Toyota accused of unfair practices before Cambridge union vote

According to the Financial Post:

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers, trying to become the first union in Canada and the United States to win representation at a factory wholly owned by Toyota Motor Corp., said it filed unfair labour practice charges against the Japanese automaker for allegedly going too far in trying to persuade workers at its Cambridge, Ont. assembly plant not to unionize.

The complaint filed Monday to the Ontario Labour Relations Board alleges "that certain of Toyota's recent communications with employees have crossed the line set by the law, which prevents employers from intimidating and unduly influencing employees to vote against a union in a certification vote" expected March 20, the union said in a statement.

Toyota Canada has been distributing documents to employees at the Cambridge plant claiming workers will lose money if they join the union, machinists organizer Ian Morland said in an interview. The company also plastered ‘vote no' signs inside the plant on the weekend, he said.

Officials with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada declined to comment on the complaint. The company said last week it has been successful without a union and that its employees enjoy excellent compensation, benefits and job security.

The machinists union filed a certification application with Ontario's Labour Relations Board last Thursday, saying enough Toyota Cambridge plant workers had signed union cards to force a vote on whether or not they want to be represented by the union.

Toyota faced a deadline of 5 p.m. Monday to file its response to that application, said Voy Stelmaszynski, a spokesman for the board. There is provisional agreement between the parties that the vote could happen on Thursday, he said. Toyota has said it plans to challenge the union's claim that it has signed up enough workers to force the vote. The results of the vote may be sealed while the disagreement is resolved.

The Canadian Auto Workers union has tried unsuccessfully several times to organize the Ontario assembly factories of Toyota and Honda Motor Co. since the plants started making cars more than 20 years ago. The machinists say workers at Toyota Cambridge, who make Matrix, Corolla and Lexus RX350 vehicles, do not want to be part of the CAW's so-called "pattern bargaining" with General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Corp., and Chrysler LLC.

GEEESSE! It's pretty unlawful for any employer to prevent workers to unionize..

Figure this out:

"Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection..."

-Section 7, National Labor Relations Act-

Every state upholds such right. And Toyota stepping on the Canadian soil should do the same.

Fight for our RIGHT TO UNIONIZE!

Are you a lawyer or something MAC?

Nah. Just a wannabe. And labor disputes interest me.

cool.. maybe you can help me out. the admin around here seems to have forgotten my salary for the day. hehe

now, that's another story.

good call..

whatever happened to this issue then? hopefully these would not impede the production of quality car and truck parts of toyota.

The vote's been called off..
http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/43/47.html