ORGANIZING ROUNDUP
More Puerto Rican brothers and sisters say ¡Unión si!
The number of members in Puerto Rico took a big leap Oct. 21 when members of the Administracion de Servicios y Desarollo Agropecuario (ASDA) chose the UAW in an affiliation vote. These 1,388 members are field workers, clericals and truck drivers who grow produce and arrange for other food supplies for 1,500 schools in the Puerto Rican education system. These new members who said ¡Unión si! bring the number of UAW members in Puerto Rico to 19,000.
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Once again workers proved that when given a free choice they overwhelmingly choose union representation on the job. In a card-check recognition, 212 Dana workers who make fuel lines, senders and tubes in Archibald, Ohio, showed their UAW solidarity. The 166 workers at Plastech in Wauseon, Ohio, who make plastic molded parts for Big Three automakers and Johnson Controls, also chose the UAW. The 167 workers who make engine parts and transmissions for Tower Automotive in Lansing, Mich., said “UAW yes.” The 92 workers who make door mechanisms for Brose Chicago Inc. made their pro-union voices heard. And across town the 91 workers who make quality containment systems at Quality Industrial Services, and the 87 workers who create wire harnesses, Tier II plastics and container management for P.S.A. Quality systems in Chicago did the same. Other card-check victories include 65 workers at MSX International in Lake Orion, Mich.; 56 workers at Automodular Assemblies Inc., Lordstown, Ohio, and 63 workers at The Crown Group Inc., Detroit.
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The tough NLRB election route brought more than 600 new members to the UAW in recent months. That included nearly 250 workers at AK Steel in Zanesville, Ohio; 100 Dana workers in Rochester Hills, Mich.; 63 workers at Kearsley Community Schools in Flint, Mich., and 59 workers at PIC in Shreveport, La.
