The United Autoworkers plans to take another run at the U.S. assembly plants of foreign automakers, beginning this month. UAW President Bob King was good enough to warn the CEOs of the automakers by letter, explaining that he wanted to organize their plants and “cooperate to improve performance.” Supposedly he could point to the debacle of the U.S. automaker bailouts as an example of “improved performance…?” King has not revealed who the first target will be, or how the CEOs responded. King released a document intended to be the roadmap for the organizing drive, titled “UAW Principles for Fair Union Elections.” The document outlines 11 ideals designed to give the union leverage in an organizing campaign. King hopes to persuade the automakers to abide by the “principles,” but if they don’t, he’s announced he’s willing to tap into the $800 million UAW strike reserves to fund the organizing effort, which he implies could get nasty. “We’ve really built up capacity to really take direct actions,” King boasted, and warned that for any manufactured who rebuffs their efforts “there will be strong and direct action from the UAW and our allies.” Among those allies aligning for the effort are Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Detroit bureau of the NAACP, and the Ohio-based Farm Labor Organizing Committee.
