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The United Auto Workers is accusing foreign automakers Honda, Hyundai and Volkswagen of labor violations at U.S. plants where the union is trying to organize to expand its membership following its strike against the Big Three in Detroit.
In a news release, the union said workers at a Honda plant in Indiana, a Hyundai plant in Alabama and a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board against their respective employers' management for “illegal union busting.” “
United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain speaks to the crowd during a UAW rally in Detroit, Michigan, USA, Friday, September 15, 2023. The United Auto Workers won record contracts this year from Ford, General, Engines and Stellantis after… (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“These companies are breaking the law to make autoworkers sit down and shut up instead of fighting for their fair share,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement. “But these workers are showing management that they will not be intimidated to express their right to organize for a better life. From Honda to Hyundai to Volkswagen and beyond, we have your back. The auto industry’s record profits should mean record contracts for these workers too.”
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The UAW said Honda employees seeking to organize at the company's Indiana auto plant in Greensburg report being “targeted by management for pro-union activities” at the shop, where the labor organization says hundreds of workers have signed union cards monitored”.
A Honda logo is seen during the New York International Auto Show in Manhattan, New York City, United States, April 5, 2023. (Portal/David 'Dee' Delgado/File Photo / Portal Photos)
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMC | HONDA MOTOR CO. LTD. | 30.52 | -0.33 | -1.07% |
Honda denied the claims in a statement, saying: “Honda encourages our employees to get involved and seek information on this issue. We have not and would not interfere with our employees’ right to engage in activities to support or combat the UAW.”
According to the UAW, management at Hyundai's Montgomery plant in Alabama “unlawfully confiscated, destroyed, and banned pro-union materials in non-work areas and during non-work hours.”
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The union cited one worker who claimed a manager told her to stop handing out union fliers in the facility's parking lot, and another accused a group leader of throwing away union fliers the worker had on a table in a break room.
Hyundai's first assembly and manufacturing plant in the United States is located just outside of Montgomery, Alabama (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images / Getty Images)
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HYMTF | HYUNDAI MOTOR CO. LTD. | 41.75 | +1.95 | +4.90% |
“Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama team members may choose whether or not to join a union based on their legal rights, and this has been the case since our factory opened in 2005,” Hyundai responded in response to the claims. “The union’s description of events in its press release does not provide an accurate picture, and we look forward to being given a fair opportunity to present the facts through our participation in the legal process.”
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The UAW made similar allegations against Volkswagen, saying management at the company's Tennessee plant in Chattanooga destroyed pro-union materials that were in a break room and security guards prevented a group from handing out union flyers to co-workers as they walked into the Import the factory.
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VWAGY | VOLKSWAGEN AG | 13,395 | +0.06 | +0.41% |
Volkswagen did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.