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Section: November 1997
with
Rachel Hendrickson
In September, I had the good fortune to tag along as NEA President Bob Chase, Vice-President Reg Weaver, Massachusetts State College Association President Bill Murphy, and other NEA leaders toured the UAW/Saturn auto manufacturing plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
We watched the auto workers building the cars; we spoke to leaders from the union and management; we talked to the rank-and-file. One observation each of us made during the debriefing session the next day was that the employees were smiling as they worked. We wondered if something was wrong with them. Maybe not!
At Saturn, the union, the United Auto Workers, and management believe in co-ownership of the product and the process. They don't use quality control inspectors anymore because all workers in the plant -- management and union -- bears a responsibility to ensure that every car that leaves the plant is a product they want their names on.
Sell out? Collaborationist? Nope. The union built its strength, created a balance of power within Saturn, and now represents its members in a different way while maintaining its collective strength.
Rachel Hendrickson is an NEA higher education coordinator.
