Currently, every HMMA Team Member can speak for themselves with any member of management or Team Relations regarding any topic. But if a union is certified, that can change.
Hundreds of Stellantis workers just found out about this the hard way.
Despite their new UAW contract that President Fain stated would provide “job security”, hundreds of Stellantis workers were released from their jobs. The laid-off workers protested at UAW headquarters, saying “Shawn Fain lied to us.”
The workers thought the union would protect them from layoffs, but they realized “we were all paying union dues and we are not receiving any form of representation from our union apparatus” The workers had no voice in the decision to lay them off and were at the mercy of what union leaders agreed to or failed to do.
In a union environment, employees must depend on a union shop steward to deal with employee concerns regarding the terms and conditions of their employment. A union means giving up your legal right to deal directly with the company and it management team when it comes to their working conditions
In a Right-to-Work state like Alabama, do you think a shop steward would listen to an employee who doesn’t pay union dues before one who does pay dues? If you don’t pay dues, do you think your concern would be as important?
At HMMA, we want every Team Member to have a voice through open and direct communication, and we have numerous ways you can voice your concerns.
One way is through the Team Relations Representatives, who are in each shop and interact with Team Members every day. They address concerns and provide follow-up to the Team Members.
Another way to voice your concerns is directly with members of management. Team Members have access to any member of the management team they want to speak with.
You can also voice concerns through face-to-face meetings, such as President roundtable meetings, and HMMA’s open-door policy. Team Members have direct access to their leadership teams and these discussions have resulted in real, positive changes across our campus.
Yet another way to communicate is through the Hyundai Communication System, through which Team Members can share their thoughts on ways to continuously improve our workplace.
So, think twice before giving up your legal right to deal directly with our management team when it comes to your working conditions and your right to hard-earned money for union dues.