NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says it may have been a "mistake" for Tennessee to subsidize the development of the General Motors plant outside Nashville that started its life as a Saturn factory.
The Blountville Republican's comments to reporters at the state Capitol on Thursday came as GOP lawmakers seek assurances from Volkswagen that the German automaker will remain neutral on labor issues at its assembly plant in Chattanooga.
Volkswagen officials visited the Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers consider a $166 million incentive package to add production of a new SUV at the plant.
Republican legislators have grumbled about the United Auto Workers union's role at the plant, and Ramsey pointed to the thriving Nissan plant in Smyrna as an example of the benefits of nonunion production.