influenced the workers, we know the uaw tweeted not too long ago john that they were outraged by so many outside groups coming in and getting involved. we know that senator bob corker and tennessee's governor realized that unionsing could hurt the economy, and president obama even weighed in the other day accusing some of the politicians being more concerned about the ge

volkswagen is committed to defending our employees' legal right to make a free choice. there's that word again, freedom. the republicans seem to have a hard time with that one if somebody is going to get paid a little more. i'm glad to see volkswagen is standing by the employees and letting them go through the process. if it fails, it could be a major setback for workers all across this country. the facts on union wages are really pretty simple. we've shown you this before. here it is. blue line and red line. this chart shows wages and union members. the red line is union membership rates. when union membership goes down, so do wages. i want to go back to this guy bowe watson. who is this guy? what dog does he have in the fight that he is all of a sudden against workers? it reminds me of the ted kennedy floor speech back in 2007 on the senate floor. what is it that you have against these workers? why is it that you have such a disdain for american workers? are you afraid that workers in the workplace have a vote it's going to destroy your economy in tennessee? his threa

. >>> up next, volkswagens top leader.te and labor ultimatums may be coming to an end. stay with us. [ female announcer ] who are we? we are thinkers. the job jugglers. the up all-nhts. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions oulife's work. we strive for the moments where we can s, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owne. and we're here to help start yours. are you flo? yes. is this the thing gave my husband? well, yeah, yes. the "ne your price" to. you tell us the price you want to pay, and we give you a rae of options to choose from. careful, though -- that kind of power can go to your head. that explains a lot. yo, buddy! gie one, gimme one gimmone! the power of the "name your price" tool. onlyrom progressive. >>> what a billionaire and labor leaders have in common these days? well, they both believe they should be able to buy votes and tell the rest of us what to do. we h

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volkswagen actually wanted this.anted a works council where people could negotiate on a day-to-day basis about operations. they brought them into the plant. at the end of the day i think that the workers in chattanooga worked at the experience in detroit and said we don't need that we don't need to go bankrupt. have bailouts. you know, in many cases, employees actually earn more money in the south than these right-to-work states than they do -- i think they looked at the numbers and thought not that much good can come from this. >> louise, what do you think in terms of the decision to not go with the decision. isn't it for a worker, especially in the auto industry, isn't worker more prone to be part of a union where they feel that someone is out there fighting for them? >> coverage with have to do with other voices that were coming out during. this you know, senator bob corker came out a few days before the vote and said it was his understanding that vw might not give additional business to this facility if the union

volkswagen was not opposing this. the feeling by many is if the uaw could not win with the support and the backing of volkswagen, it will be unlikely that they do it elsewhere any time soon. >> that was jonathan martin. >> president obama meeting and king abdullah in jordan. the two discussing the war in syria. jordan has taken in more than half a million refugees since the war began. as the white house correspondent explains, they talked about prospects for the middle east peace agreement. >> president obama meeting with king abdullah of jordan in the palm springs area. they are having a working dinner. the fall out crisis the fall out from the war. 600 syrians streamed into jordan, costing it $900 million a year. the president and the king will talk about us aid. the president spoke after the dinner, and here is what he said the united states can do to help. >> we've been working aggressively at the united states level and the regional level to provide basic humanitarian assistance and access to people suffering tre

quick question, volkswagen said they're staying neutral in all this, why are some folks accusing volkswagen of favoring the union. >> a lot of workers felt that volkswagen should have come out and made a position like other auto wokers. some come out and say they're against unions, but volkswagen has not done that. for that reason they feel they're not necessarily neutral, and would be in favor of union i don't knowizing. >> in chattanooga, tennessee. >> so on wall street, the dow with a four-day winning streak. proctor & gamble was a big drag on it the market after they cut their earnings forecast. mariah, good to see you. can we start with toyota? >> sure. >> the prius is the future for this company. >> definitely. >> they're recalling two milli s vehicles, because they can suddenly stall. now wait a minute. we all had big problems. >> that was in 2009. >> and the company took a major hit over that. >> correct, they did, and they're still dealing with that. >> and so you got another event like this on a brand that is important for toyota moving forward, i would guess that toyota will take

let's talk about volkswagen and the employees who reject addition to organize at the german automakers plant in chatting into tennessee. that will have major impact on labor unions and their future. rich edson is live in chattanooga to bring us up to speed. rich, i can imagine some are calling this a big victory and others are calling it an important loss. >> absolute live of the fight will continue here, adam. the reason antiunion groups are claiming such victory on this was really the best opportunity for the uaw to organize workers here in the southeast for foreign auto plants. when you look at what the uaw had available to it, almost a partnership with volkswagen of the company agreed to expedited union election. they agreed to have uaw representatives to come and pitch employees directly. still 712-626 the workers here decided they do not want to join the auto workers. why that is? one worker says he is doing just fine without union representation. >> i great pay scale, which is more than what the uaw workers are making now and more time off, a car program, the benefit package is

the chairman of volkswagen, a man named frank fisher, responded. 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 you by the uaw. >> so they can't help with the wages. you've got a facility that is the most advanced environmental sound facility in the world right here in chattanooga, tennessee. so what is this about? it's about one thing. it's about money and it's about power. >> that's the one thing senator corker did get right in all of this. the fight in workers rights and the battle over unionization is about those things -- money and power. joining me now from washington, timothy noah. thank you so much for joining the program, especially on this day when the conversation about fair wages is as relevant as it ever has been. what struck me was the odd bedfellows

the volkswagen passat against all comers. turbocharged engines against...engines. best in class rear legroom against other-class legroom. but then we realized. consumers already did that. twice. huh. maybe that's why nobody else showed up. how does one get out of a death cage? vo: right now, get 0.9% apr on all passat models plus a total of $1000 in bonuses. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. yeah. everybody knows that. did you know there is an oldest trick in the book? what? trick number one. look-est over there. ha ha. made-est thou look. so end-eth the trick. hey.... yes.... geico. fifteen minutes could save you... well, you know. ♪ ♪ >>> a tragic end in the search for two skiers buried by a giant avalanche in colorado. the bodies of both of those skiering were found by a search team this afternoon in the rugged back country near aspen. they were part of a group that they say triggered that avalanche yesterday. authorities warned skiers of treacherous mountain conditions across colorado after two days of very heavy snowfall.

workers of a tennessee volkswagen plant are voting on whether to join an union. the uaw hope to unionize employees. right now none of the plants owned by foreign automakers have unions. jonathan, a lot of people are watching this vote. >> reporter: yes, certainly, tony. there has been a lot of political back and forth, a lot of campaigning from outside groups, so much so that the volkswagen plant humanity us is not allowing any outsiders or visiters to come on because they really want their workers to have a clean and clear vote without outside influences. there are a lot of people watching this vote. a lot of politicians, a lot of business leaders because if the uaw gets a victory, if they're able to unionize this plant in chattanooga, many feel it would signal a change for unions and foreign automakers here in the south. >> we're confident now at this point that we'll win the vote. >> reporter: shawn wright works in quality assurance. he's happy with his pay an benefits, but feels he has no voice in key decisions made by management. that's why he supports the u

. >>> up next, volkswagens top leader.hy the days of corporate and labor ultimatums may be coming to an end. stay with us. [ female announcer ] it's time for the nual shareholders meeting. ♪ there'll be the usual presentations on research. and developnt. some new members of the team will be introduced. the chairman emeritus will distribute his usual wisdom. and you? well, you're the chi life officer. you just need the right professional to help you take charge. ♪ to help you take charge. iwe don't back down. we only know one direction: up so we're up early. up late. thking up game-changing ideas, like this: dozens of tax free zones across new york state. move here. expand here. or start a n business here... and pay no taxes for 10 years. with new jobs, new opportunities and a new tax free plan. there's only one way for your business to go. up. find out if your business can qualify at start-upny.com i've come up with a family emergency plan. what is it? it's difficult to talk out. so i'm not telling u. i'm so glad i won't h

on behalf of volkswagen. because volkswagen kind of wants the union. in favor of it, basically. yesterday on the first day of that volkswagen plant's three-day election on whether to unionize, republican u.s. senator bob corker had a message for the workers there. he said hey, if you guys don't go for the union, i've been told there will be another car for you to build here at this plant. meaning if you do vote for the union, this plant might not get any more work from volkswagen. senator corker said that and then the company had to come out afterwards and say hey, actually, that's not true at all. and we're in a position to know because we're the company. bob corker, though, stands by it. whatever you guys say, don't unionize. this is sort of the full flowering of this issue on the right. volkswagen wants the union. it's republicans who don't. elected republicans are against union rights. they're against workers organizing to better their live the. even when being against those things puts them against the businesses that are trying to unionize. the u

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 billboards urging workers to vote no. at a uaw news conference, plant worker john wright criticized what he called outside interference. outside groupsse from washington, d c, and other areas trying to influence politicians and employees. they are an outside party. a do not know anything about volkswagen itself, did not know anything about us, and really, we see it as interference. >> consumer advocates and reform groups are speaking out against a planned merger between comcast and time warner. comcast has ann

. >>> high stakes vote workers at a volkswagen plant in the deep south could make history if they vote to unionize. there's also a lot on the line for big labor if it goes down in defeat. all that and more tonight on "nightly business report" for wednesday, february 12th. >>> good evening, everyone i-i'm sue herera. susie gharib has the evening off. >> i'm tyler mathisen and i am not a winterholic. i am so done with it. our lead story tonight is not about me, it's about the economy and how it's being affected and in a big way by the most brutal run of harsh winter weather in years. another massive ice and snowstorm called winter storm pax slammed into atlanta and north carolina today and will be making its way through virginia into the northeast tonight and tomorrow. some forecasts call for up to a foot of snow in and around philadelphia, new york city, boston. about one out of every three americans will feel this storm. it will close schools, snarl traffic, ground planes and more important for business, exact a toll on economic activity. so what is the real cost of all this wicked win

late last night, volkswagen workers in tennessee said no to joining the uaw.ized labor in the u.s. >>> also this -- >> felony disenfranchisement laws are still on the books. and the current scope of these policies is not only too significant to ignore, it is also too unjust to tolerate. >> restoring voting rights. state laws are keeping felons, mainly minorities, from the polls after they've served their time. the new push to repeal these laws that date back to the 1800s. >>> plus the so-called paradox of parenthood. science says modern parents may not be as happy. but there is still joy and purpose on this valentine's day weekend. stick around for that one. >>> we need to start this hour with the crisis in syria. peace talks in geneva have come to an end between the syrian government and rebels with no resolution. late last night, president obama pledged $1 billion to king abdullah of jordan to help the refugees fleeing the war in syria. let me bring in kristen welker who's traveling with the president in california. hello and what does this package ultimatel