Post by richatktp1 on Dec 9, 2011 20:00:07 GMT -5
12/07/11 DETROIT — Top officials of the United Auto Workers have decided for now against picking a target company in an effort to sign up workers at U.S. factories owned by foreign automakers.
UAW President Bob King told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday that the union’s executive board won’t make any decision until it sees how the automakers react to UAW demands to be allowed to pitch workers and let them vote on joining the union.
There’s no deadline for a decision, but the union already is starting to train workers to demonstrate at dealerships and recruit factory workers from foreign-owned plants. Previous efforts to unionize workers at plants run by foreign companies like Honda, Toyota and Nissan have failed.
If the union does focus on one company, Nissan appears to be a lead candidate. Union leaders have discussed Nissan as a target for organizing, according to a person briefed on union meetings.
“It was crystal clear” that Nissan would be targeted, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the meetings are private.
King conceded that Nissan had been discussed at recent union meetings, but said any impression that the Japanese automaker was a target came from miscommunication.
“We have had some productive discussions with top leaders at Nissan,” King said. “We’re continuing that. We’re hoping that issues can be resolved with them. There’s been no choice” of a target, he said.
King has been trying to pitch the UAW to the companies as a business partner that would empower workers and bring better quality and productivity. The union has asked that Nissan Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., BMW AG, Daimler AG, Volkswagen AG and Hyundai Motor Co./Kia Motors Corp. let workers vote on union representation in a free election.
King said that so far, none of the companies has agreed to an election.
Automakers from Japan, Germany and South Korea employ about 80,000 factory workers in the United States, mainly in southern states away from the UAW’s stronghold in the Great Lakes region.
King said the union’s recent contracts between the union and the Detroit Three automakers should show foreign companies and their workers that the UAW is a good business partner. Earlier this year the UAW agreed to new four-year deals that have no pay raises for most workers but gives them profit-sharing checks. The deals also bring thousands of additional jobs to UAW-represented factories.
UAW President Bob King told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday that the union’s executive board won’t make any decision until it sees how the automakers react to UAW demands to be allowed to pitch workers and let them vote on joining the union.
There’s no deadline for a decision, but the union already is starting to train workers to demonstrate at dealerships and recruit factory workers from foreign-owned plants. Previous efforts to unionize workers at plants run by foreign companies like Honda, Toyota and Nissan have failed.
If the union does focus on one company, Nissan appears to be a lead candidate. Union leaders have discussed Nissan as a target for organizing, according to a person briefed on union meetings.
“It was crystal clear” that Nissan would be targeted, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the meetings are private.
King conceded that Nissan had been discussed at recent union meetings, but said any impression that the Japanese automaker was a target came from miscommunication.
“We have had some productive discussions with top leaders at Nissan,” King said. “We’re continuing that. We’re hoping that issues can be resolved with them. There’s been no choice” of a target, he said.
King has been trying to pitch the UAW to the companies as a business partner that would empower workers and bring better quality and productivity. The union has asked that Nissan Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., BMW AG, Daimler AG, Volkswagen AG and Hyundai Motor Co./Kia Motors Corp. let workers vote on union representation in a free election.
King said that so far, none of the companies has agreed to an election.
Automakers from Japan, Germany and South Korea employ about 80,000 factory workers in the United States, mainly in southern states away from the UAW’s stronghold in the Great Lakes region.
King said the union’s recent contracts between the union and the Detroit Three automakers should show foreign companies and their workers that the UAW is a good business partner. Earlier this year the UAW agreed to new four-year deals that have no pay raises for most workers but gives them profit-sharing checks. The deals also bring thousands of additional jobs to UAW-represented factories.