THOMAS BUILT BUSES, HIGH POINT, N.C.

Workers vote overwhelmingly to stick with the union

Dorothy "Dot" Walls, a member of UAW Local 5287, had always said, "It’s a struggle, but we’re going to beat them. We’re going to win."

And that’s just what happened Sept. 17 when workers at Thomas Built Buses in High Point, N.C., voted by an overwhelming margin to keep their union, defeating a decertification effort by 67 percent to 33 percent.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)-supervised election was the third time in the past four years that a majority of workers voted in favor of union representation, including a 2004 card-check recognition and an NLRB-supervised election in 2005.

"It’s been a fight from Day One," said Bob Kiser, a Local 5287 member who works on first shift. "We haven’t quit organizing in our plant."

Determined to keep their union, the 1,300 members of Local 5287 fought hard against out-of-state attorneys from the Virginia-based National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, an organization founded by employers that oppose unionization efforts.

The UAW represents more than 8,000 workers at Freightliner LLC, the parent company of Thomas Built Buses.

Johnny Reeves, first shift district committeeperson at Plant 2, said, "I’ve seen what it’s like to work without a union, and I’ve seen what it’s like to work with a union. With a union you can go into the workplace every day knowing that someone is watching out for you."

Knowing the benefits of being represented by the UAW is why he and fellow union members joined to defeat the anti-union group for a third time.

Once the decertification election date was set by the NLRB, they hand-billed leaflets almost every day, attended daily Solidarity Committee meetings, house-called workers and attended educational classes to learn more about the UAW.

Solidarity, hard work and determination are what it took to win.

"The result of this vote sends a clear message that workers at Thomas Built Buses are determined to stand up for their right to have a voice in their workplace," said UAW Region 8 Director Gary Casteel.

"After three elections in four years, it’s absolutely clear that a majority of workers at Thomas Built Buses want a union," said Cindy Estrada, director of the UAW National Organizing Department. "In these uncertain economic times, a union contract is the best possible protection for workers and their families."

Having put her life on hold during all three campaigns, Walls had her own personal take on their continuing battle.

"We fought hard to get the union in, and it’s like we’ve been fighting all along to keep it. If you don’t want it, step back and let us have it," she said.

Kris Lundberg

Lundberg, a member of UAW Local 1590 in Martinsburg, W. Va., was in High Point this fall to assist members of Local 5287 during the decertification drive.