1. During a home visit, an organizer told me that I HAVE to tell the Union how I am going to vote. Is that true?
A: No. You don't have to tell anyone how you intend to vote. The vote is 100% secret.
back to top
2. Can the company communicate with us about the union?
A: Yes we can, and we suggest you look to us to provide you with the FACTS about what having a union would really be like at our company.
You should also know that while a union is allowed to make promises about what would happen if they win, we cannot - and will not - make promises about what will happen if the union loses. The law prohibits companies like ours from making promises, even though the union is allowed to promise - and even mislead associates under the law! Why is this so? Because the government sees a company as having the means to make promises happen. The government does not recognize Unions as having the ability to make a promise happen.
back to top
3. If I signed a union authorization card, does that mean I must vote for the union in the election?
A: If EFCA passes into law as written, there will be no secret ballot election. Your signature on a union authorization card will BE your vote.
Under current law, your vote is not controlled by any past actions, promises, pledges or signatures, you are free to vote any way you wish in a secret ballot election. Even if you signed a card, you can still vote NO.
It is DENSO's strong desire that you would agree with us that we don't need a Union to be competitive and successful here. Our history and track record proves that. While it is your right to support and join a Union, it is your equal right to NOT join one. If you are asked to sign a Union Authorization Card, we would ask you to please not sign. If you would ever have to participate in an election, we would ask you to please Vote NO.
back to top
4. Are all union members required to pay dues?
A: If the union wins, you can expect they will ask for a "dues check-off clause" in the contract, which means that union dues will be automatically deducted from partners' paychecks - just like taxes. The typical union dues deduction is two hours of your pay every month, twelve months out of the year.
back to top
5. How does the collective bargaining process work?
A: If our company becomes unionized, DMMI would be required to meet with the union and discuss things in good faith in an attempt to reach agreement on a contract. The law does not require that the employer agree to any union demands that it does not believe are in its best interests. The process of bargaining is sometimes lengthy and occasionally, despite good faith efforts, the parties cannot come to agreement.
back to top
6. What happens if the employer and the union are unable to come to an agreement?
A: If our company negotiators can't come to an agreement with the union, the union can either keep on bargaining, give up their demands, or call an economic strike to try to persuade the company to change its positions.
In Spring of 2008, workers at American Axle called an economic strike after the auto parts supplier failed to reach a new contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union. The strike lasted for 87 days. In the end, the union walked away from the table with a new contract that contained deep cuts in pay and benefits for its workers, from $28 an hour on average to $18.50. At some plants, including the one in Three Rivers, pay for some support jobs was reduced to $10 an hour. Additionally, a forge plant in Detroit and a factory in Tonawanda, NY were shuttered. It also resulted in a production loss of 230,000 vehicles as GM ran out of parts to feed production and a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and earnings for American Axle.
back to top
7. What is the effect of a strike on jobs?
A: It is our hope that we would never have a unionized workforce and never face the possibility of a strike. For businesses that are involved in an economic strike, the striking associates:
- Would not get regular paychecks from the company for as long as the strike lasts.
- Have to pay for all their insurance (medical, dental, vision, disability, life, etc.).
- Could be permanently replaced as permitted by the law.
back to top
8. If a union is elected, will everyone be forced to join even if they did not want or vote for the union?
A: If a union is elected, it will be speaking for all associates in the bargaining unit as a group, regardless of how an individual associate voted. The union will make it a priority to get a "union security" provision in a contract which forces all associates pay money to the union or lose their job. If there's such a provision and you fail to pay the union, the union would cause you to be fired.
The union will also want a "dues check-off" provision in a contract, which means that dues are automatically deducted from associates' paychecks. We think it's fair to ask, if the union badly wants a union security and a check-off clause, what does the union have to sacrifice in order to get these things? The answer is everything you now enjoy. Remember, if a union is voted in, it speaks for all associates covered under the contract and binds everyone, like it or not, good deal or bad.
back to top
9. I've been told by union supporters to keep quiet if I'm opposed to being unionized. I want to stay out of it. Should I?
A: We don't think so. You are involved. Why should your voice not count just because you disagree with the Union? The results will affect you, your fellow associates, our company, and our customers for a very long time. Don't be intimidated. Speak up. You have the same right to express yourself on this important issue as the people who are in favor of the union.
In 2006, one of our associates stood outside the plant next to some UAW organizers and held up a sign that said “We don't need a Union here” and “UAW stands for ‘You Ain't Workin.’”. The Union organizers took a picture of our associate and said, “If we (the Union) get in this place, you will be one of the first people we get fired.”
back to top
10. Is it important that I actually vote even if I don't want the union?
A: Absolutely YES. Vote at the election and encourage others to do the same. Remember, the election will be decided by a simple majority of associates who actually vote. Everyone will be bound by the result, whether they voted or not.
back to top
11. The union seems to have my home address. How did that happen?
A: The Union can only get this information from DMMI if the organizing process reaches the “filed” Petition phase. Federal law requires that an employer give the NLRB a list of names and addresses of associates eligible to vote in the election. DMMI has always treated this information as personal and confidential, and will not release it, unless we get to this phase and have no choice but to comply with this law. The NLRB then gives this list to the union.
back to top |
