UAW Transplant Organizing Campaign DOA?
Do you recall the UAW’s last-ditch bid for relevance, its campaign to organize the transplant auto factory workers of America? The union’s campaign against the Hondas, Toyotas, BMWs and Hyundais of the world was supposed to begin in earnest in January, but all they have to show for it thus far is a perfunctory slap-down from Honda. So what happened? Where’s the confrontation, the picketing, the accusations of human rights abuses? Remember, the UAW has all of its skin in this gambit, now that i ts President has confirmed that
If we don’t organize the transnationals, I don’t think there is a long-term future for the UAW.
But based on the dearth of media reports on either the campaign’s success or failure, it would seem that the UAW has given up on the effort and is hoping everyone just forgets about it…
But the union hasn’t forgotten about its transplant offensive… it’s simply focused on its traditional format for confrontation, the quadrennial contract negotiations with the Detroit Three. And it seems the union president Bob King is so focused on sticking it to the union’s bailed-out hosts, he’s gone and dialed back all expectations of success on the transplant front. According to Bloomberg
King has said he expects to organize at least one non-union automaker this year.
“At least one?” Seriously? After all that bluster, that’s the best King and his allies can muster? Meanwhile, which transplant is the “at least one” that King thinks he has in the bag? And how did he make that sale? Until the UAW publicizes a successful organization, it sounds like the Great Transplant Organizing Campaign of 2011 is dead on arrival. Good thing there’s always the Detroit companies to kick around…
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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@Da Cayote ...Find me a place in a door panel of a vehicle built after 1960 where you could fit a Coke Bottle. As far as the rest of your post????? After reading it I'm fairly confident your one of those that would be convinced,and willing to remind others, that yours doesn't stink.
If I were a worker at a non union auto plant I would have no desire whatsoever to join the UAW. Competing against them is better job security than being them. With the two tier wage system, the pay isn't much better. And they know that if they join the UAW they'll just be setting themselves up for a long, slow decline. They're the ones who have been eating the UAW's milkshake for 40 years; I imagine they'd be leery of joining them when they are fighting for bare survival. I'm just not seeing the appeal.
Labor shot its wad in Wisconsin. They have nothing left for the UAW.
I wonder which transplant workers want to have 2-tier wages unless all current workers get first tier :-) Even if I didn't have an opinion on unions, why do they need to "conquer" other workers. If unions are so great, then the workers in the transplants would come up with that idea on their own. I'm not saying unions are completely useless. If nothing else, they give management some stability. But, the way they are organized now is completely ridiculous and if they don't change they will disappear. Hope at some point all states have freedom and "right to work". Nothing against unions, but forced membership just is not good, no matter how good the intention is.