Foreign car manufacturers keep the line UAW

"Member of the United Auto workers is to announce a shirt ' United we stand' at a ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the"battle of release."

By Paul A. Eisenstein, msnbc.com of mysteries
Late last month, the United Auto workers quietly the 75th anniversary celebrated the historic engagement with clubs by the Ford Motor Company The event, which came as the "battle of release" became known, ended years resistance to organize the Union drive, effective anchoring of one of the most powerful companies in the modern labor movement.

But now, weakened by a sharp decline of membership, is what some believe is a generally hostile national mood and jahrelanger forced concessions, the UAW, is an equally important and perhaps even tougher struggle. One that could determine the future of not only the UAW, but the American automotive industry, and perhaps even the American movement itself.

While UAW Detroit's big three manufacturers who continue, it could but completely to gain representation privileges for the so-called transplant lines now through almost all of the large foreign automobile manufacturers BMW, Toyota, Volkswagen. Prevent an observer to win workers critical for the long-term survival of the Union in these transplants, and UAW leaders apparently believe that their best chance at the big Nissan plant in Canton, Miss., may, where the Union located in the large organization's car.

"I think you will see an unprecedented effort" to organize the transplants, said Harley Shaiken, a work Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, in an interview.

In fact, the Organization has driving his top priority since assuming that post in 2010 UAW President Bob King. He has openly warned that failure of the UAW could threaten survival. Since membership only more than 1.5 million in the year 1979 have the UAW roles on just under 400,000, fell - with push-to clerical and health care workers and others sign outside the automotive industry.

Despite heavy cost to reduce, the UAW is now running an operating deficit and open up its financial reserves, notes analyst and broadcaster John McElroy, host "AutoLine: Detroit."

"they have to him give a try, since they no choice," McElroy said. "But it is hard to see how she could succeed this time." You try to organize in a right to-work is a general anti-union attitude. "

If the UAW a third of a century ago reached its peak, dominated Detroit-based car manufacturer by an overwhelming majority the American market. But there were ominous signs of the one in the works change. Arising from the second the oil crises of the 1970s Mideast, began motorists by the thousands, then millions switch to Japanese imports.

With strong political pressure, Honda a small motorcycle plant in Marysville, Ohio, and in November 1982 added the first North American assembly plants. Today, virtually every major foreign manufacturers from Europe, Japan and South Korea has followed. Honda, produces mainly now about 90 percent of the vehicles, which it sold in the United States in factories in the North American free trade agreement. Nissan and Toyota are not far behind and, if at all, the foreign manufacturer expand its presence on the skewed exchange rates. Volkswagen opened a factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, last year is already more layers add and add a mirror-image property talks within a few years.

So far, only three have been transplant organised facilities - and then, only facilities as joint ventures between U.S. and Japanese manufacturers in the life. Even worse for the Union, the new United motor manufacturing, Inc. joint venture between Toyota and General Motors in Fremont, California, was closed, and Mazda is to abandon the joint venture with Ford in suburban Detroit. It remains only the Mitsubishi plant in normal, Illinois, originally a joint venture with Chrysler, trade unions organized.

Organize the rest who became transplants a goal any UAW leader since the mid of 1980s and the Union that as far as a vote twice mile long twice, in fact last Assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee in the Nissan. Although it rejected was more than two-to-one in 1989 and re-released in 2001. Efforts somewhere else not even achieved the vote.

UAW organizers believe that a rift in the Nissan other U.S. plant to have found; Workers at the Canton are estimated $1.50 per hour less than the reported $26.50 earned paid in Smyrna. Then again, the Mississippi plant pays also an average $10 more than the prevailing wage in this State and workers extensive services get, the heavily reduced prices for new cars and auto insurance. In the meantime, the UAW has pain remind workers, the Nissan released a single hourly employee store in the United States has not since establishment

In a statement, UAW President King also complained, that the carmaker is not only to make his point attempts but workers subjected to has his anti-Union message to extensive "interrogations" and daily sessions more - the company calculates negative.

If there is something that could work in favor of the Union the bones tiring schedule workers, especially since both Nissan workers in Canton and Smyrna ramp-up production of the all-new Altima are 2013 subject to - the company believes that it can enter large mid-sized sedan and long-time head of the Toyota Camry to overturn the high-profile leadership in the segment.

While the start of production at the Smyrna Plant last month, Bill Krueger, Deputy Chairman of the Nissan Americas, played, the burden when it comes to adding a new third layer. "It allows us to our work force (in Smyrna) with 11 and 12-hour shifts, (no longer) burden" something he noticed results "in the factor fatigue.", if in the comprehensive extension for a continued time

In the early part of the 20th century, trade union leaders, to shed blood, often had to organize their efforts. First President of the UAW, Walter Reuther, was seriously injured during a battle with Ford Club on a transfer of the manufacturer's giant river Rouge complex leads.

There is little chance a similar confrontation with transplantation. But organizers expect union to shed their blood in their drive to store the UAW much sweat and tears, if not.