State of the Union December 17, 2015

December 17, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

· From Chairman Mike Bullock: The shop committee continues to meet every day in an effort to settle the local contract. These are difficult negotiations. The addition of a third shift requires additional language to be negotiated that was not already in the contract. Long discussions about third shift double time have occurred and is not yet resolved. Things as simple as water fountains, smoking shelters, and ice machines are items that the corporation only provides because we have contract language. Restroom cleaning schedules, team centers, and uniforms are all on the table and being discussed. There were over 100 union demands submitted and 30 still remain to be settled. The local contract is about work rules, not financial. This shop committee will not present a local contract for ratification until we have resolved all the issues. We have given the corporation an extension to the local contract until that time.
Local 2250 and GM adopted 223 children this year for Christmas. The local 2250 Community Services committee and our membership deserve a round of applause for helping our communities.
Information packets will be distributed tomorrow outlining the process for the upcoming lay off.
The remaining group of 103 employees will be converted to permanent on December 21. All of May 9th will be converted and any May 11th employee whose gmin begins with 1986 or lower will also be converted. Conversion meeting times are 6:45 am, 1:45 pm and 2:45 pm. The meetings will be in the tour holding room

· Reminder: The annual Chassis Christmas Party is scheduled for this Saturday, Dec. 19 at Maggie Malones (990 Wentzville Pkwy) from 3:00 pm until ? There will be free food, door prizes, drink specials and live music starting at 9:00 pm. All are welcome. For information contact Susan at column F-43, 1st shift motorline.

· The 12 days of Christmas raffle continues now through Tuesday, Dec. 22. There will be daily drawings (1st shift, 2nd break in the cafeteria) for prizes such as baskets, jackets, blankets and a lottery tree. Tickets are available from any Women’s Committee member and are $5 apiece, 3 for $10 and 22 for $20. Proceeds go to fund committee activities in 2016.

· From the Wall Street Journal: The National Labor Relations Board certified the vote of skilled trades workers at the Volkswagen AG plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., making the union of approximately 162 people official. Volkswagen had pledged to appeal whether the smaller group of workers was allowed to make such a vote to the NLRB, but an appeal hadn’t been filed as of Monday evening, a spokeswoman for the board said. The vote to form a collective bargaining unit, which occurred on Dec. 3 and 4, passed with 71% voting in favor of the measure. (continued on back)
The union is represented by United Auto Workers Local 42. The remainder of the plant workers aren't represented by a collective bargaining unit. In early 2014, a plant-wide vote to unionize narrowly failed, but the UAW formed a local unit anyway. Until the vote, the local union wasn’t able to bargain for wages or benefits. Now, the union can bargain for the group of skilled tradesmen, but not the wider group. The plant employs about 1,450 hourly workers total, including the skilled tradesmen. Union officials said they would immediately seek to bargain with Volkswagen for a contract for its workers.

· All automotive awards are certainly not created equal, and winning Motor Trend Truck of the Year for a second year running is a monumental achievement. But our pickups got perhaps a more important, though less publicized, award. Kelly Blue Book released their top 10 Best Resale Value awards Tuesday, and coming in at #3 and #4 were the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado respectively. The Canyon is projected to retain 70.7% of its original sticker after 3 years (2nd best of all vehicles) and 59.5% after 5 years. Regarding the Canyon, KBB said, “One of two GMC trucks (the Sierra was the other) to earn a spot in the top 10, the GMC Canyon combines a tough look with midsize practicality.” The Colorado was projected to retain 70.0% of its sticker after 3 years and 58.6% after 5 years. “The Chevrolet Colorado, the GMC Canyon's more mainstream cousin, offers similar capability and resale resilience, but with a sleeker look. And both now offer diesel power,” said KBB. These high residuals, as they are known in the leasing world, enable lower lease payments than vehicles that lose their value more quickly – just another selling point for the best midsize pickups in the world.

· The last edition of the SOTU listed some facts and figures about buyers of our pickups. Here are a few more interesting facts, courtesy of Automotive News:

• The Canyon's average transaction price of about $34,100 is tops in the midsize-pickup segment, data from Edmunds.com show. The Colorado's is $31,800, higher than the segment-leading Toyota Tacoma's $30,015.
• The percentage of buyers from other brands -- the conquest rate -- is 56 percent for Canyon and nearly 50 percent for the Colorado, GM says. The Colorado's top conquests are Tacoma and Ford F-150 buyers.
• Around 40 percent of Colorados are rolling off dealership lots accessorized with bike racks and other gear, boosting dealer and GM profits, the company says.

You may recall that one of the criticisms of GM’s plan to get back into the midsize pickup arena was the belief that they would steal sales from big brothers Silverado and Sierra. That hasn’t been the case. Through September, U.S. sales of the Silverado jumped 15 percent, making the Silverado the only one of the top five full-size pickups to post double-digit sales growth (followed by the GMC Sierra, up 9.8 percent; Ram, up 3.4 percent; Ford F series, up 1.3 percent; and Toyota Tundra, up 0.9 percent).
Just 12 percent of Chevy Colorado buyers traded in a Silverado in the 90-day period from May through July, IHS Automotive data show. The rate of Sierra-to-Canyon converts was even smaller, at 9 percent. Also, surprisingly, the top market for the Chevy Colorado is California. Its success there "all of a sudden starts to create some momentum around the brand" in a market where Chevy long has struggled for a foothold, Chevy global brand chief Alan Batey said in an interview last month. In the Los Angeles metro market, Chevy's overall sales were up 16 percent through August vs. 10 percent for that market as a whole.

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

State of the Union December 9, 2015

December 9, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

• Santa Claus will be coming the the UAW 2250 Union Hall on Sunday, Dec. 13 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm to meet our future members. There will be cookies, milk and juice so bring your children and grandchildren and don’t forget your cameras!

• This Saturday, Dec. 12, the keys to the Habitat house in Wentzville will be handed over to the Tesson family. The dedication ceremony will be at 3:00 pm and everyone is invited. The house is located at 710 Cheryl Ann Drive in Wentzville. Through the hard work of all the volunteers and your generous donations, this family will now have a place to call home!

• Adopt-A-Child gifts can be dropped off at the cafeteria conference room.

• November sales kept the momentum going as the industry looks poised to set a new record. Here’s how the van and midsize pickup categories fared:

	2015	2014	Change	Share
Ford Transit	9584	4851	+97.6%	36.2%
GM	6810	5194	31.1%	19.9%
Ford Econoline	3297	4072	-3.6%	14.9%
Ram ProMaster	2754	3290	-16.3%	10.4%
Mercedes Sprinter	2255	2532	-10.9%	8.5%
Nissan NV	1105	1141	-3.2%	4.2%
Toyota Tacoma	13,465	13018	+3.4%	49.8%
Chevy Colorado	6230	2366	+163%	23.0%
Nissan Frontier	5099	6332	-19.5%	18.9%
GMC Canyon	2236	854	+162%	8.3%

Despite a nice bounce in sales, field supplies for the van remained virtually unchanged, dropping only 167 units. As measured in days, the supply stands at 43, down from 46 days at the end of October. Chevy passenger vans, already extremely low, accounted for nearly all of the decline and now stand at just 7 days supply. Colorado supplies rose 834 units and stayed at 44 days supply. Canyon supplies rose around 1100 units and are now at 83 days, up from 80.

• The 12 days of Christmas raffle has begun. Now through Tuesday, Dec. 22 there will be daily drawings (1st shift, 2nd break in the cafeteria) for prizes such as baskets, jackets, blankets and a lottery tree. Tickets are available from any Women’s Committee member and are $5 apiece, 3 for $10 and 22 for $20. Proceeds go to fund committee activities in 2016. The first winner, of a picnic basket, was Don Prater.

• General Motors and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) are modifying a Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck to run on a commercial hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and will expose the truck to the extremes of daily military use for 12 months. “Hydrogen fuel cell technology is important to GM’s advanced propulsion portfolio, and this enables us to put our technology to the test in a vehicle that will face punishing military duty cycles,” said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM’s Global Fuel Cell Engineering activities. Fuel cell propulsion has very high low-end torque capability useful in off-road environments. It also offers exportable electric power and quiet operation, attractive characteristics to both commercial and military use. "The potential capabilities hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can bring to the Warfighter are extraordinary, and our engineers and scientists are excited about the opportunity to exercise the limits of this demonstrator," said TARDEC Director Paul Rogers. "FCVs are very quiet vehicles, which scouts, special operators and other specialties place a premium,” he said. “What's more, fuel cells generate water as a by-product, something extremely valuable in austere environments."

• From Automotive News: Two years ago, General Motors' Mark Reuss relaxed on a lounge seat at the Los Angeles Auto Show, a few yards away from the new Chevrolet Colorado pickup that he'd unveiled hours earlier. Reuss chuckled when asked about GM's gamble on smaller pickups, a category Ford and Ram had left for dead. Could he recall a time when one of the Detroit 3's pickup strategies had diverged so sharply from rivals'? "No. It's wild," Reuss said, beaming. "This is going to be exciting to watch." Now, one year after the Colorado and sibling GMC Canyon hit U.S. showrooms, Reuss has 95,000 more reasons to smile. That's how many of the pickups GM was estimated to have sold this year through October, surpassing experts' full-year sales estimates in just 10 months. (IHS Automotive had pegged 81,000 for all of 2015.) They're getting snapped up nearly as fast as they arrive, with virtually no incentives. And customers tilt younger, more highly educated and more urban than Chevy's other pickup buyers.

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

State of the Union December 5, 2015

State of the Union

December 5, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

• Reminder: This Sunday, Dec. 6 there will be a Christmas Holiday Party presented by the St. Louis Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). It will be held at the Union Hall from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Bring a dish and learn what CLUW is about!

• Beginning Monday, Dec. 7, Adopt-A-Child gifts can be dropped off at the cafeteria conference room.

• Good news – we have been able to get the embroidery on the jackets changed to reflect the fact that the Colorado was Motor Trend truck of the year for 2015 and 2016.

• Some team leaders have not been getting the correct pay since the contract was implemented. The proper people are aware of this issue and are working to correct it. More to come.

• From UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada: I wanted to take a moment to recognize and thank Rebecca Schieffer and the UAW Local 2250 Women’s Committee for their awesome support of this year’s Celebration of Trees for the St. Charles Chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Your hard work and dedication to raising money and supporting the construction of homes for families in need will undoubtedly provide a lasting impact on the members of the St. Charles community. Rebecca and the committee’s work, through the leadership and support of Region 5 and Local 2250, has set a wonderful example of how our UAW Women’s Committees can positively affect change in communities across the country. I am very proud of the UAW Local 2250 Women’s Committee. I thank all of you for being a positive reflection on the UAW by demonstrating that we are an institution that values family and community. Thank you and Happy Holidays to all of you!

• Skilled trades employees at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant have voted overwhelmingly to designate UAW Local 42 as their representative for the purpose of initiating collective bargaining. In a two-day election on Thursday and Friday, 152 skilled trades employees cast ballots. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which supervised the election, confirmed that 71% of employees voting favored recognition for Local 42.
Federal law provides for units within a workforce to seek recognition for the purpose of achieving collective bargaining. “A key objective for our local union always has been moving toward collective bargaining for the purpose of reaching a multi-year contract between Volkswagen and employees in Chattanooga,” said Mike Cantrell, president of Local 42. “We have said from the beginning of Local 42 that there are multiple paths to reach collective bargaining. We believe these paths will give all of us a voice at Volkswagen in due time.”
Cantrell reiterated that the timing of the skilled trades election is unrelated to the Volkswagen emissions scandal. In its election petition to the NLRB, Local 42 noted that its members asked Volkswagen to recognize the local union as the bargaining representative of skilled trades employees in early August — more than a month before the emissions scandal was revealed. UAW Secretary-Treasurer and organizing head Gary Casteel said the UAW maintains a narrow majority of support among hourly workers at VW's Chattanooga factory, but it is not pursuing a vote by all hourly workers because of concern of "facing the same outside pressure that we faced last time."

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

State of the Union December 3, 2015

December 3, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

• From Chairman Mike Bullock: The shop committee continues to meet with management to resolve the local contract. We received word from payroll that the 2015 national agreement signing bonus that will be paid tomorrow will be taxed at 25% federal taxes along with social security and medicare taxes. Your wage increase will also be on the check issued tomorrow. If you have any questions or concerns with the payments contact your committeeman.
Congratulations to everyone for winning the 2016 Motor Trend Truck of the Year for the second year in a row! Everyone should be very proud of this accomplishment. To win back to back is truly a testament to what we do here everyday, build the greatest trucks in the world!!
I am contacting the jacket manufacturer now to determine if he can add “2016” to the order. The manaufacturer had the order half completed and would need to add “2016” to those completed jackets and “2016” to the remaining jackets. More info to come.
The special attrition program roll out will kick off next week. The dates and times are being worked out now. An announcement will be made tomorrow. The conversion of 250 employees to permanent starting December 7th is being finalized. More info to come tommorrow.
Congratulations to the UAW Local 2250 Women’s Committee for winning the “Golden Hammer” award for 2015 from Habitat for Humanity. Over $17,000 was raised here, which enabled an $8500 cash donation and provided over 100 baskets. The silent auction at Habitat’s annual Christmas dinner raised $8832 from the baskets and trees that were donated.

• Regarding other contractual payments, the Quality Bonus Payment will be payable in the check received on December 11. Back pay from the raise will not be paid until the 2nd or 3rd pay period in 2016. The $500 retiree bonus payment will be issued as a check and mailed beginning December 15.

• UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada sends her congratulations to us on the Colorado winning the Motor Trend Truck of the Year: “It is rewarding to see hard work pay off for UAW Local 2250 members in Wentzville, Missouri, who build the Colorado. The men and women behind these products exemplify the commitment UAW members have in building quality products that consumers trust and love.” And Region 5 Director Gary Jones sends this message: “This is the second straight year for the Colorado and that says a lot about the quality and popularity of this vehicle. It also says a great deal about the UAW Local 2250 members in Wentzville, Missouri, who build it. We are all very proud of the craftsmanship and what this means for the region and the industry.”

• This Sunday, Dec. 6 there will be a Christmas Holiday Party presented by the St. Louis Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). It will be held at the Union Hall from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Bring a dish and learn what CLUW is about!

• Santa Claus will be coming the the UAW 2250 Union Hall on Sunday, Dec. 13 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm to meet our future members. There will be cookies, milk and juice so bring your children and grandchildren and don’t forget your cameras!

• Beginning Monday, Dec. 7, Adopt-A-Child gifts can be dropped off at the cafeteria conference room.

• The annual Chassis Christmas Party is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19 at Maggie Malones (990 Wentzville Pkwy) from 3:00 pm until ? There will be free food, door prizes, drink specials and live music starting at 9:00 pm. All are welcome. For information contact Susan at column F-43, 1st shift motorline.

• GM sold 229,296 vehicles in the United States in November 2015, up 2 percent year over year, with two fewer selling days and sales incentives below the industry average. On a selling day-adjusted basis, GM’s total sales were up 10 percent. Sales of Chevrolet trucks rose 10 percent for the 20th consecutive monthly increase. Chevrolet crossovers were up 35 percent for the 12th consecutive monthly increase. Crossover deliveries were also robust at Buick, where Encore sales, up 12 percent year over year, have now increased for 23 consecutive months. Total Buick crossover sales were up 11 percent. At GMC, crossover deliveries rose 12 percent, driven by a 16 percent gain for the Terrain. Cadillac’s crossover, the SRX, saw a 53 percent increase.
Industry-wide, crossovers now account for 40 percent of the retail industry, up from 37 percent a year ago. GM’s retail sales were up 4 percent year over year. Adjusted for selling days, GM retail sales were up 14 percent. GM gained an estimated 1.0 points of retail market share to reach 16.5 percent during the month for the company’s eighth consecutive year-over-year increase. Deliveries to commercial customers were up 6 percent year over year and government deliveries were up 2 percent. Rental sales were down 16 percent per plan.
Total fleet sales were down 9 percent. The seasonally adjusted annual selling rate (SAAR) for light vehicles was an estimated 18.2 million units in November. The six-month moving average for the SAAR is now estimated to be 17.8 million units. The industry’s best sales year ever was 2000, when 17.4 million light vehicles were delivered. “We believe U.S. auto sales will continue to grow in 2016, based on the underlying strength of the economy, and we expect customers will continue to embrace crossovers and SUVs because they are meeting their fundamental needs for utility, comfort and fuel efficiency,” said Mustafa Mohatarem, GM chief economist. GM is also building significant momentum in the passenger car and pickup truck markets. At last month’s Los Angeles International Auto Show, the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado diesel was named Motor Trend Magazine’s Truck of the Year – a repeat victory for the truck.
The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year, and the 2016 Chevrolet Volt was named Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal. In addition, the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu begins shipping to dealers today. GM’s average transaction prices (ATPs) were a record $35,800, up about $740 from October 2015 and up about $580 year over year. GM’s incentive spending was 10.0 percent of ATP, down 1.6 percentage points from October 2015 and down 1.2 percentage points year over year.

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

State of the Union November 16, 2015

• From Chairman Mike Bullock: The UAW and GM have agreed to extend the current 2011 national agreement until Friday, November 20, 2015 which is the new deadline for ratification of the tentative national agreement. The national bargaining team continues to meet to resolve the issues and concerns that were raised by the skilled trades. Once the contract is ratified, the process for payment of the signing bonus and retroactive wage increases will begin. As more information is released, announcements will be made. The shop committee continues to meet on the local contract.
Thirty new temporaries were hired today. This is the first group of an additional 75 temporaries that are being hired to facilitate the request for Saturday time off. The approval rate for Saturday time off has not been acceptable to the union and we were able to secure additional temporary employees to allow more members time off.
There are additional flu shots available to all employees, first come, first serve (dispensed at medical, 2-4 am, 9-11 am and 6-8 pm).
As announced earlier, 250 employees will be converted starting December 7. All employees hired prior to and including May 9 will be converted to permanent. Those employees that will be converted will be notified of time and location of their conversion in the next two weeks.
Union meeting is 15 minutes after the shifts this Wednesday November 18th.

• October was another strong sales month for the industry overall as well as GM. It seems more likely than not that a new yearly sales record will be established in 2015. Here’s a look at the van and midsize pickup segments for the month:

	2015	2014	Change	Share
Ford Transit	9361	---	---	34.3%
GM	7822	6601	+18.5%	28.6%
Ford Econoline	4034	4624	-12.8%	14.8%
Mercedes Sprinter	2649	2140	+23.8%	9.7%
Ram ProMaster	2055	1723	+19.3%	7.5%
Nissan NV	1391	1220	+14.0%	5.1%
Toyota Tacoma	150233	13,010	+17.1%	51.7%
Chevy Colorado	7,059	---	---	24.0%
Nissan Frontier	4764	6268	-27.5%	16.2%
GMC Canyon	2415	---	---	8.2%

• Field supplies for the van crept up 600 units and as measured in days supply, now stand at 46, compared to 42 last month. We are still struggling to catch up on passenger vans, while cargo vans accounted for all of the increase in units. Looking at pickups, Canyon supplies rose 1250 units and are now at a healthy 80 day supply (optimal pickup supplies are generally higher than cars due to the number of different models). Colorado supplies rose 2000 units as the pipeline continues to fill up. Days supply is now 44, compared to 30 last month. The Colorado is still the fastest selling vehicle in the industry, staying on dealer lots only 24 days on average.

• Calling all Bakers: The annual pre-trim Bake Sale to raise money for Adopt-A-Child will be held Monday, Nov. 23. Location is the team center at column N-31,32. You can drop off your baked goods there or at the Suggestions office.

• There have been some fixes and upgrades implemented on the Hourly Communications Channel (HCC). Your rings should now be accurately recorded. A warning message will appear on the web page if you are not signed up for notifications and a link will guide you to the subscription signup. A warning message to the hourly employee has been added if they uncheck a box that was submitted prior, which would ‘cancel’ their original requested day off. A ‘confirm selections’ box to further clarify requests and cancellations has also been added.

• Reminder: The announcement for Motor Trend Truck of the Year will be tonight at 9:30 our time. Tune in to the Motor Trend You Tube channel for live coverage.

• The diesel Colorado/Canyon has finally received EPA certification. Along with a clean emissions bill of health comes the fuel economy ratings – and they set the new standard for any pickup. The 2-wheel drive version is rated at 31 mpg highway, 22 mpg city for a combined rating of 25 mpg. Four-wheel drive versions came in at 29 mpg highway, 20 mpg city and 23 mpg combined. For comparison purposes, the redesigned Toyota Tacoma 4-cylinder gets 23 mpg highway, 19 mpg city and 21 mpg combined. The Tacoma V6 actually does slightly better than the 4 cylinder at 24 mpg highway, 19 mpg city and 21 mpg combined (Tacoma numbers are for 2-wheel drive). And speaking of comparisons, the Motor Trend Truck of the Year will be announced tonight. Both the diesel Colorado and Canyon are contenders, along with the Tacoma, the Chevy Silverado, the GMC Sierra and the Nissan Titan XD. With nothing but praise being heaped onto our diesel pickups by the media, a repeat win is a definite possibility.

• As you know, the UAW and Ford have reached a tentative agreement. Part of the agreement is a commitment from Ford to invest up to $9 billion in U.S. plants. It has been rumored that the Michigan Assembly plant, which currently builds the Ford Focus and C-Max cars, will lose those 2 vehicles to a plant in Mexico and receive a product, or 2, in return. This is confirmed in the agreement, but the 2 replacement vehicles were not identified. Nearly everyone believes it will be the Ford Ranger pickup and later the Ford Bronco SUV. The 2 cars will depart in 2018. The contract says that both replacement vehicles will be in place no later than 2020. The oft-quoted “person with knowledge of the agreement not authorized to speak” is saying it will indeed by the Ranger and Bronco. The same holds true for Chrysler and their unconfirmed plans to build a Jeep Wrangler pickup. (Remember, the redesigned Honda Ridgeline and Nissan Frontier will be hitting the street in the next 12 months or so) Is it us or is it getting a little crowded in the midsize pickup sandbox?

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

State of the Union October 27, 2015

Local 2250 State of the Union

October 27, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

• From Chairman Mike Bullock: A tentative National agreement has been reached between the International UAW and GM. Van Simpson and myself will be going to Detroit for a roll out of the tentative agreement on Wednesday October 28th at 3pm Eastern. The shop committee continues to meet daily in an attempt to reach a Local Contract. An extension of the Local Agreement is still in effect.

• Here is the statement from the UAW on the Tentative Agreement: The UAW-GM Bargaining committee announced at 11:43 p.m. Sunday that they have secured significant gains and job security protections in a proposed Tentative Agreement with General Motors. The bargaining committee unanimously voted to send the proposed Tentative Agreement to local union leaders who make up the union’s UAW National GM Council. The Council will meet in Detroit on Wednesday to discuss and vote on the agreement.
“We believe that this agreement will present stable long-term significant wage gains and job security commitments to UAW members now and in the future,” said UAW President Dennis Williams. “We look forward to presenting the details of these gains to local union leaders and the membership.”
UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada called the agreement transformative as it gives our members a clear path. “The significant gains in this agreement are structured in a way that will provide certainty to our members and create a clear path for all GM employees now and in the future. The agreement not only rewards UAW-GM members for their accomplishments, but it protects them with significant job security commitments.”
Until the UAW National GM Council votes to approve the deal, it is classified as a Proposed Tentative Agreement. The contract language becomes a Tentative Agreement once the Council votes and they have requested details to be held until they review and vote on the proposal. Following Council approval, the UAW will release details of the Tentative Agreement to its membership and the ratification process will begin. A vote of the UAW-GM membership will decide whether or not the deal is finalized. The union plans to make the details of the agreement available immediately after the UAW National GM Council votes on the tentative agreement Wednesday and will have no comment until that time.

• Here is General Motors’ statement on the tentative agreement: "The new UAW-GM national agreement is good for employees and the business,” said Cathy Clegg, GM North America Manufacturing and Labor Relations vice president. “Working with our UAW partners, we developed constructive solutions that benefit employees and provide flexibility for the company to respond to the needs of the marketplace.” Terms of the four-year agreement are not being shared publicly to allow the International UAW to inform their membership about the agreement and conduct a ratification vote. If ratified, the agreement would cover about 52,600 GM employees in the United States who are represented by the UAW. GM won’t comment further until the contract is ratified.

• The Community Services Committee is holding a raffle to raise money to level gifts for the annual Adopt-A-Child program. The prizes are an ION Block Rocker speaker, a $100 QT gas card and a pair of Blues hockey tickets. Raffle tickets are on sale now through Friday, October 30. Prices are $5 each, 3 for $10 and something new for this year, 22 tickets for $20 (this was determined by how many tickets it took to reach from the front wheel to the back wheel of a Colorado). Tickets can be purchased from Tina Hays (2nd shift stamping), Mike Fleschert (1st shift body shop) and Wanda Richard (1st shift suggestions) or any other committee member.

• Tryouts for the 2nd Annual UAW Men’s Basketball tournament will be held Friday, November 6th, 2015 from 12 noon to 2pm and again from 3 to 5pm @ Progress Park, 968 Meyer Rd., Wentzville 63385, with a $4.00 gym fee. The Thanksgiving Tournament will be held in Kansas City and all proceeds will be donated to UAW Local 31 Adopt-A-Family project. (Must provide your own transportation to Kansas City) Please contact Coach Owen Jackson (314) 650-6328 or Fred Jamison (314) 497-3067 (Trustee/Recreation liaison)

• From the Detroit Free Press: General Motors will suspend a second production shift in January at its Orion assembly plant, affecting about 500 people. They make the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano subcompacts, which are not selling well as Americans migrate toward large pickups, SUVs and crossover models. Verano sales fell 27% through the first nine months of 2015 from a year earlier. Sonic sales have fallen 35% in the same period. Last June, the company said it would invest $245 million and hire 300 people at Orion Assembly to build the new Chevrolet Bolt electric car beginning next year, and an unnamed future model.

• From Automotive News: Ford posted third-quarter net income of $1.9 billion, up from $833 million in the same period of 2014. It earned a pretax profit of $2.7 billion in North America, 89 percent more than a year ago and the most ever for any quarter. North American operating margins jumped to 11.3 percent, from 7.1 percent in the third quarter of 2014. Ford CFO Shanks said the fourth quarter will be weaker than the third due to cost increases that typically occur toward the end of a calendar year. Among the costs it expects to incur are signing bonuses as part of an expected, new four-year contract with the UAW. The union already has reached a deal with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and a tentative agreement with General Motors. Union members undoubtedly will see Ford’s record North American profit as evidence that the company can afford to offer a richer package than FCA workers received. Shanks said Ford is looking for a “competitive and fair agreement” but declined to discuss what impact it’s likely to have on Ford’s costs in future quarters. He said Ford expects a full-year North American operating margin of between 9 percent and 9.5 percent. It posted a 9.9 percent margin in the first three quarters.

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

State of the Union October 22, 2015

October 22, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

• There have been a lot of questions about when Veterans Day observance would be this year. It has now been confirmed that this will be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, November 25.

• Yesterday, GM announced 3rd quarter financial results, and in case you hadn’t heard, it was a record quarter for North American profits. GM reported EBIT (earnings before income taxes, which is what our profit sharing is based on) of $3.3 billion. That brings the year-to-date total for North American EBIT to $8.33 billion, which equates to $8250 in profit sharing under the current formula with one quarter to go. GM’s guidance is that 4th quarter profitability should exceed last year’s, which was $2.2 billion. Based on that, and using the current formula, profit sharing payouts should exceed $10,000 and could be as much as $11,000.

• The Community Services Committee is holding a raffle to raise money to level gifts for the annual Adopt-A-Child program. The prizes are an ION Block Rocker speaker, a $100 QT gas card and a pair of Blues hockey tickets. Raffle tickets are on sale now through Friday, October 30. Prices are $5 each, 3 for $10 and something new for this year, 22 tickets for $20 (this was determined by how many tickets it took to reach from the front wheel to the back wheel of a Colorado). Tickets can be purchased from Tina Hays (2nd shift stamping), Mike Fleschert (1st shift body shop) and Wanda Richard (1st shift suggestions) or any other committee member.

• Tryouts for the 2nd Annual UAW Men’s Basketball tournament will be held Friday, November 6th, 2015 from 12 noon to 2pm and again from 3 to 5pm @ Progress Park, 968 Meyer Rd., Wentzville 63385, with a $4.00 gym fee. The Thanksgiving Tournament will be held in Kansas City and all proceeds will be donated to UAW Local 31 Adopt-A-Family project. (Must provide your own transportation to Kansas City) Please contact Coach Owen Jackson (314) 650-6328 or Fred Jamison (314) 497-3067 (Trustee/Recreation liaison)

• From the Detroit News: An overwhelming majority of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ 40,000 United Auto Workers members voted in favor of a new four-year labor contract that includes raises for all workers and a $5.3 billion investment in North American plants. The 77 percent “yes” ratification vote, confirmed by the union Thursday, comes three weeks after union membership resoundingly rejected the first tentative agreement between the two sides by a two-to-one margin. At several plants, more than 70 percent of ballots were cast in support of the pact. Production workers at all major assembly plants in Metro Detroit supported the deal by at least 70 percent.

• UAW President Dennis Williams stated, “The recent bargaining process that took place on behalf of our members at FCA is a testament to the UAW’s democratic values and commitment to our members. The resolve of our membership and the dedication of our negotiating team has produced an agreement that affords UAW members a strong wage package and job security while still allowing the company to competitively produce high quality vehicles for our customers.” UAW FCA US Vice President Norwood Jewell said, “UAW members at FCA have obtained a strong agreement that provides substantial wage gains, fairness in the workplace, and job security. Because of the strength and support from our membership, our bargaining team was able to negotiate a contract which promises a secure future for our members, their families and their communities.” (No word yet on whether GM of Ford, or both, will be the focus next)

• Memo to Tesla: Consumer Reports giveth and Consumer Reports taketh away. Earlier this week CR came out with their annual predicted reliability rankings. Even though CR scored Tesla’s Model S 103 on a scale of 100 (did any of you ever get 103% on a test? Didn’t think so), the car lost the coveted “Recommended” buy rating. What went wrong? "We're seeing all types of issues [with the Model S]," said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports. "Some are annoying issues like squeaks in the hatch or rattles and squeaks in the sun roof, but we're also seeing major issues in terms of the charging systems. We're even seeing people who have to have the entire electric motor replaced." Buick was the only domestic brand to finish in the top 10 (7th).

• From Automotive News: General Motors is adding a second shift -- about 1,200 workers -- at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant to meet future demand for the five vehicles made there, including the redesigned 2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid that rolls out in coming weeks. The plant also is scheduled to begin production in early 2016 of the Cadillac CT6, a large, lightweight sedan that will be the first vehicle made by GM using a special technique that spot welds aluminum to steel. Detroit-Hamtramck also serves as a secondary production site for the Chevy Malibu and Impala sedans, and it assembles the low-volume Cadillac ELR plug-in, a sibling of the Volt. GM said hiring already has begun and that it would put on the second shift in early 2016. The facility will employ about 2,800 hourly and salaried workers once the hiring is done, the company said. GM retooled Detroit-Hamtramck earlier this year for the next-generation Volt. Some industry forecasters predict that production of the redesigned Buick LaCrosse sedan could move to the plant, from GM’s Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas, when it goes on sale in the second half of 2016. The 30-year-old, 4.1 million-square-foot facility is one of GM’s most flexible assembly plants (GM CEO Mary Barra was the plant manager there in 2003 and 2004). The company has invested about $1 billion into the factory over the last five years, installing equipment that enables workers to produce five cars built on three separate platforms. Malibu and Impala production at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant is relatively limited. Only about 10,700 Malibus were made there this year through September, vs. nearly 120,000 at Fairfax, the data center estimates. About 27,000 Impalas were assembled there, vs. about 76,000 at GM’s Oshawa, Ontario, plant.

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

State of the Union October 16, 2015

October 16, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

A Message from UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada:
To my sisters and brothers at General Motors, as we continue to negotiate with General Motors on your behalf, I want to thank you for your patience and solid support. As you know, there is a lot at stake with these negotiations and the ratification process; job security, product allocation and income security. As you wait, please remember that during the last round of auto contract talks, UAW members at Ford and FCA waited for us to conclude our ratification before they began theirs. Right now, we are focusing on the issues that are unique to each operation.
I want to especially thank you for remaining level headed and not allowing outsiders like RTW to hijack this negotiation process and divide us. Facebook and social media are amazing for groups like ours to communicate, we’re grateful to have them, and we encourage the robust debate and discussion they provide. I, by no means, intend to discourage healthy discussion that, in the end, will only make our union stronger. In fact, I am hopeful that we can turn this discussion into even more activism as we face upcoming elections and those forces which seek to harm our rights as union members and the rights of all working families. Yesterday one of those forces, the National RTW Legal Defense Foundation, aired an anti-union radio ad in Michigan. I have complete faith that our membership is mindful of those on the internet who are looking to use public member discussions to divide us. It is important that we stand together in solidarity against these anti-union forces posing as friends of working men and women.
As UAW-FCA brothers and sisters proceed with their ratification process, it’s critical that your support continue. They are expected to conclude their voting on Oct. 21, 2015. If you have any questions, please feel free to send them to our Facebook page, UAW GM Talks.
In Solidarity, Cindy Estrada

• There will be signups for the Red Cross Blood Drive Wednesday, October 21 in the cafeteria on all shifts. The Blood Drive will be Wednesday, October 28.

• There will be Civil Rights Committee meetings Monday, October 19 at the Union Hall at the following times: 6:45 am for 3rd shift; 1:30 pm for 2nd shift and 2:45 pm for 1st shift. All are welcome to attend.

• GM will report 3rd quarter earnings next Wednesday, Oct. 21.

• From the Detroit News: In a brief Detroit News interview on the sidelines of a conference here, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said she didn't know if GM or Ford would be up next after workers at Fiat Chrysler complete voting on a proposed new deal. "We'll work through it," said Barra, noting that UAW President Dennis Williams has said "the companies are different" and in "different situations." Barra noted GM hasn't started contract talks but wouldn't say if the Fiat Chrysler contract could set the pattern at GM.
"We haven't started our negotiations at this level yet, and when we get there, we're going to work and do the same creative problem solving that we've done day in and day out, and work to have an agreement that's good for the company and maintains our competitiveness — and does the right things for the institution and for our workers," Barra said.
Barra also said GM is still reviewing the proposed 12 nation Trans Pacific Partnership and hasn't made a decision on whether to support or oppose the deal. Barra said GM officials are currently reviewing the proposal. Ford Motor Co. has already said it opposes the free-trade agreement as currently written. "It is early days, and we have to start by first understanding it. The details are important, so we're still in an evaluation mode," Barra told the News.

• From TruckTrend: There has been tremendous anticipation surrounding the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon diesel. Not only do the two trucks have an exclusive in the midsize market with a diesel engine, they’re also highly capable with towing capacities up to 7,700 pounds and a lot of fun to drive, as we found out in our recent first drive of the Colorado diesel.
Now, with testing done by Emissions Analytics, one of the world’s most respected third-party emissions testing company and provider of Motor Trend’s Real MPG figures, we have some indication of how efficient these trucks will be. In a controlled mixed test loop performed by Emissions Analytics, a 4WD Colorado Trail Boss returned 23.2 mpg city and 31.4 mpg highway, for a combined figure of 26.3 mpg. If those figures are close to official EPA figures, that would make the diesel model 3 mpg more efficient in the city, and 4 mpg more efficient on the highway, in addition to having a towing capacity more than double the base gas I-4’s 3,500 pounds. Official EPA figures have not yet been released on these trucks, but if the figures are close to these scientific, but not official, results, General Motors’ preliminary claim of the trucks being the “most efficient” in the U.S. should prove to be true. For comparison, Emissions Analytics got 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway on a Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, spot-on with the official EPA results. The $3,700 option price on the engine pushes a well-equipped Colorado or Canyon easily over the $40,000 mark, but with this unique combination of efficiency and capability, it’s arguably worth the premium.

• Here are some impressions from Auotweek of the Colorado diesel: “At low rpm, it’s difficult to discern this is a diesel. It’s quiet, smooth and snappy off the line… On a short 40-mile fuel economy run in a 2WD Colorado, we saw 36 mpg from gentle throttle application, a great number for a 4,500-pound pickup…we were able to test the truck towing a 3,865-pound horse trailer. The Duramax had no trouble moving that load. In fact, we were able to chirp the tires from a hard launch…Do I want it? Yes. The new diesel is a torque monster; it makes the Colorado feel more, well, trucky. We dig that. For those needing a fuel- and space-efficient truck that can handle a fairly serious trailer, the Colorado diesel seems like the perfect fit.”

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

State of the Union October 13, 2015

State of the Union October 13, 2015

• From Chairman Mike Bullock: Wanda Richard was presented with the Beverly Krause Memorial Bluebird Award from Bridgeway Women’s Center as their Volunteer of the Year. Wanda volunteers countless hours helping Bridgeway Women’s Center and our community. Bridgeway Women’s Center is a local organization that assists women who are confronted with domestic violence situations, in addition to addiction and trauma services. Thank You Wanda for representing all of us here at Wentzville Assembly Center and the UAW.

• There will be signups for the Red Cross Blood Drive Wednesday, October 14 and 21 in the cafeteria on all shifts. The Blood Drive will be Wednesday, October 28.

• There will be Civil Rights Committee meetings Monday, October 19 at the Union Hall at the following times: 6:45 am for 3rd shift; 1:30 pm for 2nd shift and 2:45 pm for 1st shift. All are welcome to attend.

• Voting on the FCA/UAW tentative agreement will be October 20 and 21. No word on which company will be up next in national bargaining.

• This week marks the beginning of the new parking lot policy. Just to clarify: Lot 3 is the only lot that is GM vehicles only. If employees drive Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth or Jeep vehicles they can park in every other lot except Lot 3. All foreign branded vehicles must park in either Lot 1 or Lot 7. Which lot is which? Starting at the ballfields and moving west, you have Lot 1; the entrance at gate 2; Lot 2; the rock berm; Lot 3; the main security entrance at gate 3; Lot 4; Lot 5 (also the visitors lot) in front of the arch entrance; Lot 6; the chassis entrance at gate 4; Lot 7. It should also be noted that any brand of motorcycle can park in any designated motorcycle parking spot.

• Reminder: Temporary and flex employees are eligible for the GM employee discount on new vehicles. To get started go to www.gmfamilyfirst.com and either log in or create an account. The employee discount is a percentage off of the sticker price and if there are any consumer rebates on the vehicle you can get those as well. Here is a pricing example: A 2015 Chevy Malibu LT with a sticker price of $24,560 has an employee discount price of $22,785. There is also a $1500 rebate, giving you a final price of $21,285.

• You may have heard about the consternation among U.S. government officials about the rampant procurement and use of Toyota vehicles by the Islamic State (ISIS) – so much so that a U.S. Counterterrorism unit is interrogating Toyota officials how this can be. We’ve all seen pictures and video of black-cloaked terrorists with weapons raised high riding in the back of Toyota pickups. These are not beat up trucks captured from vanquished foes. They appear to be new or nearly so. John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” took on the automaker with tongue somewhat in cheek, but critical nonetheless. Regarding a statement to ABC news from Toyota that said it was not aware of any of its dealerships violating the company policy not to sell to terrorist groups Oliver said, “Hold on—you actually felt the need to make ‘not selling to terrorists’ official company policy? Is that in the handbook under, ‘Things that should go without saying?” He continued, “In light of the news this week, you would think Toyota would at least change the name of one of their cars.” You guessed it: Toyota sells a make of car called the “Isis”—a seven-seat minivan with a panoramic door and four-wheel drive. “Oh, come on, Toyota! You’re giving ISIS built-in vanity plates!” joked Oliver. “It seems Toyota might have a genuine problem here, because ISIS seems to really like their cars.” Indeed, a former U.S. ambassador to the UN told ABC News that, “Toyota has almost become part of the ISIS brand.” Said Oliver, “At this rate, we are almost a few months away from ISIS-owned dealerships, complete with fully-armed windsock guy. Come on down to ISIS Toyota, our salesmen are terrorists you can negotiate with!’”

• From the Detroit News: General Motors Co. will begin taking applications Wednesday for its Spring Hill Assembly Plant in Tennessee, which is adding production of the new 2017 Cadillac XT5 (SRX). The carmaker said it will begin to accept applications at 8 a.m. central time Wednesday to grow its hourly hiring pool for the facility, according to a posting Tuesday on the UAW-GM Facebook page. Jobs are expected to start in early 2016, the posting said. Hiring is expected in the hundreds, but GM officials could not immediately be reached for comment. UAW Local 1853 shop chairman Mike Herron’s website also confirms the hiring pool opens Wednesday for new manufacturing jobs at the plant. In August 2014, GM announced the plant would land the Cadillac crossover, now built in Mexico. The carmaker previously announced $350 million in investment at Spring Hill for two midsize vehicles, which were expected to create or retain about 1,800 jobs. The Cadillac is one of the vehicles. The carmaker has not publicly named the other vehicle that is coming to Spring Hill, but analysts believe it is a smaller version of the current GMC Acadia, which would move from the Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant.

• VW lately has been hit with so many right crosses they’re begging for a left hook – and here it is. U.S. movie studio Paramount Pictures and actor Leonardo DiCaprio's production company have acquired movie rights to a book proposal by New York Times journalist Jack Ewing about the clean diesel scandal, the biggest crisis in Volkswagen's 78-year history, Paramount and New York literary agency Marly Rusoff and Associates said on Monday. Nothing like airing dirty laundry long before it’s dry.

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

State of the Union October 6, 2015

State of the Union October 6, 2015

• From Chairman Mike Bullock: “Health Care Co-op” language was included in the tentative agreement between the UAW and FCA. The language in the FCA highlights said that a health care co-op would be established to focus on improving health care benefits in a manner that increases quality, lowers cost, produces less waste, and provides better patient care and outcomes. UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada further explained that a health care co-op would not be a VEBA or VEBA- like plan. It will not be a Taft-Hartley plan or a pool of money or any other type of multi-employer health plan. Vice President Estrada said that all active members remain and will remain insured by the Company sponsored health plan.
The purpose of the Co-op is to address the health care crisis that continues to be a huge problem and is a big part of the economic pie when it comes to negotiations. The co-op is an attempt to be pro-active regarding health care costs so we can help minimize its impact on future negotiations. Currently health care cost the company $8.00 per hour per employee, with the expectation that it will rise to $13 per hour per employee over the next 4 years.
The Health Care Co-op is a mechanism to study innovative ways to improve health care. The company will continue to sponsor the current health care plans for active UAW membership.
We are still awaiting word on the next step at UAW/FCA negotiations. We continue to meet locally on our issues. I have told management that I expect to vote on a local contract at the same time as the National contract. If this were not to happen, I would have to consider what our next step would be.

• There will be Education Committee meetings Thursday, October 8 at the following times: 6:45 am for 3rd shift; 1:00 pm for 2nd shift; 2:45 pm for 1st shift. All meetings will be held at the Union Hall and all are welcome to attend.

• Unfortunately, negotiators have put the finishing touches on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and it is set to go to Congress for a straight up or down vote. Due to the passing of fast track authority, no amendments will be allowed to this agreement. Here is a statement from UAW President Dennis Williams regarding this agreement:
“TPP is a sweeping agreement that touches nearly every aspect of your daily life. It impacts the food you eat, the air you breathe, the medicines you take, and the cars you drive. It will impact demand for the world-class farming equipment tens of thousands of UAW members build. If factories close revenue shortfalls and budget cuts will ensue and UAW members whose jobs serve the public would suffer.
“The more than 100,000 UAW members who work for auto suppliers might be faced with a flood of subsidized imports. In fact, auto suppliers produce hundreds of billions of goods and support more than three and a half million U.S. jobs directly and indirectly.
Fair rules are needed for all countries to truly compete. Countries from around the world sell cars in America without unfair trade barriers. Yet, while domestic auto companies sell less than half of all vehicles in the U.S, the same cannot be said for many countries in the TPP. Some Asian-Pacific countries have closed auto markets importing less than 7% while undervaluing their currency, making their exports cheaper. Time and time again companies who game the system shift more and more work to low wage countries. Non-TPP countries like China, Philippines or Thailand must not unjustly receive benefits under this agreement.
We as a country have an opportunity to craft an agreement that is good for American families and creates economic stability. The administration should return to the table to ensure we have an agreement that strengthens American families and creates economic stability.” The fight is not over yet. While we can’t amend the agreement, we can weigh in with our representatives in Washington and urge them to vote against this agreement, which will probably not see a vote until next spring. We will keep you informed as the vote draws nearer.

• As expected, the year over year comparisons for van sales are coming into line. Going forward, this should be the rule rather than the exception. Here’s a look at how the van and pickup segments fared in September: (click on image for larger picture)
For the first time since our pickups started selling in numbers, Tacoma sales actually fell, while the Frontier continues to plummet. Our combined sales now trail the Tacoma in market share by only 7.5 points. Looking at field supplies, as measured in days, the van dropped from 51 at the end of August to 42 days at the end of September. The delay in 2016 passenger vans has created an acute shortage as Chevy supplies are at 547 units total (for some 3500 Chevrolet dealers). Colorado supplies continue to creep up as we work to fill the product pipeline. At 30 days supply, it is the lowest of any GM retail product. Canyon supplies stand at 61 days, getting closer to normal, which for pickups is between 70 and 90 days due to the numerous configurations. And the number one customer complaint about the Colorado? CAN’T FIND ONE!

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

State of the Union for September 9, 2015

September 9, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

Your National Bargaining Committee sincerely appreciates the overwhelming support you have given us during our current negotiations. The results of the strike authorization votes that were announced last week are indicative of that support. Receiving 97 percent of votes authorizing a strike if necessary was a powerful showing of unity. Make no mistake, the message is clear: UAW-GM members are committed to stand together and win the justice we deserve.

This is OUR TIME! For the past two bargaining sessions our members have faced the most ominous of circumstances. We stood up to the terrifying challenge of bankruptcy and made tremendous sacrifices. We put the long-term future ahead of short-term pain. Faced with decisions that were not good, we bet on ourselves to turn around our industry and WE became the solution that resurrected the industry and saved GM. And for that we can be proud! Now it is OUR TIME. We have made it crystal clear that the proposed contract we bring back to you must address current wage inequities, ensure that all UAW-GM members get a share of the wealth we are creating, and provide for the greatest measure of job security.

To achieve our just demands, your continued solidarity will be needed in the days that lie ahead. Unfortunately, the rumor mill will test that solidarity. As the deadline approaches, we expect the conversations on the shop floor to pick up, and public media reporting to intensify. Don’t believe everything you hear or read! The fact is, even though we are making progress in the negotiations, nothing is settled until the entire agreement is settled. These are important issues, and we are taking great care to ensure that all possible options are explored. For that reason, it is impossible for your negotiating team to accurately report to you the specifics of our daily conversations, or any tentative agreements that we have reached. However, you can be assured that each day we are meeting and striving to find the best possible outcomes. The solutions we may be discussing can be complex and have implications beyond what is most apparent, and as our discussions continue, the proposed solutions may change. In short, negotiating a contract covering tens of thousands of workers employed at diverse locations across the country is a very complex and fluid process. What is most important is that as strong, committed union members we “keep our eye on the prize” and stay focused on winning a fair contract. And to accomplish that, we need to ignore the rumors and distractions and keep faith in the leadership you have selected.

We do, however, recognize the need to share as much information as possible and provide updates as needed. To get this important information and our updates, we have created a website for your use. You may go to uaw.org/big3, then click on the GM icon. You may also receive updates by text message. To receive text messaging updates, simply text big 3 to the number 99795 on your cell phone. The website and texting service offers timely information on negotiations and was created to better serve you. We strongly encourage you and your membership to utilize these communication channels. As the deadline approaches, you can be assured that we are focused on bargaining the best possible contract for you and your family. Together we are “going all the way to a better day with the UAW”!
In solidarity,
Cindy Estrada, UAW Vice President and Director, and the 2015 National Bargaining Team

• Vice President Estrada also gave us two more ways to check for updates on negotiations: the Facebook pages of “UAWGMTalks” and “UAWGMCHR”.

• Teams Needed: The annual Women’s Committee Benefit Golf Tournament will be Sunday, September 20. It will be held at Country Lake golf course in Warrenton. It is a three person scramble with a 12 noon shotgun start. Cost is $210 per team/$70 per person. The first 3 places in 3 flights will be paid and there will be longest drive and closest to the pin contests along with a skin game. Food and beer will be served after the tournament. Proceeds will go to St. Joachim & Anne Care Services of St. Charles. Entry forms are available at the entrances.

• From the Veterans Committee: The 10th Annual SOS (Support Our Soldiers) Poker Run will be Sunday, October 4. Registration will be at the Union Hall from 10:00 am to 12 noon. Last bike in at 4:00 pm. First poker hand/person is $10 and $5 for each additional hand/person. There will be cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place as well as a 50/50 drawing, door prizes and raffle items. All bikes and cages (cars) are welcome. Proceeds benefit the St. Louis Fisher House. Make checks payable to UAW-2250. Volunteers will be needed. For more information contact Steve Melson at 636-262-1234. You can also attend the Veterans Committee meetings Thursday, Sept. 10 at one of the following times: 1:30 pm for 2nd shift at the Union Hall; 2:45 pm for 1st shift at the Union Hall and 9:30 pm for 3rd shift in the plant cafeteria.

• From Automotive News: Fiat Chrysler has decided to keep making the Jeep Wrangler in Toledo, Ohio, move production of the Jeep Cherokee to a nearby state and build a Jeep pickup. The news comes after 11 months of uncertainty about the fate of Wrangler production in its historic home. Details about the Wrangler and Cherokee were shared with Toledo plant management in response to inquiries from Automotive News, based on an exclusive interview with CEO Sergio Marchionne on Aug. 21. Automotive News has learned independently that Jeep will make a Wrangler-based pickup in Toledo, a move that will soften the blow of a transferred Cherokee -- Jeep’s best-selling vehicle.
Details of the plan will be announced after FCA’s contract talks with the UAW conclude; the contract expires Sept. 14. Separately, Automotive News has confirmed that the plan includes building a long-sought Wrangler-based pickup, likely in 2017 or 2018. That vehicle is under development. Production of the redesigned Wrangler and pickup is planned to reach 350,000 per year, according to suppliers briefed on the plan. A Wrangler-based pickup has been on Jeep enthusiasts’ wish list since the brand showed the Jeep Gladiator concept in 2005. The Gladiator was built on a Ram 1500 frame and shared Wrangler styling. It is unknown whether the Wrangler-based pickup would be Gladiator-sized or smaller, to compete with the redesigned Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, as well as a potential Ford Ranger pickup. Either way, the Jeep badge and underpinnings should allow it to sell at a premium above those offerings.

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

State of the Union for August 28, 2015

August 28, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

· From Chairman Mike Bullock: The catastrophic breakdown that occurred on Wednesday has caused Wentzville Assembly to lose 28 hours of production as of 6:30am this morning. Management has announced that Sunday August 30th will be scheduled as a mandatory production day due to this breakdown, to make up lost production.
If production resumes today, and if 1st and 3rd shift work 8 hours today and Saturday, Sunday will be double time. If 2nd shift works 8 hours today and Saturday, Sunday will be 5 hours straight time and 3 hours double time plus 5 hours Short Work Week if you have more than 1 year seniority. If this occurs to 2nd shift, the Union is going to write a policy grievance demanding GM compensate 2nd shift employees who do not receive double time for 8 hours on Sunday.
For those employees who are excused in advance for Saturday August 29th, you are also excused for Sunday August 30th. Any questions about double time, short work week or time off should be directed to your committeeman.
Training for the Hourly Communication Channel is taking place before and after all three shifts in the Joint Learning Center at A40. Classroom space is limited, so advance sign up is necessary. Sign-ups are taking place in benefits and suggestions or by calling 636-327-2308.
Eight temporary employees were converted to permanent on August 24th. Congratulations to all! Everyone with hire in date of March 26th and a GMIN beginning with 8178 or lower has been converted. There are 10 temporary employees with 3/26 hire in date still not converted to permanent.
Three employees have accepted a transfer from Wentzville to Bedford, IN. It was great having you as a members of Local 2250 and good luck to you at your new facility.

· Teams Needed: The annual Women’s Committee Benefit Golf Tournament will be Sunday, September 20. It will be held at Country Lake golf course in Warrenton. It is a three person scramble with a 12 noon shotgun start. Cost is $210 per team/$70 per person. The first 3 places in 3 flights will be paid and there will be longest drive and closest to the pin contests along with a skin game. Food and beer will be served after the tournament. Proceeds will go to St. Joachim & Anne Care Services of St. Charles. Entry forms are available at the entrances.

· The Women’s Committee is also raffling off a hoodie sweatshirt and hoodie lined jacket to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Tickets are $5 apiece or 3 for $10 and available from committee members. Special thanks to Pat Wyse for donating the sweatshirt and jacket! And speaking of Habitat for Humanity, the next build day for the house in Wentzville is Wednesday, Sept. 16. The time is 8 am to 4 pm. The next stage of the build will be drywall. No walkups will be accepted so please see Becky Schieffer by Friday, Sept. 4 to volunteer. You can drop off your contact information at her desk, which is located at the Suggestions office. The address of the house is: 710 Cheryl Ann Drive, Wentzville, MO 63385.

· There are now 10 walkup computer stations around the plant for you to use to access the Hourly Communication Channel (HCC) to apply for Saturday time off among many other things. They are located at: Y34 and W27 in the van body shop; GG15 and GG27 in the truck body shop; CC40 and CC42 in paint; C46 and C60 in GA and the 2 in the cafeteria.

· From Automotive News: Ford Motor Co. is in discussions with the UAW about bringing the Ranger midsize pickup and Bronco SUV back to the U.S. market, according to a Bloomberg report and a person with knowledge of the talks. The company is considering a plan to build the vehicles at Michigan Assembly Plant near Detroit after production of the Focus and C-Max ends in 2018, the source said. Ford also is considering production of the Bronco SUV at the plant, Bloomberg reported. Ford filed a trademark application for the Bronco name in February, according to a government filing. The proposal, which would need to be approved by Ford’s board of directors, as well as the union, would give the automaker a smaller and less expensive complement to the F-series that it has lacked since discontinuing the U.S. Ranger in 2011. Ford still sells the Ranger in nearly 200 markets overseas. As transaction prices for the F-150 have risen, so has the opportunity for a midsize pickup to fit below the F-150 without detracting from it. Ford and Fiat Chrysler's Ram brand have abandoned the midsize pickup market in recent years, leaving it largely to the Toyota Tacoma and the recently reintroduced Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. “We will move production of the next-generation Ford Focus and C-MAX, which currently are built at Michigan Assembly Plant, beginning in 2018,” Ford said in an emailed statement Tuesday. “We actively are pursuing future vehicle alternatives to produce at Michigan Assembly and will discuss this issue with UAW leadership as part of the upcoming negotiations.” UAW leaders have said they are confident Ford will continue to operate Michigan Assembly past 2018 with different products. The Ranger likely would not be enough by itself to keep the plant running, meaning other vehicles would need to be assigned to it as well. In order to sell the Ranger in the U.S., Ford would need to build it domestically to avoid the 25 percent tariff on imported trucks known as the chicken tax.

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

State of the Union for August 22, 2015

August 22, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

The following message is from UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada:

• From the Detroit News: United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams on Wednesday branded Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump “an enemy” of the American middle class, and warned automakers against expanding production outside the United States.
Williams rejected Trump’s suggestion that Detroit’s Big Three automakers move plants to lower-wage parts of the United States. He said that would hurt workers and weaken manufacturing in the industrial Midwest — as would plans to move production from the United States to Mexico.
“I think Donald Trump’s comments demonstrate what’s wrong with this country. I think he is a prime example of why we need a huge change in this country,” Williams told The Detroit News. “His comments about he’s going to make America great one day and then talking about diminishing people’s wages, to find less pay for them, is contradictory and he is an enemy — in my mind — of the middle class. He ought to do what he does best: build hotels.”
In an interview with The News last week, Trump criticized investments by U.S. automakers, especially a $2.5 billion investment by Ford, in Mexico. He suggested automakers could reduce wages and still keep jobs in the U.S. by closing plants in Michigan and moving the work to lower-cost locations in the South.
“You can go to different parts of the United States and then ultimately you’d do full-circle; you’ll come back to Michigan because those guys are going to want their jobs back even if it is less,” Trump told The News. “We can do the rotation in the United States. It doesn’t have to be in Mexico.” After Michigan “loses a couple of plants — all of sudden you’ll make good deals in your own area.”
Williams says Trump is telling automakers “don’t build in Mexico, but go somewhere else where you can find lower wages and take advantage of people. What’s the difference? Philosophically, if we’re going to have a middle class in this country, people have to have disposable incomes; they have to have purchasing power; they have to have a right to buy a house, a car; they’ve got to send their kids to school. There’s a whole lot of things that we ought to be doing as a country, and Donald Trump is not about that.”
Asked about reports that General Motors Co. may export the Chinese-made Buick Envision crossover to the United States, Williams said automakers sometimes “float something out in the media” to gauge reaction of union leaders and members. “I think it was a temperature test.” He said that investments in Mexico announced recently by GM and Ford Motor Co. haven’t helped. “It’s raised the temperature of our members. The bonuses that (executives) get, raises the temperature in the plant — so they haven’t made it easy.”

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

State of the Union for August 19, 2015

August 19, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
• From Chairman Mike Bullock: Pursuant to the requirements of the UAW Constitution, it is necessary for all General Motors local unions to take a strike vote. This vote gives the International and Local Negotiating Committee the authorization if needed to present a five (5) day letter of intent to the Corporation. In no way does this mean we are going on strike! This ONLY gives the Bargaining Committee the right to issue a five (5) day letter if the corporation fails to bargain in good faith.
UAW Local 2250’s Strike vote will be taken on Thursday, August 20, 2015, beginning at 4:30 AM and ending at 11:30 PM. You must have your union card or badge to vote. The strike vote will take place at the UAW Local 2250 Union Hall, 1395 E. Pearce Blvd., Wentzville, MO. Strike vote will be made by secret ballot. Please vote to support your Local and National Union.

• Basic computer classes are now forming that will be held on each shift in the Learning Center. Courses include MySocrates, 2-step Verification, Ipay, the new Hourly Communication Channel (HCC), Suggestions and Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). This is a great opportunity to learn how to use HCC to apply for Saturday time off as applications will go paperless soon. You can sign up at the Suggestions office or the Benefits office. A minimum of 4 sign-ups is required to have a class.
Times will be: 3rd Shift: 6:45 am to 7:45 am and 9 pm to 10 pm
1st Shift: 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm and 5 am to 6 am
2nd Shift: 10:45 pm to 11:45 pm and 1 pm to 2 pm
The Learning Center is located on the A-aisle next to Medical.

• From the Detroit Free Press: The UAW is opposed to General Motors importing from China the Buick Envision, a midsize crossover model that it would be able to produce in the U.S. The company declined to comment on its plans to offer the Envision in the U.S. It was launched in China about a year ago and is built at a three-year-old factory in Yantai, China. It is larger than the Buick Encore subcompact crossover and smaller than the Buick Enclave. "It’s doing extremely well in China, but we haven’t made any announcement about bringing it to another market," said Buick spokesman Nick Richards. GM assembles the Encore in Mexico, Spain and South Korea. It produces the Enclave in its Delta Township plant near Lansing. “After the sacrifices made by U.S. taxpayers and the U.S. workforce to make General Motors the profitable quality company it is today, UAW members are disappointed with the tone-deaf speculation that the Envision would be imported from China," said Cindy Estrada, vice president of the UAW General Motors department. "GM should stand by its declaration that it will build where it sells." In her statement, Estrada called the prospect of importing the Envision "especially alarming in light of the current Trans-Pacific Partnership trade language debate."

• Toyota has at long last revealed pricing and specifications about the redesigned Tacoma. Suffice to say that we, and some automotive observers, are underwhelmed at what Toyota has wrought. Let’s start with pricing. The new base Tacoma, a 2 wheel drive, 4 cylinder “access cab” (extended cab - regular cab discontinued) starts at $24,200. This is a significant price increase from the old model and some $3200 higher than the base Colorado. Toyota defends this increase by arguing that base content is higher (it does come with a 6-speed automatic and a gimmicky Go Pro camera mount), but it offers nothing beyond the Colorado. And for that extra coin you get the same outdated 4-cylinder that, at 23 hwy mpg, can’t even match the V6 fuel economy of our pickups, or the Silverado V6 for that matter (from Car and Driver: “Meanwhile, the 2.7-liter four has limped into this program intact. That means 159 rather raucous horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque at 3800 rpm. Four-cylinder engines don’t get much respect in this truck class, and adding insult to insult, the only manual transmission available with the four is a five-speed”). Did we mention that it continues to be the only pickup of any size that has drum brakes on the rear? And if you’re into nostalgia, you get an old-school C-section frame aft of the engine compartment. Plus a 5-speed manual. Alas, there is no 8-track tape player. But there are 3 fewer inches of rear legroom than the Colorado in the crew cabs. Toyota has an all-new 3.5 liter V6, which produces less horsepower and torque than our V6 and yet gets worse fuel economy (26 hwy Colorado, 24 hwy Tacoma). Toyota has made a calculated decision to target off-roaders with this truck, hence the Go Pro mount and standard 9” of ground clearance on all models. Automotive News noted this, observing “Tacoma proved it was happiest getting dirty….On road, we were less impressed with the harsh ride and noisy interior that couldn't match the refinement of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.”

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

State of the Union August 15, 2015

August 15, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
• Reminder: The annual Union Picnic will be Sunday, August 16 at the Union Hall (1395 East Pearce Blvd., Wentzville). Time is noon to 5:00 pm with activities beginning at 1:00 pm. There will be a professional DJ, a food station including hot dogs and hamburgers, face painting, bounce house and other activities for all ages. There will also be attendance prizes and raffles. Bring a lawn chair and your badge or Union card to get into the picnic.

• Union meetings will be next Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 6:45 am, 2:45 pm and 10:45 pm.

• Attention Bowlers: Anyone interested in bowling in a mixed couples league, consisting of 2 men and 2 women, every Sunday at 6 pm at Frontier Lanes in O’Fallon MO can attend an informational meeting that will be held Sunday, August 16, 6:30 pm at Frontier Lanes. If you have any questions, you can call Chuck Haller at 314-808-8191 or Bill Loretto at 636-699-3532. Come on and join the fun!

• The Women’s Committee will be having a bake sale Monday, August 17 from 5:00 am until sold out. It will be held at the Suggestions Office. Proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. They are looking for donations of baked goods. You can drop them off at the Suggestions Office.

• Basic computer classes are now forming that will be held on each shift in the Learning Center. Courses include MySocrates, 2-step Verification, Ipay, the new Hourly Communication Channel (HCC), Suggestions and Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). This is a great opportunity to learn how to use HCC to apply for Saturday time off as applications will go paperless soon. You can sign up at the Suggestions office or the Benefits office. A minimum of 4 sign-ups is required to have a class. Times will be 6:45 am to 7:45 am for 3rd shift, 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm for 1st shift and 10:45 pm to 11:45 pm for 2nd shift. The Learning Center is located on the A-aisle next to Medical.

• As is typical during national negotiations, there is virtually no news coming from either side at this point. UAW Vice President/Chrysler department Norwood Jewell released a statement recently that read: "As in prior negotiations, we are faced with some tough challenges. I am confident that with our staff and your elected Negotiating Committee, we will be successful in reaching an Agreement that will make our membership proud. We are very focused on our membership's agenda and have job security at the top of our list, along with bridging the gap between our traditional and entry-level members."

• You may have noticed a lot of flat-bed tractor trailers carrying frames heading west on I-70 lately. What gives? Those are frames for the Ford F-150 being built near Kansas City at the ClayCoMo plant. At only 10 frames per trailer, it obviously takes a lot of trucks to keep the line running. Why not use rail cars like we do? Because frame inventory is so tight that Ford cannot afford to take the extra time to ship them by rail from the Metalsa plant in Kentucky. You see, trucks can get there quicker, even if they can only haul a fraction of what a rail car can. To alleviate the shortage, Ford has taken the unusual step of bringing on a second vendor to produce frames. Michigan based Tower will start delivering frames around October according to reports. There is more to this story than meets the eye, as most people would say that sales are exceeding the supplier’s ability to keep up. But Ford is saying they have not been able to reach full production because of the frame shortage. One thing we know for sure – F-150 sales are down year over year for whatever reason while Silverado sales are up 17.5%. And PickupTrucks.com listed the fastest selling pickups for July (the Colorado crew cab topped the list) and the only F-150 that made the top 10 was the regular cab model, ranked 10th and hinting of fleet sales (has anyone seen a new F-150 regular cab on the road?).

• Tesla recently reported 2nd quarter financial results. We don’t use the word “earnings” because there were none. Of course this is nothing new for a company that sells fewer cars in a quarter than Chevy sells Silverados in a week. Tesla told investors that deliveries for the remainder of the year would be less than previously forecast. That’s probably a good thing, since they lose over $4000 on every car they sell. In the meantime, cash continues to burn at a significant rate. The 2nd quarter saw a $369 million drain, which may not sound like much until you realize Tesla has only $1.15 billion in cash. Simple math tell us that those cash reserves will only last another 3 quarters. What to do? Building more vehicles is not an option until the Model X SUV is ready to launch. The so-called gigafactory going up near Reno must be completed to supply batteries for all these vehicles Tesla claims they will be building by 2020 – 500,000 they say. The obvious answer then is to sell more stock. And sure enough CEO Elon Musk announced a plan to raise $642 million by selling 2.7 million shares of stock for $242 a share. Musk plans on buying 84,000 shares himself, upping his Tesla stake to 22.5% and putting $20 million of his money where his mouth is.
All eyes are now on the launch of the Model X SUV which is designed with vertically opening rear doors called “Falcon doors” (we used to call them gull wing, but that particular bird is too pedestrian for Tesla to use). These doors will prohibit owners from carrying anything on the roof, like kayaks, canoes, surfboards and all the other trappings of typical “active lifestyle’ buyers that Tesla courts. While Tesla claims to have roughly 20,000 orders for the Model X, these actually are not "orders," they're "reservations," which cost $5,000 for your place in line to receive a Model X, currently slated for March 2016 if you order today. When CNBC reporter James Sanford called the sales rep hotline listed on the website, they learned that the "reservation" is fully cancelable and refundable with no penalty. But if you think plunking down 5 grand will give you any insight into the vehicle’s specifications, think again. That will require an actual down payment to buy the vehicle, which you can do later this year. Sanford asked the sales rep what else she could tell him about luggage and recreational item storage and was cut off quickly and reminded "I can’t tell you anything that isn't already on the website."

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

State of the Union for August 12, 2015

August 12, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

• The annual Union Picnic will be Sunday, August 16 at the Union Hall (1395 East Pearce Blvd., Wentzville). Time is noon to 5:00 pm with activities beginning at 1:00 pm. There will be a professional DJ, a food station including hot dogs and hamburgers, face painting, bounce house and other activities for all ages. There will also be attendance prizes and raffles. Bring a lawn chair and your badge or Union card to get into the picnic.

• Attention Bowlers: Anyone interested in bowling in a mixed couples league, consisting of 2 men and 2 women, every Sunday at 6 pm at Frontier Lanes in O’Fallon MO can attend an informational meeting that will be held Sunday, August 16, 6:30 pm at Frontier Lanes. If you have any questions, you can call Chuck Haller at 314-808-8191 or Bill Loretto at 636-699-3532. Come on and join the fun!

• Teams Needed: The annual Women’s Committee Benefit Golf Tournament will be Sunday, September 20. It will be held at Country Lake golf course in Warrenton. It is a three person scramble with a 12 noon shotgun start. Cost is $210 per team/$70 per person. The first 3 places in 3 flights will be paid and there will be longest drive and closest to the pin contests along with a skin game. Food and beer will be served after the tournament. Proceeds will go to St. Joachim & Anne Care Services of St. Charles. Entry forms are available at the entrances.

• The Women’s Committee will be having a bake sale Monday, August 17 from 5:00 am until sold out. It will be held at the Suggestions Office. Proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity. They are looking for donations of baked goods. You can drop them off at the Suggestions Office.

• Basic computer classes are now forming that will be held on each shift in the Learning Center. Courses include MySocrates, 2-step Verification, Ipay, the new Hourly Communication Channel (HCC), Suggestions and Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). You can sign up at the Suggestions office or the Benefits office. A minimum of 4 sign-ups is required to have a class. Times will be 6:45 am to 7:45 am for 3rd shift, 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm for 1st shift and 10:45 pm to 11:45 pm for 2nd shift. The Learning Center is located on the A-aisle next to Medical.

Here is a look at future Chevrolet/GMC truck plans from Automotive News:
Trax: While the U.S. version is less than one year old, the subcompact crossover's styling dates back three years to its overseas launch. Chevy is likely to revise the front fascia for the 2017 model year to bring its face in line with the rest of the portfolio. Expect a redesign by early 2019. Small GMC crossover?: GM officials have said they're looking at a GMC crossover in the same petite package as the Chevy Trax and Buick Encore, which both are based on GM's global subcompact architecture. Some industry insiders say such a vehicle has been greenlighted; others say nothing has been confirmed. This spring, GM filed to trademark the name "Granite," which was the name given to a small GMC crossover concept that GM showed at the 2010 Detroit auto show. Stay tuned.

Equinox/Terrain: The long-awaited redesign of GM's popular crossovers is slated to begin production in early 2017, as a 2017 or 2018 model. The vehicles will shrink a bit as they move to GM's global compact platform, which also underpins several high-volume cars, including the Chevy Cruze and Buick Verano. A strong possibility for the base engine is the 1.5-liter, four-cylinder turbo that will serve as the base powerplant in the '16 Malibu. Other engine prospects include a 2.0-liter turbo -- also to be offered on the Malibu -- and a naturally aspirated, 2.5-liter four-cylinder. A hybrid model could be added as well. The optional 3.6-liter V-6 will be dropped and is unlikely to be replaced by any six-banger.

Midsize crossover: The downsizing of the Equinox creates space in Chevy's showroom for a new midsize crossover, which will fit between the Equinox and the full-size Traverse. The crossover will line up against the Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Nissan Murano. It's unclear what Chevy will name the vehicle, which is targeted for an on-sale date in the second half of 2017. It is based on the same platform as the 2016 Cadillac XT5 (former SRX) and the next generation of the GMC Acadia, which will shrink in size from the current one.

Acadia: Production of the smaller Acadia is set for mid-2016 at GM's Spring Hill, Tenn., plant, replacing its decade-old predecessor. It will continue to feature a third row despite the downsizing. Engine possibilities include a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo and a clean-sheet redesign of the 3.6-liter V-6 used in today's Acadia. The older version, built at a GM plant in Lansing, Mich., could stay in production for several months following the arrival of the redesign.

Traverse: The second generation of Chevy's large crossover is scheduled for a mid-2017 on-sale date, as a 2018 model. The base engine is likely to be a new 3.6-liter V-6, a more powerful and fuel-efficient version of its current engine.

Tahoe/Suburban/ Yukon/ Yukon XL: GM's eight- and 10-speed transmissions are likely to migrate across the lineups of the big SUVs over the next two years. Refreshes are likely in 2017 for the 2018 model year. A move to a new truck platform is likely in 2019, after the rollout of GM's next-generation Silverado and Sierra.

Colorado/Canyon: Models of the midsize pickups equipped with a 2.8-liter, Duramax four-cylinder turbodiesel are scheduled to arrive in showrooms this fall. The addition of an off-road ZR2 model is a good bet, possibly as a 2017 model.

Silverado 1500/Sierra 1500: A face lift of GM's highest-volume U.S. vehicle line is slated to arrive in the fourth quarter for the 2016 model year, an effort to energize the trucks' exterior styling. In 2017, GM is expected to add the 10-speed, rwd transmission that it has been co-developing with Ford across some of its pickup portfolio.

The pickups are scheduled to move to a new platform in late 2018 or early 2019. GM is expected to use aluminum for the hood, doors and liftgate to cut weight, but it likely will not go as far as Ford, which also uses the lighter-weight material for the bed of the F-150. GM is considering use of an air suspension system, similar to the one used in the Ram pickup, sources have said.

Silverado 2500/Sierra 2500: Recent spy shots showed refreshed exteriors of the heavy-duty pickups, with restyled grilles and revamped hoods. Those are likely to appear in 2016. The trucks should move to a redesigned platform within a year of the light-duty counterparts, sometime in 2019.

City Express: Chevy launched the small van in November. It is a rebadged version of Nissan's NV200. Express/Savana: GM remains the only major player in the fleet space that has not replaced its aging full-size cargo van with a more-efficient, European-derived model. There doesn't appear to be any near-term change to the plan.

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

State of the Union August 8, 2015

State of the Union

August 8, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

• The annual Union Picnic will be Sunday, August 16 at the Union Hall (1395 East Pearce Blvd., Wentzville). Time is noon to 5:00 pm with activities beginning at 1:00 pm. There will be a professional DJ, a food station including hot dogs and hamburgers, face painting, bounce house and other activities for all ages. There will also be attendance prizes and raffles. Bring a lawn chair and your badge or Union card to get into the picnic.

• Attention Bowlers: Anyone interested in bowling in a mixed couples league, consisting of 2 men and 2 women, every Sunday at 6 pm at Frontier Lanes in O’Fallon MO can attend an informational meeting that will be held Sunday, August 16, 6:30 pm at Frontier Lanes. If you have any questions, you can call Chuck Haller at 314-808-8191 or Bill Loretto at 636-699-3532. Come on and join the fun!

• Car and Driver is reporting that the rumored production of the Hyundai Santa Cruz unibody pickup is getting closer to being a reality. You may recall that the concept truck (if you can call it that) was unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January. Encouraged by the “good response” Hyundai began studying the possibility of production. Stymied by the 25% tariff on imported trucks known as the “chicken tax” (the same tax that protects our truck market and the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement looks to eliminate), Hyundai is looking at building a second US assembly plant to produce SUVs and possibly the Santa Cruz. From Car and Driver: According to Hyundai Motor America’s CEO, Dave Zuchowski, the U.S. Hyundai team expects the Santa Cruz to be approved by the Korean mother ship this November. The overwhelmingly positive public reaction to the Santa Cruz helped Hyundai America build the case, and the automaker’s shifting of several manufacturing facilities from building cars to building crossovers (and additional factories sprouting up globally) will help carve out the necessary production capacity.

• From the Detroit Free Press: The UAW knows Ford is earning record profits in North America, but does not plan to use that as an opportunity to extract unreasonable raises in contract discussions this year. UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles said Thursday the union needs to remember that the companies that employ union members must be able to remain healthy for years to come. "What we do is negotiate smart. We don’t negotiate for today. We negotiate for the future," Settles said Thursday evening. "We are not negotiating to try to put anybody out of business." Settles said the UAW also must remember that the automotive industry goes in boom-and-bust cycles. "I am saying that we (will) negotiate smart," Settles said. The UAW formally began contract talks with the Detroit Three last month. Since then, Settles said the UAW and Ford have been making progress on a number of issues in committee sessions that often start at 6 a.m. and go all day. "In our negotiations with Ford we deal with small (issues) ...and then we move up," Settles said. "We are at -- I call it the honeymoon stage -- we are getting the low-hanging fruit."

• We’ve all heard rumors that the Chevy Trailblazer SUV, which is built and sold overseas on the Colorado platform, will be produced here sometime in the future. But this is looking less likely in the near term. Automotive News reports that General Motors plans to add a new Chevy crossover that will be slotted above the compact Equinox and below the full-size Traverse, according to three people familiar with the plan. And it will require GM to make some adjustments. Step one will be to downsize the popular Equinox. It will shrink a bit when the next generation appears in early 2017, shifting to the same global compact platform that will underpin the redesigned Chevy Cruze and Opel Astra cars, due out early next year.
That creates more room for the new three-row crossover to slide in between the Equinox and the Traverse, which also is scheduled for a redesign, in mid-2017. The new vehicle will be a short-wheelbase version of the Traverse, the sources said. It's unclear what the three-row vehicle will be named when it goes on sale, tentatively scheduled for the second half of 2017, the sources said. A GM spokesman declined to comment. The shorter wheelbase also will underpin the successor to the Cadillac SRX, called XT5, when it arrives by next spring. And it will serve as the bones for the next-gen GMC Acadia, which will shrink to a three-row midsize when it is launched in mid-2016, the sources said. The Traverse and Buick Enclave will remain full size. It's unclear whether GMC will continue to offer a large crossover based on that same platform after the Acadia scales down. Cadillac won't use that platform for a full-size crossover that it's working on, two of the sources said.

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