Archive for 2011
You know it is a bad contract...
by Alex Wassell
When a flyer by the “Local 869 Leadership” includes the punch line but we did not lose anything else. Yes, your membership dues paid union representatives were out in force beating the bushes and trying to sell this dog of a deal to the good folks on the shop floor.
Does Bob King have a Political Agenda?
by Nick Waun
On Friday, President Obama along with the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited GM’s Lake Orion Assembly. They announced the signing of the Korean-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, also known as (K.O.R.U.S). UAW President Bob King attended and openly endorsed the deal in a commentary letter to the Detroit Free Press.Shared Sacrifice Requires Shared Gain As Well
by Scott Houldieson
Brothers and sisters, we have a tentative agreement between Ford Motor Company and the International UAW. Look it over carefully. Does it meet your expectations? Does it meet your needs? What are the tradeoffs?
I laid out my expectations in a letter to you last month. I also made sure that your International Union Leadership understood the importance of those expectations to the membership. Virtually none of those expectations were met.
GM took the workers' money and doesn't want to give it back. They want to make the concessions permanent.
by Gary Walkowicz
NO raises, NO COLA, NO performance bonuses, NO Christmas bonuses, NO Easter Monday holiday, NO overtime after 8 hours, NO return of lost break time. NO end to skilled trades consolidation. Everything the workers wanted back, GM said “NO, NO, NO.”
Why I Will Be Voting No!
by Nick Waun
What they’re saying about the contract doesn’t add up to what we need.
by Gary Walkowicz
They’re talking about a raise of a couple dollars an hour for 2nd-tier workers. That would still leave 2nd-tier workers near the poverty level for a family of four. The only way to fix 2-tier is to bring everybody up to the first tier. Equal pay for equal work!
They’re Holding Our Grievance Money Hostage
by Gary Walkowicz
The “Equity of Sacrifice” grievance is scheduled for arbitration September 15. But many people believe that the money for the grievance will be put into our new contract.But why the hell should it be part of the new contract? The grievance was to get back concessions that Ford workers gave up in the last contract. It was written over a year and a half ago, after Ford gave back money to the salaried workers and to management and to Alan “I’m Fine Where I’m At” Mulally.
Don't Sell Your Children Out!
by Nick Waun
Since the tiered wage was introduced, it has been with us like the tail on a dog. And long after the dog died, the tail has continued to wag…The next generation is being segregated and discriminated against. Seniority workers are being shoved aside to make room for new hires. With the tier two, there is no job security.
If we don’t get rid of 2-tier, we will all be 2nd tier one day.
by Gary Walkowicz
In 2007, when permanent 2-tier jobs were negotiated at Ford, GM and Chrysler, it may have been the biggest pay cut in this country’s history. $28-an-hour jobs instantly became $14-an-hour jobs. For the next generation of autoworkers, 2-tier means no chance to raise a family decently, no chance to buy a house or even buy the products that we build.But it’s not just the next generation that is at risk. Does anyone really believe that if we allow 2- tier to continue, it is going to stop with the new hires?
No Wage Increase Means A Wage Cut
by Gary Walkowicz
UAW President Bob King said that the union leadership supports profit-sharing, but not wage increases, for Ford, GM and Chrysler workers in the new contract.If our wages stay the same for the next 4 years, while prices go up, that means our purchasing power is steadily going down. If we can’t buy as much 4 years from now as we can today, then our standard of living has gone down. Let’s say it like it is – a wage freeze is a wage cut.
