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. “Uniting for Change: Autoworkers at Toyota and Honda Gear Up to Unionize After UAW Remains Victorious Over Big Three

Workers at two of Japan’s biggest carmakers, Toyota and Honda, are moving closer to unionizing, following a victory by the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union in its decade-long battle with the Big Three automakers—Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. The UAW announced recently that it had won a contract with Ford that, among other things, included job security and raise protections. The nearly 70,000 workers employed by the Big Three in the United States are now poised to enjoy increased job security and raise protections under the UAW’s umbrella. The victory has spurred workers at Toyota and Honda to consider unionizing, citing the UAW’s relatively successful negotiations with the Big Three. In the United States, the union already represents nearly 150,000 members from 11 automakers, including BMW, Volvo, and Daimler. On the back of the UAW’s success, workers at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant are looking to unionize, saying they are tired of working in an environment with less job security than workers in other countries. Many of the Toyota workers cite their company’s refusal to increase wages and its general disregard for workers’ concerns. Similar rumblings are taking place in Honda’s factories in America. Despite Japanese firms traditionally discouraging their employees from forming unions, workers at Honda are looking to the UAW to help them secure the same job protections and pay as their counterparts at Ford, GM, and Chrysler. This movement by Toyota and Honda workers follows a period of labor unrest in the United States auto sector. In 2019, the UAW led a 40-day strike against GM that resulted in a new labor contract and closed the union’s long-term gap with foreign automakers. At this point, it is unclear if the workers at Toyota and Honda will formally unionize, but it is clear that the UAW’s victory over the Big Three has given these workers a much greater sense of security. If the automotive workers are successful in their efforts, the UAW could end up representing thousands more members.