UAW Accuses Freightliner of Intimidating Employees

Labor leaders say Freightliner LLC executives tried to intimidate workers voting Wednesday on an invitation to join the United Auto Workers union, the Associated Press reported.

The charge came as DaimlerChrysler officials were pronouncing the restructuring of the heavy truck unit to be on schedule.

Shortly after results began coming in at the Gastonia, N.C. parts plant, union leaders said Freightliner officials were threatening workers with loss of pay, benefits and jobs if the union was voted in.

A Freightliner spokesman declined to comment on the union accusations.

Employees rejected an invitation to join the UAW by a slim 24-vote margin, with 42 votes still being contested by the company, the union, or both in some cases, the AP reported.

Freightliner called the outcome of the vote undecided Thursday morning, and said that the National Labor Relations Board would determine the outcome of the contested votes, the AP said.

The Gastonia plant makes parts, including cab components and chassis, for Freightliner’s production plants in Mount Holly and Cleveland, N.C. as well as for its regional parts-distribution centers.

In other Freightliner news, AFX European Focus reported that Eckhard Cordes, the board member at Daimler responsible for the company’s heavy-duty truck division, said the Freightliner’s restructuring is still on schedule.

Cordes said that of the $450 million Freightliner set out to save during 2002, it had already cut $400 million from its spending, AFX reported.

Because of the restructuring and cost cutting measures, Freightliner should break even by the end of 2002, Cordes said.

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