Posts tagged Tennessee

    Empowering Idaho’s self-employed workforce with portable benefits

    November 15, 2025 // What’s notable is that these workers aren’t asking for government mandates or subsidies. They’re asking for the freedom to participate in modern systems of security without sacrificing the independence they’ve chosen. Portable benefits meet that need — offering stronger financial security without compromising the initiative and determination that define Idaho’s workforce. By removing outdated barriers to voluntary portable benefits, Idaho can prove that independence and security not only coexist — they make each other stronger.

    Shawn Fain: Future of UAW ‘hangs in the balance’ as strike looms at Volkswagen plant

    November 7, 2025 // To Fain, anything shy of total job security is not good enough. The current negotiations at Volkswagen remain stalled over a clause in Volkswagen's current offer that stipulates the company will not close the plant or cut jobs "unless conditions beyond the control of the company arise that make compliance with this commitment impractical." "American workers live in fear," Fain said. "Fear that if they ask for a dollar more, the boss is going to fire them or move the damn plant. That's economic terrorism."

    National Right to Work Foundation Issues Notice to VW Chattanooga Employees Impacted By UAW Boss-Ordered Strike

    November 4, 2025 // Notice informs VW Team Members of their rights in light of a potential strike at Tennessee production plant

    DOL Awards $86M for Skilled Trades Training

    October 29, 2025 // Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, these grants will provide outcome-based reimbursements to employers for providing training in high-demand and emerging industries that align with President Trump’s Executive Order 14278, Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future, and Executive Order 14629, Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance. These priorities are also in line with the goals published in America’s Talent Strategy and America’s AI Action Plan. “President Trump has directed the Labor Department to Make America Skilled Again by providing states with the resources they need to expand on-the-job training opportunities,” said Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

    Why is UAW pushing a strike vote at Volkswagen Chattanooga?

    October 28, 2025 // "We are disappointed the UAW chose to call a strike authorization vote before giving our employees a say on our strong final offer that was on the table," a Volkswagen spokesperson told The Tennessean. "Our final offer meets many of our employees' priorities and delivers strong investments in our workforce and in our plant's future."

    UPDATE: Union submits counteroffer after Volkswagen makes final contract public

    October 21, 2025 // The contract includes a 20% wage increase over four years, a $4,000 ratification bonus, the company’s first-ever cost-of-living allowance and lower health care costs. If approved before Oct. 31, employees would receive an additional $1,500. Employees could make nearly $80,000 each year, before overtime and benefits, according to a contract fact book released by Volkswagen. Withdrawn portions of the contract include random drug testing and a tentative agreement about onsite childcare, after disagreements on a weekly subsidy amount.

    Op-Ed: Instead of subsidy fights, Georgia should allow ‘portable’ benefits

    October 20, 2025 // Meanwhile, other states have taken the lead on the matter. Utah, Tennessee and Alabama have all formally recognized portable benefits as a form of independent contractor compensation. Georgia can be next by passing a safe harbor portable benefits model, which will cost the state and federal government zero taxpayer dollars. It simply clarifies that companies can contribute to portable benefits accounts if they want and doing so is not evidence of an employee/employer relationship.

    The UAW Is Still Fighting to Unionize Auto in the South

    October 18, 2025 // Daniel Kopp At the time of your election in 2024, you had a rather supportive National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) under the Biden administration. This is no longer the case, as Donald Trump is starving it of resources. Has that influenced your strategy at Mercedes? Jeremy Kimbrell You don’t change your strategy, because organizing is organizing. Workers have to have courage. You have to understand that the risk will never be zero. Inherently, you hope and expect that the risk is limited.