UAW Sees Fourth Consecutive Increase In Membership
Under the leadership of outgoing president Bob King, the United Auto Workers have seen their rolls increase to 9,000 members in 2013, marking the fourth consecutive year of increases for the union.
Automotive News reports the current total membership holds at 391,415, up 2.3 percent from 2012. The increase can be attributed to recruitment drives at IC Bus, Flex-a-Gate and Faurecia, as well as casinos in Ohio and Las Vegas.
Annual membership last declined in 2009, when 355,191 remained from 2008’s 431,037 figure after the Detroit Three fended off declining sales and production amid the onset of the Great Recession. 2008’s figure, however, pales in comparison to the UAW’s peak roll of over 1.5 million members in 1979.
Despite the increase in membership, the UAW is still battling over plants in the south, including the high-profile fights in Chattanooga, Tenn. and Canton, Miss., the former of which resulted in a loss at the polls earlier this year.
Spending is also down for the union — $214 million in 2013 vs. $260 million in 2012 — due to falling dues and low membership. A dues increase is expected to be put to vote at the UAW’s June convention, where King’s replacement will also be elected.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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Basic right-wing argument summed up for the TLDR crowd: If you unionize people with more money than you can take your job somewhere cheaper then forcibly sell those goods and services back to you because that's the way the world works even though we wrote those rules. Was that short enough? Frankly the whole argument when boiled down to that level seems to make little sense. Why not accept protectionism? We don't really need or have benefited from free trade as much as we like to tout, in fact rank and file citizens have largely suffered under it. But don't let a good moral economic theory get in the way of reality, right, boys?
Does the UAW tax the lower tiered workers with the socialist dues? I hope not. As the system of pay for the lower tiered workers is unfair. Are the disadvantaged lower tiered auto workers forced to be a part of the UAW. This would inflate the numbers of UAW workers. But, are those underpaid worker happy with the position they are in? Can a person work in one of the Big 3 plants and refuse to be in the UAW? I hope so, as it would be un-American to force someone into a religion or political position they disagree with.
Minor point: it is Flex-N-Gate not Flex-a-Gate. Not that either version is especially elegant or informative. I just like to nitpick! (grin)
Corporation(as a whole) acts like 'sociopath'.. Uninos were created a long time ago to protect people from..suits(they are dangerous but irrelevant(after all) - yeah, they have NBA'a and MBA's:), but they are just short-sihghted, career-driven, brainwashed tools) and the 'real OWNers'[watch: George Carlin - Owners]:) Who want to go back to XIX century wild-capitalismus ? .. we've got global-rat-race right now.. and this trend is growing and speeding up ..