To the Japanese automobile manufacturers, unions are the plague. And the United Auto Workers (UAW) admit to having a tough time getting new union members when they visit Japanese manufacturers’ plants (called ‘transplants’) in the U.S. “People just aren’t interested,” said one union organizer.The Japanese auto makers in the U.S. seem to be winning their battle with the UAW because the people they employ seem convinced that the benefits are good and that the union couldn’t do any better. Moreover, these auto makers tend to build plants in the U.S. in areas that have a low average wage for laborers.
Worse, conditions are better in transplants in some areas. An example of a happy plant of workers is in the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. The workers are now being paid more and getting better bonuses than UAW workers average at domestic plants.
Yet the UAW continues to try. It attempted to organize the workers at the Subaru plant in Lafayette at least three times. The result? Nada, nothing. The plant will be producing Camrys (pictured) in a joint venture with Toyota in April.
Our take? The strength of the UAW has ebbed substantially. In 1979 the union had a membership of 1.5 million. By 2005 it had plunged to 600,000. Unless the transplants do something real stupid like slashing wages in half or eliminating medical benefits, we see union membership continue to dwindle.
Via baynews9
It’s funny how we scream at the top of our lungs when we think Ma-Bell is attempting to monopolize something that’s as trivial as phone service. And yet not a single person has said a single word about the unions who are designed solely to monopolize the American worker – FOR PROFIT. The people of this country are both it’s greatest asset and it’s only true purpose. And yet legalized monopolization of that asset goes mostly unchallenged.
I have a couple of friends that left GM to work for Honda even taking pay cuts and love working there. They feel the work environment and the products they produce make the job feel much more worthwhile to them. One of them was a GM 11 year vet and he told me he just got tired of poor quality control and lazy miserable co-workers.
Spent 25 years in a UAW plant in Chicago. The workers were wonderful and would have been so without the union. The union was all about the perks and priviledges of the Union leaders and did not give a damn about the workers other than currying favor to get re-elected. Used to hold their meetings Sunday mornings when most of the workers could nbot even be there so only the die hard union supporters were there to vote. Buncha self serving manipulators. Oh damn, sort of like congress. They used to be valuable and do a good job but not in recent history. Both unions and congress.
As a former UAW worker all I have to say is I wish we had the same UAW as Phillip Stanley. The UAW here in Oklahoma City were not all that great.
Transplant workers-SCABS jap lovers
Exactly the sort of window-licking mentality I’ve come to expect from union members.
Auto.com-you pieces of shit.
A well- reasoned response never ceases to amaze the public.
I really hope for better times!
The world is a changing place. The UAW was good. Then bad. Now getting better. Nothing like a little reality slapping you in the face to get your attention. When your membership has dropped by about 50%, then it’s time to start looking in the mirror.
The new VW Plant in TN is not taking a stance against unions. They fear to jeopardize their relationship with the Europe unions. The door is left wide-open for the workers to decide without any influence or propaganda from internal Human Resources. It will be interesting to see what transpires.
I see a whole lot of U.A.W. cry babies out there. Time for you lazy , had it to good for to long, at the people. Face it you all suck.
I myself will never again buy a union make or built product. i worked for G.M. when the owners still had a say so in there company. Worker over time became lazy and demands turned into threats and unions became corupt.To big to fail -I think not ,bullies are more like it . goverment motors lost me along with anyone else who was bail out by our union President and our tax dollars.it should be called L.U.A.W. — LAZY ….. I love my new Nissan where proud workers take real pride in there work, unlike americans U.A.W.- there slogan is — PROUD TO BE UNION …. Whats that all about.Nissan works hand in hand with there owners, makes a better car all the way around. ( proud to be non union) it works even when unions will not.
It seems like the issue has nothing to do with unions. Wake up America. We kept building gas hogs.
My father never missed one single day at Ford in 40 years,
wow what a site
Unions have no place in this county but the politicians continue to support them for election purposes. Unions drive quality, morale and work ethic in the dirt, it is time to wake up america. The government loves and has its own unions, and they get paid not to work and rally against the moral agenda’s like what happened in Wisconsin.
Old article but relavent to today!
The old unions have a place in this country. The ones that back the hard working people who came to work everyday, didn’t have any issues except the issues that were relevant to the job and weren’t using the union people they knew to avoid going to work. The unions are not what they used to be. Now you can get arrested, go to jail and still have your job and seniority when you come back. Unions are in bed with the companies. As seen from the past this does not work.
It’s all smooth sailing at Toyota in terms of management and benefits. Unions like UAW are necessary to protect and strengthen the workers benefits but when administration is so responsive when it comes to employee’s wages and benefits, then there’s nothing much to do from the union front except encourage its members to really provide quality work.
Well Mr “phillipstanley”, shill much for the unions? What’s that, two dozen or so consecutive posts ragging on the evil, non-union supporting companies. Could you be more transparent?
Umm, you do realize that this article was written in 2007? Is it even relevant anymore?
I too don’t understand why this article is even being passed off as new except to stir the pot when we should be trying to come together and get America back on the road to economic recovery.
Better programs initiated by the United Auto Worker (UAW) are the only solution. If they won’t give better offers than the Japanese manufacturers, they should expect that they would be dwindling more.
My opinion is that UAW must come up with programs that would make them relevant to auto workers of Toyota and other Japanese automobile manufacturers. If Toyota and other Japanese companies have offered substantial salaries and benefits to their employees just to keep them from joining labor unions, then UAW must think about how to get to the workers through other issues. The world economy seems to favor Asian cars because of the cheaper price they offer for their autos.
I would like to add that all union members should unite and only buy union made products and support the labor movement of this once great land, it is labor that made us great and it will be only great once again if the union members unite and buy American and union made!
so let me get it straight – Japanese give their workers better working conditions than a union factory , they clearly produce better cars, AND they produce their cars in the US and all you people can think about is how to screw it up ( “UAW must think about how to get to the workers”). It is freaking unbelievable – unions ran all the local companies off now they are after anybody who stupidly tries to do the production in the US. As for union made – not a big threat , not only there is not much “union made” to buy, there are not so many moro”union only” buyer to screw it up.
WRONG.
People willing to take a chance and the market rewarding them for it succeeding is what built America. I’m sorry but labor can simply be purchased, always could and always will.
I will never buy a car made in a UAW plant.The UAW is like a cancer
As i explained in my blog,I have worked on cars for over 25 years and I still believe Imports are put together alot stronger than american cars. its at http://autorepairsavings.blogspot.com I also worked for the GM Fairfax Plant in KCK. Those guys were drinking at break and lunch times! I think us americans ae spoiled a little bit. lol
Unions are driving our country into the dirt. I hope the government does not give any of my HARD earned money to save companies being dragged down by the anchors of union workers!
I have written congress,Ralph Hadder and others. The Automakers have been stealing real value from the general public,themselves,all leaning companies, including their own companies! How?? By introducing a new YEAR MODEL at the drop of a hat to increse sale of a new modle! This takes away real value from our new or used cars, making them worth less, lenders loose more money trying to resale a leese, trade-in or repo! All Mfg,s of ALL products should have a uniform year end date! Everything from a TV to a cell phone to a car must conform to the same industry introduction date of a New Year Change! So 2009 Automobile were being sold in January 2008!!! Why won’t someone stop this, it’s not a fix all but it would help the bottom line of thousands of companies in all different industries! And NO 1/2 year Changes like in the past the 641/2 fFord Mustangs and others!!!
Please respond Thanks !!!!
I think the reason Toyota and Honda pay so good is to keep the UAW out of their plants. Do you think Toyota will pay so good once the UAW is no longer a threat? I don’t think so. It’s already happening at GM and Ford with two tier pay scales. Toyota is next. Wake up America – Toyota and Japan are not our friends they are our foes. The Japanese government does everything in its power to help its companies in order to defeat us. They couldn’t defeat us with their military so they are doing it economically. Why does Toyota use Corolla and Camry parts on their top of the line Lexus and it’s okay, but when GM takes Chevy parts and uses them on a Cadilac that’s not okay? Why do we always put Toyota on a pedestal and they can’t do no wrong (even though they do)? Toyota take you and your propaganda machine back to Japan.
Amen to you Wade ! The short sighted Jap loving individuals who post hatred of unions aren’t smart enough to understand that unions fought for years to get the pay and benefits enjoyed by autoworkers everywhere, union and nonunion. Believe me when I tell you that if domestic plants began paying minimum wage , so would the transplants. And as for all that “quality” the Toyota lovers speak of, care to talk to the families of the 84+ dead folks due to the acceleration issues? I would wal befor I drive a TOYota or any other POS forein car.
Honda “safety” policy is to use up workers, fight their Workers Compensation claims, and then separate them from employment. Over the past twenty years in Ohio Honda has injured thousands of workers. Tonya Blair chose to fight back. One year after the discharge Tonya filed a “wrongful discharge” suit against the company. The company, the lawsuit charged, could not fire her for not working on a dangerous job.
Honda “safety” policy is to use up workers, fight their Workers Compensation claims, and then separate them from employment. Over the past twenty years in Ohio Honda has injured thousands of workers. Tonya Blair chose to fight back. One year after the discharge Tonya filed a “wrongful discharge” suit against the company. The company, the lawsuit charged, could not fire her for not working on a dangerous job.
Tonya Blair tries to do the right thing and she doesn’t give up easily. A mother of two, the mid-Ohio native was nineteen when she hired into Honda of Americas Marysville Auto Plant. Her plan was to make a career out of working for Honda. It was a company that paid well and promised to be loyal to hard-working employees. Tonya was willing. She figured she would work at Honda until she was forty-nine, raise her children and have a good, healthy, retirement.
After twelve years and several work related surgeries at Honda Tonya was fired.
Returning to work after a respiratory infection the company “safety staff” assigned her to work on a job for which she had permanent medical restrictions. “Just try the job,” said the “safety staff” person. Tonya chose not to “try” working with carpet and insulation that she, her doctors, and her employer all knew she was allergic to. A few days later a Honda Administration person phoned her at home to say she was fired.
Honda “safety” policy is to use up workers, fight
Tonya Blair tries to do the right thing and she doesn’t give up easily. A mother of two, the mid-Ohio native was nineteen when she hired into Honda of Americas Marysville Auto Plant. Her plan was to make a career out of working for Honda. It was a company that paid well and promised to be loyal to hard-working employees. Tonya was willing. She figured she would work at Honda until she was forty-nine, raise her children and have a good, healthy, retirement.
After twelve years and several work related surgeries at Honda Tonya was fired.
Returning to work after a respiratory infection the company “safety staff” assigned her to work on a job for which she had permanent medical restrictions. “Just try the job,” said the “safety staff” person. Tonya chose not to “try” working with carpet and insulation that she, her doctors, and her employer all knew she was allergic to. A few days later a Honda Administration person phoned her at home to say she was fired.
Honda “safety” policy is to use up workers, fight
What we must understand is that very few transplant workers in the United States even last long enough to even collect a pension at foreign companies like Honda. Without an organized work force and a union contract they have a monstrous injury rate in the United States. As a result of this injury rate these “temporary workers”, our neighbors, are simply fired for the injuries they received while on their job.
To avoid unionization and to control wages and benefit levels these transplants generally match the unionized Big Three production wages. But they have a brutal policy of contracting out all the work that is not directly tied to production. What we need to realize is not only that but, nearly a quarter of all the transplant production workers in 2006 are “temporary workers” who do the exact same job as the old “permanent workers” but for half the pay and no benefits. This number of wage and benefit tier structures are increasing every year in industries around the United States as the unwavering desire for more profit increases. One generation is being sacrificed on the alter of capitalism for the other.
Nowadays though, it is not that much of an issue for foreign companies as it was in the 1980s and the 1990s. When was the last time you heard of a Toyota plant being organized into a union? Indiana, Alabama, North Carolina, Michigan, it is no difference. In 2005, American Honda sold 1.5 million Honda and Acura cars and light trucks, and North American counted for half Honda’s annual global sales. The ninth straight year of record annual sales.
To avoid unionization and to control wages and benefit levels these transplants generally match the unionized Big Three production wages. But they have a brutal policy of contracting out all the work that is not directly tied to production. What we need to realize is not only that but, nearly a quarter of all the transplant production workers in 2006 are “temporary workers” who do the exact same job as the old “permanent workers” but for half the pay and no benefits. This number of wage and benefit tier structures are increasing every year in industries around the
Until workers begin to understand their collective interest in organizing themselves then worker rights will obviously continue to erode. As we have seen at Delphi Corporation it only takes a few loops holes in the law and a 4 million dollar hit man to pillage a company. Laws just like politicians serve only to divide and neither one can unite workers to their common collective interests
If I am not satisfied with decisions on grievances or other union actions, what can I do?
In the UAW, you have a right to appeal such decisions all the way to the Public Review Board.
The UAW is the only Union with such a Board which includes among its members, a Protestant Bishop, Catholic Priest, civic leaders, educators, etc. This Board has the right to over-rule the UAW International Executive Board.
Back to Top
In what way does the UAW help its members and other working people?
The UAW uses its resources in a continuous fight to improve the living standards of the working people.
The UAW represents people in the legislative halls of states and in the Congress of the United States.
The UAW is always in the forefront in the right to improve Social Security, Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment Compensation Laws, etc. The UAW fights for fair tax laws, fair employment practice laws, women’s rights and civil rights, protection for all.
The UAW fights for aid to education to provide tha
Can the Union raise the dues at any time?
No. Union dues can only be raised if Honda workers vote to raise dues at a membership meeting of your local or by your delegates from your facility or local to the International Union Convention.
Back to Top
Are there any special assessments, fines or fees in addition to dues in the UAW?
No. The UAW Constitution does not allow for collecting any special assessments, fines or fees.
Back to Top
When will I be required to pay union dues?
It is the policy of the UAW not to require payment of any dues until after a contract has been negotiated and accepted by the employees.
Back to Top
Will I be required to pay an initiation fee?
No. It is the policy of the UAW to waive initiation fees for ALL workers who join the union before thirty (30) days after the signing of an initial collective bargaining agreement.
Back to Top
How much is the initiation fee in the UAW?
The initiation fee is a minimum of $10.00 and a maximum of $50.00. Howe
Who decides if we strike?
A strike can only be called by Honda workers. A vote to strike must be by secret ballot and carried by 2/3rd’s majority.
Back to Top
If we should vote to strike, does the UAW pay strike benefits while we are on strike?
Yes. During the time you spend on an authorized strike the UAW will pay you strike benefits under the provisions of the UAW Strike Assistance Program. At present the weekly benefit is $200.00 plus the cost of life and medical insurance.
Back to Top
Can the local union end a strike?
Yes. The local unions in the UAW have the right to vote to end a strike.
Back to Top
Are strikes the major cause of lost time?
No. In 1946 (before many of us were even born), a year when the greatest number of strikes took place, only one-tenth of one percent of total hours lost were the results of strikes. Sickness, accidents and unemployment are the results of more hours lost than any strikes. As a matter of fact, more than 7% of the total work force is
Will Honda workers have their own local?
Honda workers will have their own Local Union, elect their own officers, committeepersons and stewards and control their own treasury.
Back to Top
Who decides what we will request from management in wage increases and other contract benefits?
Honda workers will decide what you want in your contract at membership meetings called for this purpose.
Back to Top
Can management take away any benefits we now have if we form our union?
No, the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that it is unlawful for a company to even tell employees that they would lose benefits if they voted for a union. (Firestone Synthetic Fibers Company 157 NLRB No.71)
Back to Top
Who meets with management to negotiate our wages and other contract benefits ?
You select and/or elect your own committee to negotiate your contract. A representative of the International Union, UAW experienced in such matters will train and assist your newly elected representatives.
Back to
Table of Contents
Do UAW members have their own locals?
Who decides what we will request from management in wage increases and other contract benefits ?
Can management take away any benefits we now have if we form our union?
Who meets with management to negotiate our wages and other contract benefits?
Does the Negotiating Committee have the right to make a final settlement with management without approval of the membership?
Who decides if we strike?
If we should vote to strike, does the UAW pay strike benefits while we are on strike?
Can the local union end a strike?
Are strikes the major cause of lost time?
How much are dues in the UAW?
Can the Union raise the dues at any time?
Are there any special assessments, fines or fees in addition to dues in the UAW?
When will I be required to pay union dues?
Will I be required to pay an initiation fee?
How much is the initiation fee in the UAW?
If I am not satisfied with decisions on grievances or other uni
“The strength of Japanese companies is that we cooperate and work together with unions,” said Kawaguchi. “At Nissan, we have a very positive relationship with our union.”
In the United States, UAW members earn $27 per hour on average. Carmakers and their suppliers are trying to reduce wages. Labor costs as a percent of revenue in GM’s North American automotive operations are 17 percent to 18 percent, according to Sean McAlinden at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Japanese automakers won their biggest-ever share of the U.S. market in 2005, 32.2 percent, up 1.7 percentage points, as higher oil prices made consumers look for more fuel-efficient vehicles, helping the companies post record earnings.
Average U.S. retail gasoline prices rose to a record in September, and on Tuesday they were 16 percent higher than a year earlier, according to AAA’s fuel-price Web site.
The bonuses, negotiated annually with the union, affect only workers in Japan. Nissan will pay Japanese workers 6.2 months worth of wages and ¥35,000 on average as a bonus next business year, the fifth straight year of record bonuses by value. Nissan’s union in February requested a bonus equivalent to 6.4 months worth of pay.
“The ¥35,000 shows that the management wants employees to continue to be motivated,” Kawaguchi said.
Honda said it planned to pay bonuses equivalent to a record 6.65 months of salary to its workers. The company’s39,608 union members, who earn an average of ¥366,992 a month, in February asked for 6.7 months worth of pay as bonus. Honda expects a fifth year of record earnings for the 12 months ending March 31.
The three automakers’ growth is largely supported by the United States, which accounts for as much as two- thirds of Toyota’s, Honda’s and Nissan’s annual operating profits. In 2006, the companies aim to expand their U.S. sales by releasing a record number of models.
Nissan will increase monthly pay for its workers by ¥7,000 on average for the year ending March 2007, meeting the demand of its 30,701-member union. Honda will raise base wages of its workers for the first time in five years, increasing pay by ¥600 a month, it said.
Labor accounts for about 10 percent of total costs at Toyota, Nissan and Honda, based on annual parent-company figures for the year that ended in March 2005, according to Koji Endo, an analyst at Credit Suisse. Labor has declined proportionately to other costs, such as raw materials, he said.
Nissan’s Japan-based union members, who account for 17 percent of the company’s global employees, earn an average of ¥346,240 a month. Workers with higher performance reviews will get larger bonuses than lower-rated colleagues.
Toyota was the only one of the three that met its union’s demands in full. Honda and Nissan did not pay as high a bonus as workers had asked for.
“We want to make sure to keep costs at a manageable level and at the same time bolster the employees’ motivation,and that has been reflected in our answer to the union,” the Nissan senior vice president, Hitoshi Kawaguchi, toldreporters in Tokyo.
Japan autoworkers to earn more
Amid record U.S. profits, companies raise wages and bonuses
By Kae InouePublished: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006
TOKYO: Japan’s three largest carmakers – Toyota Motor, Nissan Motor and Honda Motor – have said they plan to raise domestic workers’ pay for the financial year ending March 2007 amid record profits.
Toyota will pay a bonus of ¥2.37 million, or $20,100, and increase monthly salaries in Japan by an average of ¥7,900. The company is also increasing base wages for the first time in five years.
Toyota, Nissan and Honda expect record profits this business year, and are ramping up production as they capture record market share in their largest market, the United States.
Toyota was the only one of the three that met its union’s demands in full. Honda and Nissan did not pay as high a bonus as workers had asked for.
“We want to make sure to keep costs at a manageable level and at the same time bolster the employees’ motivation,and that has been reflected in our answe