Filed under: UAW/Unions, Autoline on Autoblog
Don’t Laugh, The UAW Could Come Roaring Back
Back when I was a UAW member many moons ago, earning my college tuition by busting my ass in the factories, the union was an incredibly powerful labor organization. With nearly 1.3 million members, it had enormous political clout in Washington, D.C. And thanks to a monopoly on automotive labor, it could bring the entire American auto industry to a grinding halt by merely snapping its fingers. But then the world changed.
First, all the major Japanese automakers began building assembly plants in the United States, later followed by the Europeans and Koreans. With very few exceptions, they managed to keep the union out. Then the Detroit Three began outsourcing most of the parts that they used to make in-house. The vast majority of that work went to non-union suppliers. Bye-bye monopoly.
Today the UAW has only 350,000 active members and 600,000 retirees. Many experts wonder if it can survive at that level. And while the union’s new president Bob King vows to increase membership with a renewed emphasis on organizing, that’s exactly what the last three UAW presidents claimed they were going to do. So can the union claw its way back, or is it headed for oblivion?
John McElroy is host of the TV program “Autoline Detroit” and daily web video “Autoline Daily”. Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.
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Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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