General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMarch 4 - Bernie Sanders and Danny Glover - March on Mississippi - Nissan Protest
Excerpt:
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and actor Danny Glover are coming to Mississippi to help bring attention to what organizers call poor working conditions at Canton's Nissan manufacturing plant, according to the Mississippi NAACP.
The "March on Mississippi" is scheduled for March 4 at the Canton Sportsplex, as advertised by the Mississippi Alliance For Fairness at Nissan.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and Sierra Club President Aaron Mair will also attend.
The march focuses on attempts by Nissan workers to unionize and the intimidation they say they've faced in response.
"As we meet with workers, we see a heightened level of frustration and concern about the atmosphere and treatment at the plant," said Derrick Johnson, president of the Mississippi NAACP, which is helping organize the event. "Far too often we are receiving repeated complaints."
An emailed response from the company Tuesday said, "Nissan's history reflects that we truly value our employees and respect their right to decide who should represent them. Nissan Canton employees enjoy good, stable, safe jobs with some of the highest wages and strongest benefits in Mississippi. The allegations being made by the union against Nissan are completely unfounded."
In December, the Detroit-based United Auto Workers filed complaints in the Netherlands, Japan and France against Nissan, French automaker Renault, which partners with Nissan, and the joint corporation. It was the latest in a string of complaints Nissan has received over the past several years as Canton workers have tried to unionize.
The Dec. 20 press release announcing the complaints stated that a report based on interviews with workers, testimonies and documents from Nissan showed several violations on the part of the company.
"They include aggressive policies and practices of union avoidance, harassment and intimidation, which instill fear at work with the aim of preventing workers from securing union representation. For years, management at Nissan and Renault have repeatedly ignored calls from workers and policy-makers to use their powers to address these global human rights violations," the release states.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2017/02/07/bernie-sanders-coming-miss-march-against-nissan/97602820/
Maru Kitteh
(28,342 posts)Donkees
(31,453 posts)Uploaded on May 29, 2010
Actor Danny Glover speaks at the 39th International CBTU convention, May 29, 2010, in Detroit. He talks about his union roots and lifelong labor activism.
Donkees
(31,453 posts)Saturday, March 4 at 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM CST
Canton Multipurpose Complex
501 Soldier Colony Rd, Canton, Mississippi 39046
End Voter Suppression at Nissan and all employers across Mississippi. Let the worker decide without fear and intimidation.
Mississippi Alliance for Fairness at Nissan
Community Organization
The organization was founded after Congressman Bennie Thompson called on Mississippi leaders to form a committee to stand up for Nissan workers.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)I hope this rally helps spread the word and helps the workers there.
demmiblue
(36,885 posts)Donkees
(31,453 posts)February 5th, 2017
Community leaders, elected officials, faith leaders, labor unions, student groups and racial justice organizations came out firing last week again Nissan for its civil rights abuses against African-American workers, leading protests in Nashville and Atlanta ahead of further actions planned across the South.
Specifically, the coalition, called Mississippi Alliance for Fairness at Nissan (MAFFAN), is launching region-wide efforts to educate consumers about Nissans treatment of workers at its manufacturing plant in Canton, Mississippi. Of the roughly 5,000 workers at the carmakers Canton plant, an estimated 80 percent are African-American.
Now, calls are growing to let the workers form a union, something that hasnt been allowed.
The right to organize and form a union is a basic right here in America. Its how workers represent their interests and make sure that their workplace rights are respected, said Georgia State Senator and Atlanta mayoral candidate Vincent Fort. We must support these workers and insist that Nissan, and every other company, respect that right.
In addition to last weeks protests in Nashville and Atlanta, peaceful protests happened Saturday at Nissan dealerships in Birmingham, Alabama; Charlotte, North Carolina; Greensboro, North Carolina; New Orleans; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Many Nissan vehicles on the road in these cities were assembled at the carmakers plant in Canton.
The protests are being led by local advocacy groups along with MAFFAN, comprised of civil rights leaders, ministers, worker advocates and others. In each city across the region, local delegations are hand-delivering letters on behalf of MAFFAN to Nissan dealers detailing the mistreatment of workers in Canton and calling for an end to the companys anti-union position.
Nissan began operating in Canton in 2003 amid high hopes for Magnolia State workers. But despite expectations that the plant would bring quality jobs to our community for years to come, over time Nissan has decided to take a different path, wrote Dr. Isiac Jackson, chairman of MAFFAN, in letters delivered to Nissan dealers. Today, the company exploits its predominantly African-American workforce in a variety of ways.
Among other examples, Jackson pointed to punishing production quotas in the Canton plant as well as a lack of adequate safety equipment. The company has relied heavily on temporary employment agencies for hiring, paying lower wages to temporary employees for the same work as permanent workers. Nissan management has run a campaign of coercion and intimidation to keep workers from speaking about the union.
Workers are getting hurt at Nissan in Mississippi, but the company threatens to fire workers or close the plant if we organize a union, said Everlyn Cage, who worked at Canton for ten years and was fired after getting injured on the job. Were letting Nissan and other companies in the South know that we arent standing for these violations of our rights.
Nissan spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year marketing itself as a socially responsible carmaker, said Rev. Gregory Williams of Power Community Church in Atlanta. It is unacceptable for Nissan to violate the civil rights of African American workers in Mississippi. Whether its in Mississippi or here in Atlanta we refuse to allow any major company and employer like Nissan to treat the African American community this way in 2017. Its time for Nissan dealers and customers to recognize that what theyre selling and buying just doesnt fit the image of what Nissan claims its producing.
https://popularresistance.org/black-workers-accuse-nissan-of-civil-rights-abuses-in-mississippi/