Many of us have observed how differently supposed infractions are dealt with in our plant, depending on the supervisor involved or who it is supposedly committing the infraction. James Robinson, a team member in the Assembly shop, had the courage to stand up for equal treatment when it came to the uniform policy. And as a result of his complaints, James was improperly fired.

James worked with Local 42 to file a charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB agreed with our charge and issued a complaint alleging Volkswagen had violated the National Labor Relations Act by treating Brother Robinson unequally. Before the case went to trial, Volkswagen agreed to reinstate him under a new supervisor. Additionally, Volkswagen made James whole with over $19,000 of back pay.

Brother Robinson sent a letter of thanks to Local 42, saying “if we hadn’t formed Local 42 two years ago, the kind of injustice that was done to me would become the norm.” He went on, “one day when we have a collective bargaining agreement, this kind of behavior will be even harder for the company to get away with. But until then, we in Local 42 have to continue to be a watchdog for fairness.”

Congratulations James and welcome back!

Welcome Back James Robinson!