UAW Accuses Nissan of Tracking Workers' Union Sentiments

The United Auto Workers has accused Nissan Motor Company of tracking and rating employees based on their union sentiments at the same Mississippi assembly plant where workers recently voted down union representation.

In early August, factory employees voted against joining by an almost 2-to-1 margin. At the time, the UAW claimed intimidation tactics and censorship crippled its attempt to reach workers. Now it’s saying Nissan also surveilled its entire staff and employed a comprehensive ratings system that documented each individual’s behavior regarding potential unionization.

The formal complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, alleges Nissan “has maintained and continues to maintain an employee surveillance, data collection and rating system that records employee union activity and rates workers according to their perceived support for or opposition to the UAW.”

After obtaining it through a Freedom of Information Act request, Bloomberg said the UAW’s filing calls for the NLRB to subpoena the automaker and investigate the claims.

The UAW submitted a partially redacted document to the Labor Relations Board that it said is proof of Nissan’s rating system. The union claims the document lists employee names and identification numbers, saddled with notes like “has talked with solicitors at the gate before a shift” or “has been seen hanging with pro-union technicians.”

Nissan has not yet been reached for comment, but we assume the automaker will chalk this up to union shenanigans and downplay the list itself. That, of course, wouldn’t make the UAW’s allegations untrue, but the group has been pressing aggressively into the Southern United States without a victory for years. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this.

[Image: Nissan]