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
Sorry but as a guy who is very fond and loving towards the subject of economics. I find your theory hardly sustainable as standing on a pinky toe. When you put into consideration who those other "asain" companies work with it's easy to see how DEAD WRONG YOU ARE. Honda for instance not only has a gigantic manufacturing plant in marrysville ohio. but also contracts with many domestic parts suppliers. some of them might being even from detroit actually. But also has a BIG R&D team in southern California that builds most of the race engines for the indianapolis 500. If employees feel they are being treated good and not pressured into saying that. Then there really isn't any need to organize. In harsh unfair conditions then YES. But that's not the case with automotive manufacturing anymore. It's not blood and guts like it used to be. alot of these asain automakers in the past have done really well with the idea of lean production. The big three actually took notice and implemented that to their assembly lines as well. Modern manufacturing in the states has become far more dynamic and safe than it has ever been. I can thank alot of past accomplishments to the U.A.W when things where actually rough. But now Machines are doing alot more of the heavy lifting and more of the repetitious carpool tunneling work people once had to. not only that but People are rotated to different areas so it also reduces the repetitive stresses and strains. Though of course there are alot of U.A.W head honchos today that bitch about robots doing most of the work and not actual workers. My only reply to that argument is. You don't want to have workers breaking their backs lifting that heavy shit. Why break your back when it isn't nessesary when robotic arms will do it instead. You can replace a robotic arm but not someones vertebrae.