UPDATED: Machinists Union Loses By Landslide In Nissan Election
Updated at 6:25 p.m.
In secret-ballot vote conducted by the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday, tool and die makers at Nissan’s plant in Smyrna, Tennessee voted 62-9 to reject representation by the International Association of Machinists.
The loss marks a humiliating defeat for the union that, earlier in the day, tweeted that the union hoped to “welcome 75 new members to our union and bring them strong representation at the bargaining table.”
Although the union had hoped to win what is commonly referred to has a “micro-unit” within the much larger manufacturing plant of roughly 4,000 workers, the election itself was delayed by “years of legal wrangling that spanned two presidential administrations,” reported the Associated Press.
“The delayed decision from the National Labor Relations Board had a chilling effect on this campaign,” the union reportedly stated in an email to Bloomberg. “The IAM will continue to support these workers so we will be prepared for them to join our union when the time is right again.”
Although the union may have hoped for an alternative outcome, the union now has seven days to object to the election results. However, losing by such a wide margin may, in fact, limit the union’s hopes of reversing the outcome were it to file objections.