February 23, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com
• Attention: GM has been working closely with Anthem and Blue Cross Blue Shield to address the recent Anthem cyber-attack. Anthem is a service provider to Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan (BCBSM). GM was notified this week by BCBSM that some GM participants’ data has been compromised in this incident.
Impacted GM participants will be notified directly by Anthem via U.S. Mail. Anthem is offering two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft repair through AllClear ID to BCBSM or Blue Care Network members whose personal information could be affected. This includes members who live – or traveled to and received health services – in one of the 14 states where Anthem operates: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. You do not need to wait for your notification letter from Anthem to participate in the credit monitoring/identity theft repair enrollment process. Simply go to www.AnthemFacts.comhttps://www.anthemfacts.com/ for instructions. Anthem’s enrollment process will ask you a few questions to determine if you may have been affected by the cyber-attack. In addition, both current and former Anthem members can call this dedicated, toll-free number if they have questions related to this incident: 1-877-263-7995. You can also learn more by reviewing attached the Frequently Asked Questions provided by BCBSM.
• FYI – Alliance Credit Union will be in the cafeteria all week signing up members with a special rate on new Savings account for GM employees.
• Due to high demand, ticket sales for the Colorado coat will run through Friday, Feb. 27 and the drawing will be at 1st shift lunch time in the cafeteria. Tickets are $5 apiece or 3 for $10 and are available from Women’s Committee members. You can also buy them in the cafeteria at 1st shift lunch time.
• The 23rd Annual African-American Heritage Celebration will be held this Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Union Hall. Doors open at 6:30 pm and dinner will be at 7 pm. Beer, set-ups and snacks will be provided along with dancing and music from DJ “T Gutta”. Come on out and help make this a memorable celebration!
• The Civil Rights Committee is asking for donations of display items for the Irish Heritage day to be held Thursday, March 12. These items will be displayed for one day and then returned. You can donate items at the benefits office or the EAP office of Ron Moore.
• Right-to-work legislation is making its way through the Missouri Legislature. While Governor Jay Nixon has promised a veto should it reach his desk, we can’t assume that his veto would not be overridden. That’s why it is important to contact your legislator and tell them you are opposed to right-to-work for Missouri. Call 1-855-626-6011 to contact your legislator to tell them they need to focus on creating jobs, not scoring political points at the expense of the middle class.
• From Reuters: United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams told Reuters it would be an "injustice" if workers at the Detroit Three automakers don’t get a raise in contracts this year, but he said the union must also ensure the companies remain competitive. Williams, in an interview with the Reuters editorial board in New York, gave a glimpse of the union’s approach to this summer’s contract talks with General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The UAW has not conducted a substantial strike against any of the Detroit automakers since the 1990s, and was prohibited from striking GM and Chrysler under the terms of the 2009 federal bailout. This time around, Williams said the union is prepared to call for walkouts, if necessary.
“We’re ... mature organizations that have been through a hell of a lot together to survive,” Williams said. “None of us want to blow it.” Williams serves on the board of commercial truck maker Navistar International Corp, an appointment he says he took reluctantly, reflecting traditional union concerns about getting too close to management. Williams says his views have changed, and he now supports UAW representation on boards. The union has a representative on GM’s board (former VP Joe Ashton). “We’ve got to be creative,” Williams said, referring to any overhaul of the two-tier wage system. “Wages are not the only way to stay competitive. It’s about productivity. It’s about engineering, it’s about a lot of things.”
Williams also told Reuters an investor group’s proposal that GM buy back $8 billion of its stock is premature, and the amount too high for the company’s long-term health. An investment firm controlled by Harry Wilson, a former member of the U.S. government task force that restructured GM through bankruptcy in 2009, together with four other hedge funds, is urging it to return part of its roughly $25 billion cash trove to shareholders. Williams, who said he met Tuesday with Harry Wilson to discuss the proposal, left open the possibility that he could endorse a smaller share repurchase. “I personally don’t have a problem with Harry, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily agreed with his total analysis of the company,” Williams said. He described his meeting with Wilson as “informative and frank.” . Williams said he is concerned that GM will need to make substantial investments in new models and technology to stay competitive, and to meet stricter fuel economy and emissions requirements. GM has outlined plans to boost capital spending in 2015 by 20 percent to $9 billion. Some of that investment will flow to U.S. factories that employ some of GM's 49,900 UAW members.
Tom Brune
UAW Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
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