State of the Union January 27, 2011

Jan. 27, 2011 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

Now that vacation applications are out there are questions about our schedule. One question that can be answered today is that there will NOT be a 2-week summer shutdown. When the details about Fridays and other schedule issues are finalized they will be communicated.

Reminder: Tomorrow is the last day to submit your entries for the VAP program. You can drop them in the box in the cafeteria. The drawing is Monday, 1-31.

From the Detroit News: Ford Motor Co. is recalling 425,000 Windstar minivans in 22 cold-weather states, including Michigan, to fix parts that could corrode. The recall covers 1999-2003 model years and is intended to identify vehicles whose front lower control arm, rear attaching brackets and body mount attachments need fixing. Ford will start repairing vehicles in March and, at its discretion, may buy back some of them. The automaker also may offer some owners loaner vehicles while theirs are fixed. Ford told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it was recalling the vehicles, even though it didn't think it was necessary.

From the Wall Street Journal: General Motors Co. said Thursday it is withdrawing its request for $14.4 billion in Department of Energy loans aimed at making its vehicle fleet more fuel-efficient. GM and the DOE had been negotiating loan terms under the $25 billion lending program. Turning down the federal loans could provide an image boost for GM, which is eager to distance itself from the federal government's $49.5 billion bailout in 2009. The auto maker plans to advertise the move to the public, a person familiar with the matter said. The low-interest loans were an attractive option for GM, which first applied for the aid amid its financial troubles in 2009. But the auto maker's financial position has improved dramatically and the company has promised investors it would eliminate virtually all debt over the next few years. GM has since made it a top goal to get out of the practice of borrowing.

From Automotive News: General Motors plans to launch the Chevrolet Volt in all 50 states by the end of the year, a major acceleration in the rollout of the plug-in hybrid. Chevy plans to have Volts in all of its dealerships by the end of 2011, Rick Scheidt, Chevy vice president of U.S. marketing, said in a statement. Chevy originally planned to deliver the car in select markets this year: California, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Texas and Michigan. Deliveries began in December. GM said customers nationwide will be able to order Volts through dealers beginning in the second quarter. Deliveries will begin in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii in the third quarter.

UAW sets stage for new union drive in America - Bob King

Every generation of UAW members has taken up the mantle for justice.
Our parents and grandparents engaged in sit-down strikes and demonstrations until 100 percent of the U.S. auto industry was unionized. As a result, a generation of Americans enjoyed a middle-class standard of living, with decent wages, benefits and working conditions. The middle class is in danger of disappearing in this country because the U.S. auto industry is now less than 50 percent unionized. The only way to secure benefits for union members is to secure rights for all working people. This is the essence of solidarity. The right to join a union is a fundamental human right, sacred to any democratic society. The right to organize — freedom of speech and assembly — is the First Amendment for workers. When Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act 75 years ago, the intent was to establish a statutory framework that embodies the right to organize. Unfortunately, the NLRA process for union elections is fatally flawed. The National Labor Relations Board, charged with enforcing the NLRA, does not protect a worker's right to organize. The NLRB is a triumph of hypocrisy — a law intended to protect workers actually prevents them from achieving a voice on the job.

This destruction of workers' rights is not new, and it has been developing for decades. Companies began hiring anti-union consultants in the 1970s to design sophisticated ways to intimidate workers trying to organize. Management consultants train supervisors to put pressure on individual workers. Mandatory captive audience meetings spell out dire consequences if workers exercise their rights. Companies threaten to close the facility if workers vote to unionize. Union supporters are disciplined and sometimes fired. Company lawyers find thousands of excuses for delay. Penalties for violating the law are nonexistent.
Within the UAW, there are hundreds of examples of the ineffectiveness of the NLRB process. In August 2010 — six years after the UAW lost a union election by three votes at Stabilus Inc. in Gastonia, N.C. — the NLRB finally ordered a new election because the employer violated the law in more than a dozen ways, including threatening workers' jobs for voting union, spying on meetings and interrogating workers about union activity. Six years later, not one member of the 25-person organizing committee is there, most of the union supporters have been fired, laid off or have quit, and the election still hasn't been scheduled. The UAW is committed to fight for the rights of all workers to choose to be UAW members without harassment, intimidation and radical tactics from employers. And we're returning to our roots of direct action on behalf of worker rights.
Our new strategy, called "UAW Principles for Fair Elections," sets a framework through which workers can freely decide whether to organize. These 11 principles represent a democratic process that safeguards freedom of speech and association. The UAW demands that all corporations, whether American or foreign-owned, adhere to these principles and respect the rights of workers. This is the battle of our generation and will determine the survival of the labor movement.
It is the mission of our generation of trade unionists to secure these rights for future generations. We must win this fight for our children and grandchildren.