Former contract workers key in Mississippi Nissan union vote

CANTON, Miss. — A bid by workers at Mississippi’s Nissan Motor Co. plant for United Auto Workers representation could turn on a key voting bloc - the 1,500 Nissan employees who were initially hired through contract labour agencies. Those workers make less than longtime Nissan employees, and UAW supporters say that’s a disparity they’d like to address through contract negotiations. UAW Secretary Treasurer Gary Casteel says improving the status of contract workers is key to making sure automakers in the South don’t erode the high wages traditionally paid by automakers. Nissan says it pays competitive wages, and that its reliance on contract workers is nothing unusual.