Wednesday, August 12, 2015

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

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