Tag: uaw

Report: King pledges UAW to begin organizing transplants in January

Filed under: UAW/Unions

Bob King

According to Automotive News, UAW President Bob King has his eye on organizing labor forces at the manufacturing facilities of German and Asian automakers here in the States. At this point, it’s unclear which automaker or which plant the UAW will attempt to organize first, though King has said that he has sent letters to the CEOs of the transplant automakers informing them of the union’s intentions. King says that the UAW is only interested in cooperating to improve operations, and that it will kick off the campaign towards organization in January.

In the meantime, the UAW has called off protests at Toyota dealerships around the country as a gesture of goodwill. The union began picketing the dealerships when the Japanese automaker decided to close its NUMMI assembly plant in Freemont, California after its partner, General Motors, pulled out of the endeavor. (the facility is now in use by Toyota partner Tesla Motors).

Automotive News reports that Toyota says that it will leave it up its workers to decide whether or not organization under the UAW is in their best interest. The company has been building vehicles in the U.S. for about 25 years, and in that time, workers have never sought organization – despite repeated drives by the UAW.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req. | Image: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images]

Report: King pledges UAW to begin organizing transplants in January originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mitsubishi, UAW reach Illinois plant pact – but what will they build there?

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Mitsubishi, UAW/Unions

Mitsubishi emblem

The good ol’ Diamond Star Motors plant in Normal, Illinois – where such well-regarded vehicles as the original Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser were built, among others – is apparently getting a new lease on life now that Mitsubishi, the United Auto Workers and laborers at the plant have all approved of a new contract.

At this point, it’s unclear what Mitsubishi plans to build in its only North American plant, and the present output of Eclipse, Endeavor and Galant are likely not long for this world. Would it be too much to ask for an Eclipse that hearkens back to the good old days of turbocharged engines and all-wheel drive? Probably, but we’ll settle for a new nameplate or two that escapes the automaker’s current mire of drab, dated and slow-selling sedans and coupes.

In any case, we’re told to expect a detailed product plan from Mitsubishi that will lay out the steps it will take to become relevant in the United States once again. And, incidentally, the Japanese automaker apparently has no intentions whatsoever of leaving the U.S. market… which means whatever it’s cooking up at the moment had better be rather impressive.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Mitsubishi, UAW reach Illinois plant pact – but what will they build there? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: UAW to hold sympathy strike for Hyundai workers in Korea

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Hyundai, UAW/Unions, South Korea

UAW logoThe UAW has announced its support for Hyundai workers in South Korea who have been on strike since November 15. The employees are all temporary and contract workers who receive lower pay and fewer benefits compared to their full-time counterparts, and their strike has managed to shut down a production facility. According to the Detroit Free Press, the UAW says that at least one fifth of Hyundai workers are temporary and that those workers deserve the same pay and benefit as the automaker’s full-time employees. In addition, the UAW says that many of the Hyundai temporary workers are often hired by false contractors.

To that end, the UAW plans to hold a rally outside of Hyundai’s technical center in Superior Township, Michigan. The union also said that other organizations around the globe will stage similar protests, though where those rallies will take place and who will take part remains unclear.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Report: UAW to hold sympathy strike for Hyundai workers in Korea originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TN Senator Corker argues UAW would be “highly detrimental” to stateside VW plant

Filed under: Government/Legal, Volkswagen, UAW/Unions

Senator Bob Corker at podium

Unions and southern auto plants go together like ice cream socials and diabetes, but the mere thought of an organized Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga must give Tennessee Senator Bob Corker bad dreams. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that Corker was asked by VW to give input as to whether or not the facility should take a pro-United Auto Workers stance. The senator reportedly told representatives at the German autoworker that the presence of organized labor would be “highly detrimental.”

So why the negative stance on unions? Corker claims that his dealings with the UAW during the bailout of Chrysler and General Motors is the reason he’s so sour on the idea in his home state. The senator claims that the UAW put the success of the automakers “way, way, way way” behind the needs of union, adding “I just can’t imagine any company of their own accord of being desirous of entering into a relationship with UAW.”

Volkswagen currently has a reported “neutral position” concerning unionization in Chattanooga, but according to a study by the Grand Rapids Press in Michigan and other Booth newspapers, the UAW could lead to higher labor costs for the German automaker. The paper says that overall labor costs, which include pension funding and health care, adds up to about $74,000 per year per employee. Non-union automakers reportedly average a much lower $53,000 per year.

But while Corker’s feelings about the UAW may or may not give VW pause, neither the senator or the automaker will have the final say in the matter. VW Communication Manager Guenther Scherelis says “the employees will decide for themselves about their representation.”

[Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press | Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty]

TN Senator Corker argues UAW would be “highly detrimental” to stateside VW plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UAW protests… itself?

Filed under: Chevrolet, GM, UAW/Unions

GM Orion Township Assembly Plant signA group of union members are reportedly unhappy about the two-tier wage system that the United Auto Workers agreed to for the General Motors Orion Township plant. According to the Detroit Free Press, around 100 current and retired union workers from three states descended on the UAW’s Detroit headquarters to protest the move on Saturday.

The demonstration was designed to show the members’ disapproval of the October 3 UAW/GM deal that will put around 40 percent of the workers at the Orion Township facility on a second-tier pay system, effectively amounting to half of the $28 per hour that tier-one workers make.

Both the UAW and GM say that the move was made to help the Orion-built Chevrolet Cruze become a profitable model for The General. The UAW also said that there are no plans to see the same pay structure spread to other plants and that if GM does very well in the coming months, there are opportunities to make improvements for the union’s members.

Union members aren’t so convinced that the two-tier system won’t seep into other plants, however, and they feel that the Orion Township situation sets a dangerous precedent that could easily be revisited at other facilities in the future.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

UAW protests… itself? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: GM, UAW clash over Chevy Cruze repairs

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet, UAW/Unions

GM’s Lordstown plant builds the Chevrolet Cruze, but when plant management needed the cars coming off the line repaired, it didn’t use plant workers; it sent the cars to an outside repair shop. That didn’t make UAW leadership happy. The union’s response was to draw up a leaflet telling workers that “management is not your friend,” and to take their discontent to the press with the message that things haven’t really changed.

Local 112 president said the issue was resolved the next day. For its part, General Motors says it has met with the UAW and a “resolution [is] expected soon.” The situation was blamed on the pressure that management and labor are under to get the Cruze right. From the outside, this doesn’t look like a productive way to achieve that end.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze: First Drive

[Source: Automotive News – sub req’d]

Report: GM, UAW clash over Chevy Cruze repairs originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler UAW employees work hard play hard; busted for drinking, smoking weed during break [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Videos, Chrysler, UAW/Unions

Chrysler plant workers enjoying an extended break

Chrysler workers enjoying a break – Click above to watch video after the jump

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn’t you like to get away…? Some members of the UAW, employed at Chrysler’s Jefferson North Plant in Detroit, feel the need to do just that. The team at My Fox Detroit received a tip about some auto workers who were using their breaks to catch a little buzz before heading back to the line. The video, which you can watch after the jump, shows several plant employees meeting in a parking lot and throwing back some cold ones. The camera also catches a few folks enjoying some of Michigan’s finest herb. Maybe this is how you respond to working after winning the lottery?

Make the jump for the video and responses from Chrysler and the UAW.

[Source: My Fox Detroit]

Continue reading Chrysler UAW employees work hard play hard; busted for drinking, smoking weed during break [w/video]

Chrysler UAW employees work hard play hard; busted for drinking, smoking weed during break [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Update: King reportedly pulls famed UAW Black Lake resort off the auction block

Filed under: Etc., Earnings/Financials, UAW/Unions

UAW black lake resort banner image

Are you looking for 1,000 heavily forested acres in the heart of Northern Michigan? Something in the $33 million range with a world class golf course and sleeping quarters for a couple thousand? If you are, it appears that the United Auto Workers’ Black Lake resort is going to have to come off that (very) short list, because the Rank and File isn’t selling. The Detroit News reports that UAW chief Bob King and the new union board has taken the resort off the market. CB Richard Ellis Senior Real Estate VP John Carver called the decision “a matter of the new board reviewing previous policy decisions.”

That previous board said in January that the recession was a big reason that the facility needed to close. The fact that the resort has lost a reported $23 million since 2005 didn’t help much either, and declining union membership appeared to be the nail in the coffin. Guess not. UAW leadership apparently isn’t talking about Black Lake and why they took it off the market, but DetNews quotes UAW local leaders who say that events are still being scheduled there.

We’re sure there will be plenty of people out there who won’t like the decision to retain such an extravagant resort considering the fact that thousands of UAW members have lost their jobs in the past couple of years. But then again, with Bob King and his blue-collared brothers and sisters looking to make a comeback, selling off the UAW’s crown jewels probably wouldn’t serve to bring up morale.

[Source: Detroit News]

Update: King reportedly pulls famed UAW Black Lake resort off the auction block originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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