Nissan's Canton, Miss. plant is hosting union leaders from around the globe.
Union influence is beginning to be felt in earnest across the south United States. Just days after the UAW opened a new Local at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama, a group of global union leaders are descending on Nissan’s plant in Canton, Mississippi, to meet with plant employees and community leaders.
The plan is to find out what the working conditions are like in the facility and investigate alleged violations of international standards at the plant. While there they’ll also meet with temporary workers employed by Kelly Services who help staff the plant.
The delegation is being led by Jyrki Raina, head of the IndustriALL Global Union, which is an international organization that represents more than 50 million workers in 140 countries. Some of those workers include including Nissan and Renault employees in other countries. Raina is being accompanied by representatives of auto unions from six countries including Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Brazil and South Africa.
The UAW, which also has been attempting to organize workers at the Canton plant for more than two years, is turning to other unions to help with the drive. The UAW has not yet asked for a vote at plant and has accused Nissan of using underhanded tactics to block the organizing effort.
Nissan has said on several occasions that its workers are well treated and properly compensated and there is no need for a third party inside the Canton plant. The delegation has requested to meet with Nissan North American management while in Mississippi. Last December, when IndustriALL affiliates met in Tokyo, a similar request to meet was made and denied.
The visit, according to pro-union activists working with the UAW, was organized to highlight Nissan’s violations of international labor rights standards.
(UAW secures Mercedes local unit. For more, Click Here.)
“For years, workers have weathered an environment of intimidation and implied threats from the company regarding the fundamental, internationally recognized human right to organize a union in the workplace,” the organizers said.
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The United Auto Workers has been leaning heavily on the support of foreign unions during its time setting up the locals at Mercedes as well as Local 42 at Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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On hand for the announcement in Alabama were officials of the German metal workers union, IG Metal. The German delegation, which actively campaigned on the UAW’s behalf, included the vice chairman of Daimler AG’s board of supervisors.
Dennis Williams, the UAW’s new president, has said he intends to build on the former President Bob King’s efforts to rebuild the UAW’s relations with other unions around the world and to press ahead with organizing drivers in the South.