Toyota accused of unfair practices before Cambridge union vote

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Financial Post

Nicolas Van Praet, Financial Post

TORONTO -- The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers, trying to become the first union in Canada and the United States to win representation at a factory wholly owned by Toyota Motor Corp., said it filed unfair labour practice charges against the Japanese automaker for allegedly going too far in trying to persuade workers at its Cambridge, Ont. assembly plant not to unionize.

The complaint filed Monday to the Ontario Labour Relations Board alleges "that certain of Toyota's recent communications with employees have crossed the line set by the law, which prevents employers from intimidating and unduly influencing employees to vote against a union in a certification vote" expected March 20, the union said in a statement.

Toyota Canada has been distributing documents to employees at the Cambridge plant claiming workers will lose money if they join the union, machinists organizer Ian Morland said in an interview. The company also plastered ‘vote no' signs inside the plant on the weekend, he said.

Officials with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada declined to comment on the complaint. The company said last week it has been successful without a union and that its employees enjoy excellent compensation, benefits and job security.


Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=382042

[Selatius]

1. Toyota favors locating auto plants in "right-to-work" states because those laws often cripple unions

Wages and benefits are lower, and that translates out into lower labor costs, which can lead to bigger dividends for the shareholders at the end of the year. In Japan, they can't do this to their own workers because of the industrial relations system put in place 40 years ago. If they did that, the deal between management and labor there would be off.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Oh, good grief!

So, if the employees enjoy excellent compensation, benefits and job security, then why do they want to unionize?

The only folks to possibly lose money would be the Toyota Motor Company...

:eyes:

[madrchsod]

3. joe gibbs racing runs toyota cars in the nascar series....

well joe was`t invited to the annual meet and greet in Detroit this year. toyota has pissed of a lot of teams because no one knows how many millions toyota has dumped into their nascar team. worse nascar gave toyota several advantages on head design that the steams that use us engine did`t get..

i wonder what the folks will think if toyota wins the auto workers union sponsored race at the michigan track....

[gulfcoastliberal]

4. K&R - Toyota uses the wal-mart labor relations model.

Wonder if they'll shut down the plant if the vote passes? That's what wal-mart did to one and only store that unionized (also was located in Canada).

[fujiyama]

5. The irony would be if this ended up bringing jobs to the US

Toyota has many of their plants down south for a reason. I know Toyota has locations in Mississippi and Kentucky. From what I've heard they pay relatively well (key word is relatively - and that too in a bad economy...), but these obviously aren't union jobs with the same benefits and protections the UAW offers.