John McElroy, pundit for the auto industry, has an interesting piece about the chances of the United Auto Workers (UAW) to overcome decades of declining membership. Among some of the facts in the article:
• The UAW currently has 350,000 active members and 600,000 retirees (wow – how will they continue to fund those pension/retirement/health benefits?). • The UAW will not grow substantially without organizing foreign automakers and parts suppliers. • The UAW now faces competition from other unions for auto industry workers (Teamsters, Steelworkers, and Electrical Workers have all entered the fray). • The UAW (and all of Big Labor) has a friend in the White House. Among those items bordering on wishful thinking: • The UAW will experience some growth simply because the American auto industry is currently operating at the lowest levels ever, and an economic rebound will soon give rise to the need for expansion. (At this point, recovery is anybody’s guess). • The UAW could make inroads with older Toyota factory workers who are concerned about retirement (average age is now 43).
Although the past several leaders of the UAW had pledged themselves to grow their membership (to no avail), McElroy posits that current union president Bob King understands how vital this objective is to the very survival of the union. McElroy sums up succinctly, “the union is desperately aware that this is its last chance,” and proposes, “If the UAW were able to crack even one of the transplants, chances are that it would have a good chance at organizing all of them. After that, getting the suppliers to fall in line would be fairly easy to achieve. And that could easily double the UAW’s membership.” Nothing like a little fantasizing to keep one’s hopes alive.
