The UAW has been a bit luckless in its organizing efforts of foreign automakers in the U.S. Recent attempts to brand transplanted Asian and German automakers as human rights abusers have gone a bit over the heads of the targeted working masses. With that being a dud, the UAW is back to old-style organizing, and back at its old target, Nissan. The UAW has tried two times, two times it received a black eye in Smyrna, TN. The UAW is back to collect another shiner.

According to Reuters, the UAW met with Nissan workers “to discuss another organizing effort at the Japanese automaker’s first U.S. factory.” The meetings also included contract workers of Yates Services, “who are paid less than Nissan workers, according to UAW officials.” Says Reuters:

“The “information” meetings are an early step in bringing about a vote among workers at the Nissan plant in Smyrna. Most union elections are held once a majority of workers agree to allow one. Many union organizing efforts fail before a vote is held.”

Smyrna have twice refused the advances of the UAW.

• A 1989 vote was 1,622 to 711.
• In 2001, in an organizing drive led by King when he was the union’s chief organizer, Nissan workers rejected the UAW by a 2-to-1 margin.

After the 2001 vote, King said Nissan had “won round two” and said that “there will be round three and four.”

Senator Corker, rest easy: the imports have your back. Tennessee-based Saturn may be shutting down, but Nissan is bringing the manufacture of their electric car, the Leaf, to Smyrna, Tennessee. Nissan made the announcement today as Rutherford County commission member voted to approve the funds required for the project. Under the scheme, Nissan will get $2.5 billion for the project plus a tax holiday of 20 to 40 years. In return, Smyrna will receive, up to, 1300 full time production jobs. That works out to be about $1.92 million per job. Not to mention a drop in tax revenue for the state. Let’s hope this Leaf is attached to an evergreen project and not a deciduous one.