Toyota Unionization

[M.Dancer]

It's the third attempt this decade by unions to organize the Toyota plant, which employs more than 4,000 people, some of whom will transfer to a new assembly operation being constructed in Woodstock, Ont., that is scheduled to begin production later this year.

The Canadian Auto Workers union has made two unsuccessful attempts to organize Toyota this decade.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...Story/Business/

It concluded with some very agrresive tactics by the Union who manned "information posts" at the gates to the plant and slowed traffic going in and out as they handed out tracts to employees as well as phoning employees at home....

I won't say those are intimidation tactics....but if you're at dinner and the phone rings and some anonymous chap is telling you all your team members want you to sign....

Anyway, they fell far short of getting 40% ....mainly because their package is currently better than the other car plants in Canada and is still 100% union due free...

[guyser]

It concluded with some very agrresive tactics by the Union who manned "information posts" at the gates to the plant and slowed traffic going in and out as they handed out tracts to employees as well as phoning employees at home....

I won't say those are intimidation tactics....but if you're at dinner and the phone rings and some anonymous chap is telling you all your team members want you to sign....

Anyway, they fell far short of getting 40% ....mainly because their package is currently better than the other car plants in Canada and is still 100% union due free...

Do you think the strongarm tactics backfired or just that the package didnt improve their lot?

Good for Toyota workers anyhow.

[M.Dancer]

Do you think the strongarm tactics backfired or just that the package didnt improve their lot?

Good for Toyota workers anyhow.

Those tactics are normal SOP with ratification drives. I'm sure they got some poeple to sign that way and I'm sure some also thought that having a union wouldn't hurt them. But in the end they know that being non unionized is an advantage that Toyota sees as a reason why the plant is there to begin with, and that Toyota as an employer goes the extra mile for their staff.

They also expect more from their staff which some don't like. Instead of getting promotions and perqe based on seniority, they do it on merit. Those who put in more hours or work harder are recognised and rewarded...so you can see how that would irk some.

[margrace]

Yes my sonl told about how frightening it was to have the union people at the gate of Honda but he later found out he should have listened to them. His saving grace was that after a perfect record and lots of good reports, when he got sick they fired him with nothing after working twelve years. Well he didn't have any dependants to worry about or big bills, he's a pretty smart guy, he kept every paper he ever got from them and he took them to court and won. Of coarse he had to sign an agreement not to talk about his settlement, they settled out of court.

[M.Dancer]

Yes my sonl told about how frightening it was to have the union people at the gate of Honda but he later found out he should have listened to them. His saving grace was that after a perfect record and lots of good reports, when he got sick they fired him with nothing after working twelve years. Well he didn't have any dependants to worry about or big bills, he's a pretty smart guy, he kept every paper he ever got from them and he took them to court and won. Of coarse he had to sign an agreement not to talk about his settlement, they settled out of court.

Of course....

[guyser]

They also expect more from their staff which some don't like. Instead of getting promotions and perqe based on seniority, they do it on merit. Those who put in more hours or work harder are recognised and rewarded...so you can see how that would irk some.

Oh dont I know.

Worked for the post office one christmas season during university days. I worked hard and fast, and caught major shite for it. Slow down, you are making us look bad. Even my supervisor got into it..."you drove here didnt you? They know where your car is parked". Pathetic unions.

[Sean Hayward]

The Toyota workers have seen why they have jobs and, to an increasing degree, the (former) Ford/GM/Chrysler workers don't. The unions have served to speed up the decline of the auto industry in North America. Every time they secure a concession from the corporations, they put another nail in those companies' collective coffin.

[Alta4ever]

Yes my sonl told about how frightening it was to have the union people at the gate of Honda but he later found out he should have listened to them. His saving grace was that after a perfect record and lots of good reports, when he got sick they fired him with nothing after working twelve years. Well he didn't have any dependants to worry about or big bills, he's a pretty smart guy, he kept every paper he ever got from them and he took them to court and won. Of coarse he had to sign an agreement not to talk about his settlement, they settled out of court.

I'm sure your son didn't gert fired because he was sick. That would be illegal in todays labour laws.

Unions are no longer needed with the labour laws we have in place today.

Edited March 25, 2008 by Alta4ever

[Sean Hayward]

I'm sure your son didn't gert fired because he was sick. That would be illegal in todays labour laws.

Unions are no longer needed with the labour laws we have in place today.

Exactly. Labour laws and unions are both serving the same purpose, protecting the workers. It is redundant to have both in our society.

[AngusThermopyle]

I'm sure your son didn't gert fired because he was sick. That would be illegal in todays labour laws.

Cant really say I'm sure but it does sound very unlikely. He worked at the Alliston plant, right? Thats the plant I worked at and I must say that Honda treats their employees quite well, hence no union yet.

[margrace]

I'm sure your son didn't gert fired because he was sick. That would be illegal in todays labour laws.

Unions are no longer needed with the labour laws we have in place today.

Oh but he was fired because he was sick. They made a big mistake, the lady who made the decision lost her job. He was under the care of two doctors who were more than willing to testify for him. This was my point, they broke the labout laws and my son found out that there were a few other lawsuits against them. That 's why they paid up in the end.

My son could afford to fight them lots of others can't afford the lawyer.

[margrace]

Cant really say I'm sure but it does sound very unlikely. He worked at the Alliston plant, right? Thats the plant I worked at and I must say that Honda treats their employees quite well, hence no union yet.

My son had all his work related information and they planned on promoting him, thats why he was so surprised at what happened. A few others were in the same boat. They probably are a little more careful of who they plan to get rid of.

Thats why all the ordinary plant workers are under contract now. The only ones not under that were probably hired long before.

Edited March 25, 2008 by margrace

[blueblood]

What's the big deal, if the Honda and Toyota plant workers don't want a union the union should butt out, I thought that's why the employees work there instead of the big three. If workers want the union, go work for the big three. If Honda or Toyota gets unionized, I can see those plants going to Mexico pretty fast.

[blueblood]

Oh dont I know.

Worked for the post office one christmas season during university days. I worked hard and fast, and caught major shite for it. Slow down, you are making us look bad. Even my supervisor got into it..."you drove here didnt you? They know where your car is parked". Pathetic unions.

Imagine of police forces became unionized...

[Alta4ever]

Oh but he was fired because he was sick. They made a big mistake, the lady who made the decision lost her job. He was under the care of two doctors who were more than willing to testify for him. This was my point, they broke the labout laws and my son found out that there were a few other lawsuits against them. That 's why they paid up in the end.

My son could afford to fight them lots of others can't afford the lawyer.

Those who have a good case will be taken on retainer, by lawyers. It sounds like the laws put in place protected him, as he got a settlement. I bet this solution was a lot cheaper that all the union dues that your son would have paid over his years of employment.

[pfezziwig]

Imagine that, employees decide not to follow a union that is primarily responsible for Ford and GM's demise the last 10 years.

Everyone knows they drove those companies into the ground with their 'tough' tactics and high demands, they're too good for their own good.

The union needs to recoup some members after causing thousands to get laid off, fortuntely the Toyota employees can see through their B.S.

[M.Dancer]

Imagine that, employees decide not to follow a union that is primarily responsible for Ford and GM's demise the last 10 years.

Everyone knows they drove those companies into the ground with their 'tough' tactics and high demands, they're too good for their own good.

The union needs to recoup some members after causing thousands to get laid off, fortuntely the Toyota employees can see through their B.S.

I wouldn't put all the blame for the Big 3's slump on the unions. Management bears a huge repsonsibility for producing cars that don't sell.

[Alta4ever]

I wouldn't put all the blame for the Big 3's slump on the unions. Management bears a huge repsonsibility for producing cars that don't sell.

They seem to sell just fine out here, there are many domestics on the road, but there are people waking up to this, I just bought a new toyota last week, because they aren't Unionized. I have never owned anything but GM before, but I will not support any CAW unionized plant anymore.

[BubberMiley]

Imagine of police forces became unionized...

Yes, just imagine. It would be present-day reality.

[Topaz]

What's the big deal, if the Honda and Toyota plant workers don't want a union the union should butt out, I thought that's why the employees work there instead of the big three. If workers want the union, go work for the big three. If Honda or Toyota gets unionized, I can see those plants going to Mexico pretty fast.

Come on now, would YOU buy a Honda or Toyota that was built in Mexico? I sure wouldn`t! Its junk they produce down there. The people are paid 3.00-4.00hrly and that is why companies are going down there. I`ve known people who have bought cars and freezers and other stuff from Mexico and it falls apart in a very short time. I always asked where the car is made before buying!

[bush_cheney2004]

Come on now, would YOU buy a Honda or Toyota that was built in Mexico? I sure wouldn`t! Its junk they produce down there....

Really? I think that's racist nonsense. Like saying the same thing about buying autos made in Canada. The world's auto manufacturers probably know better than you, and the number of plants in Mexico is growing.

Vote Union NO.

[Drea]

Hey I'd buy a Volkswagen Beetle (the old kind still made in Mexico) if I could get my hands on one. Great little cars that one can work on themselves.

That's the problem with today's cars -- something goes wrong and you have no choice but to take it to an expert. Used to be one could fix a car with bindertwine and duct tape. And if our computer "grid" ever goes down there will be a lot of vehicles out of commission. Everyone should have an old non-computerized beater in the yard for that reason.

[Blur]

but I will not support any CAW unionized plant anymore.

I like this. I am in.

[M.Dancer]

Used to be one could fix a car with bindertwine and duct tape. And if our computer "grid" ever goes down there will be a lot of vehicles out of commission. Everyone should have an old non-computerized beater in the yard for that reason.

This is true...unfortunately (or fortunately) todays low emissions require a high level of technology.

I used to own a block of lead. A panel man would used it to fix a dent in your car. Now you replace the entire panel. Again this is about milage and low emmisions. The steel in the car from the 60s weighs ten times more than the plastic used today.

[sideshow]

The reason Toyota treats their workers so good is to keep unions out. So indirectly/directly, the toyota workers receive higher remuneration for their labours/better treatment, because of the caw. This is true in most industries where the non unionized companies must compete for labour with unionized employers. Workers will always choose the better work environment to expend their labour, so non unionized companies have to be competitive with the unionized ones.

The argument of not needing unions because we have labour laws is rubbish. First off, labour laws vary from province to province, and for those in the federal section (ie. cross border transport, banks, etc.). Second, labour laws are relatively weak in many areas, and collective bargaining agreements generally bargain "rules" and "laws" above the minimum standard required by the legislation.

For the writer that mentioned "Imagine of police forces became unionized...", do your homework. Other then the RCMP who are not unionized (and cannot be due to a supreme court decision), most police agencies are unionized. But, like firefighters, paramedics, etc., they fall under essential services legislation (in almost every jurisdiction) which takes away the right to strike (ie. withhold their labour services to pressure the corporation, ie. government to meet their bargaining demands) but affords them final arbitration bargaining. Its deemed a fair trade off.

And if anyone makes a decision to purchase or not to purchase a product due to the fact that a company is unionized that is their perogative. A stupid one in my opinion as i look for the best product for the best price, but just like we have tree huggers and whale lovers, we also have right wing hacks that make their decisions based on ideology rather then common sense.

On the lighter side.....

One morning a blind bunny was hopping down the bunny trail and tripped

over a large snake and fell, kerplop right on his twitchy little nose.

'Oh please excuse me,' said the bunny. 'I didn't mean to trip over you,

but I'm blind and can't see.'

'That's perfectly all right,' replied the snake. 'To be sure, it was my

fault.. I didn't mean to trip you, but I'm blind too, and I didn't see

you coming. By the way, what kind of animal are you?'

'Well, I really don't know,' said the bunny. 'I'm blind, and I've never

seen myself. Maybe you could examine me and find out.'

So the snake felt the bunny all over, and he said, 'Well, you're soft,

and cuddly, and you have long silky ears, and a little fluffy tail and

a dear twitchy little nose. You must be a bunny rabbit!'

The bunny said, 'I can't thank you enough. But by the way, what kind of

animal are you?'

The snake replied that he didn't know either, and the bunny agreed to

examine him, and when the bunny was finished, the snake asked, 'Well,

what kind of an animal am I?'

The bunny had felt the snake all over, and he replied, 'You're cold,

you're slippery, and you haven't got any balls...You must be a

defence lawyer.