Catherwood LibraryILR School

Workers at Nissan in Canton, Mississippi have overwhelmingly voted against unionization, ending the UAW’s almost year-long effort to expand labor organization into the South. The UAW has been quick to accuse Nissan of aggressively fighting against unionization by using scare tactics, misinformation, and intimidation. Nissan has denied these allegations, and stated that their employees have no reason to join a union, as Canton workers make roughly the same amount as unionized workers elsewhere, and well above the median wage in Mississippi. Contract workers, however, often make less than regular employees, and were unable to vote and thus unrepresented in the union election. Many of the workers at the plant are African-American, and the unionization campaign often took on racial overtones. While some workers believed that Nissan’s message of how they have elevated the African-American community was condescending, others believed that the UAW was trying to buy support within the African-American community by donating to local civil rights and religious groups.