Nissan Workers in Tennessee File for UAW Election

Nissan Motor Co. workers here asked a U.S. board to allow a vote on joining the United Auto Workers, in an effort to become the first employees to unionize at a U.S. factory run exclusively by a Japanese auto maker.

The UAW in a filing Tuesday met the requirement that 30% of the Smyrna employees request a representation vote, said Joe Artiles, the National Labor Relations Board resident officer in Nashville. He declined to say how many workers signed cards favoring an election. The plant employs about 6,000 people.

Auto unions haven’t been able to organize Japanese-owned factories in the U.S. and Canada, though the UAW represents employees at jointly owned plants such as the Toyota Motor Corp.-General Motors Corp. venture in Fremont, Calif.

At least three previous UAW attempts to organize Smyrna workers failed.

“We are confident that a majority now supports the UAW and we are ready to put that to the test,” said Chet Konkle, a member of the union’s Nissan Volunteer Organizing Committee. Workers participating in the effort cited concerns about pensions and workplace injuries, the Detroit-based union said.

The third-largest Japanese auto maker will cooperate with the labor board and is preparing a response, said Tom Groom, human resources director at the Smyrna plant. Nissan said a year ago that the UAW was trying to organize Smyrna and an engine factory in Decherd, Tenn.

The labor board typically wants a vote to be conducted within 42 days of the petition filing, suggesting a target date of Sept. 25 at the Smyrna plant, Artiles said. For the UAW to prevail, a majority of employees who vote must support the union.

“We’ve faxed a copy of the petition to Nissan and would like to hear from them by Monday to determine whether a hearing will be necessary,” Artiles said. Either side can ask for a review of the vote requests, which may delay a vote as long as 60 days, he said.

Groom said this is the union’s fourth attempt to organize Smyrna employees, though only the second time a petition has been filed. The UAW dropped organizing campaigns at Smyrna last year and in 1997 after petition drives failed to gain support, and lost a 1989 certification election at the factory by a 2-1 margin.

“The UAW has targeted Nissan since the plant opened in 1983,” Groom said. “We feel we have a great working relationship with our employees and have no reason to believe our work force will vote in support of the UAW.”

The union has focused on Smyrna again because a majority of workers at the Nissan plant have requested UAW support, said Bob King, the UAW’s vice president for organizing.

Nissan’s American depositary receipts rose 10 cents to $13.27 on Nasdaq.