American politician Bernie Sanders has supported the Nissan workers that have mobilized thousands of activists, civil rights groups against companies that obstruct regional unionizing efforts.
For a mile outside Canton Multipurpose Complex last weekend, the road was backed up. Numerous cars sported bumper stickers, pro-Bernie and pro-union.
They went there in school buses, hot rods, church vans and motorcycles, having license plates from Missouri, Texas, North Carolina, Illinois and Pennsylvania. A delegation of a some Nissan workers even came from Brazil, to support United Automobile Workers (UAW) activists who dealt with illegal retaliation in a 13-year struggle to unionize the Nissan’s 5,000 workers in Mississippi.
“I feel their pain because we have been through the same thing with Mercedes,” stated Kirk Garner of Vance, Alabama. Garner has been part of the decade-long UAW effort to unionize there.
“I am proud to stand with everyone today who is fighting for dignity on the job and the right to join a union at Nissan.” – Bernie Sanders tweeted.
However, in an email to The Guardian, the Nissan corporate communications manager Parul Bajaj wrote that the allegations are entirely false and accused the UAW of forcing company into recognizing a union, regardless of employee support.
