November 9, 2012 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
Reminder: Veterans Day observation holiday will be Wednesday, Nov. 21. As a result, this month’s Union meeting will be next week, with 2ndshift meeting after the Tuesday shift, and Wednesday at 7:15 am, 1 pm and 15 minutes after the longest 1st shift line time.
Yesterday’s gate drive for Hurricane Sandy victims was a huge success. $5005was collected and will be donated to the Red Cross. Thanks to everyone who gave their time and money to this cause.
The Community Services Committee is selling raffle tickets for a 6’ x 8’ area rug (copper/brown shag style donated by Troy Flooring Center, retail value $325) and a $50 QT gas card. Tickets are $2 apiece or 3 for $5 and are available from any committee member. There should be a member selling tickets in each department. Drawing is Wednesday, Nov. 14.
From the UAW 2250 CAP Committee: To the UAW Local 2250 membership – THANK YOU ! Many hours of volunteer work went into this election campaign. So many brothers and sisters gave their own time to help get labor-friendly candidates elected. We polled and surveyed neighborhoods, walked for candidates handing out information, made calls, registered voters, attended rallies, distributed yard signs, posted and gave out flyers in-plant, and got out the vote. We were successful in many of the races. Additional thanks to all the members that donated to VCAP and to those who bought the VCAP Cruise Tickets this year. Thanks to our Local President and Chairman for their leadership in this election. Both Van and Mike were seriously involved from the beginning and all through the entire election year. Most of all, THANKS TO THE MEMBERSHIP for going out and voting. There’s no doubt that the voting turn out, YOUR VOTE, is what made this election a success. Thanks again.
From the Detroit News: Ford workers angry about the automaker's plans to shutter a plant in Belgium broke windows and burned tires in a demonstration outside the company's European headquarters in Germany. Cologne city police spokesman Karlo Kreitz said about 100 of the protesters were taken into temporary custody after three officers suffered minor injuries in the fracas Wednesday morning. Police say the protesters arrived on buses from Belgium and blocked the entrance to the plant.
Then a group of 20 to 40 stormed the building and threw stones through windows while others burned tires and set off firecrackers. Ford has announced plans to shut an assembly plant in Genk, Belgium, and at least two factories in the U.K., which could eliminate as many as 6,200 jobs. Union representatives are meeting with company management in Cologne. The automaker will not rule out more European capacity cuts if the auto market deteriorates further. The situation in Europe remains "very volatile," CEO Alan Mulally said at a conference in Berlin on Wednesday. "We don't know whether it will stabilize or hit bottom or not because it's continuing to decrease," Mulally said. The second-largest U.S. carmaker said last month it will shutter a British van factory in Southampton and an associated stamping plant in 2013, and close a bigger site in Genk, Belgium, the following year. While Ford has no current plans for further capacity cuts --- which can range from dropping a factory shift to closing a plant -- the company is monitoring Europe's market and economic outlook very closely, Mulally said. The European cutbacks at Ford are expected to generate savings of $500 million annually by 2015. The U.S. carmaker aims to make a profit in the region around this time. Ford, which posted a $468-million European loss in the third quarter, expects to lose a combined $3 billion in the region in 2012 and 2013.
Ford has finally released some pictures of the full-size Transit van to be built in Kansas City and go on sale in about a year. No word on price yet, but Ford is saying that the Transit, which will be a unibody design with rear-wheel drive, will have the 3.5 liter V6 Ecoboost engine as well as a turbo diesel of undetermined size. Also no word on whether there will be a passenger version.
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
No comments:
Post a Comment