Thursday, January 31, 2013

State of the Union January 31, 2013

January 31, 2013 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

There will be a gate drive tomorrow to support Missouri Special Olympics through the annual Polar Bear Plunge. Our own Dave Hurst (1stshift final) will be jumping into frigid Lake St. Louise (the smaller lake) this Saturday so let’s get behind him and support this great cause. If you are interested in attending go to the Lake Saint Louis Community Association Clubhouse at 100 Cognac St. Opening ceremonies are 11:30 am and the plunging begins at 12 noon. Thanks in advance for your generosity.
The February schedule is out and the ramp up is complete on Monday, Feb. 11 when the daily schedule is back to 544 and 8 hours per shift, which is what it will be for the remainder of the month (excluding team meeting days).
Chrysler Group reported net income of $378 million in the fourth quarter as a yearlong string of U.S. sales gains led the automaker to its second consecutive annual profit. The fourth-quarter profit was up 68 percent from the $225 million profit it posted during the same quarter of 2011, Chrysler said in a report today. For all of 2012, Chrysler earned $1.7 billion, nine times the company's $183 million profit for 2011, when it repaid the U.S. government loans from its 2009 bankruptcy. North American profits were $2.9 billion. Estimated profit sharing is $2250 (good number).
From Automotive News: Toyota Motor Corp will recall nearly 1.3 million cars globally for two separate defects, including 752,000 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles in the United States to fix airbags that could be deployed inadvertently, the automaker said. It is the third Toyota recall since October to involve more than a million cars, and it comes as the company tries to recover from a damaged reputation following a series of recalls between 2009 and 2011 that were related to unintended acceleration problems. An IC chip in the airbag control unit can malfunction when it receives electrical interference from other parts in the car, causing the airbags to deploy when it is not necessary, Toyota spokesman Naoto Fuse said. In October, the automaker also recalled 7.4 million vehicles globally to fix malfunctioning power window switches, and in November it recalled 2.8 million vehicles for a steering glitch.
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

State of the Union January 29, 2013

January 29, 2013 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
Ford reported 4th quarter and full-year earnings today. Overall, yearly earnings were $5.7 billion. In the all-important North American region, 4th quarter earnings were $1.87 billion and for the year were $8.3 billion – both records for the company. This will generate profit sharing payouts of $8300 that the company says will be paid March 14. The question on everyone’s minds is: what will GM North American (NA) earnings be and how much will profit sharing be? We will find out on Thursday, Feb. 14. What we know is that the first 3 quarters have totaled $5.478 billion in NA profit. Guidance from the company has been that this year’s 4th quarter will be “similar to or slightly better” than last year, which was $1.5 billion for NA. Based on that, profit share should fall between $6500 and $7000. Last year, of course, it was $7000 and paid on March 2, although contractually payment can be made as late as the end of March.
FYI- As a service to its employees, General Motors offers GM employees (Active, Retired, Salaried and Hourly), the option to purchase parts and accessories at a discounted rate for their own personal vehicles or for vehicles owned by immediate family members, as defined in the corporate new vehicle purchase guidelines. Parts are available for GM & Saturn vehicles only. All U.S. employees must call 1-855-GMCARES (855-462-2737), prompt 5, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Eastern), Monday through Friday, to obtain part information and to place orders. The next available specialist will answer your call. By having the following information available when you call, you will receive quicker and more effective service:
  • Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
  • Option Codes.
  • These can be found on a sticker in the glove box or in the trunk of the vehicle on 1989 and newer Model Years.
  • Part Number (if known)

Employees must pick-up their parts at the appropriate CCA stocking facility (the closest for us are Chicago and Cincinnati) Parts/accessories will NOT be shipped. Employees and Retirees are required to verify their GM Employee or GM Retiree status when picking up their parts. All stocking facilities have different pick-up times. Typically, if you order one day, you can pick-up the part/accessory the next day that the plant is open for pick-up. Failure to pick-up an ordered part/accessory could result in loss of program privileges. Any order over $500 will require a cashier’s check or money order.
From the Detroit News: United Auto Workers President Bob King said his union is stepping up its efforts to organize foreign automakers and advised Michigan Democrats to rethink their strategy for countering the "war on the middle class" being waged by "right-wing" Republicans. "Labor has got some huge challenges in front of it. It's a labor movement issue. It's not unique to the UAW," King told The Detroit News in an interview at Solidarity House in Detroit on Friday. "The labor movement has got to come together and have new strategies, new ideas and a new level of focus on rebuilding their ability to get fairness and justice for their members."
While some analysts say Michigan's new right-to-work law could accelerate the UAW's membership decline, King says he is not worried. "Our membership has been very strong in their beliefs about the importance of being in the union. They may disagree with some issues or some policies. But they've got a great understanding that they would not have the wages and benefits, the security, the due process, the democracy that they have — the voice they have in the companies — without the UAW," he said.
Membership rates have remained high at UAW-organized factories in other states that have adopted similar legislation, he noted. "We're not taking it for granted; we're going out and talking to our members and making sure that the members feel like they've got a good sense of what the vision and the plan of the UAW is," King said. "It is a concern. (But) a greater concern is the shrinking middle class, the lessening of funding for K-12 education, the taxation of retirees pensions, the attack on women's rights, the attack on immigrants — all this broad extreme-right agenda that right to work is just one piece of — and, in many ways, is not as harmful to workers as the attacks on kids, the attacks on education, the attacks on community colleges."
Foreign automakers wonder just how much the UAW has changed. "If those companies knew all the background, they would understand," King said. "We're not saying we're going to stop working for the benefit of workers." What he is saying is: "Nobody has more of a stake in the long-term success of the companies than the people in the plants."
But, so far, the companies are not listening. And in the case of the UAW primary target — Japan's Nissan Motor Co. — King says they are doing too much talking of their own. "In Nissan Canton, every level of management in that plant has been involved in threats and intimidation of workers," King said, adding that workers at the Mississippi plant have been told the factory will be closed or future vehicles will be produced elsewhere if they vote to unionize. "It is an attack on human rights, civil rights, worker rights."

Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119

Thursday, January 24, 2013

State of the Union January 24, 2013

January 24, 2013 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

From the Benefits Department: The State of Missouri is currently auditing overpayments of unemployment compensation. If it has been determined that you were overpaid, the State will deduct the overpayments from any future payments. These deductions will not affect your SUB benefit pay.
The payment of any unused Vacation Entitlement will be paid in Roll 5; which means you will see the money in the EFT/Paycard payments on February 1, 2013.
Employees should receive hard copies of their W-2's in the mail on or around January 30.
In addition they will be available through iPay starting January 28. There is a possibility that some employees will receive double pay stubs. This does not mean that you were double paid.
Reminder: Now that the in-plant eyeglass store is closed, you will need to use The Eye Care Center of O’Fallon to get safety glasses. It is located at 409 South Main Street, O'Fallon MO . Their hours will be as follows: 9 AM to 5 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 AM to 7 PM on Wednesdays, 8am - 12 pm on Saturday.


Employees will have the opportunity to have their eye exams done at this office or drop off their prescriptions from other providers to generate their safety glass order. Employees will be able to drop off their orders and pick them up per the posted times during non-working hours. Employees wishing to schedule an appointment for an exam may call 636-272-3383. The Optometrist is Dr. Martin M. Shulman. There have been no modifications to our current program other than the provider. You will be able to get side shields from the Safety Department.
•Under the Profit Sharing Plan for Hourly-Rate Employees in the United States, eligible participants will have the opportunity to elect to contribute up to 100%, after legally required deductions and recoveries of payroll and benefit overpayments, of their 2012 Profit Sharing payout on a pre-tax basis to their Personal Savings Plan (PSP) account. Participants may elect to change their Profit Sharing contribution election on file (currently zero), either online at gmbenefits.com or by speaking to a representative at the GM Benefits & Services Center at 1-800-489-4646, any time between January 30, 2013 and February 7, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. ET. As a result of 2011 GM-UAW Negotiations, all prior contribution elections have been set to zero. No changes will be accepted after this window.
•Instructions to change your Profit Sharing contribution percentage online are as follows:
  • Go to gmbenefits.com
  • Click “Active Hourly”
  • Click “Savings Plans”
  • Click the link under PSP Offerings
  • Log In using your username and password
  • Click “General Motors PSP”
  • Click “Contribution Amount” on the left side of the screen
  • Click “Contribution Amount” in the middle of the screen
  • Scroll down and look for the Profit Sharing election
  • Input the desired percent of your Profit Sharing payment (must be in 1% increments)
  • Click the “Change Contribution Amount” button at the bottom of the page
  • Click the “Submit” button at the bottom of the page after you have reviewed your requested changes
Please note that when you click “Submit” a printable confirmation page will be displayed.
Although December van sales were down 20% from last year, our field supplies shrank from 61 days supply to 47 for the end of the year. Chevy cargo vans dipped to 46 days from 71, cutaway supplies were flat at 45 days, and passenger vans ticked up slightly to 28 days.
From the Detroit News: The nation's unions lost 400,000 members in 2012 as the percentage of U.S. workers represented by a labor union fell to 11.3 percent, its lowest level since the 1930s - declining by 0.5 percent over the last year. Among public sector workers, 35.9 percent are in a union - down from 37.0 percent in 2011, as the public sector shed nearly 250,000 union workers. In the private sector, 6.6 percent are unionized, down from 6.9 percent in 2011.
Union membership fell in 34 states. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the new figures were sobering. "Working women and men urgently need a voice on the job today, but the sad truth is that it has become more difficult for them to have one, as today's figures on union membership demonstrate," Trumka said. "Union membership impacts every other economic outcome that matters to all workers — falling wages, rising health care costs, home foreclosures, the loss of manufacturing jobs and disappearing retirement benefits." "It was collective bargaining that helped bring back the auto industry. It was unions that led the effort on the ground to re-elect President Obama. The labor movement has had its ups and downs over the past 150 years, but I'm seeing a new energy in our union," he said. "Low-wage workers in the retail, restaurant and fast-food industries are using exciting new tactics to organize…. Working people realize now more than ever that they need to form unions to protect their families and their communities from powerful corporations. From my perspective, labor is on the way back in a powerful way."

Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119