Toyota refuses to meet with union activists

[Blue_Tires]

Source: Left Lane News

Executives at Toyota's Kentucky manufacturing plant say they have no intention of meeting with a Kentucky workers’ rights group that plans to call on them today to discuss worker issues. The labor group intends to deliver a list of proposals to senior Toyota management in an effort to correct what the group claims are worker problems at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky facility.

However, Toyota officials are reluctant to even speak with the labor group. “They sent us an electronic invitation to meet last Friday,” Toyota spokesman Rick Hesterberg said Monday. “We declined that invitation. But if they have recommendations or proposals for us, they can leave them here for us to review.”


The Georgetown plant is currently nonunion, but the UAW is trying to change that. According to Automotive News, in April, the UAW asked the Kentucky Workers Rights Board to investigate employee complaints about labor practices at the plant. The Workers Rights Board is a community group composed of 70 civic leaders, including religious leaders, elected officials and labor interests.

Read more: http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-refuses-to-meet-with-union-activists.html

[madrchsod]

1. from what i`ve heard where i used to work

the top tier management of toyota are assholes. course most top tier managers are. i hope the workers form a union...fuck toyota`s attitude

[november3rd]

2. Impeach Elain Chao, too!

They have to meet with the union. In fact, the current interpretation of the National Labor Relations Act is that the union doesn't even have to represent a majority of the workers--they can represent a small number who wish to bargain collectively--and the managers have to recognize them.

[Javaman]

3. Dang, didn't these guys watch "gung ho" that old Michael Keaton film???

That would fix everything!!!

[wordpix]

4. it isn't going to help Toyota's bottom line to get bad press like this

[LiberalFighter]

10. I doubt that Toyota would consider it bad press

[MethuenProgressive]

dupe pls delete

Edwards says he's the pro-union guy, so here's his chance to prove it.

[MethuenProgressive]

5. Which Dem candidate will be the first to back the workers?

Edwards says he's the pro-union guy, so here's his chance to prove it.

[JNelson6563]

7. I hope he does!

And that all the others do to!

Julie

[JNelson6563]

6. But I thought Toyota was so good to their workers!!

That's what so many "good Dems" here on on other Dem sites tell me all the time!

Yeah, Toyota may build here but they still don't provide for their workers like unionized companies do. Shame on them.

Julie

[amandabeech]

8. Toyota does not offer any group Medigap plan for its retirees.

Medicare doesn't do the trick, folks.

Once you retire from Toyota, you're on your own.

It lets Toyota compete easily with the traditional manufacturers here who do give great benefits to their retirees.

It's the same deal with the airlines. New start-ups offer few benefits, but the older "legacy" carriers used to.

I think that it's time to level the playing fields on benefits, either through taxation or regulation.

The churn and loss of institutional knowledge in our economy is partially a result of the lack of benefits offered at new companies.

You know that the taxpayers will end up picking up the bill in the long run, anyway.

[fujiyama]

9. Well that is the reason they moved south...

especially in a poor economy, that too in a region which offers few other relatively high paying jobs - they never really intended to allow unions.

After all, Toyota built a tech center here in MI and they are expanding...but why not build plants here as well? After all, we have a lot of laid off workers from many of the plants here...Simple, they decided to move to a "Right to Work" state, where it's non-unionized.