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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: robbie who wrote (85997)	11/24/2000 1:12:49 AM
From: Mr. Whist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Response to Robbie regarding unionization efforts at Toyota's Georgetown, Ky., plant: I read the article in one of the Cincy papers. Haven't read much about it lately, so I don't know where the organizing effort stands. I did a search and came up with this story. If memory serves me correct, not a whole lot was written about this. Perhaps the Herald-Leader and CJ chose not to cover the story. Headline: Auto union polls workers at Toyota plant May 2, 2000 By Ken Stammen Cincinnati Post staff reporter The United Auto Workers union has sent letters and surveys to workers at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky plant in Georgetown, Ky., to gauge their interest in being organized. A copy of a letter signed by top executives of the UAW as well as information about the union and a 24-question survey are posted on an Internet site maintained by a group of Toyota workers who want the UAW to organize the plant. ''Whether you respond and how you respond will play a critical role in helping determine whether it would be a responsible decision for the UAW to commit significant resources to supporting Toyota workers' efforts to organize,'' said the letter, which was signed by UAW President Stephen P. Yokich, Bob King, director of the UAW National Organizing Department, and Terry Thurman, director of UAW Region 3. A spokeswoman for Toyota's North American manufacturing headquarters in Erlanger, Ky., was unconcerned about the UAW letter on Monday. ''We're not surprised. We've been expecting that survey for weeks,'' spokeswoman Barbara McDaniel said. ''That's a strategy the UAW has used at other transplants where they haven't seen much interest.'' ''Transplant'' refers to Japanese-owned auto factories located in the United States. The UAW has been unsuccessful in organizing any transplant factories. A group of Toyota workers at Georgetown began a campaign to organize the 4,000 to 5,000 hourly workers there last August. Supporters of unionizing say that wages, disability benefits and pension benefits at Toyota trail those of UAW-organized auto workers at Ford and General Motors and that hourly workers have no voice in how the plant is run. Toyota argues that its wages and benefits are competitive with other automakers and that it favors an open, direct communication between management and its ''team members.'' TMMK employee George Clark, a leader of the pro-union efforts, said the UAW wanted to hear from 30 percent of hourly workers before it would distribute cards for a representation election. The UAW letter said ''a significant number of Toyota workers'' contacted the UAW about a union. It says visits to the pro-union Web site were up, although it didn't say many postings are anti-union.