Workers at Two More Freightliner Facilities
Vote YES for UAW
MT. HOLLY, North Carolina -- More than
80 percent of workers at two Freightliner facilities in North Carolina
voted yes for UAW representation during elections held May 1, 2003.
Technicians at a Freightliner pre-delivery inspection (PDI) facility
in Cleveland, N.C., voted in favor of forming their own union by a vote
of 25-7. Workers at Freightliner's PDI facility in Mt. Holly, N.C.,
voted for the UAW by a 10 to 1 majority. Both elections were supervised
by the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.
"Now we've got a voice, a big voice," said Jeremy Patterson,
a technician at Freightliner's Cleveland PDI facility. As more and more
workers at Freightliner facilities vote for UAW representation, he said,
"the way to go is for all of us to be together. I'm proud to be
part of it."
With these two new victories, a majority of workers at five Freightliner
facilities have voted in favor of UAW representation since January of
this year. Representing over 4,000 workers, the chain wide campaign
at Freightliner -- a unit of DaimlerChrysler -- is the largest and most
successful industrial union organizing drive in the United States since
1999.
The string of organizing victories by Freightliner began in January
with successful card check elections at the company's Cleveland, N.C.,
class 8 truck manufacturing plant and the company's Gastonia, N.C.,
plant. Together, the two plants employ more than 4,000 workers.
In April, 88 percent of workers at Freightliner parts depot in Duluth,
Ga., voted for UAW representation during an NLRB-supervised election.
"We've got momentum," said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger.
"People want to be a part of Freightliner workers coming together."
"Our partnership with Freightliner will be a major plus for workers,
communities and the company for many years to come," said UAW Vice
President Nate Gooden, who directs the union's DaimlerChrysler Department
as well as its Heavy Truck Department. |
