Auto Workers Protest BMW Layoffs Outside Automaker’s Law Firm, Jackson Lewis
Corrected: Automobile workers and Teamsters members picketed outside Jackson Lewis offices on Tuesday to protest a client’s layoff decision.
The autoworkers contend Jackson Lewis is helping BMW outsource jobs at a parts distribution center in Ontario, Calif., according to a press release, the Los Angeles Times blog Money & Company and the Los Angeles Times. BMW laid off 68 union employees and replaced them with contract workers.
Protesters outside Jackson Lewis in Los Angeles handed out fliers as car drivers honked their horns in support, according to Money & Company. The press release says protests were also held at Jackson Lewis offices in four other cities.
The Times contacted a Jackson Lewis representative, who referred the call to BMW. The automaker said the switch isn’t about unions or wages. Rather, it’s about using a third-party provider as it does at three other facilities.
Correction
Corrected at 5:16 p.m. to indicate that the parts distribution center in question is located in Ontario, Calif., rather than Ontario, Canada.
