· Bob King was elected President of the UAW yesterday by a vote of 2115 to 74.5 over Ford Committeeman Gary Walkowicz. Region 5 Director Jim Wells was re-elected yesterday as well and had this to say: “It is a great honor to represent the membership of our great union, especially the members of Region 5. I'm excited and energized to be a part of Bob King's Mobilization for Justice Team. I want to thank you for making Region 5 No. 1 in UAW V-CAP contributions for many, many years. We are continuing the fight for NUMMI workers against Toyota.”
·From Automotive News: General Motors will fund a major restructuring of Opel and Vauxhall without state aid after the automaker decided to withdraw applications for government loan guarantees from European governments. GM plans a 3.3 billion euro ($4 billion) reorganization to cut its European capacity by 20 percent and workforce by a fifth, and rejuvenate the bulk of Opel's model lineup through the end of 2014. Last week, the German government refused GM's request for 1.1 billion euros in loan guarantees from the country's state rescue fund for companies hit by the economic recession. The UK and Spain had earlier indicated they would be willing to provide state aid sought by GM from European countries with Opel factories. GM's European operations have lost $1.3 billion since the automaker exited bankruptcy last year. It was the only GM region to lose money in the first quarter.
· As strikes continue to pop up at various Chinese manufacturers (Toyota was the latest victim), the official communitst paper , the People’s Daily, is even weighing in on the side of workers, saying “Migrant workers should be cared for, protected and respected, especially the younger generation….Raising workers' income levels and adjusting the gap between rich and poor is not just an emergency response to protect stability."
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