Toyota Responds To Union Talk With "Get The Facts Straight" Campaign,

Interviewing for a human-resources job, Gritton went through the entire interview without one word ever being mentioned.

Union.

Today, Gritton is vice president of human resources at Toyota's North American manufacturing and research offices in Erlanger, and he hears the word "union" a lot more often.

About 60 miles south in Georgetown, Ky., at Toyota's biggest North American assembly plant, the United Auto Workers has been trying to organize workers into a union for years. It's still trying, holding public forums where workers have complained about injuries and other mistreatment. In press releases, the UAW says Toyota "fails at health and safety, relies heavily on low-paid temporary workers and has a plan to reduce wages and benefits."

In Erlanger, the company is responding with a "get-the-facts-straight campaign," Gritton says.


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Will_ - 7/23/2007 12:26:45 PM

+3 Boost

Hey look Bobbie, another thread for you to express your undying love, disguised as hate for Toyota!

EL34 - 7/23/2007 1:10:49 PM

-1 Boost

Lexus too!

Anti_Bangle - 7/23/2007 1:06:53 PM

+8 Boost

Toyota must fend off UAW at any cost. If not, UAW will drag it down like the way they did to the Big3.

toolatetorace - 7/23/2007 11:07:01 PM

-2 Boost

I hope they do get unionized . That will level out the palying field . I'm getting tired of hearing this BS about Toytie not being able to afford the wages they are paying now and in the future for the Kentucky plant while they are getting more and more market share . They are getting to be just like Wal Mart . They want all the money. It's bad enough that the pile of money that Wally World in Bensonville AK. is piled higher than trash in a landfill. Now,lets take the boatloads of money that Toytie is making and sending home to their mother country faster than oil tankers can bring oil over here and its not hard to figure out what's happening to our economy

r_driver04 - 7/24/2007 10:03:53 AM

+1 Boost

Explain why the Big 3 pay their "union" workers more $$ for lesser products. That's what's wrong with our society today. Let us pay you 10 times what your actually worth.

soopakrn - 7/23/2007 3:50:19 PM

+4 Boost

Many people who are in the unions think that they are getting something great out of it. But the truth of the matter is that unions do nothing more than harm the economy.

OneOfOne - 7/23/2007 7:19:53 PM

+1 Boost

as a person who works in a factory that is unionized there is little benefit to a union IF management is as enlightened as toyota management clearly is. aside from the pathetic liberals in the united states no one believes that unions are about protecting workers and worker ideals. unions are about getting money from workers and using it for their self perpetuating gain including their own existence. unions provide NO benefit for ANY company they are in and little benefit for workers within those companies. you can look that up.

woood - 7/23/2007 7:40:15 PM

+2 Boost

It is very simple. If you don't like the working conditions, don't work there. If you think the pay is too little, resign and get another job. Why force your employer to give you more than what they want or is necessary. They did not set up the factory to support workers lives. They put up the factory so they can make money by building and selling cars. Its the way of the world.

XYZZ - 7/24/2007 9:02:39 AM

+1 Boost

well, in today's global economy, employees are available EVERYWHERE.

tax incentives are just to entice the companies to build in u.s., rather than canada or mexico. or even another state.

reality is, american states bid against each other for new asian plants. and countries sorta also 'bid' against each other with infrastructure, land, port facilities, and not least, LOSW COST labor.

XYZZ - 7/24/2007 9:07:57 AM

+1 Boost

LOW COST

XYZZ - 7/24/2007 9:12:39 AM

+1 Boost

whether they acknowledge it or not, workers are constantly in a bidding war. especially if they have no special training and skills.

IGNORING this fact, ultimately results in their not having jobs AT ALL.

sold2early - 7/24/2007 11:29:01 AM

0 Boost

There's always a small percentage of disgruntled workers at any company.

However, the vast majority of workers at the Toyota plants realize they have a good thing going and know that unions are the main reason why the Big 3 are in a death spiral.

If you want to compete in the global market with quality products, you can't be paying $100K+ per year for someone to plug in wiring harnesses.

XYZZ - 7/28/2007 3:28:13 AM

+1 Boost

it says a lot for our country, where UAW workers earn more than college professors!

is this any way to run a company? a country? (of course, with Dubya as Prez, that's "a statement" in itself!)