The major U.S. auto-workers union has reached an agreement with its Japanese counterpart to deepen ties, a move some insiders believe will lead to their cooperation at Japanese-run factories in the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The agreement was made last week when United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger met in Tokyo with representatives from the Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers' Unions, the report quoted people familiar with the matter as saying.

According to these individuals, the two unions agreed to exchange delegations of key officials periodically to foster mutual understanding of each other's activities and specific issues they face in Japan and the U.S.

During the meeting, Gettelfinger didn't specifically ask for JAW help in organizing hourly workers at auto factories operated by Toyota Motor Corp. and other Japanese auto makers in the U.S, the individuals said.

Still, the individuals noted the agreement may shape up to be an important step toward forging a new chapter in the UAW-JAW relationship, which they said has cooled since the late 1990s, the report said.

"An improved relationship between the UAW and the JAW will likely be the first step in the JAW eventually cooperating with the American auto union in an effort to boost its membership," one person familiar with the matter was quoted as telling the U.S. newspaper.

The UAW has tried unsuccessfully to represent American workers at Japanese-owned U.S. plants. Only a few of those plants, including a pickup-truck and car assembly plant Toyota and General Motors Corp. jointly run in Fremont, California, are unionized.

Increasing the number of members is an urgent task for the UAW, which has been hit hard in recent years by a sharp decline in membership from auto-industry layoffs and weakened finances with the resulting loss of thousands of dues-paying members, the report said.

The UAW-JAW agreement follows a measure by the American auto union in June to shift about 110 million dollars from the union's strike fund to help pay for the union's recruiting and organizing efforts, among other activities.

Source: Xinhua