State of the Union April 12, 2010

Reminder: Thursday, April 15, is the last day to submit resolutions for the constitutional and bargaining conventions. They must be received at the Union Hall by 5 pm.
•    The stamping plant began production of the Tahoe door side rings for Arlington today. This arrangement is a “temporary factory assist” due to press problems at Spring Hill. We have been told, however, that the potential exists to keep production of these parts here.
•    There was an article last week in the Suburban Journal about our annual Easter basket drive. Here’s an edited version:
An assembly line running March 30 at the General Motors assembly center in Wentzville wasn't cranking out vans, but Easter baskets. Workers and some close relatives were rounding tables in the plant's cafeteria, dropping candies and toys one by one into brightly colored baskets. The 75 or so baskets would be tied up with ribbon and dropped off at the Salvation Army in O'Fallon that night. "It's not a huge project, but it's a worthwhile project," said Mike Bridgins, community services chairman at the plant. United Auto Workers Local 2250 has been assembling the baskets to donate each Easter since 1995. Last year, they put together 200 baskets. They got the idea after donating items to children around Christmas. "We figured out that kids that weren't getting Christmas presents weren't getting Easter baskets, either," Bridgins said. And Bridgins could tell it had been some children's first time getting an Easter basket. "They liked the stuff inside, but they didn't get the idea of the basket," he said. Workers on the floor had donated money, candy or other goodies for the effort. Some stopped by the cafeteria the afternoon of March 30 to help assemble the baskets. Shop Chairman Mike Bullock said the drive is a good example of how the workers give back to the community. Dan Howell, president of UAW Local 2250, agreed, with this drive in particular providing Easter goodies to children who otherwise wouldn't have any. "UAW's always been part of helping the middle class and the downtrodden," Howell said. "We're trying to help bring the bottom up."