“UAW-Union Ain’t Wanted”

National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation ^ | June 13th, 2003 | National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation

[eleni121]

UAW’s Top-Down Organizing Campaign at Big Three Supplier Stalled by Intense Employee Opposition Employees at one of Johnson Controls’ largest plants revolt against joint employer-union pressure to unionize through giveaways of employee personal information and abusive card-check process

Detroit, Mich. (June 13, 2003) – Facing stiff opposition from workers at a major Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) facility in Athens, Tennessee, United Auto Workers (UAW) union organizers have abandoned current efforts to impose union representation. According to National Right to Work Foundation sources, union operatives only obtained signatures from 10 percent of the employees at the plant.

Last year, pressured by UAW officials, crippling strikes, and the “Big Three” auto makers, JCI signed a so-called “neutrality agreement” that requires the major supplier to assist substantially in efforts to unionize the employees of its 26 non-union facilities across America. This effort includes “captive audience” speeches, waiver of secret ballot elections, and the turnover of employees’ personal information to the UAW.

Nevertheless, the Athens JCI workers were reported to be openly hostile to any notion of unionization. In meetings JCI conducted, employees even donned homemade t-shirts saying “UAW-Union Ain’t Wanted.”

While the Athens JCI employees’ repudiation in recent days is a setback to the UAW union’s ongoing efforts to expand control over workers employed by auto industry suppliers, the union is rolling out its program at other JCI facilities as well as those of other companies, such as Magna-Donnelly, and Freightliner.

“Since employees are increasingly rejecting union membership when given a choice through secret ballot elections, Big Labor is now enlisting companies to help bully workers into accepting compulsory unionism,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation, which is providing free legal assistance to employees of JCI and other companies who are concerned that their freedom of association is in jeopardy.

As part of the “neutrality agreement” union organizers were given full access to non-union employees’ personal information and company facilities. After obtaining employees’ names, addresses, and phone numbers, union organizers conducted home visits and other initiatives to obtain signatures on union authorization cards. Workers have reported harassment from union officials both on and off the job.

Also under the JCI-UAW “neutrality agreement,” non-union employees have been forced to attend “captive audience” speeches in which they are told that, if they do not support the union’s organizing effort, they could risk losing potential job opportunities.

As part of the agreement, JCI workers are denied the ability to reject unionization through a secret ballot election, and union operatives are allowed to sign up workers under a “card check” authorization scheme. Had UAW officials been able sign up a majority of the workers at the Athens plant, then JCI would have declared the union as the exclusive representative of all the workers, even those who did not sign a card. However, the workers now report that UAW operatives have packed their bags and left the Athens plant.

[eleni121]

Unions have been in the forefront of Democratic fund raising and union leadership has for the most part been taken over by left wing ideologues. This rejection of unionization and "captive audience" tactics in Tennessee and others like it proves that no slick union organizers can deceive the great American working class...all workers.

[Susannah]

Good for the workers that fought the union bullies!

I just finished reading some articles and links at http://greenwatch.org and I recall reading about a union in dispute of which democrat to promote for president.

[Susannah]

oops, that site should be http://www.greenwatch.org

[vpintheak]

I cant imagine the astronomical price of an auto if unions ran all of the auto industry. The poor working class that the left is so worried about could never afford to buy one. Leaving them at more of a disadvantage. I guess you have to have common sense to realize that though.

[#3Fan]

The unions are nothing more than rip-off political organizations. They were needed in the early days of the industrial revolution but now due to diversity in employment opportunities they are nothing but a drag now. They simply take the employee's money and give it to the politicians in on their sweetheart deals and use it to take trips to Hawaii and Vegas. Why in the world would the union brass have to have their meetings in exotic locations? The mafia always goes where the masses are and where their money is. Nowadays, it's the unions.

[eleni121]

You are right. Unions are the primary reason for the decline in American industrial productivity. They are the primary reason that public education is failing. The entrenched unionized bureacrats endanger freedom in the political process as well.

[eleni121]

The article about full union financial disclosure is excellent. Thanks

[Duramaximus]

UAW = U Ain't Workin

The UAW also represents groups of Aerospace workers. Why, I will never know. They are totally aligned with the auto industry, and regard their aerospace members as a cash cow for their liberal agenda.

Humm... that could go for all unions.

[eleni121]

If you listen read or talk to unionists (especially the bosses, media people and organizers) you will be astounded at how much they sound like the Communist organizers of the early 20th century. Every other word is something about the rich and the poor working class and the rich and the poor working class.... sickening.

[Bullish]

Personally, Ive rejected unions since the 70s.

Some folks must just take a little longer to catch on, huh?

[RipeforTruth]

As a former member of the UAW, IAM, and Alaska Loggers Association I have no great appreciation of the liberal social agenda unions push.

[RipeforTruth]

Whoops. Forgot National Maritime Union.

[apackof2]

UAW also represents groups of Aerospace workers. Why, I will never know.

Because they saw the "hand writing on the wall" their auto workers numbers decline so to save their own hides they went looking for other fish
The UAW is a corrupt leftist tool and I have no idea why the "Big three" would pressure anyone to be union since the union is the reason the Big 3 is not more competive

[mvpel]

You should read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair. It turns into a hard-core commie polemic in the last quarter of the book, but it gives you a glimpse into the minds of the union leaders. They think that things still work that way.

[mvpel]

I think my Mom, an attorney with Wayne County, is under the UAW umbrella too.

[pt17]

Some weeks back I happened to go out on the loading dock and encountered a U.S. Postal Service thug/driver harassing an older FedX delivery guy about not being union and aggressively trying to bully him off the dock. After I threw the post office guy off the dock, the FedX guy told me he encountered that kind of harassment a lot.

[apackof2]

I think my Mom, an attorney with Wayne County

Gee how in the heck does that work?
There's a dispute and she has to walk off the job?

Lord help us and your mom (I feel her pain!)

[BlueOneGolf]

I have no problem if someone chooses to be union. I have even told some union guys if that's their choice then I wish them a genuine "Good luck and I hope you are successful". However it's funny that this sentiment is not reciprocated by union guys to non-union folks. Hey if their choice to be union is good enough to be respected by me then my choice to be non-union ought to be good enough to be respected by them. I don't get it...

[Jhoffa_]

As part of the “neutrality agreement” union organizers were given full access to non-union employees’ personal information and company facilities. After obtaining employees’ names, addresses, and phone numbers, union organizers conducted home visits and other initiatives to obtain signatures on union authorization cards.

A "visit" to the Hoffa compound would have been very short lived and totally contrary to whatever direction the organizers had initially intended.

I hate unions.. Scumbags.

They give money to the democrats, they artificially inflate the price of products and services, they favor tenure over performance, they drive jobs overseas and south of the border, they confiscate wages and they just generally piss me off.

If I want your "representation" I will ask for it. Till then, go whine & promote class envy someplace else.