Auto Friction: Douglas Fraser's 1980 Trip to Japan and the Roots of the Foreign-Owned Auto Industry in the United States

Abstract

Abstract This article explores a February 1980 trip to Japan by Douglas Fraser, the president of the United Automobile Workers. On the trip, Fraser met with the heads of Japan's biggest automakers, along with the prime minister and foreign affairs minister, pressing them to establish auto plants in the United States. Offering the first detailed examination of the trip — and the broader “build it here” campaign — this article argues that the visit was a crucial moment in the industry's history. Using rich and little-known primary records — including Fraser's personal notes and firsthand accounts from Japanese executives — this article shows that Fraser, along with supporters in the industry and federal government, influenced the Japanese to invest in the United States at a time when domestic manufacturers were in crisis. The article also reveals that the Japanese had fears about the move, especially about the quality of labor. Although they established plants, they placed them in the Lower Midwest or South, away from the UAW. The union's campaign had unintended consequences, helping the industry to survive — the foreign-owned sector grew to make half of all cars manufactured in North America — but not creating the union jobs that Fraser anticipated.