- Auto workers came from Midwest locals to protest at International Auto Show Jan. 8, 2012.
Sent by Ron Lare
July 21, 2012
As Yogi Berra would say it’s Déjà Vu all over again. In 2009 we reopened the contract to help Ford Motor Company. We gave up raises. We gave up performance bonuses that were agreed to in place of raises. We gave up COLA. We gave up break time. We gave up Christmas bonuses. We gave up a holiday.
UAW International President Bob King at podium during Rainbow PUSH press conference with Rev. Jesse Jacks to his second right, July 12, 2010. Many promises were made that have not materialized. During a protest last September against cut-offs of thousands of Michigan families from public assistance, Jackson was asked if Rainbow:PUSH would initiate a boycott of Michigan businesses until the families were restored. His answer was an adamant NO. During a press conference last year on foreclosures, King was asked when he would call on the economic clout of his workers to fight back on the picket lines against the assault on working and poor people. He denied any knowledge of a mass union protest against Public Act 4 that was shortly upcoming at the State Capitol, and had his minion shut the question asker up. Meanwhile, UAW workers say they feel betrayed.
In return we asked for a couple things. First, when our company got “back on its feet” we should have those concessions restored—we were told that the concessions only represented “suspension,” not elimination of language. Second, that management and executives share our sacrifice. That wasn’t enough for the greed of our corporate masters. They came back in six months asking for more hand-outs from the workers, with the support of our International President and Vice President.
Immediately following the rejection of this ridiculous second round of concessions two things happened. First, Ford turned a billion dollar quarterly profit for the third quarter of 2009. Second, Ford reinstated much of the salaried employees’ pay and benefits they had taken away. Our International Vice-President was “outraged”! It turns out there was contract language that requires equality of sacrifice. So, a grievance was initiated at every plant in the Ford system at the recommendation of then Vice-President Bob King. Two years later that grievance still languishes in arbitration.
Workers on strike at Ford Rouge plant in 1941 cite Henry Ford’s anti-Semitic views and alliance with Adolf Hitler. Is he back today in Snyder disguise?
Fast forward to September 2011. The contract that our International leadership brought to us for ratification made PERMANENT the concessions in the 2009 modifications. This was after Ford posted ten consecutive quarters of incredible profits totaling $13.7 Billion. Then, to add insult to injury, the company announced that salaried employees would receive both a 2.7% pay increase and bonuses in 2012. Sound familiar?
We the members of UAW Ford are fed-up with being deceived and taken advantage of. We feel the time is now! We need our wage increases re-instated, we need our brothers and sisters to ALL be 1st tier workers. We cannot afford to sit idle until the next contract, only to be hoodwinked once again. The complacency must end! We need UAW direct action against concessions! Restore previously negotiated wages and benefits! Our families and future generations of workers need our unions to be STRONG!
The concessions we want back include:
- Restore time – and – a–half pay after 8 hours work.
- Restore the amount of Break Time to the pre-concession agreement.
- Restore COLA to our weekly pay, and COLA RAISES.
- Restore the PERFORMANCE BONUS as stated in 2007 Agreement.
- Restore the CHRISTMAS BONUS to $600 per year for active and retired hourly.
- Restore PAID HOLIDAY – MONDAY after EASTER.
Click on UAW petition to download copy of petition in PDF format.
For more information, contact Ron Lare or Judy Wraight at ronlare@sbcglobal.net ; jswraight@aol.com .
