The
Canadian Auto Workers union has been defeated in its attempt to organise Toyota
Motor Corp.’s Canadian assembly plant but has vowed to continue the battle.
The CAW has withdrawn its demand that votes cast by workers at Toyota Motor
Manufacturing Canada Inc. be counted to determine whether it won its fight to
bring about 2,500 workers, and the first plant wholly-owned by a Japan-based
vehicle brand, under the union’s umbrella.
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Workers cast votes for and against the union on July 6 and 7 but the ballot
boxes were sealed pending the settlement of a dispute between the union and
the car maker about how many people were in the bargaining unit.
Toyota Motor Canada argued that the union had not even signed up 40% of the
work force, a necessary condition before a vote.
The Ontario Labour Relations Board allowed the vote to go ahead, but ordered
the ballots sealed until it heard arguments on the number of people in the bargaining
unit.
The company argued that it was more than 2,500, while the union claimed the
number of the people in the unit was closer to 1,900.
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By GlobalData“Even if the disputed classifications of team leaders and students were
excluded, it was clear that the CAW did not have the required 40% membership
evidence in order to count the ballots cast,’ the union said in a statement.
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It has asked the labour board to withdraw its request that the votes be counted.
That decision effectively ends this round in the battle by CAW, and its U.S.
counterpart the United Auto Workers union, to organise North American plants
of the three biggest Japanese vehicle makers with assembly operations in the
U.S. and Canada -Toyota, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
Neither union has been successful yet at any of those car makers, although
the UAW represents workers at the Toyota-General Motors Corp. NUMMI joint venture
in Fresno, California, while the CAW represents workers at the GM-Suzuki Motor
Co. Ltd. CAMI joint venture in Ontario.
Under Ontario labour law, the union can continue to try to sign up workers
at the Toyota plant which is in Cambridge, about 60 miles (100 kilometres) west
of Toronto, but it can’t call for another vote on unionisation for another year.
To be certified as the bargaining agent for the workers, the union would have
needed to gain the support of 50% of the workers who cast ballots.
Hemi Mitic, an assistant to CAW president Buzz Hargrove refused to describe
the CAW’s defeat as a setback for efforts to organise workers at the non-Big
Three auto makers and vowed to continue the fight.
“We were within striking distance,’ he said. “Those workers
certainly need to have representation.’
Toyota Motor Canada spokesman Greig Mordue said the company is pleased that
the union finally recognised that Toyota was correct in arguing that the union
had not signed up 40% of the workers.
“It’s been a bit of disruption but now we can concentrate on what we’re
best at and that’s building cars,’ Mordue said.
The Toyota plant, which makes Corolla compact sedans and Camry Solara coupes,
recently won the North American gold plant award for quality as measured by
new vehicle owners responding to a survey by consulting firm J.D. Power and
Associates.
The quality of its products and work force has also been recognised by its
parent company in Japan, which awarded a contract to assemble the Lexus RX300
(Toyota Harrier) sport utility vehicle. It will be the first plant outside Japan
to assemble vehicles that have become the benchmark for quality in the Toyota
fleet.
A $C650-million expansion is under way for the project and assembly begins in
2003.
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