Happy Labor Day!!
In Nissan’s “roundtable meetings,” where workers watch videos that ask and answer loaded questions about the UAW, the company is using the traditional argument: Union plants have closed while non-union plants have remained open. (The script doesn’t mention any other differences between the plants, such as age, product, or relative management competence.)
Big problem:
This is yet another slap in the face of working men and women by the Obama administration; the federal government is giving $1.6 Billion dollar technology loan to anti union Nissan Motor Co.-- to retool.. I believe it's their Smyrna, TN factory.
Nissan also has a factory in Mississippi. These factories are all in right to work (for less) states.
I'm not clear as to why a highley profitable company like Nissan needs our taxpayer dollars to retool their factories in anti-union states.
Sorry, folks, this is just beyond UNacceptable. The Obama administration, with these loans (probably low interest rate or none) is totally enabling the dumbing down of wages and benefits for U.S. workers-- by a large multi national corporation making Millions of dollars in profit per year. A $12.00 an hour a job in any of these southern right to work (for less) states is not going to lead to inclusion in the middle class. (unless your defintion of "middle class" is the same as the GOP's: you have a big screen TV and air-conditioning in your apartment).
The fact is the min wage should by now be well beyond $12.00 per hour (it has not been raised since 2007, in spite of Obama's campaign promise in 2008 to do so.. the min wage remains appallingly low). Thus the notion that $12.00 per hour at Nissan is a good thing is nonsense, totally absurd.
Regarding the notion that being a temp worker in a Nissan factory is a great thing.. or leads to a full time position:
Canton workers say the temps tend to be younger but work alongside them doing exactly the same jobs. The UAW points to public documents that Nissan files with the state, showing 3,439 direct hires and 941 contract employees as of July 2010. The company has told workers that all 1,000 new jobs this year will be temporary. Nissan workers say in eight years they have never seen a temp promoted to regular.
Huh? ALL 1,000 new jobs at the Mississippi plant will be temporary?? How convenient for Nissan!
This is WEAK, very weak.
A large profitable corporation paying dirt wages does not deserve nor are they entitled to millions of dollars of our tax money-- which does nothing but ensure they will continue to pay crappy wages.
FAIL. Total fail for the Obama adminstration on this one.
http://www.reuters.com/...
http://labornotes.org/...