November 8, 2013 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
Monday, in honor of Veterans Day, we will be selling poppies at the entrances before 1st and 2nd shifts. Proceeds will be donated to the Wentzville VFW Post 5327. Thanks in advance for your support of our Veterans.
•Reminder: This Saturday, Nov. 9 is the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the inception of UAW Local 2250. Doors open at the Union Hall at 6:30 pm. Dinner will be served and music will be provided by Heath Walker with Tune in a Bucket Productions. Come out and enjoy an evening of fun with your Union brothers and sisters as we celebrate 30 years of Solidarity.
•Motor Trend announced yesterday that the 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan is its Car of the Year for 2014. “The all-new 2014 Cadillac CTS prevailed over one of the most competitive fields in recent memory because it best met our award’s key criteria. Our judges were particularly impressed by the CTS’s responsive powertrains and masterful balance of smooth ride and sporty handling,” said Motor Trend editor-in-chief Ed Loh. Motor Trend’s Car of the Year program is open to any all-new or substantially upgraded 2014 automobile. Rather than being compared against one another, contending vehicles are first put through Motor Trend’s full battery of performance tests to measure acceleration, braking, and limit handling. All contenders are then evaluated on three separate courses at a professional automotive test center before finalists are selected. Out of 22 contending 2014 models, Motor Trend’s judges picked seven Car of the Year finalists, in addition to the Cadillac CTS:
BMW 4 Series
Chevrolet Corvette
Jaguar F-Type
Kia Forte
Mazda3
Mazda6
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Each finalist is then driven on a real-world road loop that provides a range of surfaces and traffic conditions to evaluate ride and handling, engine and transmission smoothness and responsiveness, wind and road noise, and ergonomics. After 10 full days of testing, driving and deliberating, Motor Trend selected the CTS as its Car of the Year. “The all-new 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan delivers crafted design, thrilling performance and sophisticated technology,” said Bob Ferguson, General Motors’ senior vice president of Global Cadillac. “With Cadillac growing globally, driven by rising product credibility, the new CTS elevates the brand to a new level.”
•From the Detroit Free Press: The UAW’s influential Reuther Caucus has nominated Dennis Williams to be the union’s next president and chosen other members of its future leadership team. Williams, 60, has been the UAW’s secretary-treasurer since 2010 and served as a regional director based in Chicago for 10 years before that. He has negotiated with John Deere, Caterpillar and agricultural equipment-maker CNH. The Free Press first reported last month that Williams was the likely nominee. “This is very humbling,” Williams said Thursday. “I remember the days when I came home and I was on strike ... so this is very meaningful to me.” Williams is in line to replace Bob King, who at 67 is too old to serve another term under UAW bylaws. King said Williams has the right strategic skills and experience to carry the union forward. “I am extremely excited and proud of the UAW for picking Dennis to be the Reuther Caucus nominee,” King said. “Dennis was an integral part of the 2011 bargaining” with the Detroit Three. The Reuther Caucus also nominated Jimmy Settles, Cindy Estrada and Norwood Jewell to be vice president as well as Gary Casteel to succeed Williams as secretary-treasurer. Settles, 63, is head of the Ford department and is running for a third term. Estrada, 45, is running for a second term. Jewell, 56, is director of the UAW’s south-central Michigan region. Casteel is director of the UAW’s south region where he has led efforts to organize Nissan and Volkswagen workers in Tennessee and Alabama. The union announced Wednesday that Vice President General Holiefield decided he will retire in June after 40 years of service.
•From Automotive News: Tesla Motors Inc.'s Model S electric car has suffered its third fire in six weeks. The Tesla Motors Club Web site contains pictures and a story about another fire involving a Model S on Wednesday afternoon that a company spokeswoman confirmed. Tesla, whose shares fell 7.5 percent today to close at $139.77, said it has been in touch with the driver, who was not injured. "Our team is on its way to Tennessee to learn more about what happened in the accident," Tesla spokeswoman Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean said in a statement. "We will provide more information when we're able to do so."
The company said the fire was the result of an accident and was not a spontaneous event. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the incident occurred on Interstate 24 in Smyrna around 1:30 pm. "It's possible that it ran over a piece of metal in the roadway," police dispatcher Kathy Bryant said. "There was extensive damage." On Tuesday, Tesla forecast a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter profit and posted third-quarter Model S deliveries that disappointed some analysts. The first Model S fire occurred on Oct. 1 outside Seattle, when the car collided with a large piece of metal debris in the road that punched a hole through the armor plate protecting the battery pack. U.S. safety regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration later said they found no evidence to indicate a vehicle defect. In a statement today, NHTSA said it will contact local authorities about the latest fire "to determine if there are vehicle safety implications that merit agency action." The second fire took place later in the month in Merida, Mexico, when according to reports a car drove through a roundabout, crashed through a concrete wall and hit a tree. After the first fire, Tesla CEO Elon Musk defended the safety performance of electric cars. "For consumers concerned about fire risk, there should be absolutely zero doubt that it is safer to power a car with a battery" than a conventional gas-powered vehicle, he said in a blog post. Company executives called that first fire a "highly uncommon occurrence," likely caused by a curved metal object falling off a semi-trailer and striking up into the underside of the car in a "pole-vault effect."
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
Friday, November 8, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
State of the Union November 5, 2013
November 5, 2013 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
This Saturday, Nov. 9 is the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the inception of UAW Local 2250. Doors open at the Union Hall at 6:30 pm. Dinner will be served and music will be provided by Heath Walker with Tune in a Bucket Productions. Come out and enjoy an evening of fun with your Union brothers and sisters as we celebrate 30 years of Solidarity. Also, the Education Committee is selling commemorative T-shirts this week in the cafeteria. Prices are $15, with 2X and larger going for $20.
Tickets are still for sale from Community Services Committee, with the raffle proceeds going to supplement the upcoming Adopt A Child program. First place is an Amish Quilt. Second place is at $100 QT gas card. Third place is 2 Blues tickets to the Dec. 7 game. Tickets are $1 apiece or 6 for $5 and can be purchased from any committee member. Drawing will be held this Thursday, Nov. 7 at 10:30 am in the cafeteria. Thanks in advance for your support.
October was a decent month for van sales at 7552, up 14.9%. In fact it was the best October since 2008. As you may know, October is typically one of our slower months. For example, in 2005, we set an all-time van sales record of 162,350. But October that year was the only month to come in under 10,000. Let’s take a look at how the rest of the van segment fared:
You’ll notice a new entry – the Ram Promaster. This is the full size van Chrysler just launched in Mexico based on a Fiat model and one that bears watching as another direct competitor. Regarding field supplies, both overall supplies and days in the field were up from September. Specifically, net field stock was up 3268 units, equal to 60 days supply based on the daily sales rate. All categories were up, with cargo vans leading the way, rising over 2200 units.
What about midsize pickups? Toyota sold 12,351 Tacomas in October, up 1.3%. Nissan sold 5242 Frontiers, up a healthy 71.8%.
From Automotive News: Ford is recalling 3,095 F-series ambulances because of a potential defect that might cause the vehicles to stall and not restart for at least an hour. The recall affects 2011-12 ambulances with 6.7-liter diesel engines, including Super Duty F-350 and F-450 trucks. The ambulances were built at the Kentucky Truck Plant from Feb. 22, 2010, to Oct. 19, 2012. Ford notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Oct. 28 that a defective exhaust gas temperature sensor might cause some ambulances to stop and not be restarted for the minimum of one hour.
Much is being written and said about the restructuring of the auto industry that basically began 5 years ago. Apparently we had a lot more saviors than we realized. And of course, that would include one presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who tried to take credit during last year’s campaign. Not content just to fade away, Mr. Romney has written a book about his failed campaign titled, “Double Down: Game Change 2012”. The book reveals new details of the November 2008 New York Times op-ed in which Romney called for a managed bankruptcy restructuring of Detroit’s automakers that would “propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.” Romney wrote the op-ed on his BlackBerry on the beach in front of his new $12 million home in La Jolla, Calif. The piece, originally offered to and rejected by the Wall Street Journal, was a source of much consternation for Romney as he sought the presidency. According to the book, Romney thought reaction to his 2008 “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” op-ed piece could have sunk his chances at winning the Republican nomination for president in 2012. “Guys, guys, this could be it,” he told aides. “This could sink me.” Romney came under scrutiny throughout the Michigan primary campaign over the op-ed. “That headline is killing me,” he told an adviser.
Another sub-plot of that time was a rumored merger between GM and Chrysler. Here is what former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said recently about that plan: “Fritz Henderson and I were very enthusiastic about acquiring Chrysler from Cerberus. We could have put together a dynamite company and saved an unbelievable amount of money. We might have avoided Chapter 11 if we had done that. The operating people were all for it because we could see all the savings. Fritz and the finance guys worked it out. We figured in the first year alone we'd have saved $7 billion. There were some on the GM board who said: "We're doubling down on a UAW-controlled industry. We don't even want to look at the numbers." It was an emotion-driven decision that "no, we are not going to increase the risk by buying into another UAW-controlled company." I think it was a huge missed opportunity. It would be one superpowerful company today.”
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
This Saturday, Nov. 9 is the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the inception of UAW Local 2250. Doors open at the Union Hall at 6:30 pm. Dinner will be served and music will be provided by Heath Walker with Tune in a Bucket Productions. Come out and enjoy an evening of fun with your Union brothers and sisters as we celebrate 30 years of Solidarity. Also, the Education Committee is selling commemorative T-shirts this week in the cafeteria. Prices are $15, with 2X and larger going for $20.
Tickets are still for sale from Community Services Committee, with the raffle proceeds going to supplement the upcoming Adopt A Child program. First place is an Amish Quilt. Second place is at $100 QT gas card. Third place is 2 Blues tickets to the Dec. 7 game. Tickets are $1 apiece or 6 for $5 and can be purchased from any committee member. Drawing will be held this Thursday, Nov. 7 at 10:30 am in the cafeteria. Thanks in advance for your support.
October was a decent month for van sales at 7552, up 14.9%. In fact it was the best October since 2008. As you may know, October is typically one of our slower months. For example, in 2005, we set an all-time van sales record of 162,350. But October that year was the only month to come in under 10,000. Let’s take a look at how the rest of the van segment fared:
- 2013 2012 Change Share
- Ford Econoline 9508 8082 +17.6% 46.0%
- GM 7552 6575 +14.9% 36.5%
- Mercedes Sprinter 2038 1666 +22.3% 9.9%
- Nissan NV 1006 770 +30.6% 4.9%
- Ram Promaster 570 --- --- 2.8%
- Ford Transit connect 3169 2669 +18.7% ---
- Nissan NV200 639 --- --- ---
You’ll notice a new entry – the Ram Promaster. This is the full size van Chrysler just launched in Mexico based on a Fiat model and one that bears watching as another direct competitor. Regarding field supplies, both overall supplies and days in the field were up from September. Specifically, net field stock was up 3268 units, equal to 60 days supply based on the daily sales rate. All categories were up, with cargo vans leading the way, rising over 2200 units.
What about midsize pickups? Toyota sold 12,351 Tacomas in October, up 1.3%. Nissan sold 5242 Frontiers, up a healthy 71.8%.
From Automotive News: Ford is recalling 3,095 F-series ambulances because of a potential defect that might cause the vehicles to stall and not restart for at least an hour. The recall affects 2011-12 ambulances with 6.7-liter diesel engines, including Super Duty F-350 and F-450 trucks. The ambulances were built at the Kentucky Truck Plant from Feb. 22, 2010, to Oct. 19, 2012. Ford notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Oct. 28 that a defective exhaust gas temperature sensor might cause some ambulances to stop and not be restarted for the minimum of one hour.
Much is being written and said about the restructuring of the auto industry that basically began 5 years ago. Apparently we had a lot more saviors than we realized. And of course, that would include one presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who tried to take credit during last year’s campaign. Not content just to fade away, Mr. Romney has written a book about his failed campaign titled, “Double Down: Game Change 2012”. The book reveals new details of the November 2008 New York Times op-ed in which Romney called for a managed bankruptcy restructuring of Detroit’s automakers that would “propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.” Romney wrote the op-ed on his BlackBerry on the beach in front of his new $12 million home in La Jolla, Calif. The piece, originally offered to and rejected by the Wall Street Journal, was a source of much consternation for Romney as he sought the presidency. According to the book, Romney thought reaction to his 2008 “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” op-ed piece could have sunk his chances at winning the Republican nomination for president in 2012. “Guys, guys, this could be it,” he told aides. “This could sink me.” Romney came under scrutiny throughout the Michigan primary campaign over the op-ed. “That headline is killing me,” he told an adviser.
Another sub-plot of that time was a rumored merger between GM and Chrysler. Here is what former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said recently about that plan: “Fritz Henderson and I were very enthusiastic about acquiring Chrysler from Cerberus. We could have put together a dynamite company and saved an unbelievable amount of money. We might have avoided Chapter 11 if we had done that. The operating people were all for it because we could see all the savings. Fritz and the finance guys worked it out. We figured in the first year alone we'd have saved $7 billion. There were some on the GM board who said: "We're doubling down on a UAW-controlled industry. We don't even want to look at the numbers." It was an emotion-driven decision that "no, we are not going to increase the risk by buying into another UAW-controlled company." I think it was a huge missed opportunity. It would be one superpowerful company today.”
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
Friday, November 1, 2013
State of the Union November 1, 2013
November 1, 2013 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
**IMPORTANT CORRECTION NOTICE**
From the Benefits Department and Chairman Mike Bullock:
We received a letter from the National Benefit Center yesterday. This letter affects all Entry Level employees and is being sent to all Entry Level Employees at their address of record. We previously reported what was told to us by the National parties at the Annual Benefits Conference in September. At that time we were told that all seniority Entry Level employees would be getting complete Health Care coverage, including Dental and Vision, after their 91stday. It remains correct that seniority Entry Level employees will get health care on their 91st day:
“Effective January 1, 2014, the eligibility waiting period will change to 90-days, with health care medical coverage commencing on the 91st calendar day of Entry Level employment. This change not only significantly reduces the health care waiting period for Entry Level employees but coverage could become effective any day of the week, depending upon the date of hire.”
The letter we received changes what we were told and what we informed our membership concerning Dental and Vision. Page 2 states:
“Entry Level employees eligibility for dental and vision coverage remains as currently provided in the Program, with dental coverage commencing upon attaining three years seniority and vision coverage commencing upon attaining three years seniority for an examination only, and five years seniority for full vision coverage.”
We regret any inconvenience this may have caused our membership. When we report what we have learned and were informed of at the conferences we attend, we assume that this is what will be distributed and relayed to our membership by the National Parties. In this instance it was not. We know what we were told and are extremely disappointed that what we informed our membership, based on what we were told at the conference, was incorrect.
General Motors Co. dealers delivered 226,402 vehicles in the United States in October, up 16 percent versus a year ago. Retail sales were also up 16 percent and fleet sales were up 14 percent.
“Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick-GMC all performed well in the month, and the sales tempo really picked up after the government shutdown ended,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. sales operations. “We are particularly pleased with our truck momentum. Chevrolet and GMC have the newest and best light duty trucks, sales are accelerating and we are gearing up for the second, third and fourth phases of our strategic truck plan.”
This month, the premium Chevrolet Silverado High Country and GMC Sierra Denali will hit showrooms, followed by a redesigned range of heavy-duty pickups in the first quarter of 2014. All-new Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac full-size SUVs also arrive in the first quarter, and later in the year, GM will introduce clean-sheet redesigns of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups.
October Sales Highlights (vs. 2012)
Deliveries of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra were up 10 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
Sales of the new 2014 light duty Silverado and Sierra increased 62 percent from September 2013. They accounted for about 76 percent of GM’s light duty deliveries, per plan. Strong calendar-year-to-date sales have helped Chevrolet and GMC earn a 30 percent share of light-duty pickups priced $40,000 or above. That is up 5 percentage points versus 2012.
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
From the Benefits Department and Chairman Mike Bullock:
We received a letter from the National Benefit Center yesterday. This letter affects all Entry Level employees and is being sent to all Entry Level Employees at their address of record. We previously reported what was told to us by the National parties at the Annual Benefits Conference in September. At that time we were told that all seniority Entry Level employees would be getting complete Health Care coverage, including Dental and Vision, after their 91stday. It remains correct that seniority Entry Level employees will get health care on their 91st day:
“Effective January 1, 2014, the eligibility waiting period will change to 90-days, with health care medical coverage commencing on the 91st calendar day of Entry Level employment. This change not only significantly reduces the health care waiting period for Entry Level employees but coverage could become effective any day of the week, depending upon the date of hire.”
The letter we received changes what we were told and what we informed our membership concerning Dental and Vision. Page 2 states:
“Entry Level employees eligibility for dental and vision coverage remains as currently provided in the Program, with dental coverage commencing upon attaining three years seniority and vision coverage commencing upon attaining three years seniority for an examination only, and five years seniority for full vision coverage.”
We regret any inconvenience this may have caused our membership. When we report what we have learned and were informed of at the conferences we attend, we assume that this is what will be distributed and relayed to our membership by the National Parties. In this instance it was not. We know what we were told and are extremely disappointed that what we informed our membership, based on what we were told at the conference, was incorrect.
General Motors Co. dealers delivered 226,402 vehicles in the United States in October, up 16 percent versus a year ago. Retail sales were also up 16 percent and fleet sales were up 14 percent.
“Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick-GMC all performed well in the month, and the sales tempo really picked up after the government shutdown ended,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. sales operations. “We are particularly pleased with our truck momentum. Chevrolet and GMC have the newest and best light duty trucks, sales are accelerating and we are gearing up for the second, third and fourth phases of our strategic truck plan.”
This month, the premium Chevrolet Silverado High Country and GMC Sierra Denali will hit showrooms, followed by a redesigned range of heavy-duty pickups in the first quarter of 2014. All-new Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac full-size SUVs also arrive in the first quarter, and later in the year, GM will introduce clean-sheet redesigns of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups.
October Sales Highlights (vs. 2012)
- Buick total sales increased 31 percent and retail sales were up 25 percent for the 18th consecutive month of year-over-year growth. Regal sales increased 47 percent.
- Cadillac’s sales increased 10 percent and have grown in each of the last 13 months thanks to the all-new XTS and ATS. In addition, the SRX is on track for its best year ever. Retail sales were up 12 percent for the brand and more than 60 percent of buyers did not trade in a Cadillac.
- GMC was up 16 percent. The Terrain had its best October sales ever.
- Chevrolet was up 15 percent. Thirteen nameplates posted double-digit increases, including every SUV and crossover nameplate.
- Retail sales of Chevrolet passenger cars were up 32 percent. Cruze had its best-ever October retail sales. Impala retail deliveries nearly doubled and Malibu retail sales increased 58 percent.
- Full size van sales were up 14.9 percent, coming in at 7552.
Deliveries of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra were up 10 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
Sales of the new 2014 light duty Silverado and Sierra increased 62 percent from September 2013. They accounted for about 76 percent of GM’s light duty deliveries, per plan. Strong calendar-year-to-date sales have helped Chevrolet and GMC earn a 30 percent share of light-duty pickups priced $40,000 or above. That is up 5 percentage points versus 2012.
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
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