The United Auto Workers, after years of trying to unionize workers at Canton’s Nissan plant, is now shifting its strategy. It is going international in its concern about conditions at Nissan’s Mississippi plant. The Detroit-based union filed cases against Renault France, which has a strategic alliance with Nissan, and against the joint corporation. The complaint was filed with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, an international non-governmental organization whose members share data about trade and economic development. Its members, which include the United States, account for 63 percent the world’s gross national product. In a European press release, the UAW stated that the union is asking the OECD support it in putting an end to “the systematic, long-standing and serious violations of labour rights that have been occurring at Nissan North America Inc.’s plant in Canton Mississippi.” In a press release, Gary Casteel, Secretary-Treasurer of the UAW and Director of the Transnational Department, stated that “The Renault-Nissan Alliance’s repeated failures in order to address the serious workers’ rights and civil rights violationss in Mississippi are deeply troubling for the UAW and workers’ allies in the U.S.A and around the globe.” This is a major shift in UAW strategy. The UAW released a 2013 report detailing its grievances. It includes the large number of workers who are hired by lower-paying temporary-employment companies instead of directly from Nissan. According to them, temporary workers are paid on average $12 an hour and have few opportunities to increase their wages compared with top-level Nissan workers who make more than $23. The Canton facility management is also accused of not responding to concerns about safety and health at the plant. Morris Mock, a Canton plant paint technician and direct Nissan employee, stated that management’s motto is “Run the Line, Run the Line, Run the Line.” Mock is often quoted in the media praising the working conditions at the plant. He said that workers are frequently injured but they are afraid to inform the in-house medical team. Mock stated that workers are concerned about safety and ergonomics and asked for them to “fix the things that are broken” and do so in a prompt manner. Nissan refused an offer by the U.S. State Department in February 2015 to mediate the ongoing UAW dispute. It explained to Reuters that “long-established guidelines” for bringing a vote to a union election were already in place. In its latest complaint, the union asked the OECD for a determination of whether Renault, Nissan, and their joint partnership, Renault-Nissan violated OECD guidelines regarding procedures for resolving disputes among corporations, trade unions, and individuals. Nissan responded to Mississippi Today with a corporate statement. It stated that the decision of whether to join a union is made by each employee. Nissan stated that it supports employees’ choice of who represents them. Nissan employees have secure jobs, great benefits, and a work environment that surpasses industry standards. We encourage you to support this work by making a regular donation today. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think. Republish this Story You can freely republish our articles online or in print under a Creative Commons licence. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. R.L. Mississippi Today, Nave
December 27, 2016, Ryan L. Nave was born in University City, Mo. and served as Mississippi Today’s editor,-in-chief, from May 2018 to April 2020. Ryan started his career at Mississippi Today in February 2016, as an original member on the editorial team. He was appointed news editor in August 2016. Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from University of Missouri-Columbia. He has previously worked as a news editor at the Jackson Free Press and for Illinois Times. Workers unhappy with the conditions at Nissan can always seek work elsewhere._x000D
Nissan Canton offers some of the most low-skill/no skill jobs in Jackson Metro. Mississippi is, for better or worse. The labor union will eventually drive Nissan out of Mississippi. LB You must love the race down! This company, like all others, would be without workers. Companies must consider the safety and health of their workers first, otherwise we won’t have them. It is not fashionable to murder, starve or mutilate workers in order to make huge profits.