Workers Await Union OKd 5 Months Ago in Van Nuys
When the United Auto Workers won a representation election last August at Superior Industries International Inc. in Van Nuys, Maximiliano Torres thought it meant the quick promise of higher wages and better working conditions for him and his 1,200 colleagues.
Five months later, he realizes it may be years, if ever, before the union secures a contract at the large auto parts supplier. And if the UAW ultimately succeeds, it is far from clear whether the foundry laborer will benefit from it.
Just eight days after the election, Torres, a 28-year-old Salvadoran emigre, was fired from his $4.24-an-hour job. “They knew I was an organizer,” said Torres, who claims he was fired because of his union activities. The union contends that 27 other workers were fired for similar reasons, a charge denied by Superior.
The company, which makes aluminum wheel rims for major car manufacturers and had sales of about $100 million in 1984, said Torres was fired because he refused a supervisor’s order to return to work after a break. The National Labor Relations Board’s Westwood office has upheld the company so far, but Torres has appealed to Washington.
UAW Demonstration
On Thursday Torres was one of several fired Superior workers who, with their UAW supporters, held a spirited demonstration outside the labor board’s Westwood office. Torres contends “the NLRB does the boss’ work. They help the boss.”
The demonstration coincided with the opening day of a labor board hearing on charges filed by Superior objecting to the conduct of the election. Of the 118 objections filed by Superior’s attorney, Michael Schmier, all but 10 were thrown out by Roger Goubeaux, the director of NLRB Region 31.
Torres and UAW officials asserted that the remaining objections are frivolous and that their victory should have been certified some time ago. A union does not gain recognition as the workers’ bargaining agent until the election results are certified, so no negotiations toward a contract have been held.
“I can appreciate their frustration, but I have to call them as I see them,” Goubeaux said. “We can’t ram anything down anyone’s throat.” Goubeaux said Superior merited a hearing on certain charges alleging that union representatives threatened employees, offered one employee a $5 bribe to support the union and engaged in various acts of misconduct during the voting. The union has denied all those charges.
Goubeaux also noted that earlier this week he filed a lengthy complaint against Superior, alleging that the company had illegally fired one worker and had violated a number of other federal labor laws during the course of election campaign. These included illegal interrogation of employees about union activity, threats to fire employees for distributing union authorization cards or speaking out in favor of the union, and promises to employees that they would receive benefits if they did not engage in union activities, according to the complaint.
A hearing on the NLRB complaint is scheduled to begin March 26. “We were encouraged that the regional office of the board came to the determination that the employer violated the law,” said UAW attorney Laurence D. Steinsapir. But he said he was disturbed that Goubeaux had dismissed the union’s charges that Torres and 16 other workers were illegally fired. Goubeaux is still considering charges that another 10 workers were illegally fired.
Pete Beltran, president of UAW Local 645, the union the workers voted to affiliate with, went further. “The NLRB is effectively dead as far as we’re concerned. They’re more of an obstacle than anything.”
UAW organizer Baltazar Martinez said it is not easy to maintain support for the union in the factory with all the firings and the delay in confirming the election victory. The UAW had won an election at Superior in 1978 but was unable to secure a contract and was voted out in 1980. “They’re trying to kill us with delays,” he said.
Torres said he did not know if he would get his job back. But he said he would continue to support the unionization campaign regardless of how long it took the UAW to prevail.
