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A look at the tough management style employed by Nissan Motor Company at its operations in both Japan and Smyrna, Tennessee.

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00:00Major funding for Frontline is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
00:06Additional funding is provided by this station and other public television stations nationwide.
00:13Tonight on Frontline, a seldom told story behind the Japanese industrial miracle.
00:21A tale of America, Japan, automobiles, and the workers who make them.
00:27I believe it's going to be the best place I've ever worked.
00:31A journey from Tennessee to Tokyo.
00:37A different meaning for the slogan, We Are Driven.
00:52From the network of public television stations,
00:55a presentation of KCTS Seattle, WNET New York, WPBT Miami, WTVS Detroit, and WGBH Boston.
01:06This is Frontline.
01:14Good evening. I'm Judy Woodruff.
01:17Tonight, a different story about the miracle of the Japanese automobile industry.
01:21A story of unions that agree with management, of rigid control, and little room for dissent.
01:28We begin in Tennessee, where Nissan, the world's fourth largest automaker, is opening a new plant.
01:35A film crew recorded that event and also followed a group of American workers from Tennessee to Tokyo
01:41to watch them train on Nissan's home turf.
01:44Those American workers were impressed with what they saw, but their tour was carefully arranged.
01:51Some of what they saw, and some of what they did not see, is our story tonight.
01:56Part of the story was not easy to film.
01:59Our producers had to arrange secret meetings with a small handful of Japanese workers
02:04who were willing to break ranks with their company and their union.
02:08What we see tonight is not the full story of Japanese labor relations,
02:13but it does offer some other images of modern industrial Japan.
02:17I want to welcome all of you to this very special occasion,
02:33the dedication of the new Tennessee facility of Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation, USA.
02:39Let us pray for the partnership between management and employees.
02:53Amen.
02:54Ladies and gentlemen, the Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation, USA, Parade of Cross.
03:01This was a great day for the Japanese auto giant, Nissan.
03:17Managers and employees were celebrating a new kind of partnership.
03:25This is not a story about how Nissan makes its trucks or builds its factories.
03:30It's the story of how Nissan set out to create a new kind of workforce
03:35with a new brand of enthusiasm.
03:42Under Nissan management, the American worker would learn to love the company,
03:47care for the product,
03:49and last, but by no means least, join no union.
03:54If this Japanese experiment works,
03:56Nissan could be creating a new model for labor relations in the USA.
04:13But for all the American fanfare,
04:15Nissan has its critics at home in Japan.
04:18Outside Nissan's Tokyo headquarters,
04:24a line of security guards bars the way to demonstrators.
04:31In this film on Frontline tonight,
04:33we'll be hearing from those who say there's another side to the Nissan success story.
04:39All the critics are Japanese.
04:41Most work for Nissan.
04:43Without a union in Tennessee,
04:49management will dictate working conditions.
04:53They'll put the squeeze on wages and living standards.
04:57Life there is going to be very hard.
05:01Our basic pay is very low.
05:05We can't make ends meet without working overtime,
05:07night shift, and holidays.
05:11The hours of work are very long.
05:16We are not free to take vacations,
05:18and the work is hazardous.
05:24The rest of the world has marveled
05:26at the rate of Japan's industrial growth.
05:29But few have wondered about the human cost.
05:31Satoshi Kamata is a prominent writer and journalist
05:36who specializes in the auto industry.
05:40He even once took a job as an assembly worker for Toyota
05:43and wrote a book about the experience
05:45called Factory of Despair.
05:49Since then, he's written,
05:51industry conditions have been worsening in some ways.
05:56Before the oil crisis,
05:58many auto workers quit
06:00and returned to the country
06:01because the work was so hard.
06:03Now, very few quid
06:05because the recession has gotten worse
06:07and workers will stand for anything.
06:10In America,
06:11the Japanese are putting their plants
06:13in the countryside
06:14or where people need jobs
06:16and will put up with a lot.
06:20Fifty years ago,
06:21Nissan made its first car
06:23and called it Datsun,
06:24which in Japanese means rabbit.
06:26But back then,
06:29Nissan cars were about as familiar
06:31to most Americans
06:32as the Japanese tea ceremony.
06:39By 1948,
06:41the Japanese newsreels
06:42were reporting on Nissan's
06:44first foreign sales.
06:47One of the earliest customers
06:48was an enterprising Egyptian.
06:49But Nissan still had a long way to go.
06:57The turning point came in 1953.
07:03In the immediate post-war years,
07:06Japan had one of the worst strike records
07:08in the world.
07:10Nissan's workers belonged
07:12to a militant trade union.
07:14In 1953,
07:15there was a showdown
07:16after Nissan imposed pay cuts
07:18on the union's leadership.
07:21Nissan followed this
07:22with a lockout
07:23and surrounded its plant
07:25with barricades.
07:28It also hired bands
07:29of strong-armed men
07:30to stop the workers
07:32from trying to get back in.
07:35The dispute lasted four months.
07:39Unlike its workers,
07:41Nissan could afford
07:42to sit it out.
07:42The company was being backed
07:45by the Japan Industrial Bank,
07:47one of the wealthiest in the land.
07:49This enabled Nissan
07:50to keep its production lines
07:52shut down
07:52while more and more workers
07:54called for a return to work.
07:58When a breakaway union began to form,
08:01Nissan seized its chance.
08:03Each worker who joined the new union
08:05received back pay from Nissan.
08:10The bank's support
08:11had proved decisive.
08:12On a bitter day,
08:17the strikers returned to work.
08:20Nissan had achieved its aim.
08:24It had broken the power
08:25of the militant union.
08:27But as they streamed back
08:29into the factory,
08:30thousands wore headbands,
08:32a sign of protest in Japan.
08:35As work resumed,
08:37the newsreels called it
08:38the end of an historic confrontation
08:40between labor and capital.
08:43It was indeed a turning point
08:45for Nissan
08:46and the end of an era
08:48for its workers.
08:57Nissan now had a company union
08:59it could live with.
09:01Indeed,
09:01the breakaway union's leadership
09:03came from Nissan's own
09:04accounting department.
09:05It's founding slogan was
09:08those who truly love their union
09:10love their company.
09:13This kind of cooperation
09:14has become standard practice
09:16throughout Japanese industry.
09:19Foreigners sometimes see this
09:21as evidence that the Japanese
09:22are literally a race apart.
09:24This view is disputed
09:28by a professor
09:29at Tokyo University
09:30who has written a history
09:31of the 1953 strike.
09:34His Ichiro Saga.
09:38There is no denying
09:39that in Japan
09:40labor and management
09:41cooperate closely.
09:43But it wasn't always so.
09:47In the early post-war years
09:48there were trade unions
09:50that put the interests
09:51of the workers first.
09:52It was only after
09:53these unions were crushed
09:55that today's collaborative
09:56system of labor relations
09:57came about.
10:00It is definitely not
10:01a peculiar product
10:02of Japan's culture.
10:07Today, Nissan
10:08is a world empire.
10:1330 years after its showdown
10:15with the militant union
10:16world sales total
10:1717 billion dollars a year.
10:22Nissan managers
10:23are brilliant
10:23at opening up
10:24new foreign markets
10:25in the words
10:26of their own TV ad.
10:30They are driven.
10:37This was how Nissan
10:38found a market
10:39for its small Datsun
10:40pickup truck
10:41in the USA.
10:45No wonder
10:46Nissan's president
10:47Takashi Ishihara
10:48thinks it can take
10:49on all comers.
10:52Even if GM
10:53Ford
10:54and Chrysler
10:55build their own
10:56small pickup trucks
10:58we feel
10:59that the American
11:00car buying public
11:02recognizes
11:03that this market
11:04really belongs
11:05to the Japanese.
11:08We are confident
11:08that we
11:09will be able
11:10to compete
11:11with the Americans.
11:12by the mid-70s
11:17this Japanese
11:18drive into
11:19the American market
11:20was meeting
11:20resistance
11:21in Detroit
11:22and Washington.
11:23As protectionist
11:24pressure mounted
11:25Nissan decided
11:26to build itself
11:27a truck assembly plant
11:28in the sleepy
11:29Tennessee town
11:30of Smyrna.
11:31Nissan
11:42will take place
11:45today
11:46just outside
11:46Smyrna, Tennessee.
11:48Groundbreaking ceremonies
11:49for the
11:49$660 million
11:51Nissan
11:51motor manufacturing
11:53plant
11:53will take place
11:54today
11:54in Smyrna, Tennessee.
11:55Nissan made
11:56its own documentary
11:57about this.
11:58the largest
11:59single Japanese
12:00investment
12:00in America.
12:02February 3rd
12:031981
12:04a host
12:05of dignitaries
12:06and officials
12:07converge
12:08on the frozen
12:08Tennessee countryside
12:10just 15 miles
12:11south of Nashville.
12:14On this bright
12:15February morning
12:16what so many
12:18had worked for
12:18what so many
12:20had hoped for
12:21had indeed
12:22happened.
12:24Nissan
12:24had come
12:25to America.
12:27Nissan
12:28had come
12:29to Tennessee.
12:33What this
12:34company
12:34will be doing
12:35is putting
12:362,200 jobs
12:38in Tennessee
12:39for 2,200
12:41Tennesseans
12:42at an average
12:43of $20,000
12:44a job.
12:46And we believe
12:47that Tennesseans
12:48have the desire
12:49and the dedication
12:51to manufacture
12:52the best truck
12:53made anywhere
12:54in the world.
12:55But the local
12:57news had a
12:57different story.
13:00From the beginning
13:01of today's ceremony
13:02Southern hospitality
13:03was hard to find.
13:07Officials
13:08tried to carry on
13:09but they were
13:10constantly met
13:10with chants
13:11of go home
13:12Jack, remember
13:12Pearl Harbor
13:13and go home
13:14rat.
13:15It was a situation
13:16often laced
13:16with great irony.
13:18Thank you all
13:18for your support,
13:20your hospitality,
13:22and your personal warmth.
13:24While some stuck
13:25to the script,
13:26others improvised
13:27bravely.
13:28As you know,
13:29the terminology
13:31boo
13:32Nissan had hired
13:38a non-union
13:39contractor
13:40to build the plant.
13:42And Nissan
13:42was determined
13:43to keep unions
13:44out of the finished plant.
13:45but angry
13:50construction workers
13:51brought the
13:52groundbreaking ceremony
13:53to a halt.
13:55The UAW itself
13:57played no part
13:58in this demonstration.
14:00The union
14:00was taking
14:01a long-term view
14:02as was
14:03former president
14:03Doug Frazier.
14:04Well, the
14:06Nissan people
14:08in Smyrna, Tennessee
14:09and this is a policy
14:10that was dictated
14:11in Japan
14:12and they're bound
14:13and determined
14:14that we will be
14:16unable to organize
14:17that facility
14:18and I don't get
14:19that excited about it
14:20because I'm old enough
14:21to remember
14:22when General Motors
14:23and Ford
14:24and Chrysler
14:24said never,
14:26never will the UAW
14:27be able to organize us.
14:29In fact,
14:29it took us
14:29a few years longer
14:31than Ford
14:31than it did
14:32in General Motors
14:33and
14:34and Chrysler
14:35because Henry Ford
14:36is a very,
14:37very determined man.
14:40But behind
14:41the warning notices
14:42in the chain-link fence,
14:44Nissan was equally determined.
14:47The new factory
14:47began to take shape
14:48and with it,
14:49a new approach
14:50to management.
14:52Though the managers
14:53were almost all Americans,
14:55their style
14:55had a distinctly
14:56Japanese tone.
15:02Starting with
15:03morning exercises,
15:05Japanese stress
15:06teamwork,
15:07harmony,
15:07and togetherness.
15:13Nissan vice president,
15:14Shuichi Yoshida.
15:16The Japanese management
15:17is more human-oriented.
15:20The group's
15:21consciousness,
15:23teamwork-oriented.
15:24We are thinking
15:26that the important
15:30asset to the company
15:32is human beings,
15:34not machines.
15:36To keep the humans happy
15:38and the unions out,
15:39Nissan had appointed
15:40a tough and experienced
15:42former Ford executive
15:43to head up
15:44its Smyrna operation.
15:45given Nissan's emphasis
15:50on harmony,
15:52Marvin Runyon
15:52seemed a surprising
15:53choice as president.
15:54What are we doing here today?
15:56Well, what does this
15:57robot do,
15:58Mars?
15:59In newspaper interviews,
16:00Runyon has admitted
16:01that during his time
16:02at Ford,
16:03he treated his workers
16:04in the autocratic manner
16:05of so many
16:06American managers.
16:07Now a born-again
16:10Nissan man,
16:11he's adopted
16:11a folksy style
16:13and hopes to put
16:13the days of shop floor
16:14confrontation
16:15far behind him.
16:17In a lot of
16:18American industry,
16:19you have
16:20pretty much
16:22of an adversary
16:22relationship
16:23between workers
16:25and management,
16:26which has developed
16:28over a large number
16:29of years.
16:30It's not something
16:30that just happened.
16:31It's a large number
16:32of years this has developed.
16:35And that's true
16:36in a lot of industry,
16:37not only automobile industry.
16:40And what we're trying
16:41to do here
16:42is to not have that.
16:44Nissan could have
16:45the kind of workforce
16:46it wanted.
16:47Though it was starting
16:48from scratch,
16:49unemployment was high
16:50in Tennessee
16:51and some 130,000 people
16:53applied for 2,000 jobs.
16:55The man in charge
16:56of selecting
16:57and training them
16:58was Larry Seltz.
16:59In our selection,
17:00we're looking for people
17:01who will work
17:02in a team atmosphere.
17:06We look at
17:08their ability
17:09to do the job,
17:10the technical skills.
17:12And we also look
17:13at their ability
17:14to work
17:15in a team kind
17:16of an atmosphere
17:17in cooperation.
17:22One of those
17:23with the right job skills
17:24and team spirit
17:25was Geraldine Hyatt.
17:27They believe
17:28in hiring
17:29the right people
17:30in the first place.
17:31That way,
17:32you don't have
17:32to lose anybody.
17:33They interview
17:35and interview
17:35and interview
17:36and make sure
17:39of people's background.
17:41Though he left
17:42a good job
17:42and even took
17:43a pay cut
17:44to join Nissan,
17:45Ed Thornton's background
17:46was thoroughly screened.
17:51Most of the people
17:52that they have hired,
17:53of course,
17:53they do talk to us
17:54within the legal limits
17:56of the law
17:56about our feelings
17:57on the union.
17:59Of course,
17:59you're free to tell them
18:00what you think,
18:01whether yay or nay.
18:02I feel like
18:05they were looking
18:06at your opinion
18:06before they hired you
18:08as to what you think
18:09about the unions.
18:10I really don't see
18:11a need for a union
18:12in the environment
18:13that we're going to have.
18:15So if everyone's
18:16told the truth,
18:17the union really
18:18doesn't stand
18:20a very good chance
18:21of getting in.
18:22It's sort of like
18:23having a family counselor
18:24if the family's
18:25getting along.
18:26There's just,
18:27there's no room for it.
18:28We have said
18:31that we don't need
18:32any third parties
18:33of any kind.
18:34Without a union,
18:35there's one party,
18:36not three,
18:37just one,
18:38because the worker
18:39in Smyrna, Tennessee
18:40will have nothing
18:41to say about
18:42what his wages are
18:43and what his fringe
18:44benefits are
18:44and indeed what most
18:45of his working
18:46conditions are.
18:47So what you have
18:48is a one-party system
18:49and what we want
18:50to do is inject
18:51another party
18:52to make it a two-party
18:53system which is
18:54always more democratic.
18:55We have all the benefits
18:58and wages,
19:00et cetera,
19:00equivalent,
19:01if not better,
19:03than the automotive
19:03industry.
19:04When we get around
19:04to our bonuses
19:05for productivity
19:06and things like that,
19:07we might pay better
19:10than the existing
19:11automotive wages.
19:13So I don't think
19:14there's any reason
19:15for any third parties
19:16at all.
19:17The reason for Nissan's
19:19anti-union stance
19:20in Tennessee
19:21may be that here
19:22in Japan,
19:23it has a kind
19:24of union it could
19:25find nowhere else.
19:28This is Ichiro Shiochi,
19:30president of the
19:31Nissan union.
19:34Nissan's company
19:34chairman has said
19:36he's a man
19:37who sees things
19:37mainly from
19:38management's point
19:39of view.
19:41His view of
19:42labor relations
19:43is such that
19:44he's even been
19:44called Nissan's
19:46second president.
19:47I think that
19:49American management
19:50should think
19:51how to create
19:52a cooperative
19:53relationship
19:54with trade unions
19:56instead of
19:57confrontation
19:58with them.
20:00Also,
20:01trade unions
20:01should have
20:02more concern
20:03about productivity
20:04and quality
20:07and quality
20:07of the goods.
20:09Nissan and Shioji's
20:11union collaborate
20:12to an extraordinary
20:13degree.
20:15Union officials
20:15like these
20:16are favored
20:16for promotion
20:17to company foreman.
20:19Nissan commonly
20:20assigns junior managers
20:22to a period
20:23of service
20:23in the union.
20:25Few rank-and-file
20:26workers dare
20:27to speak out openly
20:28against a system
20:29in which their own
20:30union boss
20:30is so close
20:31to management.
20:36One exception
20:36is a Nissan
20:37diesel employee
20:38called Masao Kayama.
20:42Candidates for union
20:43elections
20:43are chosen
20:44by a committee.
20:48Former union
20:49officers
20:49who are now
20:50company supervisors
20:51are part of this
20:52committee,
20:52even though
20:53that's not
20:53what's written
20:54in the bylaws.
20:57This is where
20:58the company
20:58and the union
20:59decide who should
21:00run for office.
21:01most of the people
21:05who hold positions
21:06in the union
21:06are company supervisors.
21:09For example,
21:10the shop steward,
21:11the lowest position
21:12in the union,
21:13is usually
21:14a company sub foreman
21:15and the shop delegate
21:16is usually a foreman.
21:20The union
21:20and management
21:21are so intermeshed
21:22that it's impossible
21:23for just any worker
21:24to become a union officer.
21:26back in the USA,
21:34Nissan had a different way
21:36to create a cooperative
21:37workforce.
21:40And it was spending
21:4163 million dollars
21:43on training
21:44and motivating
21:44its non-union workers.
21:46That's something
21:52that I admire
21:53about Nissan.
21:54It's taking the time
21:55to train us
21:57before they
21:57stick us on a job.
22:01Everyone's going to
22:02get equal training.
22:04They're not going to
22:04put anybody
22:05in the plant
22:05that hadn't
22:07been trained
22:08and knows
22:09his job.
22:10If my machine
22:13breaks down,
22:14there's
22:15other things
22:16in the shop
22:17that I'll be
22:18capable of doing.
22:19I'll know everything
22:20in my department,
22:22which is
22:23good for me
22:24and good for Nissan.
22:26John, make sure
22:27your listing wires
22:28are up in position now.
22:30You're under the hook
22:31good at the rear.
22:32Go, work left, right,
22:34right, left.
22:35It was clear
22:40that for the first time
22:41in their work lives,
22:42many felt
22:43they were being
22:43treated like people.
22:46Well, first,
22:46I want to thank
22:47all of you
22:47for joining us tonight.
22:48We're here to welcome
22:4935 new production
22:51technicians
22:52and their families
22:53to our growing
22:54Nissan family.
22:56Family was a word
22:57that Runyon used often.
22:58And if Nissan
22:59could be likened
23:00to a family,
23:01then he was
23:02its father figure.
23:03Nissan believes
23:05that a happy family
23:06is a productive family.
23:08As our guests
23:08of honor tonight.
23:12Our first pair
23:13for role-playing
23:14today, then,
23:15will be Ron and Marvin.
23:16Why don't you all
23:17come on up front
23:17and Ron,
23:18you get us started.
23:19This family atmosphere
23:20was rehearsed
23:21by middle managers
23:22and supervisors
23:23in role-playing
23:24sessions like this one.
23:26I'm going to be
23:26the supervisor
23:27this morning
23:27and Marvin
23:28is about to go
23:29to his workstation
23:30and start to work
23:31and I'm going to
23:32stop him on the way
23:33and talk to him
23:34about the quality
23:35of the work
23:35that he's been doing
23:36over the last few weeks.
23:40Good morning, Marvin.
23:41Good morning, Ron.
23:41How you doing?
23:42Fine.
23:42You all right this morning?
23:43Marvin, I just want
23:44to stop and talk to you
23:45a little bit
23:45before you started
23:46work this morning.
23:47I was going over
23:48the quality reports
23:49for the last couple
23:49of weeks
23:50and I've noticed
23:50that you have done
23:52a consistent job
23:53of the quality
23:53of the reports.
23:54Thank you, Ron.
23:55Good.
23:56And I wanted to thank you
23:57for the work
23:59that you've done.
24:00Well, I appreciate that, Ron.
24:01I appreciate you noticing
24:02the work that I've been doing.
24:03But I do try to do
24:04a real good job
24:05while I'm here
24:05and I hope to improve.
24:07That's very good, Marvin.
24:08Once again,
24:09I would like to thank you
24:10for the hard work
24:11that you've done
24:12and the consistent quality
24:13that you have produced.
24:14Thank you, Ron.
24:15See you later.
24:16This arm really makes you
24:17feel like you're part
24:18of the company.
24:19By being proud
24:20to be a part of it,
24:21we're going to naturally
24:23put forth more effort.
24:24I believe it's going to be
24:26the best place
24:27I've ever worked.
24:28After we get about
24:2915 people that are new,
24:31we like to have lunch with them.
24:32In all its essentials,
24:34Runyon's management theory
24:35was based on
24:36established Japanese practice.
24:38But in some ways,
24:40Runyon was going further.
24:42Here in Smyrna,
24:43he was creating
24:44an unprecedented combination
24:46of Japanese paternalism
24:47and Southern hospitality.
24:49The atmosphere
24:52in Nissan's Japanese factories
24:54is very different.
24:56Behind the paternalism
24:57is a system
24:58that has been compared
24:59to that of a military hierarchy.
25:02In public,
25:03Nissan's executives
25:04like President Takashi Ishihara
25:06pay tribute
25:07to the partnership
25:08of managers and workers.
25:10But there's no doubt at all
25:12who is really in command.
25:14It's a highly regimented system
25:16and the workers
25:17know their place.
25:19Japanese management
25:24has quite a good reputation
25:26in the United States.
25:28But it is a family-style,
25:30feudalistic system.
25:32It assumes children
25:34will obey their parents
25:35without question
25:35and workers
25:36will obey their bosses.
25:39It's a traditional
25:40Japanese hierarchy
25:41that demands obedience.
25:44It is authoritarian.
25:47There is a clear
25:48chain of command.
25:49This side of things
25:51is deliberately downplayed.
25:54It's a serious problem
25:55that only the good side
25:56is advertised
25:57while the dark side
25:58is completely ignored.
26:01N-I-S-S-A-N
26:03one, two, three, three, four, five, five.
26:08In Tennessee,
26:09the Americans
26:09were trying to give
26:10the Nissan philosophy
26:11a twist of their own.
26:13Up ahead.
26:14One, two, three, four, five.
26:19For example,
26:20they now played American,
26:21not Japanese music,
26:22at their morning exercises.
26:23There's a high expectation
26:26of this being
26:28a Japanese company.
26:30We've got to continue,
26:32in my opinion,
26:33to work on the philosophy
26:34that this is really
26:36a U.S. company.
26:37The Americans
26:45were soon
26:45to experience
26:46the Japanese way
26:47of work
26:47for themselves.
26:55383
26:56were to go to Japan
26:57for on-the-job training.
26:58Those who flew
27:24from nearby Nashville airport
27:25were mostly
27:26shop floor supervisors,
27:28the future backbone
27:29of the company.
27:30Proceed to the gate area
27:32for check-in.
27:34They're sending us to Japan
27:35not only for the training,
27:36I believe that
27:37a majority of the training
27:38we could actually receive
27:39here in the United States.
27:41It's to make us feel
27:42more part of the actual
27:43Japanese Nissan
27:45manufacturing company
27:46in Japan.
27:48And to us
27:48to bring back
27:50the feeling
27:51or closeness
27:51to the other
27:52American employees
27:53that are employed
27:54later by Nissan
27:55that we will actually train
27:56when we come back
27:57and when we hire
27:58new employees
27:58this spring.
28:02This is the world
28:03the Americans
28:04would be entering.
28:06It's a world
28:07of hard work
28:07and loyalty
28:08to the company
28:09that's admired everywhere.
28:10but there are critics
28:12inside Japan itself.
28:15They say that this
28:16well-publicized enthusiasm
28:17is not spontaneous
28:19but coerced.
28:23These critics
28:24point to the famous
28:25quality control circles.
28:28In these
28:29workers suggest
28:30how to make themselves
28:31more productive.
28:32but though quality control circles
28:35take place
28:36in the workers'
28:36spare time
28:37they're not entirely
28:38voluntary.
28:40Nissan sets a monthly
28:41quota of ideas
28:42for its workers.
28:47Workers must impress
28:48the foreman
28:48with their loyalty
28:49say the critics.
28:51That's why they do
28:52morning exercises
28:53come to work early
28:54and do unpaid work
28:55in their spare time.
28:57The foreman
28:58helps determine
28:59the workers' wages
29:00and they don't always
29:02get equal pay
29:03for equal work.
29:04The loyalty
29:05they show
29:05is a factor
29:06in how much
29:07they earn.
29:10Nissan does meet
29:11many of its
29:12workers' needs.
29:13The company
29:14provides inexpensive
29:15bachelor quarters
29:16for its single men.
29:19Nissan will even
29:20sometimes provide
29:21help in finding
29:21a wife.
29:23The married man's
29:24family can feel
29:25secure in its
29:26subsidized Nissan
29:27housing because
29:28the company
29:28guarantees a job
29:30for life.
29:31But critics say
29:32the price of all
29:33this is a kind
29:34of dependency.
29:37A worker must
29:38even show loyalty
29:39off the job.
29:41It sometimes
29:42seems that every
29:43Nissan worker
29:43drives a Nissan car.
29:47In fact,
29:48those who drive
29:49non-Nissan cars
29:50are not allowed
29:51to park
29:52in the factory lot.
29:53outwardly,
30:00the Japanese
30:00seem content
30:01with the Nissan
30:02family way of life.
30:05Undoubtedly,
30:06they do value
30:07the security
30:08of their jobs.
30:09But with so much
30:10at stake,
30:11only a handful
30:12are willing to
30:13criticize the company
30:14in public.
30:24Because so few
30:25Nissan workers
30:26will speak out,
30:27stories of dissent
30:28are hard to bring
30:29to light.
30:32The man
30:33Professor Saga
30:34is meeting
30:34is a dissident
30:35worker at a
30:36Nissan factory.
30:38He asks that
30:39his identity
30:39not be revealed.
30:40This anonymous
30:43worker tells
30:44of bad
30:44working conditions
30:45and how an
30:46underground
30:46newspaper
30:47circulates
30:48at his factory.
30:51Saga sees
30:51this as evidence
30:52of discontent.
30:55He says
30:55this is not
30:56an isolated case
30:57and he insists
30:59that all his
31:00sources are
31:01ordinary workers.
31:05The workers
31:06I interviewed
31:07had no
31:07particular ideology.
31:10They weren't
31:11involved in
31:12organizing either.
31:14They were
31:14ordinary workers
31:15living normal
31:16lives.
31:21Professor Saga
31:22has taped
31:23scores of
31:23interviews
31:24with other
31:24workers.
31:26For eight
31:27years he's
31:28been working
31:28on a special
31:29study of
31:30labor relations
31:31inside Nissan.
31:34It's Saga's
31:35contention
31:35that Nissan
31:36workers put
31:37on their
31:37show of
31:38loyalty
31:38for fear
31:39of retaliation.
31:40those workers
31:44who fail
31:45to show
31:45enough
31:45loyalty
31:46in the eyes
31:47of the
31:47company
31:47don't get
31:48a square
31:49deal.
31:50They have
31:51no hope
31:51of promotion
31:52in the
31:52company
31:52and they
31:53get less
31:54pay.
31:58Saga
31:58has found
31:59few workers
32:00who will
32:00criticize
32:00Nissan
32:01in public
32:01but the
32:03professor
32:03did find
32:04some
32:04who were
32:05prepared
32:05to speak
32:06out
32:06at a
32:06factory
32:07in
32:07North
32:07Tokyo
32:08that had
32:08been
32:08taken
32:09over
32:09by
32:09Nissan.
32:14These
32:14men are
32:15the
32:15remnants
32:15of the
32:15old
32:16metal
32:16workers
32:16union
32:17who
32:17refused
32:18to
32:18join
32:18Nissan's
32:19union
32:19when
32:19their
32:19old
32:20company
32:20was
32:20acquired.
32:21We
32:27don't
32:27like to
32:28bad
32:28mouth
32:29the
32:29Nissan
32:29union
32:30but the
32:31way we
32:31see it
32:32we'd
32:32like to
32:32see them
32:32work
32:33harder
32:33to
32:33improve
32:34working
32:34conditions.
32:41Nissan
32:42operates
32:42with a
32:43system
32:43of
32:43mandatory
32:44overtime.
32:46At the
32:46end of
32:46every
32:47eight
32:47hour
32:47a day
32:47we must
32:48work
32:48an
32:49hour
32:49overtime.
32:51Ten
32:52minutes
32:52before
32:52work
32:53starts
32:53gongs
32:54and
32:54klaxons
32:54sound
32:55in
32:55Nissan
32:55factories.
33:07The
33:08workers
33:08must
33:09lay out
33:09tools
33:10and
33:10spare
33:10parts
33:11in
33:11their
33:11own
33:11time
33:12because
33:12the
33:13company
33:13has
33:13paired
33:13its
33:14workforce
33:14to
33:14the
33:14absolute
33:15minimum.
33:15We
33:22have
33:22really
33:22begun
33:23to
33:23feel
33:23the
33:24effects
33:24of
33:24the
33:24cutbacks.
33:27In
33:27my
33:28shop
33:28the
33:29supervisors
33:29have
33:30to
33:30work
33:30on
33:30the
33:30line
33:31these
33:31days.
33:34Even
33:34union
33:35officers
33:35have
33:36to
33:36do
33:36their
33:36stint.
33:42Nissan
33:43has
33:43virtually
33:44eliminated
33:44relief
33:45workers.
33:46So
33:47people
33:47are
33:47discouraged
33:48from
33:48taking
33:48sick
33:49leave
33:49or
33:49full
33:49vacations
33:50and
33:51the
33:51rate
33:52of
33:52work
33:52is
33:52being
33:52stepped
33:53up
33:53all
33:53the
33:53time.
33:58They
33:59put a
33:59more
33:59efficient
33:59transfer
34:00machine
34:00on my
34:01job.
34:06It
34:06didn't
34:06change
34:07the
34:07actual
34:07work
34:08that I
34:08do
34:08but
34:08what
34:09I
34:09used
34:09to
34:09do
34:09in
34:1023
34:10seconds
34:11I
34:11now
34:12have
34:12to
34:12do
34:12in
34:1215
34:13seconds.
34:14It's
34:18getting
34:18hard
34:18to
34:19keep
34:19up.
34:22Nissan
34:22analyzes
34:23work
34:23breaking
34:24each
34:24job
34:25down
34:25into
34:25split
34:26seconds.
34:28The
34:28effect
34:29is to
34:29eliminate
34:29even
34:30the
34:30shortest
34:31pause
34:31for
34:31breath.
34:35The
34:36aim
34:36is to
34:37waste
34:37not
34:37one
34:38motion
34:38in
34:38the
34:38nine
34:39hour
34:39day.
34:39Yes,
34:42the
34:42speed
34:42up
34:43of
34:43work
34:43is
34:43something
34:44else.
34:45For
34:45example,
34:46now if
34:47you drop
34:47a bolt,
34:48you no
34:48longer
34:49have
34:49the
34:49time
34:49to
34:49pick
34:50it
34:50up.
34:53In
34:5410
34:54years,
34:55worker
34:55productivity
34:55has
34:56increased
34:56by
34:5770%.
34:58But
34:59industrial
34:59robots
35:00have
35:00brought
35:00no
35:01relief
35:01to
35:01the
35:01Nissan
35:02worker.
35:04Robots
35:05know
35:05no
35:05fatigue
35:06and
35:06work
35:07incessantly.
35:07We
35:09have
35:09to
35:09keep
35:09up
35:10with
35:10them
35:10and
35:11our
35:11work
35:11rate
35:11has
35:11increased
35:12dramatically.
35:13Things
35:13are
35:14getting
35:14pretty
35:14bad.
35:16To
35:16understand
35:16how
35:17the
35:17Japanese
35:17accept
35:18such
35:18a
35:18system,
35:19it
35:19is
35:19essential
35:19to
35:20understand
35:20the
35:20psychological
35:21pressures
35:22that
35:22underpin
35:22it.
35:24The
35:24Americans
35:24who
35:25trained
35:25with
35:25Nissan
35:26had
35:26come
35:26from
35:26a
35:27society
35:27that
35:27prizes
35:28the
35:28individual.
35:30But
35:30here
35:30in
35:30Japan
35:31they
35:31would
35:31find
35:31that
35:31the
35:32emphasis
35:32is
35:32on
35:33the
35:33group.
35:34Americans
35:35who
35:35come
35:35to
35:36Japan
35:36are
35:37often
35:37impressed
35:37by
35:38this
35:38cohesiveness
35:39but
35:40some
35:40Japanese
35:40are
35:41more
35:41ambivalent.
35:43I
35:44visited
35:44a
35:45Chrysler
35:45plant
35:45in
35:45Detroit
35:46recently.
35:47What
35:47struck
35:47me
35:48was
35:48that
35:48the
35:48American
35:48workers
35:49are
35:49free
35:49to
35:50wear
35:50what
35:50they
35:50please
35:51and
35:51behave
35:51as
35:51they
35:52choose.
35:53They
35:54seem
35:54to
35:54work
35:54in
35:55an
35:55atmosphere
35:55of
35:55freedom.
35:57In
35:58Japan
35:58all
35:59the
35:59workers
35:59wear
36:00uniforms.
36:03They
36:03work
36:04flat
36:04out
36:04every
36:05minute
36:05and
36:05every
36:06second.
36:11They
36:12seem
36:12strained.
36:17In
36:17America
36:18by
36:18contrast
36:19the
36:19workers
36:20seemed
36:20relaxed
36:21and
36:21untroubled.
36:24Under
36:26the
36:26Japanese
36:26management
36:27system
36:27production
36:28takes
36:28place
36:29in
36:29groups.
36:33Japan's
36:33industrial
36:34growth
36:34was based
36:35on this.
36:37The
36:37individual
36:37and his
36:38opinions
36:38count for
36:39nothing.
36:41This
36:42is what
36:42Japanese
36:43group
36:43management
36:43is all
36:44about.
36:47The
36:48Americans
36:48were to
36:49work
36:49inside
36:50this
36:50group
36:50system.
36:52Nissan
36:52hadn't
36:53brought
36:53them
36:53here
36:53just
36:54for
36:54technical
36:54training.
36:55their
36:56foreman
36:57wanted
36:57this
36:57Japanese
36:58team
36:58spirit
36:59to rub
36:59off
37:00on them.
37:04They're
37:04here
37:04working
37:05side
37:05by side
37:06with us.
37:07They're
37:07treated
37:08just like
37:08any other
37:09worker.
37:10I hope
37:11they get a
37:12feel for
37:13working as
37:14a team
37:14and not
37:15just as
37:16individuals.
37:16I hope
37:18they bring
37:19that spirit
37:19alive
37:20back in
37:20America.
37:25These
37:26small groups
37:26work in the
37:27same way
37:28as the
37:28buddy
37:28system.
37:29Workers
37:29feel loyal
37:30to their
37:30workmates.
37:33Obviously
37:34they don't
37:34want to
37:34let them
37:35down.
37:36To avoid
37:36that they'll
37:37put in
37:37extra effort.
37:39Some say
37:40Nissan uses
37:41this peer
37:41pressure to
37:42make its
37:42workers drive
37:43themselves
37:44ever harder.
37:47You're part
37:48of a group
37:49so you're
37:49made to
37:50feel you
37:50should do
37:51nothing that
37:51would cause
37:51trouble for
37:52the group.
37:53If you're
37:54injured on
37:54the job
37:55you will
37:55not report
37:56it because
37:57that would
37:57reflect badly
37:58on your
37:58co-workers
37:59your group
37:59leader and
38:00your foreman.
38:02So you do
38:03not file an
38:03accident report.
38:04You suffer
38:05in silence.
38:06Even if
38:07you're sick
38:07you don't
38:08take the
38:08day off.
38:09You plug
38:10on through.
38:11You don't
38:11even take
38:12the vacations
38:13you're
38:13entitled
38:14to.
38:19Every
38:20spring
38:20the 70
38:21members
38:21of the
38:21All-Metal
38:22Workers Union
38:23print out
38:23a questionnaire
38:24and circulate
38:25it among
38:25several
38:26hundred
38:26fellow
38:26workers.
38:31It may
38:32be evidence
38:32that the
38:33grueling pace
38:33set by
38:34Nissan
38:34may be
38:36taking
38:36its toll
38:36because
38:38the results
38:38of their
38:39survey
38:39suggest
38:40widespread
38:40discontent
38:41among
38:42ordinary
38:42Nissan
38:43workers.
38:45The first
38:46question we
38:47asked is
38:48how would
38:48you describe
38:49the quality
38:49of your
38:50life over
38:50the past
38:51year?
38:5354%
38:54said that
38:55life had
38:55got harder
38:56in the past
38:56year.
39:01The next
39:02question was
39:03has work
39:04changed in
39:04the past
39:05year and
39:06if so
39:06how?
39:1156%
39:13of the
39:13workers
39:13said their
39:14work was
39:14harder.
39:19Of
39:19these
39:2030%
39:21said their
39:21work was
39:22harder because
39:22the workload
39:23had increased
39:24and 23%
39:29said it was
39:30because the
39:31workforce
39:31had been
39:32cut.
39:34These
39:34were the
39:35results.
39:40Workers
39:41at Nissan
39:41assembly
39:42plants are
39:42supposed to
39:43be some
39:43of the
39:43most
39:44privileged
39:44in Japan.
39:45But most
40:01of the
40:01labor that
40:01goes into
40:02a Nissan
40:02truck or
40:03car is
40:04done at
40:04subsidiaries
40:05and
40:05subcontractors.
40:10There
40:11working
40:11conditions
40:12are far
40:12more
40:13severe.
40:15This
40:27protest
40:28song
40:28is
40:28about
40:28a fight
40:29to
40:29improve
40:30conditions
40:30at a
40:31Nissan
40:31subsidiary
40:32called
40:32the
40:32Atsugi
40:33Motor
40:33Parts
40:33Company.
40:35The
40:36heroes
40:36of the
40:36song
40:37are
40:37known
40:37inevitably
40:38as
40:39the
40:39Atsugi
40:39Seven.
40:41The
40:42song
40:42celebrates
40:43the
40:43story
40:43of
40:44how
40:44they
40:44tried
40:44to
40:44buck
40:45the
40:45Nissan
40:45system.
40:49The
40:50Atsugi
40:51Seven say
40:51they found
40:52themselves
40:52up against
40:53the
40:53combined
40:53forces
40:54of
40:54Nissan
40:55and
40:55its
40:55union.
40:58First
40:58they claim
40:59the company
40:59gave them
41:00bad jobs
41:01and lower
41:01pay.
41:06Then
41:07they say
41:07their own
41:08union
41:08harassed
41:09them
41:09and got
41:09them
41:10fired.
41:10They
41:16sued
41:17the company
41:17for
41:17discrimination
41:18and
41:18harassment
41:19and
41:20Nissan
41:20paid
41:20them
41:21$100,000
41:22in
41:22settlement.
41:24Now
41:25they're
41:25suing
41:25the company
41:26and the
41:26union
41:26to get
41:27their
41:27jobs
41:27back.
41:28The
41:36union
41:37does
41:37nothing
41:37about
41:38the
41:38bad
41:38working
41:38conditions
41:39that
41:39my
41:39brother
41:40here
41:40described
41:40earlier.
41:41When it
41:42does
41:42anything
41:42at all,
41:43it sides
41:44with the
41:44company.
41:45It ignores
41:46the bad
41:46conditions
41:47so that
41:47the company
41:48can make
41:48more
41:49and more
41:49profits.
41:50The
41:56local
41:56labor
41:57relations
41:57board,
41:58which
41:58officially
41:59investigates
41:59labor
42:00disputes,
42:01ruled that
42:01our
42:02activities
42:02were
42:02perfectly
42:03legal.
42:07As a
42:07result,
42:08the company
42:09and the
42:09union
42:10feared that
42:11support for
42:11us in
42:12the plant
42:12would spread
42:13if they
42:13didn't
42:14fire us.
42:14That
42:19was
42:20their
42:20biggest
42:20fear.
42:25The
42:25Atsugi
42:26Seven
42:26point
42:27to
42:27one
42:27man
42:28as
42:28the
42:28central
42:28figure
42:29in
42:29a
42:29tight
42:29system
42:30of
42:30control.
42:32For
42:3220
42:32years,
42:33Ichiro
42:34Shioji
42:34has
42:35dominated
42:35his
42:36union.
42:38Shioji
42:38has
42:39defended
42:39the
42:39dismissal
42:40of
42:40the
42:40Atsugi
42:40workers,
42:41whom
42:41he
42:41describes
42:42as
42:42crypto
42:43communists.
42:44Shioji
42:46himself
42:46has
42:47said
42:47it
42:48is
42:48the
42:48job
42:48of
42:48the
42:48union
42:49to
42:49cover
42:49for
42:50management
42:50and
42:51do
42:51the
42:51things
42:51they
42:52cannot
42:52do
42:52for
42:52themselves.
42:54In
42:54practice,
42:54critics
42:55say
42:55this
42:55includes
42:56the
42:56suppression
42:56of
42:57shop
42:57floor
42:57dissidents.
42:58And
42:59they
42:59further
42:59charge
42:59that
43:00Shioji's
43:00union
43:01is
43:01effectively
43:01a
43:02company
43:02police
43:02force.
43:04But
43:04Shioji
43:05believes
43:05that
43:05the
43:05welfare
43:06of
43:06his
43:06members
43:07depends
43:07on
43:07the
43:07prosperity
43:08of
43:08the
43:08company
43:09and
43:09that
43:10anyone
43:10who
43:10rocks
43:14dissent
43:15is
43:15so
43:15muted
43:15and
43:16that
43:16the
43:16union
43:16gets
43:17virtually
43:17100%
43:18support
43:18in
43:19all
43:19its
43:19elections.
43:22I
43:22have
43:22this
43:23report.
43:24It
43:24shows
43:25how
43:25the
43:25eligible
43:26voters,
43:26the
43:27votes
43:27cast,
43:28and
43:28the
43:28votes
43:28in
43:29favor
43:29are
43:30all
43:30the
43:30same.
43:34There
43:35isn't
43:35one
43:35opposing
43:36vote.
43:39I
43:40think
43:40Americans
43:40and
43:41Europeans
43:41might
43:42find
43:42this
43:42difficult
43:43to
43:43believe.
43:44There
43:44can't
43:45really
43:45be
43:45unanimous
43:46support.
43:47In
43:47Japan,
43:48nothing
43:48less
43:48than
43:49total
43:49support
43:49will
43:50do.
43:51You
43:51can
43:52see
43:52that
43:52in
43:52this
43:52report.
43:56In
43:57the
43:57last
43:5730
43:58years,
43:58only
43:58two
43:59men
43:59have
43:59run
43:59against
44:00the
44:00union's
44:01own
44:01nominees
44:01in
44:02union
44:02elections.
44:04Masao
44:05Kayama
44:05is
44:06one
44:06of
44:06them.
44:08He's
44:08not
44:08a
44:08union
44:09boss,
44:10nor
44:10is
44:10he
44:10a
44:11favored
44:11foreman.
44:12He's
44:12an
44:13ordinary
44:13worker
44:13who
44:14had
44:14been on
44:14night
44:14shift
44:15when we
44:15interviewed
44:16him
44:16in the
44:16tiny
44:16two-room
44:17apartment
44:17that he
44:18shares
44:18with his
44:19wife
44:19and two
44:19children.
44:23At first,
44:23he says,
44:24the union
44:24tried to
44:25prevent his
44:26running for
44:26office.
44:28And when he
44:29did,
44:30only five
44:31dared vote
44:31for him.
44:34But it's not
44:35hard to understand
44:36why he sees
44:36every vote
44:37as a kind
44:38of moral
44:38of moral victory.
44:43When I ran
44:44for union
44:44office,
44:45we voted
44:45at two
44:46tables,
44:47each about
44:47five feet
44:48long.
44:51Behind them
44:52stood five
44:52or six
44:53union
44:53officers
44:53who were
44:54also
44:54company
44:55supervisors.
44:57Others
44:58stood
44:58behind us
44:59and beside
45:00us.
45:01Altogether,
45:02there were
45:02maybe ten
45:03union
45:04officers
45:04around
45:04the
45:04table.
45:09They
45:09actually
45:10watched
45:10as each
45:11worker
45:11voted.
45:14When we
45:14vote on
45:15contracts,
45:16those who
45:16vote no
45:17or abstain
45:18are immediately
45:19accosted by
45:19a union
45:20official.
45:23They know
45:24right away
45:24who the
45:25opposition
45:25is.
45:27That's
45:27how we
45:27ratify
45:28contracts.
45:30It's
45:31outrageous.
45:33According
45:33to Kayama,
45:35a worker
45:35who dares
45:36oppose the
45:36union
45:37will suffer
45:37sanctions
45:38at the
45:38hands of
45:38the company.
45:40And if
45:40he criticizes
45:41the company,
45:41he will face
45:42the wrath
45:43of the
45:43union.
45:45If you
45:46oppose the
45:46union,
45:47as I have
45:47myself on
45:48any number
45:48of occasions,
45:50they tell
45:50other workers
45:51not to talk
45:51with you
45:52and not to
45:52sit with
45:53you during
45:53lunch breaks.
45:57They're
45:57basically told
45:58not to have
45:58anything to do
45:59with you at
45:59work.
46:01We're
46:02singled out
46:02like that.
46:03And they
46:04discriminate
46:04against you
46:05in various
46:05ways,
46:06on wages
46:07and other
46:07matters.
46:09We face
46:09constant
46:10harassment
46:10inside
46:11Nissan.
46:15The company
46:16discriminates
46:16against us
46:17on all
46:17counts.
46:19Our wages
46:20are about
46:2010% less
46:21than workers
46:22of the same
46:22age and
46:23seniority.
46:24I'm the
46:29same age as
46:30the group
46:31leader of
46:31the section
46:32next to
46:32mine,
46:33but he's
46:33been promoted
46:34and I
46:35haven't.
46:36We are
46:37not even
46:37allowed to
46:37drink tea
46:38with the
46:38other workers.
46:39It's been
46:40like this
46:40for years.
46:43During
46:44tea breaks,
46:44everyone else
46:45drinks tea
46:45together.
46:48I'm the
46:48only one
46:48is excluded.
46:51Harassment
46:51has taken
46:52extreme forms,
46:53it's claimed.
46:55And though
46:55there is no
46:56hard evidence
46:57of top
46:57union or
46:58management
46:58complicity,
46:59some dissidents
47:00allege that
47:01foremen and
47:02union officials
47:02even subject
47:03them to
47:04violence.
47:04large numbers
47:10of company
47:10supervisors
47:11and workers
47:12who had
47:12joined the
47:13Nissan union
47:13would surround
47:14one member
47:15of the
47:15all-metal
47:16workers union
47:17and hit
47:17him and
47:18harangue him.
47:19Many of
47:20our union
47:21members were
47:21injured.
47:25The
47:26Yatsugi
47:267 also
47:27charged that
47:28five of
47:28their members
47:29needed medical
47:30treatment after
47:31being mobbed
47:31by 200
47:32employees of
47:33the Nissan
47:33subsidiary.
47:37The
47:37company didn't
47:38like what we
47:38were doing,
47:39so they got
47:40together with
47:40the union
47:41and ganged
47:41up on us.
47:43They
47:43discriminated
47:44against us
47:45and threatened
47:45us with
47:46violence.
47:46They beat
47:47us up
47:48and kicked
47:48us.
47:49That's the
47:50kind of
47:50thing that
47:51they would
47:51do.
47:54Though
47:54Nissan's
47:55president has
47:56made no
47:56public reply
47:57to such
47:57allegations,
47:58a spokesman
47:59for the
47:59company said
48:00a court is
48:01handling the
48:01Yatsugi
48:027 case,
48:03and Nissan
48:03will abide
48:04by that
48:05verdict.
48:06Nissan
48:07would not
48:07confirm or
48:08deny the
48:09all-metal
48:09workers'
48:10story,
48:10saying it
48:11happened a
48:11long time
48:12ago and no
48:13record could
48:13be found
48:14of it.
48:15Nissan's
48:15spokesman
48:16suggested that
48:17the union
48:17was more
48:18closely involved
48:19in these
48:19affairs.
48:20But a
48:21spokesman for
48:22Mr.
48:22Shioji's
48:22union denied
48:23that the
48:24Yatsugi
48:247 had
48:25suffered any
48:25violence from
48:26anyone and
48:27said he was
48:28quite unaware
48:28of any
48:29incidents involving
48:30the all-metal
48:31workers.
48:31The union
48:32further denied
48:33using violence
48:34before,
48:35during,
48:35or after
48:36elections.
48:38This poster
48:39advertises a
48:40play staged
48:41recently in
48:41Tokyo.
48:44The play,
48:45which is based
48:46on a book by a
48:47Japanese investigative
48:48reporter,
48:49tells a true
48:49life story.
48:50According to
49:00the book,
49:00scenes like
49:01this are no
49:02exaggeration.
49:04Workers in
49:05six Nissan
49:05factories and
49:06subsidiaries have
49:07filed complaints
49:08with the public
49:09prosecutor alleging
49:10incidents like
49:11this.
49:12Some have not
49:13been prosecuted
49:14for lack of
49:15evidence, and
49:16others are still
49:16pending.
49:17But in one
49:18case, a worker
49:19was convicted
49:20of assaulting
49:21one of the
49:21Yatsugi
49:227.
49:23In another
49:24suit against
49:2452 union
49:25members and
49:26supervisors,
49:27Nissan agreed
49:28out of court
49:28to pay
49:29damages.
49:31Clearly, such
49:32violence is an
49:34exception, but
49:35it raises larger
49:36questions about the
49:37whole nature of
49:37the group system.
49:38lane with it.
49:46But this, the
49:47dark side of the
49:48Nissan story, never
49:50touched the lives of
49:51the workers from
49:52Tennessee.
49:55In their six weeks
49:57in Japan, they had
49:59only known the best
50:00of Nissan.
50:01That, and the
50:03warmth and
50:03hospitality of their
50:04Japanese coworkers,
50:05was what they would
50:08take home with
50:08them.
50:10The product they
50:13put out represents
50:15them, personally
50:16speaking, not the
50:17company.
50:17They're not just, you
50:18know, working for the
50:19company to go home.
50:20When they put out a
50:21unit, and if it's not
50:22exactly right, then
50:23they take it
50:25personally.
50:25It is theirs, and
50:26they have done
50:27wrong.
50:27And if we can adapt
50:29that and take it
50:29home, you know,
50:31that's great.
50:32That's one of the
50:32purposes of our
50:33trip.
50:34This is the only
50:35job I've ever had
50:36that I didn't look
50:37forward to the
50:38weekend.
50:39Hey, you know, my
50:41past job I had, I
50:42couldn't wait to see
50:43Saturday come, where
50:44I could get off the
50:46job and relieve myself
50:48of that frustration,
50:49you know.
50:49Hey, I look forward
50:50to working every day
50:51at Nissan.
50:52They're communicating
50:53rail.
50:53There's a word,
50:54neemahwashing.
50:55It means people
50:56communicating and
50:57agreeing and working
50:59together for a
51:01common goal.
51:02And that's what they
51:03did.
51:03But, you know,
51:04really what's
51:05concerned me most is,
51:07you know, will this
51:08richness that they've
51:09never been exposed to,
51:11will it go to their
51:11head?
51:12Will it spoil?
51:13I don't think so.
51:14I don't think so.
51:15Different attitude.
51:16But the Japanese
51:17people, you know, this
51:18is a new way of life
51:20for them.
51:21I would just like to
51:22see how their
51:23productivity and
51:24quality, et cetera,
51:26look 10 years from
51:27today.
51:28I'm wondering if
51:29they'll say, hey,
51:30shove it.
51:30N-I-S-S-A-N
51:34One heck of a
51:36hump of a
51:36truck.
51:37On behalf of
51:38Nissan Motor Company,
51:39let me express my
51:42deepest appreciation.
51:44At the press conference
51:45in Smyrna, President
51:47Ishihara deferred to
51:49Marvin Runyon whenever
51:51questions were raised
51:52about Nissan's anti-union
51:53stand in the United
51:54States.
51:55We are, as I said
51:58before, very pro-employee.
51:59We want our employees
52:00to have a voice in what
52:01they do.
52:03An employee can walk in
52:04my office with a
52:05grievance if they have
52:06one, and they do.
52:08They can go to their
52:08supervisors, they can go
52:10to their plant managers,
52:12they can go to their
52:13vice president, or they
52:14can go to me.
52:15So we have many ways that
52:17people who have problems
52:19can resolve those
52:20problems.
52:21Inevitably, the workers in
52:23Smyrna, Tennessee, will
52:25want democracy at the
52:26workplace, and they'll
52:28want representation of
52:29their own choosing, and
52:30you can't get that under
52:32the system that they have,
52:33which is really
52:34subservience to the boss.
52:37And American workers are
52:38too independent and too
52:41freedom-loving to abide
52:43that system for a long
52:45period of time.
52:48In ten years, the
52:49American factories are
52:50likely to be like
52:51Japanese factories.
52:52feudalistic, paternalistic.
52:57That is the only way they
52:58will be able to reach
52:59Japanese levels of
53:00productivity.
53:03That's my greatest fear,
53:04that they will attempt to
53:05export the Japanese style
53:07of management to the
53:08United States.
53:13Job one, in reality, was
53:17day one for a newly
53:18emerging American industry.
53:22Nissan Motor Manufacturing
53:24Corporation, USA.
53:28They have yet to achieve full
53:30production in Smyrna.
53:31Only then will the workers'
53:33loyalty be fully tested.
53:37If good labor relations
53:38survive, it will be because
53:40Nissan USA took the best and
53:43avoided the worst from its
53:44Japanese parent.
53:45An American company
53:47managed by Americans
53:50with American employees
53:52building an American
53:54product.
54:02Nissan.
54:05As you can see, speaking out
54:08against a company like Nissan
54:09is very difficult under the
54:11Japanese system.
54:12So it's hard to know whether
54:13those workers who did talk
54:15to us represent a small,
54:17unhappy minority or the tip
54:19of an iceberg.
54:20Both Nissan and its union
54:22deny that any of the abuses
54:24these workers report took
54:25place.
54:26And certainly, violent acts
54:28are the exception.
54:29But conforming to the group
54:31and showing loyalty to the
54:32company are clearly a way of
54:34life for Nissan's 50,000
54:36employees.
54:38Back in Tennessee, the United
54:39Auto Workers have yet to launch a
54:41formal organizing drive in the
54:43Smyrna plant.
54:45But the UAW still believes that
54:47workers there will eventually
54:48want a union.
54:50Nissan intends that its Smyrna
54:52plant be 50% more productive
54:54than any other American auto
54:56factory.
54:57But company officials also realize
54:59that they must keep the workers
55:01happy.
55:02Happy enough to keep the union
55:04out.
55:04next week on Frontline, an
55:08extraordinary program, a film
55:10which goes beyond political
55:12arguments to examine a complex
55:14decision.
55:16Next week, the experience of
55:18abortion.
55:20With this vacuum cleaner type
55:22tube, the baby is literally
55:23pulled apart and ripped to pieces.
55:25This is a personal story, the story
55:30of how a handful of people deal
55:32with the agonizing choice to have
55:34an unplanned baby or to come here
55:37to the abortion clinic.
55:39It is next week on Frontline.
55:42I'm Judy Woodruff.
56:12I'm Judy Woodruff.
56:42For a transcript of this program,
57:01please send $4 to Frontline, Box
57:04322, Boston, Massachusetts, 02134.
57:10Frontline is produced for the
57:11Documentary Consortium by WGBH
57:13Boston, which is solely responsible
57:15for its content.
57:18Major funding for Frontline was
57:20provided by the Corporation for
57:21Public Broadcasting.
57:24Additional funding was provided by
57:25this station and other public
57:27television stations nationwide.
57:28Deputy Law lair of the
57:40employee's podcast was provided by the
57:42Wi-Fi America.
57:44Our program is provided by the
57:45aurora, Bibb estiver, Mexico, KS, Newlo Dusen.
57:46We maneuvered by the
57:49present area for our
57:49services for the
57:50Ge w-Fi.
57:51program's organization and
57:52provide educational
57:53社대 Dafür,
57:53program's organization,
57:54especially since the
57:55university happened'.
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