March 12, 2013 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
•Reminder: The Women’s Committee is looking for volunteers to help stuff Easter eggs Wednesday, March 13 beginning at 2 pm at the Union Hall. There are 1500 eggs to stuff so any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. The Easter Egg Hunt will be Saturday, March 16 at the Union Hall. Doors open at noon, and the Easter Bunny will be there from 12:30 – 2 pm. The hunt will begin promptly at 2 pm. There will also be hot dogs and soda so bring the kids/grandkids out for all the fun.
Try to take advantage of the free testing being done by UAW/GM LifeSteps in the cafeteria today through Thursday. Times are 7:30 am to 11:30 am for 1st shift and 4 pm to 8 pm for 2nd shift. Tests include cholesterol and blood glucose (fasting and non-fasting) and vision.
The Community Services Committee is having a raffle with the proceeds to go for providing Easter for the homeless and shelters. Being raffled off are: 1st prize - 2 St. Louis Blues tickets; 2ndprize – 2 St. Louis Cardinals tickets; and 3rd prize – a $100 QT gas card. Tickets are $5 apiece or 3 for $10 and are available from any committee member. The drawing will be held March 18. There will also be containers at the entrances to collect non-perishable food items for area food pantries. Thanks in advance for your support.
From Automotive News: UAW President Bob King says he is slowing the labor union's decades-long membership decline, but his goal of organizing at least one foreign-owned automaker in the South still eludes him. In an interview last week, King said the so-called Southern strategy is "still a huge priority," but he no longer characterized it in do-or-die terms, noting that the UAW is also expanding beyond the auto industry into areas such as gaming, health care and higher education. King said the percentage of union membership that is automotive is now less than half, with 4,400 agricultural workers and more than 5,000 casino workers joining in the past two and a half years. "We are organizing in new areas, and we're organizing in a broad spectrum. I think that's good for any organization. Having multiple bases is better for the long term," King told Reuters. "I'm the eternal optimist," King said, when asked if he thought the UAW would be able to organize workers at its current Southern target, Nissan Motor Co.'s Canton, Miss., plant, before he retires. "I feel really good about this thing in Mississippi."
From the Wall Street Journal: Rising fuel prices have General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC taking a second look at peddling smaller pickup trucks-vehicles that the Detroit Three auto makers abandoned in the U.S. amid weak demand. "We believe there will be a growing number of pickup truck buyers in the future that will want fuel economy," GM North America president Mark Reuss said."With our new trucks, we will be saying: Here is something really fuel efficient." A return represents a risk for Detroit's auto makers, which haven't been successful in convincing buyers to downsize to smaller trucks, and which carry smaller profits. GM halted production of the Canyon and Colorado last August and had no upgrades ready due to its 2009 bankruptcy filing. Chrysler quit making the Dakota in 2011 after years of unimpressive sales. Ford Motor Co. dropped its Ranger pickup in the U.S. in 2011 and hasn't looked back. Barclays Capital estimates auto companies earn between $7,000 and $10,000 on each full-size pickup because they command higher prices in dealer showrooms, while midsize trucks bring closer to $3,000 to $4,000 a vehicle. About 264,000 midsize pickups were sold in the U.S. in 2012, compared with 1.6 million large trucks, according to researcher AutoData Corp. Toyota now accounts for about half the market and Nissan Motor Co.'s Frontier holds an about 21% share. Bob Carter, Toyota's senior vice president for automotive operations, said he anticipates anticipated demand for small pickups to grow, but how fast will depend on the direction of gas prices and other auto makers also getting into the market. Industry sales of midsize trucks could reach between 300,000 and 350,000 units in the next two years, Mr. Carter said. GM's Mr. Reuss also sees fuel prices playing a factor in a sales shift to smaller vehicles. Development of the new Canyon and the Colorado is already under way. They won't haul or tow as much cargo as the bigger Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra but will offer four-cylinder engines, better fuel economy and should cost less. The company hasn't set a price range.
From PickupTrucks.com: Sure, full-size pickup truck sales are doing well and are clearly headed in the right direction, but some are saying the next big Thunderdome cage match will be in the full-size van segment. And why not? There is plenty of territory waiting to be conquered. It was no coincidence that both Ford Transit and Ram ProMaster chose the 2013 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis to make some big announcements regarding their new full-size van entrants. The Transit folks showed their never-before-seen chassis cab option (looking like an ideal candidate for a 10-foot pickup bed), as well as making the announcement that the 3.7-liter V-6 engine in the Transit will be offered in both CNG and Autogas (the latter of which is commonly called LPG or propane). And Ram just announced pricing for its full-size van competitor; it starts at $27,025 (chassis cab cutaway model). The ProMaster will come in 14 configurations and top out with the long-wheelbase high-roof extended body at $37,145. Prices include destination.(For an apples-to-apples comparison - or as close as you can get considering the major differences between the Express and the front-drive, made in Mexico ProMaster - the 136” wheelbase, low roof 1500 cargo van ProMaster starts at $29,625. That compares to an Express 135” wheelbase 1500 cargo van starting price of $26,745.)
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
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