Toyota Workers Continue To Grumble, Eye Unions

While the United Auto Workers (UAW) start negotiations for a new contract with the Detroit Three, employees over at Toyota are feeling left out. It seems that they want a union, too.

The union talk is occurring at Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky plant, the company's flagship factory in the U.S.

Many workers joined Toyota not wanting a union, concluding that the company appeared to be fair with its workers. But now they are complaining that things have changed and that the automaker is cutting back on things including cost of living raises.  Others have changed their minds due to injuries and worker breakdown.

According to Stuff, the plant work force is split. There are those who say that Toyota has achieved its $14 billion profit of last year on the backs of the non-union workers while union skeptics are saying that a unioned Toyota work force could damage the Japanese automaker or force it to 'retaliate'.

Toyota is expected to announce changes in its pay and benefit package in September and many think that could be the time when the push for unionization will increase depending on what that announcement will be.

The UAW will not say how many workers have signed union cards. Seventy percent of the workforce needs to sign such cards to permit the UAW to hold a binding vote on unionization.

Our take? This issue will die down before year's end.