State of the Union July 9, 2015

July 9, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

• There will be a Civil Rights Committee meeting Monday, July 13 between shifts in the cafeteria.

• Mark your calendars: 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.

• Sales for both the van and the pickups continued on a healthy pace in June, although both product lines saw decreases compared to May. Here are the results for both segments:

	2015	2014	Change	Share
Ford Transit	12134	---	---	39.1%
GM	7815	12469	-37.3%	25.2%
Ford Econoline	4799	10135	-52.6%	15.5%
Mercedes Sprinter	2442	2201	+10.9%	7.9%
Ram ProMaster	2223	1131	+96.6%	7.20%
Nissan NV	1611	1226	+31.4%	5.2%
			Change	Share
Toyota Tacoma	15959	12173	+31.1%	54.1%
Chevy Colorado	6558	---	----	22.2%
Nissan Frontier	4437	5722	-22.5%	15.0%
GMC Canyon	2532	---	----	8.6%

Field supplies continue to dwindle for the van. Overall supplies dropped 1300+ units to a new all-time low. As measured in days it now stands at 27, versus 30 at the end of May. A year ago supplies were 4400 units higher. Every version of the van decreased, with passenger vans now below 500 (for 3500 Chevy dealers). On the pickup side, Colorado supplies increased around 1150 units and days supply went from 10 to 17. Canyon supplies also inched up and now stand at 35 days.

• From AutoWeek: General Motors promised a diesel when it announced its return to the smaller pickup market, and a year after the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon re-launched as 2015 models, the engine is ready to go. GM’s new 2.8-liter Duramax will be available in the 2016 Colorado/Canyon by the end 2015, and it’s no boat anchor. With an aluminum cylinder head, forged steel rods and crank, 16.5:1 compression and common-rail direct injection operating at up to 29,000 psi, this truck-specific, 2.8-liter turbodiesel four generates 181 hp at 3,400 rpm, and 369 lb-ft of torque at 2,000. At least 330 lb-ft are available between 1,400 and 2,900 rpm. How far has mainstream automotive technology come in 30 years? The last diesel offered in a small U.S. Chevy truck—the 1985 S-10—was built by Isuzu. At 2.2 liters, it made 62 hp and 96 lb-ft. The contemporary Ford Ranger offered a diesel through 1987. That was a 2.3-liter turbo from Mitsubishi, and it generated 86 hp and a whopping 134 lb-ft. The 2.8-liter Duramax will be 50-state compliant with owner-added urea for exhaust after-treatment. It will be built in Rayong, Thailand, and shipped to the Colorado/Canyon assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri. The diesel will be offered in Colorado and Canyon crew cabs, mid-trim and up, with two-or four-wheel-drive. Official ratings are pending, but GM expects the highest mileage in its smaller pickup line and a higher max tow-rating than the current upgrade 3.6-liter gasoline V6 (305-hp, 269 lb-ft). The company estimates a 10 percent take-rate for the 2.8L Duramax, but it’s protecting itself for higher demand, and it should. In full-size trucks, diesel sales have increased faster than pickup sales as a whole, and diesel customers tend to choose heavily optioned, high-sticker models.

• From USA Today: The rivalry between General Motors and Ford intensified on a key battlefront: the pickup truck wars. GM released a stinging Web commercial taking direct shots at Ford over the costs and speed of the Blue Oval automaker's pickup truck repairs. The Web hit — which may turn into a full-blown TV ad campaign — features NFL broadcast personality Howie Long interviewing an expert about the costs of fixing the aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 full-size pickup truck.
In the ad, GM claims it costs an average of $1,755 more and took an additional 34 days to fix the F-150 than its direct GM competitor, the Chevrolet Silverado, following a simulated low-speed accident. "So if I'm a guy that uses my truck for work, every day I don't have that truck, that costs me money," Long says. "In addition, you got higher repair bills. I'd be interested to know what happens to insurance costs. I got to tell you — all that certainly makes me think twice about an aluminum-bodied truck. Seems like you'd be taking a risk." In the 3-minute commercial, GM said it hired AMCI Testing to survey the differences in repair costs and time between the Silverado and F-150. The automaker said it tested four units of each vehicle.

• Along that same line, GM has another web video that has random individuals brought into a room that has 2 cages – one made from aluminum and one made from high strength steel. After checking out both cages they are asked which one they would seek refuge in if a grizzly bear tried to attack them. While they were contemplating, a door opens and through it ambles a huge grizzly bear. They quickly ran to the high strength steel cage and locked the door as the bear approached. The spot closes with the bear in the bed of a Silverado.

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

State of the Union July 2, 2015

July 2, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

· Now that Congress has given fast track authority to the President, the next battleground lies with the actual up or down vote on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. While the UAW continues to oppose this agreement, we at Wentzville Assembly should be particularly interested in seeing this agreement fail (and a similar agreement is in the works for the European Union). A big reason for our opposition is the proposed elimination of the so-called chicken tax. What is that, you say, and what do chickens have to do with building trucks?
This tax is a 25% tarrif applied to all imported light duty and work trucks. It was instituted in the early 1960s when some European countries placed stiff duties on imported poultry to stem the flood of cheap U.S.-produced chicken. President Lyndon Johnson fired back, imposing a 25 percent tariff on imported brandy, dextrin, potato starch and light trucks. Trucks were included to target Volkswagen, the only automaker importing pickups into the United States. The tax has been dropped on all the other commodities but it remains for trucks. While it hasn’t kept foreign brand trucks out of the US market, it has forced companies like Toyota to locate their truck manufacturing in the US, and later in Mexico and Canada as a result of NAFTA, the worst job-killing trade agreement of all time.
Our two products are somewhat unique in that there are many foreign versions of vans and midsize pickups. Just look at the Mercedes Sprinter. Currently these vans are assembled in Europe, disassembled into kits and then shipped to South Carolina, where they are reassembled into cargo vans – all to avoid the 25% tax. Recently Mercedes announced they will be building the entire van in the US. Would that have happened without the tax? The Ram Promaster is a clone of the European Fiat Ducato and built in Mexico. And the Ford Transit being built in Kansas City is the same as the European/global version. Would there have been a $1.5 billion investment in this state to build those vans minus the tax? GM has European vans similar to Transit and Promaster. Would they choose to import those instead of investing in the US?
Midsize pickups are an even better example how the elimination of this tax would potentially open the floodgates for imported pickups. While full size pickups are uniquely American, midsize pickups are built and sold in dozens of countries around the globe. Would VW start sending the Amarok stateside if the tax is eliminated? How about the global Ford Ranger, that is currently sold everywhere but the US? There’s also the Mitsubishi Triton and the Mazda BT-50. All of these could potentially wind up here. There is some good news. Most of the aforementioned pickups are built in Thailand, which is thankfully excluded from the TPP agreement. But that could be only temporary as Thailand has expressed an interest in joining at some point and the agreement as it is understood will allow for other countries to join.
As well, some if not all of these trucks would need some engineering work to pass US regulatory muster. Would that be enough of a deterrent to a company given the profits that pickups generate?
Finally, Obama administration trade negotiators have said the tariff would phase out on the longest possible timeline, as part of a bilateral U.S.-Japan side deal proceeding alongside the TPP talks, says Matt Blunt, the former Missouri governor who now runs the American Automotive Policy Council, a Washington trade group that represents Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors on trade issues. Blunt said it's only fair because barriers in Japan other than tariffs have effectively kept U.S. automakers out of the country. "We believe it could take as many as 25 years to open up the Japanese market given that it's the most closed market in the developed world today," Blunt said. As the final vote gets closer we will keep you posted on any developments.
· Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers in the United States delivered 259,353 vehicles in June 2015. Retail deliveries climbed 7 percent year over year, and they were up more than the industry for the third month in a row. The drivers were stronger Cadillac sales, a 12 percent gain at GMC and a 9 percent increase at Chevrolet. Together, they helped make the month General Motors’ best June for retail deliveries since 2007 and its best June for retail market share since 2011. GM increased its sales to commercial customers, and state and local government fleets, as well. Rental deliveries, which tend to be less profitable than retail sales, were down 45 percent as a result of GM’s previously announced plan. Total fleet sales in June were down 29 percent year over year, or 21,366 units. GM’s total sales were down 3 percent.
“We just wrapped up the U.S. auto industry’s best six months in a decade, driven by strong demand for pickups and crossovers,” said Kurt McNeil, GM’s U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “People feel good about their jobs and the direction the economy as a whole is taking, so the second half of the year should be strong too, and that’s especially good news for Chevrolet and GMC, brands that have very broad truck and crossover portfolios.”
Industry sales continue to exceed expectations. GM estimates that the seasonally adjusted annual selling rate (SAAR) for light vehicles in June was 17.3 million units.
During the first half of 2015, GM gained retail market share in both the crossover and truck segments, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates. GM’s crossover share is 12.6 percent, up 0.4 percentage points compared to a year ago. GM’s truck, van and SUV share is 38.9 percent, up 2.1 percentage points.
Most of the truck market share gain comes from the ongoing success of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups, which were redesigned for the 2014 model year. Since calendar year 2013, GM’s retail share of the segment has grown 0.9 percentage points to 38 percent, according to PIN.
Market share and average transaction prices (ATPs) were particularly strong in the second quarter of 2015. According to PIN, GM’s retail share in the segment was up 2.8 points year over year to 40.2 percent. ATPs were up almost $1,000 per unit, and incentives were flat. Other highlights:

• Pickup deliveries were up 33 percent. The Silverado was up 18 percent.
• Colorado sales were 6,558 units, and it remains America’s fastest-selling pickup with a “days to turn” of 15 days. The truck had its best June sales since 2007.
• GMC pickup deliveries were up 37 percent, with the Sierra up 21 percent. Deliveries of the new Canyon totaled 2,532 units.

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

State of the Union June 3, 2015

State of the Union June 3, 2015

From Chairman Mike Bullock: An increase in our plant population has created a need to redistrict the plant from our current 12 districts (4 per shift) to 15 districts ( 5 per shift). Some Districts have been realigned to bring them under 250 members per district. By contract we are allowed 7 representatives on the shop committee. Currently, there are 5 on days, 2 on 2nd shift and none on 3rd shift. I have reduced a shop district on days and replaced it with one on 3rd shift, after this change, we will have 4 on days, 2 on 2nd shift and 1 on 3rd shift, all shifts will now be represented on the shop committee. All existing committeeman and alternates will remain.

A new districting agreement is posted at all entrances and union bulletin boards. Signups for new committeeman and alternates will be in July and an election will be held August 4th.

· Here are the temp hire dates and their conversion dates:
• o Anyone hired as a temp on 2/16/2015 will have a conversion date to permanent of 6/1/2015
• Anyone hired as a temp on 2/19/2015 will have a conversion date to permanent of 6/8/2015, sign paperwork on 6/5 in cafeteria training room
• Anyone hired as a temp on 2/23/2015 will have a conversion date to permanent of 6/15/2015, sign paperwork on 6/12 in cafeteria training room
• o Anyone hired as a temp on 3/2/2015 and a GMIN that begins with 8 or less will have a conversion date to permanent of 6/22/2015, sign paperwork on 6/19 in cafeteria training room
• All conversion meetings are held in the cafeteria training room.
• If the temp works 1st shift, their meeting is at 2:30pm
• If the temp works 2nd shift, their meeting is at 2:00pm
• If the temp works 3rd shift, their meeting is at 6:30am

This schedule is subject to change.
· The Vehicle Advocate Program (VAP) will kick off this Friday, June 5. Winners will be notified in advance and given instructions when they complete the drivers pass. Thanks to everyone who bought raffle tickets for the overnight drive vehicles. Almost $3900 was raised for Habitat for Humanity!
Local Agreement – Districting 06/02/2015
(Based on current plant population: 3,750)
Shop Committee: Two (2) Shop Committee person At Large (1 Chairperson & 1 Zone) & Five (5) Shop Committee persons

It is agreed between General Motors Corporation, Wentzville Assembly Center, and Local 2250, UAW, that the following Districts, Shop-Districts and Zones shall be established in accordance with Paragraphs 10 & 11 of the GM-UAW National Agreement.

Description of Chairperson At Large
Chairperson of the Shop Committee - Entire Plant, All Shifts Zone 2- Districts 2-1, 2-2, 2-3,2-4,3-2,3-3,3-4,3-5

Description of Districts
Shop District 1-1 Shop District 3-1	District 2-1
District 1-2 District 3-2	District 2-2
Shop District 1-3 District 3-3	District 2-3
Shop District 1-4 District 3-4	District 2-4
District 1-5 District 3-5	Shop District 2-5
Districts
Descrip. of Districts		# Emps
Shop District 1-1, First Shift              All 1st shift employees assigned to the TRIM		260
District 1-2, First Shift All 1st shift employees assigned to the Chassis and K-Line Body Fitters		245
Shop District 1-3, First Shift  All 1st shift employees assigned to Body, Stamping, General Stores and Reclamation		240
Shop District 1-4, First Shift All 1st shift employees assigned to Skilled Trades and Material		218
District 1-5, First Shift  All 1st shift assigned to Quality, Final Process, And Paint		218
District 2-1, Second Shift All 2nd shift assigned to Trim		260
District 2-2, Second Shift  All 2nd shift employees assigned to Chassis and K-Line body fitters		245
District 2-3, Second Shift All 2nd shift employees assigned to Body,Stamping, General Stores and Reclamation		240
District 2-4, Second Shift  All 2nd shift employees assigned to Skilled   Trades and Material		218
Shop District 2-5, Second Shift All 2nd shift employees assigned to Quality, Final Process, and Paint		218
Shop District 3-1, Third Shift All 3rd shift assigned to Trim		260
District 3-2, Third Shift  All 3rd shift employees assigned to Chassis      And K-Line body fitters		245
District 3-3, Third Shift All 3rd shift employees assigned to Body Stamping, General Stores and Reclamation		240
District 3-4, Third Shift  All 3rd shift employees assigned to Skilled      Trades and Material		218
District 3-5, Third Shift  All employees assigned to Quality, Final Process, and Paint		218
Flex employees will be represented by the Committeeman in the districts that they are working. Employees assigned to Dept. 79 and 83 will be represented by the Committeeman in the districts they are working.  Opieu#13

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

State of the Union June 2, 2015

Good news: This week 134 temporary employees will be made permanent. Congratulations to all those members!

· The raffle to raise money for Habitat for Humanity will run through Tuesday, June 2. The raffle is for the weekend VAP vehicles as well as the full week of June 29 – July 5. Tickets are available in the cafeteria at break time on all shifts. Prices are $5 apiece or 3 for $10. Once again the 3 vehicles are an extended cab GMC Canyon, a crew cab Z-71 Chevrolet Colorado and a Cadillac ATS coupe.

· From the Women’s Committee: Saturday, June 20 is our work day for Habitat for Humanity Women Build. We need all the help we can get. It’s OK to show up at the home site that day. The address is: 710 Cheryl Ann Drive, Wentzville, MO 63385. There are 2 shifts – 8 am to noon and noon to 4 pm. You will need to fill out a volunteer release and waiver of liability. Workers must be at least 16 years of age and should dress in the proper shoes and attire as this is a construction site.
Also: there is a Women’s Committee meeting on June 3 in the cafeteria. Third shift meeting will be after the shift that morning, 2nd shift will be at 1:45 pm and 1st shift will be at 2:35 pm. ·

Teams Needed: The UAW Local 2250 golf tournament will be held Saturday, June 20 at Country Lake golf course in Warrenton. Check in is noon with a 1:00 pm shotgun start. It is a 4-person scramble and the cost is $75 per person/ $300 per team and includes dinner, prizes and contests. There will also be a skin game, 50/50 raffle and silent auction. Proceeds go to Bridgeway, 5 Game Changers and CAP (community action program). Entry forms are available at the entrances.

· From Wane.com: General Motors will spend more than $1 billion to expand operations at the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant in what the company is calling one of its largest investments ever at a U.S. manufacturing facility. GM will invest more than $1.2 billion to expand and upgrade the existing 3.3 million-square-foot facility. The new construction will add 1.5 million square feet of new space at the plant, will include a new pre-treatment facility and expanded body shop, as well as an expansion of its general assembly capabilities.

After all the construction is done, the total campus will expand to 4.8 million square feet. The upgrades will improve the efficiency of the plant which will include a reduction in emissions. “The upgrades taking place at Fort Wayne Assembly assure we can meet consumer demand and grow customers for life for years to come,” said Cathy Clegg, vice president of GM North America Manufacturing. “The Fort Wayne plant is a critical, important plant for us. It’s got a great product in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra.” Work is expected to begin in June and will take several years to complete. Production at the plant will not be affected. GM leaders said the investment shows what a strong workforce the Fort Wayne plant has. “The workforce here is incredible, and they’re building such a great product. They’re stepping up to the plate every day and solving problems, and continuing to improve, so it really is a testament less to us as this workforce,” UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada said.
“All the players came to the table- GM, UAW leadership, UAW local membership, state and local leaders and officials so I think this is a model that we’ve got to continue to have across the United States in whatever industry.” The Fort Wayne Assembly Plant first opened in 1986 and produces full-size Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks and employs approximately 3,800 workers. Union leaders said the improvements will make the plant a leader across the country. “Our membership, they build the best quality pick-up trucks of anybody and this is just a testament to what we do. The investment of General Motors in our plant shows their commitment to us and we’re going to show our commitment to them,” UAW Local 2209 President Brian Hartman said.

· The Nissan Navara, the presumed replacement for the current Frontier midsize pickup, is making the journalist rounds down under. The review at drive.com focuses on the 2 diesel powertrains, forgoing the “petrol” version, which resides in the price leader. That would be a 2 wheel drive with manual, priced at the equivalent of $20,130 US dollars. Add another $1900 for an automatic. The smaller, single turbo diesel 2wd is priced at $24,540 US for a manual and $26,970 US for an automatic. It produces 161 hp and 297 lb.ft. of torque. A 2.3 liter twin turbo diesel is priced at $29,630 for the manual and $31,530 for the automatic. It makes 188 hp and 332 lb.ft. of torque. For comparison, our upcoming 2.8 liter turbodiesel is rated at 180 hp and 325 lb.ft. of torque. Prices top out at $41,410 for a 4wd automatic. The fuel economy is listed at up to 7.1liter per 100 kilometers which works out to around 33 mpg. The reviewer liked the interior but lambasted the steering (“it feels like Nissan's engineers went for a long lunch midway through the Navara's steering development. Slow and unevenly weighted at low speed, a monster 3.75 turns lock-to-lock will save traditional buyers from performing arm curls at the gym.”). Brakes drew another demerit, with only drum brakes in the rear. And for the record, the Aussies call the pickup bed a “tray” and the bedliner a “tub liner” (why not tray liner?). At any rate, there has been no confirmation from Nissan that this vehicle will be the replacement for the Frontier, but it sure seems like a good bet that it is.

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

State of the Union May 27, 2015

It has now been decided that the Vehicle Advocate Program (overnight drive) will begin Friday June 5. Entry forms can be submitted through this Saturday, May 30. A raffle to raise money for Habitat for Humanity will be held for all of the weekends as well as the week of June 29, which runs through the July 4 holiday. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow and will be available in the cafeteria at break time on all shifts. Prices are $5 apiece or 3 for $10. Once again the 3 vehicles are an extended cab GMC Canyon, a crew cab Z-71 Chevrolet Colorado and a Cadillac ATS coupe.

· The UAW Local 2250 golf tournament will be held Saturday, June 20 at Country Lake golf course in Warrenton. Check in is noon with a 1:00 pm shotgun start. It is a 4-person scramble and the cost is $75 per person/ $300 per team and includes dinner, prizes and contests. There will also be a skin game, 50/50 raffle and silent auction. Proceeds go to Bridgeway, 5 Game Changers and CAP (community action program).

· From the New York Times: Justice Department investigators have identified criminal wrongdoing in General Motors’ failure to disclose a defect tied to at least 104 deaths, and are negotiating what is expected to be a record penalty, according to people briefed on the inquiry. A settlement could be reached as soon as this summer. The final number is still being negotiated, but it is expected to eclipse the $1.2 billion paid last year by Toyota for concealing unintended acceleration problems in its vehicles, said the people, who did not want to be identified because the negotiations weren’t complete. G.M.’s eagerness to resolve the investigation — a strategy that sets it apart from Toyota, which fought prosecutors — is expected to earn it so-called cooperation credit, one of the people said. That credit could translate into a somewhat smaller penalty than if G.M. had declined to cooperate. An agreement with the Justice Department, which could still fall apart, would represent a crucial step as G.M. tries to move past a scandal-laden year that tainted its reputation for quality and safety and damaged its bottom line. “We are cooperating fully with all requests,” the automaker said in a statement. “We are unable to comment on the status of the investigation, including timing.” G.M.’s aggressive expansion of its recalls after the disclosure contrasted to the approach of Toyota, which kept unsafe cars on the road despite signs of trouble, a decision that underpinned the criminal case against it. The company has spent an estimated $3 billion on recalls and other safety issues in the last year, including setting aside $600 million to compensate switch-related accident victims and their families. Even if it reaches an agreement with the Justice Department, G.M. still faces numerous consumer fraud investigations by state attorneys general, and numerous wrongful-death and personal injury lawsuits.

Yesterday was the 78th anniversary of the infamous “Battle of the Overpass” that occurred at the Ford River Rouge plant in 1937. The following is from an essay by Curtis Hansen from the Walter P. Reuther Library:

On May 26, l937, Walter Reuther, President of United Automobile Workers Local 174 and three fellow UAW organizers-Richard Frankensteen, J.J. Kennedy and Robert Kantor-climbed the stairs of a footbridge over Miller Road. The overpass led to Gate No. 4, the primary entrance to the Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge industrial complex. The men anticipated this would be a peaceful distribution of union literature by the ladies auxiliary of Local 174. At Reuther’s request, several neutral observers were also present, including members of the clergy, reporters and photographers.

Reuther was not able to present his city permit for leaflet distribution to anyone that morning. Within moments he and his associates were in the midst of the “Battle of the Overpass.” When it ended Reuther and his men found themselves at the bottom of the steel steps leading to the overpass. They had been thrown down the stairs by members of Ford’s Service Department.

The Ford Service Department was established to maintain control over the company’s assembly line workers and to keep unions out of the plants. Ford appointed Harry Bennett to run this portion of the business and he was given a free hand to do so. Bennett was a Navy veteran, a talented boxer, and he enjoyed the company of athletes, particularly wrestlers, football players and boxers. Bennett was also confrontational, always ready to assert himself physically. In addition, Bennett’s lack of an education and management experience matched Ford’s general distrust of formal education and position in society as benchmarks of success. As head of Ford’s Service Department, Bennett was arguably the most powerful man at Ford Motor Company with the exception of Ford himself. He hired and fired employees in a capricious manner. Union sympathy or activity meant immediate dismissal, and with poor wages, no paid holidays or vacations and no job security, employees were very vulnerable. Intimidation and attacks by his “Servicemen” were commonplace, and a spy network within the factories kept Bennett well-informed. The Service Department also kept UAW Local 174, the unit charged with organizing the Rouge Plant under constant surveillance. This made organizing an uncertain and dangerous proposition.

photo

Both Miller Road and the overpass itself were considered public thoroughfares, yet when Reuther and his colleagues arrived, a large group of Ford “Servicemen” approached the four UAW members. Reuther and his companions were told to leave, allowed no time to respond or withdraw and immediately attacked by the Ford thugs. They were punched, kicked, and picked up, slammed to the ground repeatedly, and after a severe beating, tossed down the stairs to the road below. Although the number of attackers is disputed--possibly as many as forty--their vast numerical superiority overwhelmed the union members who were caught by surprise. Once down on the road, Reuther (pictured on the left with Frankensteen) and his companions were able to get to a car and leave the scene. The ladies passing out the organizing materials on Miller Road were also attacked and forced to flee to their waiting buses for safety.

Meanwhile, down on Miller Road, Katherine Gelles, commander of the Ladies Auxiliary of UAW Local 174, and her associates received similar treatment. As the women attempted to pass out their leaflets entitled “Unionism not Fordism,” they were harassed, punched, kicked and forced back onto buses by another group of Servicemen. Many were injured, some seriously, such as William Meriweather, who was brutally beaten as he tried to assist the ladies. He suffered a broken back and internal injuries. The Dearborn Policemen on the scene watched as the attacks took place and made no attempt to restore order. This episode was an important step in the UAW’s successful drive to unionize Ford Motor Company, the final holdout among the Big 3 automakers. The “Battle of the Overpass” set in motion the series of events, which after four years of effort, resulted in a crippling strike at the Rouge Plant, the successful NLRB election and final recognition of the UAW by Ford Motor Company, in May 1941.

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

State of the Union May 20, 2015

There will be Community Services meetings Thursday, May 21 in the cafeteria. Times are 1:30 pm for 2nd shift, 3:15 pm for 1st shift and 9:30 pm for 3rd shift. All are welcome to attend.

· It has been decided that the VAP (overnight drive) program will be run the following way: All 3 shifts will have one vehicle each month, rotating them from one shift to another. For example, in May 1st shift will have the Canyon, 2nd shift will have the Colorado and 3rd shift will have the Cadillac ATS. In July the vehicles will rotate to the next shift, and then again in August. So ALL shifts should be submitting entry forms (please indicate your preference, if you have one, by marking the vehicles 1 through 3). The deadline for entries is Thursday May 28. You can submit your entries in the drop box in the cafeteria. Entry forms are located there as well. In addition, we will raffle off the vehicles on the weekends to raise money for charities such as Habitat for Humanity. Details will be communicated as soon as they are finalized. We encourage everyone to participate as this is a great chance for you to drive our product and show it off to family and friends.

· We hope everyone got a chance to see the great coverage the plant got from KSDK on May 7. Great job by everyone involved in this project, and a special thanks to the Local 2250 members who agreed to be featured in this broadcast. You represented all of us well. We were told that the coverage, during the crucial May sweeps time period, had great ratings. We would also like to give a shout out to reporters Pat McGonigle and Ryan Dean, who kept the stories positive and the focus on the workers.

None of this happened by accident. The behind the scenes work was handled by craftsmen represented by IBEW Local 4. Like many of us, you may have heard their advertising while listening to the Cardinal baseball games on KMOX recently. A quick look at their website, turnoffKSDK.com tells what our brothers and sisters at Local 4 are up against. They have been without a contract since November 2013. Prior to that, in 2009, they had taken a 10% pay cut and had gotten no raises since. Recent efforts at reaching an agreement have proved fruitless. In fact, Gannett recently issued their “last, best offer” which proposed an ongoing pay freeze and elimination of all job assignments (we would call them classifications). This offer was unanimously rejected by the membership. Mediation awaits.

We mention all of this because, as fellow Union brothers and sisters, they deserve any help we can offer. Specifically, we can write letters to the station or call on their behalf and explain to them that we stand in solidarity with the IBEW and our loyalty as viewers will change if their bargaining approach does not.
If you wish to show your support you can write to:
Marv Danielski
KSDK
1000 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63101


You can also call 314-421-5055 and ask for Mr. Danielski (he is the station manager). You probably won’t get connected but take the opportunity and tell them that you will be switching local stations if Gannett/KSDK does not bargain in good faith with these skilled men and women that make their broadcasts possible.

· From the Detroit Free Press: Cindy Estrada's journey has taken her from the dusty tomato fields of central California to the bargaining table where the UAW and General Motors will forge the future of about 48,500 U.S. workers. Estrada is a daughter of southwest Detroit and Dearborn. She traces her fervor for workplace issues to conversations of former Cadillac Fleetwood workers she overheard at her father's Michigan Avenue bar. "It was a big part of my life," she said when asked about Leroy's U.S. Star Bar. "I heard many stories of how hard work was in those plants. My uncles worked in some of them."
"We just had a good middle-class life. We didn't have an extravagant life," Cindy Estrada said. "I remember my mom and dad being pretty happy. They helped us do things we wanted to do."
Two experiences shaped her pride in being a young Latina. Next door to the bar was the United Farm Workers' grape boycott office that connected her to her grandparents' experience. She would learn her early organizing lessons at the side of two of Cesar Chavez's closest disciples.
But Mexican Industries is where her UAW career began. The UAW launched what would become a futile organizing campaign. In June 1995, workers who were then making an average of $7 an hour, rejected the UAW by a 623-265 vote. "We lost plain and simple," Estrada said. It was the third failed attempt to organize.
In late 2013 and 2014, Estrada engaged in difficult negotiations covering 17,000 UAW-represented state workers. The talks came less than a year after the Republican Legislature passed and Gov. Rick Snyder signed Michigan's right-to-work law.
Bargaining broke down, primarily over terms of state workers' health care coverage. In January 2014 the state civil service commission forced both sides to accept a two-year contract with 2% raises each year, a 0.5% lump-sum payment in year one, and a standardized health care plan that raised some workers' copays and deductibles.
Estrada acknowledges there was tension during those talks, but she said the UAW tried to emphasize that it was interested in finding more efficient ways to deliver state services without slashing jobs, wages and benefits.
"I've never seen Cindy lose her temper, but she'll get angry about what she perceives as workplace injustice," said former UAW President Bob King. "She's open and flexible about finding creative solutions, but if a company is dishonest or abusive, they've got a real fight on their hands with her."
Marty Bryant, a former Dana executive who is now CEO of a North Carolina-based maker of waste handling and recycling equipment, sat across the table from Estrada during a 2010 negotiation that ended in a contract covering more than 3,000 Dana workers.
"Cindy's maybe 5 feet 2, but she can hold her own," Bryant said. "She was committed to her mission that working people deserve to make enough money to live on. At the same time she never gave the impression she was out to injure the company.
"When no one was watching or in heat of bargaining she was always the same person."
She is now on a bigger stage. Last June, UAW President Dennis Williams assigned her to lead negotiations with GM. Her success ultimately will be measured by the 48,500 UAW members at the nation's largest automaker.
Her counterpart across the table will be Rex Blackwell, a 31-year veteran of GM labor relations staff. But don't underestimate the relationship evolving between Estrada and GM CEO Barra. They meet at least once every month or six weeks, Estrada said.
Estrada spoke highly of the CEO's management style and vision. "She really does want to work on changing the culture," Estrada said. "She's a problem solver and a very smart woman. So far, my experience with her has been nothing but positive."
Estrada who lives in Whitmore Lake with her husband, retired UAW official Frank White, and twin 11-year-old sons Jason and Jesse, draws a parallel between her job as mother and her role with the UAW.
"Every time I make a decision in my house without involving my family, yes, it's easier in the short run, but in the long run it doesn't lead to building of a strong healthy family," she said. "It's the same thing in a workplace. If management is always making decisions absent workers, they're not always the best decision and it doesn't promote a healthy environment."

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

State of the Union May 14, 2015

May 14, 2015 online at www.uawlocal2250.com

· The annual Annie Malone Parade will be held this Sunday, May 17 at 1 pm. For those who wish to participate, we will be meeting at Gateway St. Louis Buick (previously Behlmann) at 10:30 am (820 McDonnell Blvd., St. Louis MO 63042). We will depart for the parade staging area no later than 10:45 am. For those wishing to help decorate the vehicles, you can go to the staging area which is located on Market Street between Compton Ave and Jefferson Ave at 12:00 noon. Remember admittance to the staging area is by entry sticker only. There is street parking in the downtown area and some near the staging area. For questions or detailed directions call Dan Williams at 314-616-2271 or Fred Jamison at 314-497-3067.

· The UAW Local 2250 golf tournament will be held Saturday, June 20 at Country Lake golf course in Warrenton. Check in is noon with a 1:00 pm shotgun start. It is a 4-person scramble and the cost is $75 per person/ $300 per team and includes dinner, prizes and contests. There will also be a skin game, 50/50 raffle and silent auction. Proceeds go to Bridgeway, 5 Game Changers and CAP (community action program). ·

April was the strongest sales month yet for both the van and the pickups. Here are the results for both segments.

Field supplies remain tight on both products. Colorado supplies edged up to a 12 day supply from 10 while the Canyon stands at 29 days supply. Van supply as measured in days plummeted from 52 to 36 days as cutaway sales surged. Cargo van supplies stood at 27 days while Chevy passenger vans numbered 501 total for a 13 day supply. The plant will be taking orders for 2016 vans soon, marking the first time customers can order a van since last October.

This coming Monday, May 18 is the 27th Annual Run for the Wall. You are invited to come and welcome more than 500 motorcycles making their way across the heartland of America to the Vietnam Veterans Wall in Washington D. C. to honor the men and women still unaccounted for, from all of our wars. You can come to the VFW Post 5327, located on Hwy. Z ½ mile south I-70 in Wentzville at 5:00 pm. Once again riders will stopping by the plant to use the restrooms and showers before they head to the VFW.

· The Annual Blessing of the Bikes will be this coming Tuesday, May 19 in the visitors parking lot beginning at 5:00 am.

· PickupTrucks.com recently did a midsize pickup challenge pitting the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon against each other and the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. All trucks were 4x4 crew cabs with V6 engines. The judging covered these categories: Performance, seating and ergonomics, tech and entertainment, ride quality, overall visibility, overall value and off-road aptitude. We’ll cut to the chase and give you the results, starting with last place. That distinction was claimed by the Tacoma, which tallied 1634 points. Comments included: “Although the judges liked the way the truck looked, the Tacoma TRD Pro was one of the most expensive players in the test, was usually the slowest in acceleration tests, got the worst fuel economy and stopped longer than anything we've tested in a long time….there was a lot of chassis and interior noise, far more than the other trucks.” Third place belonged to the Frontier, which scored 1673 points. Here’s what they had to say about it: “In the end, the dated interior, limited cargo storage and average fuel-economy numbers held it back from scoring more points.”

Second place went to the…..Colorado, which had 1775 points. About the Colorado: “What impressed us most with both of the GM trucks is how much they can carry, and how comfortable and confident they are doing it. During brake testing and when carrying a max payload during our fuel-economy runs, brake control and chassis dynamics were smooth and predictable, comforting even. With all that said, the Chevy is packed with value and showed great composure in every situation.” And that leaves the winner, the Canyon at 1808 points. The summary said: “No matter how you look at this comparison test, the win by the GMC was impressive. Of the 14 empirical challenges we set up for these midsize trucks, the GMC came in first or second place in 11 of them….In the end, the Canyon scored well throughout our test, and offered a capable and luxurious ride and feel that clearly separated the GMC from the rest of the field. We were especially impressed with its road manners and performance with a full load in the bed, scoring a first- or second-place finish in all of our max-payload testing (which for this truck meant carrying a stunning 1,440 pounds).” This sibling rivalry can only get better.

· Yesterday the Missouri state legislature passed a right-to-work bill and sent it to Governor Jay Nixon. The Governor has our back and will veto this bill, which will set up a vote to override his veto. Based on the vote counts, there is not enough support to override his veto, but you can bet that lobbying groups like the Chamber of Commerce will put a full court press on legislators who opposed this bill. Stay in touch with your state representative and senator and let them know that this veto must stand. You can find your legislator by using the lookup box on the senate.mo.gov and house.mo.gov websites.