Top NLRB lawyer tells metro Detroit workers agency has their backs

The top lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board told workers at a union hall in metro Detroit on Monday that her agency has their backs.

Jennifer Abruzzo, the general counsel for the federal agency that investigates complaints about issues, including unfair labor practices, gave both a pep talk and explanation of worker rights during a visit to UAW Local 174 on Middlebelt Road in Livonia, where she met with workers employed by Webasto. The union hall includes a large portrait of legendary UAW leader Walter Reuther, who had also served as president of the local.

About a dozen workers from two of the German auto supplier’s facilities, in Detroit and Plymouth, were at the union hall, with a few sitting with Abruzzo, asking questions and explaining their own challenges. Organizing is currently underway among the 550 workers in the Detroit facility; workers at the Plymouth facility won their union election in 2023 and later became the first of the company’s U.S. workers to secure a collective bargaining agreement, according to the UAW.

Free Press readers might be familiar with Webasto because of its connection to issues with the removable hardtops for the then-new Ford Bronco. Customers experienced delivery delays, which Ford attributed to the molded in color roofs. Ford spokesman Said Deep told the Free Press at the time that the roofs did not meet quality standards.

Speaking with the workers, Abruzzo stressed that employer tactics that seek to deny workers their rights to organize and to raise their voices for better working conditions or that involve retaliation are violations of the law. She sought to dispel uncertainty that many workers and even some company officials have.

She noted that she has met with plenty of human resources representatives who mistakenly think the National Labor Relations Act, which was passed by Congress in 1935, only applies to union shops. That’s not true, she said, encouraging workers to file complaints with the agency if they believe their rights have been violated.

“We’re all about enforcing a pro-worker statute,” she said, noting that that’s the context of the law, which aimed to level the playing field between workers and their employers.

Abruzzo has been NLRB general counsel since July 2021 and had previously worked for two decades at the agency after a stint as special counsel for strategic initiatives at the Communications Workers of America, according to her biography.

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The Biden administration, through various agencies and departments, has stressed its interest in promoting pro-worker policies, and the possibility of a second Trump administration raises questions about the future direction of the NLRB. Abruzzo noted that any urgency in her approach months from a possible shift is nothing new.

“I always felt a sense of urgency the moment I got back,” she said of her return to the agency following her nomination by President Joe Biden.

Abruzzo’s discussion on Monday with the Webasto workers included Trina Towns, 57, of Wayne, who is among those trying to organize the Detroit plant as a UAW site. She saw a need for a union, she said, after hearing from co-workers and seeing how others were being mistreated, although she hadn’t experienced that herself. Good co-workers, she said, had been terminated, and they deserved an opportunity to improve.

Towns said she’s not afraid, noting Abruzzo’s comments about the agency supporting workers’ rights to organize.She said she has had to push hard to get some co-workers to sign their union cards because “they’re so afraid of losing their jobs.”

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Echoing some of Abruzzo’s comments, she noted that “we’re fighting for change and I think it can benefit the company as it does the employees.”

Ron Johnson, 54, of Belleville, was one of the union organizers at the Plymouth facility and is the chair for what is now known as Local 3000. Prior to coming to work at Webasto, he had worked 21 years at Ford at Michigan Assembly but took a buyout in 2007. He described unfair treatment that has given way to a better environment at Webasto.

“Because of the contract, we have procedures that the company has to follow. It’s more stable for us,” he said.

The UAW noted that the workers at the Plymouth facility, known as Webasto-Pilot Road, ratified their contract, which included raises of up to 51%, better benefits and improved attendance policies, in March by a 96% margin. The union, citing a filing with the U.S. Labor Department, said Webasto had spent $300,000 with an anti-union firm to try to block workers from trying to form a union with the UAW.

Company spokesperson Anna Mueller provided a statement, saying 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 the hiring of the "independent third-party ensures there is no alleged unfair labor practice and interference. This initiative is not about dissuading or incentivizing colleagues, but rather ensuring our colleagues have all necessary information to make a choice that aligns with their personal and professional goals and rights."

The company also asserted that it has a strong code of conduct.

"In this, we recognize the right of employee representations and request the same from our partners. We comply with all national, federal and international labor regulations. As a matter of fact, we therefore dispute any accusations that state otherwise," according to the statement, which noted that the company's priority "remains to uphold a workplace environment that is fair, respectful and empowering for all."

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