Abstract
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers cancelled the vote to unionize the workers at Toyota's plant in Cambridge. Ontario Toyota's Cambridge plant that makes Corolla and Matrix cars just like all Japanese automobile plants in North America has always adhered to the 'Toyota Way'. Adrian Korstanje, spokesman for Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Canada quoted in the Financial Post saying the company has worked very well in the 'Toyota Way'. As far as he's concerned, the workers have 'excellent compensation and benefits as well as employment security'. Jeffrey Liker, the author of the new book Toyota Culture, says that the employer and the employee are wanted to 'prosper together'. Hence, unionization isn't avoided but the so-called 'Toyota Way' is preferred to it as in favor of the respect of people and continuous improvement, core values of the company, which is willing to be trusted by its employees. Even though their success is not guaranteed, if the Machinists could obtain the unionization of the Cambridge plant, it would be an important achievement for the labour movement, since it would be the first time in North America a union would break into a major Japanese automaker.
