Clerical Workers May Strike Own Union : Labor: UAW finds itself on the management side of the table in a dispute over job rules and security.

There is disunity at Solidarity House, international headquarters of the mighty United Auto Workers union.

The UAW’s clerical workers vote today on whether to strike the union. The workers, members of the Office Professional Employees International Union, Local 494, said Wednesday that the dispute revolves around seniority rights and job security issues. Their contract expired Feb. 1.

The situation is an odd one for the UAW, which finds itself uncomfortably on the management side of the bargaining table in these negotiations. As managers, Local 494 says, the UAW acts as bad as any of the Big Three auto makers.

“It’s just an insult that we don’t get the same respect that the UAW demands when they bargain with management,” said Sandy Naples, president of the local.

The chapter, which represents about 400 secretaries, clerks and maintenance workers at UAW facilities nationwide, wants all job openings filled by seniority. About 30% of the clerical jobs are exempt from seniority. These so-called selective jobs are often filled by friends or relatives of UAW officials, the local says.

This is now a sensitive issue because a new slate of officers will take control of the UAW this summer when President Owen Bieber retires. The selective jobs provide a form of patronage for rising UAW officials.

The selective jobs are also protected from layoffs. This is crucial because in recent weeks, UAW officials have hinted of layoffs because of the union’s deteriorating financial condition.

On Wednesday, in time-honored union fashion, about 100 clerks and supporters took their case to the streets, setting up a picket line in front of Solidarity House. They carried signs, including one that said, “UAW in Unfair Labor Practices,” and sang union songs, such as the UAW favorite, “Solidarity forever, for union makes us strong.”