State of the Union March 29, 2011

March 29, 2011 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

•    From Chairman Mike Bullock: There will be 34 employees recalled for return on April 4, all employees up to 6/16/08 - SSN 9635. One more item from the Bargaining Convention. Actor Danny Glover was awarded the UAW Walter Reuther Social Justice Award. Mr. Glover has been on the front lines of civil rights and workers' rights campaigns both in the United States and around the world. In UAW President King's introduction "Whenever there's a fight for workers' rights, he has been there. Whenever workers are oppressed Danny Glover has been there." Mr. Glover referred to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who talked about being on the right side of history by what we support and said UAW members must be on the right side of better communities, better wages. He said we must be on the right side of history with all those in the world who are struggling to build better communities.
In the afternoon Ed Schultz from MSNBC's "The Ed Show" spoke. Ed Schultz is an outspoken defender of the American worker and unions. "Right now," he said "we all have to think about the future of this country. You have to take a stand. You have to believe that the American worker is the backbone of this country". He spoke very emotionally of how President Obama fought for National Health Care. "Since when is it wrong that all Americans have health care? The republicans think it is wrong. They want to eliminate National Health Care." I recommend everyone watch or record The Ed Show on MSNBC Monday to Friday at 9pm.

•    From CNNMoney: Volkswagen of America is recalling about 71,000 of the German automaker's new 2011 Jetta sedans for a wiring problem that could cause the car to turn off when the horn is used. Under certain rare circumstances using the horn could cause a short circuit that would, in turn, cause an electronic part called a converter box to disconnect from the car's power supply, a VW spokeswoman said.

•    From the Detroit News: Honda Motor Co. is issuing its second recall in the last week for the 2011 Odyssey minivan over reports faulty front side windows have shattered. Honda said today it was recalling 2,800 2011 Odyssey minivans "to replace the side window glass in one or both of the front doors. Honda is taking this step because there is a potential for one or both windows to become detached from the window regulator, causing the window to become inoperative and preventing it from being rolled up or down." The window issue is the second recall to impact new Odyssey minivans in recent days. Last week, Honda said it was recalling 33,341 2011 Odyssey minivans over windshield wiper defects. The company said if the front windshield wiper blades become frozen to the windshield, the rod may separate from the motor, making the wipers inoperative. That can increase the risk of a crash. Honda received the first reports of an inoperative wiper in Canada and the United States in November. In total, Honda has received 129 warranty claims in North America — most in cold-weather areas — related to the issue.

•    Earthquake update: Reuters is reporting that Toyota will not resume production until after April 11 at the earliest. That would be one month after the earthquake."This is the biggest impact ever in the history of the automobile industry," says Koji Endo, managing director at Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo. Forecasting firm IHS Automotive recently estimated that the quake will cause a loss of production of 450,000 vehicles in Japan by the end of March. On Monday, Deutsche Bank cut its estimate of Toyota's profit in the fiscal year beginning April 1 by 84%. It also cut its forecast for Honda's fiscal 2012 profit by 50%, and Nissan's by 79%. Automotive News reports that Three Hitachi Automotive factories, including a plant that makes lithium-ion battery cells for the Chevrolet Volt, have resumed output after being damaged in Japan's March 11 earthquake. The three factories are: Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd. in Ibaraki Prefecture, the supplier of the Volt's battery cells. General Motors had ordered 100,000 battery packs from Hitachi.; Hitachi Automotive Systems' Sawa Works in Ibaraki Prefecture, which makes engine control and fuel system components, as well as motors and inverters for hybrid vehicles; and Hitachi Automotive Systems' Fukushima Works in Fukushima Prefecture, previously known as Tokico, which makes suspension components. Toyota informed their dealers that there would be shortages for 233 different part numbers as replacement part supplies dwindle. Most of the shortages are body panels and shock absorbers, according to Automotive News.

•    From the Detroit Free Press: Automakers are spending more than $50 billion to meet the government's 2016 fuel economy law, but consumers aren't buying enough of the fuel-efficient vehicles necessary to allow automakers to achieve the required 35.5 miles-per-gallon average. The 2010 average of all new vehicles actually slipped to 22.2 m.p.g. from 22.3 m.p.g., according to a report from Ward's Automotive Reports that examined calendar-year sales.