UAW Surrenders. Transplants Remain Unorganized

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: December 7th, 2011

uaw surrenders transplants remain unorganized

The UAW called off the transplant war. It won’t even identify an organizing target among foreign automakers with U.S. operations, UAW President Bob King told Reuters (via Automotive News [sub] ):

“We are not going to announce a target at all. We are not going to create a fight.”

At the beginning of this year, the United Auto Workers pledged that it would launch a campaign to organize the foreign-owned, non-union “transplant” factories in the US. Organizing at least one transplant was branded as a matter of life-and-death for the union.

A week ago, the UAW back pedaled and said it would simply pick an automaker to target by the end of 2011.

Even that isn’t happening.

Instead, King said meekly that the UAW is in talks with all of the German, Japanese and Korean automakers with U.S. factories and expects to continue to make progress toward organizing workers in their operations.

Some day. Maybe.

#BertelSchmitt #King #Transplants #Uaw

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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14 of 39 comments

MarkP on Dec 08, 2011

The point is not that unions will create jobs, but that unions can help protect the interests of labor instead of letting management control everything. I understand that it was a long time ago, but there is ample evidence of how that works out if you read the history books.

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- Bikegoesbaa on Dec 08, 2011
  
  Honda's been running a non-unionized auto manufacturing facility in Marysville for 30 years - how much longer do you expect it will take for the plant to become a Victorian madhouse of exploitation and abuse? I only ask because the last time I was inside the Marysville plant it looked much more pleasant than the majority of UAW plants I've been in. Better job security, too.
  
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- Geeber on Dec 08, 2011
  
  Most managers of large corporations have read those books, too, and realize that mistreating the workers opens the door for a unionization drive.
  
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- SCE to AUX on Dec 08, 2011
  
  I'm a white-collar engineer who has occasionally been mistreated by management. I have no say in my benefits. I work extra hours for free. My motivation to do so is to keep my job, because I can be terminated at any time. Why don't I organize a union? Because I can look elsewhere for work, and because I don't want to pay dues. I probably make less than some unionized workers. Should I be part of a union?
  
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- MarkP on Dec 08, 2011
  
  @SCE to AUX If you are unhappy or dissatisfied with your situation, and if you think you can find a better job, I suggest that you should look for work elsewhere. But the key issue is whether you can find another job. A lot of white-collar workers have found that to be not particularly easy these days. As I said, this is a management market.
  
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- Bikegoesbaa on Dec 08, 2011
  
  @SCE to AUX I'm also a white collar engineer. I'd not join a union under any circumstances, but if my employer expected me to work for free as a matter of routine I'd fire myself and go find another job. You may also have more say in your benefits than you think. Try renegotiating them in terms of "I want X, Y, and Z or I'm leaving" and you might find your employer's more flexible than they appear. I've had a lot of success with this, as have colleagues. You never know how valuable you are until you make it clear you're willing to leave.
  
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- SCE to AUX on Dec 08, 2011
  
  @SCE to AUX To be clear, I love my job and I have an excellent employer. In my career, I played the poker game once in order to stay and get a better deal (which wasn't about money, by the way). My employer doesn't require me to work long hours; I do it as a matter of choice so that I can meet the commitments I've made. However, the tacit understanding is that a long-enough record of missed commitments makes you more likely to be let go. Union protection could help me avoid this concern, which is widespread in the technical world. Inevitably, I'd be paid less - or be unable to find work - if I had union protection, because employers will always be able to find someone else who is willing to work for less money to have less pressure on them. I'll rather take the money, and enjoy a good relationship with my employer.
  
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MarkP on Dec 08, 2011

Technically, if you are truly a white-collar employee, I believe that you are considered to be exempt from certain labor rules, like overtime regulations. As an exempt employee, you are salaried, and thus there is no such thing as "overtime," because you are not paid on an hourly basis. You are expected to continue until your work is done. Of course if you work for a company with a government contract, you will find that you are treated as an non-exempt, hourly worker in every way, but still considered exempt when it comes to coverage by those wage and hour rules.

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Philadlj on Dec 08, 2011

Stock in Giant Inflatable Rat manufacturers plummeted following this news.

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- Indi500fan on Dec 08, 2011
  
  LOL I'm guessing those Giant Inflatable Rats came from China. The Obama administration Labor Secretary should issue a rule that GIFs can only be used if manufactured by the United Steel Workers (who absorbed an imploding United Rubber Workers union in the 90s).
  
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Andy D on Dec 08, 2011

yah yah, unions this and mgt that. Tell it to the families of the 29 coal miners who died a few yrs ago. They have fined the operators and some may go to jail, but 29 men are dead , due to safety procedures being ignored. Stuff that wont fly in a union mine. I think you cube rats are forgetting why unions were formed. Just saying is all.

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- Amx1972 on Dec 08, 2011
  
  Its a dangerous job. If you are unwilling to do it go elsewhere.
  
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- SCE to AUX on Dec 08, 2011
  
  Miners need a union, no doubt, as do many other workers whose lives are jeopardized by the work they do. Unfortunately, union presence isn't enough to prevent accidents, but it can help prevent negligence by penny-pinching employers. However, when's the last time you heard of 29 auto workers dying on the job, whether in a unionized or non-unionized facility? It doesn't happen, because of the automation which unions fought so hard against over the years. So it isn't quite the same environment as mining. I include white-collar airline pilots among those who need union protection. Pilots flying too many hours can get a lot of people hurt. I wouldn't be surprised to see unions forming in the medical industry soon, because of the crazy hours expected of doctors and nurses. This will become especially problematic as Obamacare comes on line and the medical money supply begins to dry up, since we'll have the same market demand with less workers to serve it.
  
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- Daveainchina on Dec 09, 2011
  
  @SCE to AUX If I worked in a mine and joining a union would increase my safety factor, then I'd gladly pay the dues a union charges. But in the auto industry at the transplants, I don't see the cost/benefit ratio working in the Unions favor. I think for most people they are smart, they will join a union if there are obvious benefits that are worth the cost to them. If not, then they won't be interested. Management at these places knows this so they will always work to keep the cost/benefit relation close enough that the average worker will not be able to perceive any added benefit. It's a pretty simple equation, if you can make people happier ie, higher pay, better safety conditions etc. You can get them to join a union, if you can't, then they just see it as an extra burden that they don't want.
  
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