According to American Auto Worker, the UAW is not operating anywhere in Mississippi. A recent study by the Mississippi Economic Council found that the automotive industry employs over 18,000 in the state, with two support positions created for each automotive one. The study also found that the average yearly income of a Mississippi autoworker is 34 percent higher than the statewide average of $37,642. While the study does not take into account the unseen economic toll via tax credits and incentives, it nevertheless highlights the comparatively low employment rates and high average incomes of the non-unionized Mississippi auto industry.
As Big Labor’s power, funding, and influence dwindles, workers across the nation are realizing they are better off without unions and that high-level labor executives do not generally have the worker’s best interest at heart. But Big Labor is not going away quietly, adamantly fighting RTW and the worker’s right to free speech and association. In a last-ditch effort, the UAW gambled on the south for new members. Despite bringing in some major star power, the UAW failed to establish in Mississippi.
The Magnolia State’s non-organized auto sector allows tens of thousands of residents to live relatively prosperous lives in one of the worst economies in the nation. It serves as an example to other states of what happens when workers are free to associate.
Stephen Lusk
RealClearPolicy
8/15/17
Magnolia Tribune
