US jobs at risk over diesel scandal, Volkswagen says

autoblog.com

In the ongoing diesel emissions fiasco, developments have been coming somewhat slowly, leaving plenty of room for rhetoric while we wait for a resolution. Volkswagen faces serious fines for the cheat, as the investigation continues in hopes of pinning down responsibility. In the meantime, the US Justice Department is suing the German automaker for up to $46 billion (a staggering number for nearly any human to comprehend, admittedly, and one that appears to have the automaker shaken) for violating US law by intentionally selling vehicles with emissions "cheat device" software. As the situation drags on, the rhetoric is becoming more and more pointed.

Now, a warning comes out of Germany directed at the US. In front of 20,000 workers at Volkswagen's Wolfsburg headquarters, works council chairman Bernd Osterloh said, "Should the future viability of Volkswagen be endangered by an unprecedented financial penalty, this will have dramatic social consequences, not only in our US plants, but also in Europe and elsewhere." Osterloh, who sits on a VW advisory board, added, "We very much hope that the US authorities also have an eye for this social and employment-political dimension."

The US jobs he refers to include the some 2,200 workers at Volkswagen's plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.