Nissan worker Christopher Milton says Nissan’s anti-union fear campaign is backfiring on them. Nissan workers in Canton Mississippi are voting Thursday and Friday on whether to join the United Auto Workers.
Christopher Milton: “Right now Nissan has got a campaign, a anti-union campaign goin’ on. And every day in our startup meetings there’s somethin’ over our monitors tryin’ to get everybody to vote no.
I don’t think it’s workin’ out too good for ’em ’cause they finally realizin’ throughout the time that we’ve been workin’ there – I’ve been there for fifteen years – they really never really listened to anybody. But now they’re tryin’ to say they’re sorry for not listenin’ to us and they’re ready to listen to us now. But it’s a little bit too late for that.”
Milton says Nissan has been making workers attend so-called roundtables – anti-union meetings where Nissan tries to scare workers into voting against the UAW.
Christopher Milton: “As far as I’m concerned when discussions come up about our pension and our healthcare and stuff like that, I don’t think the roundtables are helpin’ ’em at all.
‘Cause a lot of folks that wanted to vote no, they’re realizin’ exactly what Nissan has done since they’ve been workin’ there and I think a lot of them are startin’ to change their mind.”
Milton says he feels strong on the eve of this UAW representation election at Nissan.
Christopher Milton: “I feel strong. And I think they know that the numbers are against ’em, you know through the roundtables and everything else, you know, one on ones and stuff. I think they realize that we’ve got the numbers we need to make this go through.”
Milton says anti-union Nissan workers are afraid and get hostile when organizers visit worker homes to ask for yes votes.
Christopher Milton: “Hear recently a lot of anti-folks, when a union member and one of our pro-union people go with ’em door to door, they somewhat gettin’ kinda agitated and violent to an extent.
They’ll cuss at you – you know get off my property. They’re like offended.”
He says they’re afraid and mis-informed about how unions works.
Christopher Milton: “I’m pro-union because I want a voice. I want to sit down at the table and discuss what’s goin’ on and fight for what we shoulda had – still had – from the beginning. We started off great and our pension was fine and our health care was great and all of a sudden they started takin’ away.
But at the same time we’re still workin’ as hard and the profit’s are goin’ up.”
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By Doug Cunningham