Autoblog

Could Michigan going "Right To Work" status revitalize its auto production?

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, UAW/Unions

The Midwest has lately been at the center of battles between unions and the politicians contesting them, and the union side hasn't been doing so well. Michigan is the latest rust-belt state to lob a legislative grenade into union ranks, the state governor signing two right-to-work bills that prohibit mandatory union dues in the state's workplaces.

Some context: This isn't like Indiana or Wisconsin, two other nearby states that have recently waged government vs. union battles (unions lost in both states), Michigan is a marquee union haven. It is the birthplace of the United Auto Workers, the richest union in the nation, and has ties to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters that still make front page news. It has the fifth-highest union membership of any state, but it has the greatest number of union members by percentage of the population. And as for that fifth-placed membership placing, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2011 the states ahead of Michigan were New York, Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington.

Reaction from union representatives and supporters has, naturally, been damning. More than 12,000 people from Michigan and surrounding states marched outside the state Capitol, the Teamsters president called the bill "shameful" and "divisive," and 260 teachers - members of another powerful union - called in sick on the say of the vote.

Reaction from outside the unions has been mixed: The hope is that the legislation will give Michigan a better chance to compete for corporate dollars now that the specter of compulsory unionization has been removed. But it doesn't change existing union contracts - the current UAW labor agreement with the Big Three expires in 2015 - and it doesn't stop attempts to unionize. Michigan also has other issues like its tax on manufacturing equipment that make it an expensive place to do business. No one is expecting cash to suddenly be funneled back into Michigan in ways it hasn't been for decades, and it will take a few years to gauge the results. The narrative, rather, seems to be more about the future of unions and the momentum turning even more forcefully against them, as opposed to a sudden revival of Michigan's fortunes because of the legislation.

Could Michigan going "Right To Work" status revitalize its auto production? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UAW's King upset with Chrysler plan to buy non-union transporters

Chris Shunk — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Chrysler, UAW/Unions

Chrysler has had its fair share of troubles with transport companies of late, but a reported plan to switch to non-union delivery could make for even more labor headaches down the road. Bloomberg reports that United Auto Workers boss Bob King will stand behind the Teamsters in the event Chrysler attempts to eliminate one of the country's longest-standing unions from its car delivery business. King spoke to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at their Las Vegas convention last month, telling the crowd that Chrysler was planning to buy $5 million worth of transport trucks to give to a non-union company. King then went on to assure the Teamsters that the UAW was behind them, adding "We're going to fight together to make that 100 percent union, 100 percent Teamster."

While automakers rarely (if ever) look for union troubles, this potential rift could have especially bad timing. Chrysler and other domestic automakers enter talks with the UAW on a new labor contract later this month. The new contracts will be the first since General Motors and Chrysler exited bankruptcy and the UAW is expected to try to win back some concessions made over the past few years.

UAW's King upset with Chrysler plan to buy non-union transporters originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teamsters fire up website to protest BMW, prepare to picket dealers

Aaron Richardson — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Videos, BMW, UAW/Unions, Luxury

Ontario, California's Local 495 chapter of the Teamsters union has taken aim at BMW to protest the company's outsourcing of 100 distribution center jobs. Like every large company, BMW is looking for ways to save money in lean times, and laying off unionized workers is an easy way to do that.

Still, it leaves 100 guys, all of whom have been on the job at least 10 years, without a source of income and up against stacks of bills. To protest, Local 495 set up BMWUltimateMisery.com, depicting an evil, flesh-eating 6 Series threatening a family of workers. On the site, the Teamsters have aggregated headlines and videos relating to their plight.

To augment the website, they've started picketing BMW dealerships and posting videos to Vimeo saying why they're angry and what they want done about it. We'll leave that for you to figure out by watching the video after the jump. While this is certainly a well-organized protest, we're going to go out on a limb and guess that BMW's mind remains made up. Video and press release are after the break.

Continue reading Teamsters fire up website to protest BMW, prepare to picket dealers

Teamsters fire up website to protest BMW, prepare to picket dealers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Truckers upset over LA 'clean rig' legislation ready to take fight to Supreme Court

Chris Shunk — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:40:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, UAW/Unions

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pushed his "Clean Truck Program" as a way to improve the air quality in and around the Port of Los Angeles. And while a cleaner air is in everyone's best interest, a Los Angeles Times report suggests that it could be truckers who are left holding the short end of the stick. Semi drivers have been encouraged to replace their beat-up, high pollution diesel rigs for much newer trucks with particulate filters that trap harmful gasses before they ever reach the atmosphere.

But while the new trucks are most definitely cleaner, they're also far more expensive; often costing over $100,000 each. Truckers are leasing the vehicles from the trucking companies for over $1,000 per month, and they also have to spring for fuel and insurance and maintenance costs are said to have risen. Some drivers say that they have been driven to sleep in their rigs at night to save time and increase earning, and even after that after paying for the bills, wages can be as low as $7 per hour.

Trucking companies say that the drivers aren't faring nearly as poorly as advertised, and they counter that the Clean Truck Program's real aim was to unionize the drivers. According to the LAT, that was actually supposed to be part of the plan, as Mayor Villaraigosa intended for truckers to give up on being independent contractors in favor of becoming employees of the trucking company. Teamsters President James P. Hoffa justifies unionizing the employees, adding that the drivers are "slaves" to their rigs. Meanwhile, the trucking companies have taken the government to court in an effort keep the the city from forcing the companies to hire on the workers with benefits including health care. The industry promises to continue to fight hiring the thousands of port workers even if the case needs to go to the Supreme Court.

We're not experts on government law or unionization, but it sounds suspiciously like the city of Los Angeles chose to draft and enforce new trucking laws without working closely enough with the companies that would end up footing the bill. The good news is that the air in L.A. appears to be a bit clearer, but the bad news is that the truckers appear to be the ones making the sacrifices.

[Source: Los Angeles Times | Image: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty]

Report: Truckers upset over LA 'clean rig' legislation ready to take fight to Supreme Court originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: UAW, Teamsters plan D.C. rally against Toyota over NUMMI plant closing

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:27:00 EST

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Recalls, Toyota, UAW/Unions

How much Toyota news can you take in one week? Put another way, how much negative press can Toyota absorb? First there was the massive recall, then there was the sales and manufacturing freeze. And now there's ~~this~~ this: The UAW and the Teamsters are planning to rally outside the Japanese Embassy in Washington D.C. and accuse the world's largest automaker of being, "a danger to America."

This might sound like the plot of a James Ellroy novel to some, but here's the interesting/crazy part. The UAW/Teamsters alliance is not protesting ToMoCo because of the manufacturer's gas pedal woes. The two unions are rallying because Toyota is shutting down the New United Motors Manufacturing (NUMMI) assembly plant in Fremont, CA. Here's what the UAW/Teamsters are saying:

[The NUMMI closure] will mean a loss of 5,400 direct jobs and up to 50,000 jobs at suppliers and other supporting businesses. This would be the biggest factory layoff in California since the beginning of the recession. Toyota is also endangering 5,000 middle-class jobs in the car haul industry.

What's a little curious to us is the timing. While the planned protest ostensibly has nothing to do with Gas PedalGate, the timing really is suspicious. Sort of a kick 'em while they're down situation. After all, we've all know about NUMMI's fate for many months. Why this week? Anyone else get the feeling that somewhere, somehow Jimmy Hoffa is smiling?

[Source: Detroit Free Press | Image: Getty]

Report: UAW, Teamsters plan D.C. rally against Toyota over NUMMI plant closing originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teamsters strike against nation's No. 2 car hauler over wages

Michael Harley — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: UAW/Unions

Performance Transportation Services (PTS), the second largest car hauler in the United States, is being hit by a strike from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The walkout began this morning after a bankruptcy court granted PTS permission for a 15-percent emergency pay cut to the workers.

The Michigan-based transport company has been in trouble for years. Once hired to move upwards of 2.7 million vehicles per year, including 10,400 vehicles per day for General Motors, PTS filed for bankruptcy protection in 2006 and in 2007. Now, with the automotive industry in a slowdown and diesel fuel prices skyrocketing, it needs wage concessions to remain afloat. Without any proposal on the table, the Teamsters walked off their jobs at 24 different facilities this morning. Both Ford and General Motors, who count themselves as clients of PTS, have said publicly that the strike won't immediately affect their shipments of vehicles across the country. PTS also handles some shipments for Toyota and other automakers, all of whom are working on contingency plans in case the strike goes on indefinitely.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Teamsters strike against nation's No. 2 car hauler over wages originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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