The UAW's Southern Gamble

Organizing Workers at Foreign-Owned Vehicle Plants

Stephen J. Silvia

• Publisher: ILR Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781501769702, 9781501769696
• eBook ISBN: 9781501769719
• Topic: Politique et relations internationales
• Subtopic: Relations de travail et relations industrielles

The UAW's Southern Gamble is the first in-depth assessment of the United Auto Workers' efforts to organize foreign vehicle plants (Daimler-Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Volkswagen) in the American South since 1989, an era when union membership declined precipitously. Stephen J. Silvia chronicles transnational union cooperation between the UAW and its counterparts in Brazil, France, Germany, and Japan and documents the development of employer strategies that have proven increasingly effective at thwarting unionization.

Silvia shows that when organizing, unions must now fight on three fronts: at the worksite; in the corporate boardroom; and in the political realm. The UAW's Southern Gamble makes clear that the UAW's failed campaigns in the South can teach hard-won lessons about challenging the structural and legal roadblocks to union participation and effectively organizing workers within and beyond the auto industry.

Table of contents

• Preface
• List of Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1. Daimler Truck North America
• 2. Mercedes-Benz U.S. International
• 3. Volkswagen
• 4. Nissan North America
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index