New UAW chief aims to unionize U.S. Toyota factories

6/18/2010

DETROIT - The top priority for the United Auto Workers union is to organize nonunion workers at U.S. Toyota factories and those of other foreign automakers, the union's new president said Thursday.

Bob King, who was elected to the post Wednesday, said in his acceptance speech that the union must fight for greater rights to organize nonunion workers. That includes lobbying for passage of the federal Employee Free Choice Act, which would allow workers to join unions simply by filling out a card.

Mr. King spent much of his speech criticizing Toyota Motor Corp., and said the UAW would conduct a banner campaign at its dealerships. The banners will say Toyota puts profits before people, Mr. King said.

The United States has no unionized Toyota plants.

"Our goal is to provide a safe work environment and good pay and benefits, and we work hard to manage our business with employment stability in mind," Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said. "Any decision about representation is up to our team members, not the company."

Toyota said yesterday it will resume construction of a Mississippi plant, which had been halted when auto sales tanked in 2008. It plans to hire 2,000 workers at the Blue Springs factory.

Mr. King contends work was shifted to the Mississippi facility so the firm could pay lower wages than at the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant in Fremont, Calif., which closed recently. He said the California plant was closed to frighten workers at its other U.S. factories so they wouldn't join the union.

Toyota decided to close NUMMI after General Motors Co. pulled out of a joint venture with Toyota that ran the factory. Mr. Goss denied that lower wages prompted the NUMMI closure.

"Nothing could be further from the truth," he said. "GM's withdrawal was the defining moment for NUMMI. Without our joint venture partner, we could not sustain that plant alone."

Mr. Goss also cited high costs, but said labor cost was not a significant factor.

Mr. King, 63, succeeds Ron Gettelfinger, who is retiring after eight years in office.

Mr. King went on to say at the union's convention in downtown Detroit that the only way for the UAW to win back concessions made to firms during the recession is to organize workers at all companies in the automotive, aerospace, and agricultural equipment sectors.

The boss can't say his company is at a competitive disadvantage to nonunion companies if it pays union wages and benefits, Mr. King said.

"When you do that, you have the power to deliver for all members in that industry," he said.

After his speech, he led the roughly 1,100 delegates on a march through downtown Detroit to demand that Wall Street pay for the damage caused by the recession and that it stop opposing financial reform.