State of the Union December 14, 2011

Dec. 14, 2011 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

•    From Chairman Mike Bullock: There will be a special meeting for the Indianapolis and Messena transfers at the Union Hall this Thursday after first shift. Remember to bring copies of the transfer paperwork you signed when you came to Wentzville. Also, the changes that were negotiated in the National Agreement concerning the termination of mailing paychecks/paystubs will not take place until next fall. I know some of you were under the impression that these changes would be effective in January but that is not the case.
•    Team meetings are being suspended for the rest of the year. This will allow an extra 20 minutes to be added to next Thursday’s lunch period for team dinners and the remainder will be used to make up lost production (currently -111 for the month).
•    Reminder: All presents for the Adopt-A-Child program must be dropped off by the end of first shift this Friday, Dec. 16. You can drop them off at the Communications office next to the tour holding room or see Wanda Richard or Tina Hayes.
•    The annual Chassis Christmas Party will be this Friday, Dec. 16 after first shift at Maggie Malones (990 Wentzville Parkway in Wentzville). There will be raffles, prizes, free food and drink specials – you can get happy hour prices all night with your Union card or GM id. Everyone is welcome so come join the fun. For more info you can contact Sue Picou at column F-43.
•    From Reuters: General Motors Co suspended production on Monday afternoon at an Ohio plant that makes the Chevrolet Cruze compact car due to a supplier issue. Production at the Lordstown, Ohio, factory was halted around 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT). Workers on the first and second shifts worked shortened schedules, while the third shift was suspended, GM Lordstown spokesman Tom Mock said. GM spokesman Chris Lee declined to describe the nature of the supplier issue, saying only that the No. 1 U.S. automaker was looking to restart production as swiftly as possible. So far this year, the Cruze is the second-best-selling small car in the U.S. auto market and the 10th-best-selling vehicle overall as consumers seek more fuel efficient options.
•    From Wards Auto: Expect competition at the lower end of the U.S. passenger-car market to boil over next year, as revitalized Asian auto makers put the heat on a newly assertive General Motors and Ford in the compact segment. Just how aggressive pricing in the segment will become likely hinges on the fortunes of the Chevrolet Cruze and how desperate both domestic and Asian auto makers are to regain share. Through November, the new-for-’11 Cruze sedan led the small-car segment with a 10.1% share on deliveries of 215,057 units, according to WardsAuto data. But the Cruze’s share of the segment was down 8.1% from its 12.8% peak in July, as Toyota and Honda continued to rebuild inventories. Despite a scheduled down week, “There has not been a hint about eliminating a shift,” says Jim Graham, president of United Auto Workers union Local 1112 in Lordstown. “The (Cruze) is selling extremely well and we expect that to continue, regardless of what Ford, Toyota and Honda might do,” he tells WardsAuto. GM spokesman Jim Cain says the auto maker intends to maintain a stable production pace for the Cruze, calling it “a successful product that has established itself quickly.”
•    The startup plan for the first week of January for the addition of the second shift has been finalized. The plan is based on “build blocks”, which are blocks of time with standard activities. These blocks will run 30 minutes for Tuesday, Jan. 3 and Wednesday, Jan. 4 and will be 45 minutes Thursday, Jan. 5. We will cover each day’s schedule in this newsletter. Here is the schedule for Tuesday, Jan. 3:
•    13 Build Blocks 30 Minutes Each
o Production number will be based on the build – Max 25
o 6:00 – 8:00
    20 minute Team Meeting
    G/L visits each team
    T/L and T/M review Safety No Blip Pre Work Section
    Plan for UATs
•    8:20 - Begin Build Blocks
o First 10 minutes - line will run normally
    Use Andon
o Next 20 Minutes - Conveyors will turn off automatically
    Team Focus
    Review the jobs just built
    Training, Rundowns, Correct Parts, Electrical Connections, etc.
    Complete UATs
    Check for Mutilations
•    Breaks and Lunch at Normal Times
•    1:20 Team Meeting
•    2:30 G/L, S/L Escalation Meeting
•    3:00 GA S/L Daily Meeting
•    5:12 Shift Ends 10.7