(News Analysis)
In a desperate final attempt to coerce Mississippi auto workers to unionize, the UAW has filed a complaint with federal labor regulators in the hopes of overturning the results of last weekend’s overwhelming defeat. In other words, the union was squarely defeated but refuses to accept the results.
Related: Bernie Sanders and Labor Unions Descend on Mississippi – Will Alabama Be Next?
As we recently reported, after months of campaigning to unionize a Mississippi Nissan plant, the workers spoke loud and clear with a lopsided vote of 2,244 to 1,307 that said no to the UAW in Mississippi. This is important to Alabama because once the unions gain a foothold, dominoes start to fall.
At the time many believed the no vote would be the final death blow in UAW’s attempt to unionize southeastern auto plants. However, the recent complaint, which challenges the veracity of the ballot, shows UAW’s unwillingness to accept the decisions of the workers they claim to defend.
The union’s account of their defeat rests solely on the theory that Nissan manipulated election results through scare tactics, misinformation and the intimidation of their workers. But instead of presenting these allegations to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) before the vote took place, UAW chose to wait until after workers had made their decision.
Speaking of the recent victory, a Nissan spokesman said,
“We’re happy to see that our employees have rejected the UAW. The results spoke loud and clear on Friday. The vast majority of our employees have chosen to work directly with the company. . . Our hope is the UAW would honor the results.”
In opposition of the complaint filed by UAW, Nissan has retained a law firm with the sole purpose of defending itself from UAW’s accusations.
