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15 August, 2005ICEM news release No. 05/2005
The ICEM is calling on French company Saint-Gobain to re-examine its labour relations policies at a factory in Massachusetts and to submit to a new election for 770 workers represented by US affiliate United Auto Workers (UAW). In an election to decertify the UAW as bargaining representative on 27-28 January, workers were unduly influenced by company and outside forces prior to a vote against union representation. Workers at Saint-Gobain’s Norton Abrasives in Worcester, Massachusetts, voted against UAW representation, 309-350.
The UAW has filed objections to the election with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on a number of grounds including Saint-Gobain managers intimidating, coercing and interfering with workers’ lawful right to representation, and managers using the threat of plant closing to dissuade workers from voting for the UAW. The 20-million-member ICEM supports the UAW in its objections and the election appeal, and calls on executives of the Paris-based company to step in, rectify anti-union management policies in Worcester, recognize the UAW and commence good-faith bargaining for a collective agreement.
“US labour law is quite clear on such workplace elections being conducted in a fair and unencumbered manner,” said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. “We view plant closure threats by Saint-Gobain’s American managers as illegal and detrimental to the intent and spirit of the law. In addition, the fact that an anti-UAW workers’ committee was not only propped up by management, but by an outside, anti-union organization in the US impeded workers from making a fair choice.”
The National Right-to-Work Foundation, an organization intent on the destruction of trade unionism in America, backed the anti-UAW workers’ committee inside the Worcester factory. The ICEM asserts that managers aligned with this group and that both parties used the scare tactic of plant closure if the UAW was retained as bargaining representative.
Workers at Norton Abrasives voted for UAW representation in August 2001 through balloting conducted by the NLRB. But when collective bargaining commenced in early 2002, Saint-Gobain utilized outside legal counsel by a firm specializing in union avoidance. Despite over 140 negotiating sessions being held, no initial collective agreement was ever reached.
On 24 January, the ICEM along with trade unions representing French workers of Saint-Gobain met with corporate officials to explain the anti-union behaviour of American managers and how this conduct runs counter to the company’s own code of ethics. The company responded a day later that it would not intervene with the manner in which US bosses were managing and that such conduct is the normal “culture” of US labour relations.
In a letter today to Saint-Gobain CEO Jean-Louis Beffa, the ICEM’s Higgs asked for a meeting directly with the French Chief Executive to clarify the ICEM charge that Saint-Gobain’s is in contradiction to its stated code of ethics regarding employees rights and respect for the law. The letter calls on the company to agree to recognize the UAW as legitimate representative of workers in Worcester, and to establish a corrective course toward positive labour relations in the US at the Worcester factory.
The UAW has filed objections to the election with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on a number of grounds including Saint-Gobain managers intimidating, coercing and interfering with workers’ lawful right to representation, and managers using the threat of plant closing to dissuade workers from voting for the UAW. The 20-million-member ICEM supports the UAW in its objections and the election appeal, and calls on executives of the Paris-based company to step in, rectify anti-union management policies in Worcester, recognize the UAW and commence good-faith bargaining for a collective agreement.
“US labour law is quite clear on such workplace elections being conducted in a fair and unencumbered manner,” said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. “We view plant closure threats by Saint-Gobain’s American managers as illegal and detrimental to the intent and spirit of the law. In addition, the fact that an anti-UAW workers’ committee was not only propped up by management, but by an outside, anti-union organization in the US impeded workers from making a fair choice.”
The National Right-to-Work Foundation, an organization intent on the destruction of trade unionism in America, backed the anti-UAW workers’ committee inside the Worcester factory. The ICEM asserts that managers aligned with this group and that both parties used the scare tactic of plant closure if the UAW was retained as bargaining representative.
Workers at Norton Abrasives voted for UAW representation in August 2001 through balloting conducted by the NLRB. But when collective bargaining commenced in early 2002, Saint-Gobain utilized outside legal counsel by a firm specializing in union avoidance. Despite over 140 negotiating sessions being held, no initial collective agreement was ever reached.
On 24 January, the ICEM along with trade unions representing French workers of Saint-Gobain met with corporate officials to explain the anti-union behaviour of American managers and how this conduct runs counter to the company’s own code of ethics. The company responded a day later that it would not intervene with the manner in which US bosses were managing and that such conduct is the normal “culture” of US labour relations.
In a letter today to Saint-Gobain CEO Jean-Louis Beffa, the ICEM’s Higgs asked for a meeting directly with the French Chief Executive to clarify the ICEM charge that Saint-Gobain’s is in contradiction to its stated code of ethics regarding employees rights and respect for the law. The letter calls on the company to agree to recognize the UAW as legitimate representative of workers in Worcester, and to establish a corrective course toward positive labour relations in the US at the Worcester factory.