State of the Union May 10, 2011

May 10, 2011 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

•Reminder from the CAP Committee: Run-off Electhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifion for Chairman - Vote Tuesday, May 10. Polls are open until 8 pm.

•The road construction starting today between 8 am and 8 pm on Highway A will involve removing sections of concrete along the highway and replacing them. It is scheduled to end Thursday if there are no weather interruptions. One lane will remain open at all times.

•There will be a Veterans Committee and a Women’s Committee meeting this Thursday, May 12, at the Union Hall after first shift.

•The Annie Malone Parade is this Sunday, May 15 at 1 pm. This year’s theme is “…more than a parade, we give HOPE TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES”. The parade route starts at 20th & Market and heads east on Market to Broadway. Those who wish to participate must meet at the parking lot of Behlmann Buick, GMC at Hwy. 270 and McDonnell Blvd in St. Louis County NO LATER than 10:15 am. Vehicle decorating is between 11:30 am and 12 noon inside the staging area (admittance by sticker only) We will be in section A-2. There is only space for 25 participants so please arrive early to reserve a seat. For questions or detailed directions call Dan Williams at (314) 616-2271.

•From the Wall Street Journal: Three times before in the last seven years, Tina Shaw, a 35-year-old stay-at-home mom, bought cars from GM's now-defunct Saturn division. But when she shopped for a new ride a few months ago, the Ft. Worth, Texas, resident didn't bother checking out any GM models. Ms. Shaw is one of more than three million Americans who are driving vehicles produced by the three GM divisions that were shuttered in the auto maker's 2009 bankruptcy reorganization—Saturn, Pontiac and Hummer. GM is racing to hold onto those customers. So far this year, about 70% of customers who traded in a Pontiac this year replaced their car with a non-GM model; with Saturn that number rises to 71%. Ford, which killed its Mercury division last year, isn't doing any better. About 65% of the Mercury owners who have bought new cars this year have defected to auto makers other than Ford. In January and February, GM offered extra discounts of $1,000 to owners of its defunct-brands, putting more Pontiac and Saturn owners into other GM brands. Buyers who opted to stay with GM those months climbed, especially for Pontiac, which hung on to 57% of customers who traded in their vehicles, according to Edmunds.com.

•The UAW/GM Lifesteps consultant Cameron Russelburg is back this week (Wednesday and Thursday) to provide personal fitness and diet consultation or followup for those who met him last month. He will be in the fitness center if you want to walk up for a consultation.

•Here is the official press release from today’s announcement by GM regarding plant investments:
General Motors Co. announced Tuesday it will invest about $2 billion in U.S. assembly and component plants, creating or preserving more than 4,000 jobs at 17 facilities in eight states. “We are doing this because we are confident about demand for our vehicles and the economy,” GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akersonsaid during an event at the 54-year-old Toledo Transmission Plant. “This new investment is on top of $3.4 billion and more than 9,000 jobs that GM has added or saved since mid-2009.”
With Ohio Gov. John Kasich, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, and Toledo Mayor Michael Bell in the audience, Akerson said GM will invest $204 million to retain about 250 jobs for an all-new, advanced 8-speed automatic transmission for future vehicles that offer customers improved fuel economy and outstanding performance. GM’s U.S. sales through the first four months of the year are up 24.8 percent over 2010, and the company last week reported its fifth-consecutive profitable quarter since emerging from bankruptcy reorganization in July 2009.

"The UAW's goal has been to return all laid-off workers to active status and see the company begin hiring again,” said Joe Ashton, UAW vice president – GM Department. “These announcements will create and retain thousands of jobs and bring General Motors back to full employment of our hourly workforce."

The first of the new investments -- $131 million and about 250 additional jobs in Bowling Green, Ky., -- was announced last week. Plant improvements and installation of new equipment to make the next generation Chevrolet Corvette will begin soon while the current-generation Corvette is assembled for at least the next two model years. Over the next few months, GM will make specific facility investment announcements dependent on successful completion of state and local incentives in some communities. According to the nonprofit Center for Automotive Research, the ripple effect of the planned investments would add almost $2.9 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and create or retain more than 28,000 jobs.

“If the market continues to recover, we are confident that GM will hire new workers to meet the strong demand for the products our UAW members build,” Ashton said. “I am proud of how our membership has worked hard to ensure the company's success."
Akerson said working in partnership with the UAW is essential to GM’s success. “Nobody builds ‘em more fantastic than you do,” Akerson told the employees in Toledo, where GM has had a presence since 1916. ”We need you and the rest of our teams at all our facilities to keep working hard and keep being the best.”