Daimler Chrysler white-collar staff votes to join UAW

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- UAW Local 889 is about to have 360 new members.

About 360 customer service representatives at Chrysler Financial voted overwhelmingly to join the UAW on Jan. 23.

The vote tallied by the National Labor Relations Board, passed 252-75, said William C. Shaub Jr., director of the NLRB's Detroit office, and was expected to be certified by the end of January.

The union drive - initially motivated by pay and benefits issues gathered momentum as workers' concerns grew about job security while Daimler Chrysler prepares to implement a restructuring plan that includes layoffs.

"By joining the UAW, they are sending a strong message that they're worried about the future and they don't like the way they have been threated." according to Mike Flynn. Director of the University of Michigan's Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation.