Two Odd Stories About the UAW

So this is what it comes to. After nearly seven decades setting the labor standard for both much-needed worker protections and much-derided job perks, the UAW is now forced to humbly beg Toyota to keep the NUMMI plant open.

NUMMI, of course, is the former General Motors/Toyota joint-venture factory in California that has been most recently producing the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. But with Pontiac headed for the graveyard and Toyota looking to slash costs in its suddenly unprofitable North American operations, the plant is thisclose to being shuttered. The new GM has already bailed, and Toyota has been desperately searching for a way out that wouldn't involve a media firestorm.

You know, the kind that the UAW is equally desperately trying to start. That's because even though NUMMI is now Toyota's problem, the fact that GM was involved meant that the plant was unionized to the current tune of 4,500 or so jobs — jobs that both the union and the state really really want to keep.

The UAW, for its part, has launched a drive to get members to contact their lawmakers, hoping to convince the latter to start gearing up ye olde inflammatory rhetoric machine. The main point being that Toyota's No. 1 U.S. market is California, so the company should repay the state for the business by keeping its only Golden State plant up and running, complete with a UAW labor force. Or, perhaps more realistically, the UAW hopes to at least get U.S. legislators to somehow ensure good-faith bargaining between Toyota and Motors Liquidation Co. (the old GM) as the companies wind things down.

And the effort is, in fact, making some sparks: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has put together a task force to try to keep the plant open, and one of his reps has already met with Toyota. In addition, 17 of the state's U.S. congressional representatives have gone the open-letter route, calling on Toyota's president to keep NUMMI going.

On the one hand, I wouldn't think Toyota could be shamed into keeping the plant running, especially considering its dire need to reduce costs. On the other, we've already seen political maneuvering affect which facilities GM is keeping open, and the Japanese automaker has shown an amazing tendency to follow the General's lead when it comes to making nonsensical business decisions.

And speaking of nonsensical, there's another UAW rumor floating around that's so insane I have to repeat it here — I mean, even if untrue, the mere fact people are giving it credence shows how far the UAW's reputation has fallen.

Anyway, for those who don't follow NASCAR, one of the sport's drivers, Jeremy Mayfield, is currently embroiled in a bit of a wild scandal involving both failed drug tests (for methamphetamine) and accusations of murder (of his father, by his stepmother).

Now, Mayfield's been suspended by NASCAR for the time being, and sold off his cars, and all of his big sponsors have deserted him, but the racer is still hoping to drive again once all the lawsuits are settled. In fact, he discussed a potential big sponsorship deal recently on NASCAR.com.

Mayfield was pretty cagey, but after describing his mystery sponsor he was quoted as saying, ""Sounds like a union, doesn't it? Imagine if they got involved, and they're behind me 200 percent right now."

When you consider that the UAW actually did sponsor Mayfield for five years earlier in the decade, well, it's easy to put two and two together here and come out with an irrational number. But, truth be told, I did contact the union on this and received a curt "We do not nor do we plan to sponsor him."

So, that leaves the UAW chasing Toyota — known for its less-than-friendly labor outlook — for jobs and Jeremy Mayfield — known for being a meth head — still chasing a sponsorship. And it leaves me thinking that, somewhere, Walter Reuther must be spinning in his grave.