Newly-elected UAW president Bob King revealed his union’s next war as he declared, “We’re going to pound on Toyota.” King called on UAW members to picket Toyota dealerships. Toyota had recently closed down a co-production facility it operated with GM in California, and announced it would shift production of the Corolla to a new plant in Mississippi. The UAW doesn’t have much of a track record with the Asian auto-makers. Its five major efforts to date against both Toyota and Nissan have all been failures – in fact the UAW has never organized an auto factory beyond the domestic Big Three. The Association of International Auto Dealers took King to task for his strategy.
“Attacking small businesses won’t help Mr. King build back UAW membership,” said AIADA President Cody Lusk. “If he wants to pressure the 28,000 workers at Toyota’s U.S. manufacturing plants to unionize, he should consider some other method than hindering business at a randomly chosen Toyota dealership. A picket line will only hurt the dealership, its employees, and the community it serves. An assault on America’s auto retail industry will only serve to highlight the disconnect between the UAW and reality.”
