Hoping to win an upcoming vote at a Toyota plant in Georgetown, Ky., the UAW softens its image in an effort to gain a toehold in a region normally hostile to organized labor. Recent history’s not on their side: the union lost a 2001 election in a Smyrna, Tenn., Nissan plant that seemed a good bet to unionize. To date, not a single foreign-owned auto plant in the South has union representation.
Instead of the "old approach" of leafleting workers at the plant, the new strategy is based on a resource center where workers can learn about the union in a "non-threatening environment," together with billboard ads and "media outreach."
Meanwhile, workers at a Nissan plant in Mississippi have met with UAW representatives to air their disgruntlement about working conditions, including low wages and lack of job security. “…[T]hey’re firing people for speculative reasons,” says a union official. Nissan was lured to the state with a $363 million incentive package (and the enthusiastic support of the local newspaper), plus the promise of non-union workers. Of course, the company has already hired union-busting lawyers.
Some, on the other hand, argue that the future of organized labor in the South may be found in poultry plants, or possibly Miami condominiums...
Instead of the "old approach" of leafleting workers at the plant, the new strategy is based on a resource center where workers can learn about the union in a "non-threatening environment," together with billboard ads and "media outreach."
Meanwhile, workers at a Nissan plant in Mississippi have met with UAW representatives to air their disgruntlement about working conditions, including low wages and lack of job security. “…[T]hey’re firing people for speculative reasons,” says a union official. Nissan was lured to the state with a $363 million incentive package (and the enthusiastic support of the local newspaper), plus the promise of non-union workers. Of course, the company has already hired union-busting lawyers.
Some, on the other hand, argue that the future of organized labor in the South may be found in poultry plants, or possibly Miami condominiums...
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