Workers at metro Detroit auto supplier plants file with NLRB to join UAW

More workers at Webasto auto supplier plants in metro Detroit have filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board, according to the UAW.

An "overwhelming majority" of workers at the company's facility on Haggerty Road signed authorization cards, saying they want to form a UAW-represented bargaining unit, according to the union.

Kayla Blado, an NLRB spokesperson, pointed to the filing on the agency's website in response to Free Press questions. No information was listed about the expected union election, but the entry confirmed the date and said the unit would consist of all hourly full-time and regular part-time production and maintenance workers at the Haggerty Road plant, which is called the Detroit plant but is actually in Plymouth Township, and another facility on Ecorse Road in the Romulus area. It said the unit would be 525 people.

The union said the filing with the NLRB happened late Monday, which would have followed a meeting at a UAW hall between union activists and the general counsel for the NLRB, Jennifer Abruzzo.

UAW says company brought in 'anti-union consultants'

The workers had asked Webasto, which is a supplier for the Ford Bronco at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, to voluntarily recognize the union but filed with the NLRB "so they could promptly move forward with a vote if Webasto refused their request."

The union said that after the request was made to Webasto, the company "began holding captive audience meetings where anti-union consultants attempted to persuade workers against unionizing. Workers shared that anti-union consultants passed out materials explicitly encouraging workers to 'vote no' in a union election."

The UAW also provided several images of a multipage handout that workers received telling them to vote no and not believe the union's propaganda and that, among other things, unions cannot guarantee anything. One page included what appeared to be an image in the shape of a shield with the words "Shields Up Webasto!!"

The union, citing a federal filing, said the company spent $300,000 on an anti-union firm, which the company had described as an independent third party.

A message seeking comment was sent to Webasto officials. The German auto supplier has numerous facilities in Michigan, including another facility in the Plymouth area where workers ratified a contract between the UAW and company in March that the union said included raises and other benefits.

Workers say some of them have been labeled 'troublemakers'

Company officials previously told the Free Press that "at Webasto, we firmly believe in the right of every employee to make an informed decision about union representation. We have hired an objective third-party organization offering comprehensive labor education seminars to our colleagues and management to provide full and undisputed facts on their rights and the implications of union membership."

The company said it complies with federal labor regulations.

During the Monday meeting, Webasto workers described a challenging environment, where colleagues were in fear of losing their jobs and some workers had been labeled as "troublemakers." The NLRB's Abruzzo explained that workers, whether they are in union or nonunion shops, should file unfair labor practice complaints with the NLRB if they feel their rights, including to organize, are being violated. She noted that even labeling activists as troublemakers would be a violation. Abruzzo said the agency is "all about enforcing a pro-worker statute.”

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.