The Auto Worker Today

March 28, 2011

UAW Vice Presidents Department Reports to Special Bargaining Convention

by bassman — Categories: Day 2 — 1 Comment

UAW Vice Presidents Reports – March 23, 2011

Vice President Joe Ashton, his area of leadership is in General Motors and Gaming (Casino Workers).

He opened his speech with introductions of the team who will be bargaining our next National contract with General Motors. Local 2209 Shop Chairman Mark Orr was on that stage and is the top Negotiator for the UAW-GM Truck group in these 2011 Negotiations. In our history as a local, only 25 years, this is a first for us to have a top negotiator from our Local announced on the stage of the Special Bargaining Convention. Joe spoke on a number of issues important to us. He stated that “GM only has about 2,000 employees left on layoff and in the next few months they will be back to work. A long way from bankruptcy that’s for sure.” He also got a solid applause from the following statement; (more…)

March 26, 2011

UAW Special Bargaining Convention Day Three 3/24/2011

by bassman — Categories: Day 3 — Tags: Local 2209, Mark Gevaart, UAW — No Comments

Day 3 of the UAW Special Bargaining Convention was called to order at 8:30am by UAW President Bob King. I had the chance to move my car from the hotel to Cobo halls roof parking and had the right wing AM talk station in Detroit 760-WJR on the radio. (I had it on from Tuesday as I entered Detroit for some accurate traffic reporting, but turned it off when Paul W Smith started interviewing Detroit Public Schools “CFO with complete control,” an obvious “clean-up guy bent on fixing at all cost’s, so Thursday when I pushed the radio button to turn it on, WJR was still tuned in) It was 7:20am and morning drive DJ Paul W Smith was interviewing Bob King. He asked a number of questions about the speech Bob had made to the delegates on Tuesday. (more…)

March 23, 2011

UAW Special Bargaining Convention Day Two 3/23/2011

by bassman — Categories: Day 2 — Tags: Local 2209, Mark Gevaart, Mark Orr, Todd McKibben — 2 Comments

UAW Special Bargaining Convention Day Two, 3/23/2011

As we post this information on day two, the delegates heard just after 2:00pm on Wednesday 3/23/2011, about the new start times that will take effect in March at FWA. I for one was sickened by the news. This FWA-GM plant staff (The managers) made this maneuver to get more vehicles out the back door. They made this move to benefit themselves on the backs of the employees they had just professed their love to at the all employee meetings just a week earlier. So when we sat in those meetings, the plant manager stated that we were the most efficient plant in GM North America. In the world we were second only to a GM plant in Eisenach Germany. Why are we so efficient? They, (GM local managers) continue to eliminate workers jobs, push parts around departments and re-configure jobs at the expense of the membership of local 2209. They continue to develop ideas like these that are wedge issues driven between us as a membership. This is a self serving move (for the managers to look good up north) that will divide the shifts, divide the departments and upset the membership. In addition it is increasing the stress on families as they reconfigure schedules, again on short notice. They continue to tell us to do more with less, and they have the audacity to patronize us by telling us that “we are the best.” (more…)

Bargaining Convention, Day 1

by amy8604 — Categories: Day 1 — Tags: Amy Richardson, Convention, Local 2209, UAW — No Comments

The following post was written by Amy Richardson:
Tuesday, March 22, 2011

I would like to begin by thanking the membership, once again, for electing me to represent Local 2209 at the UAW Special Convention on Collective Bargaining. I am honored that you have placed your trust in me to represent you well.

I was asked a couple of weeks ago if I would be willing to serve on the Convention’s Steering Committee, in addition to my regular duties as a Delegate. I agreed to do so and was informed that we would be meeting today (Tuesday) at 8:00 a.m. Overseeing the meeting of the Steering Committee was the entire International Executive Board with an address by President Bob King. The purpose of the meeting was to provide us, for our approval, the reports from the other Convention Committees; Rules Committee, Credentials Committee and Resolutions Committee. The reports were approved unanimously and the meeting was adjourned, with the understanding that there may be extenuating circumstances causing us to meet again later in the week. (more…)

March 22, 2011

UAW – Special Bargaining Convention DAY ONE 3-22-2011

by bassman — Categories: Day 1 — Tags: Convention, Mark Gevaart, UAW — 4 Comments

Donna Brazile speaks to the assembled delegates in Cobo hall Detroit. March 22, 2011

UAW Special Bargaining Convention Day One

March 22, 2011 10:00am Call to Order -The Convention was called to order at 10:00am and is being held in Cobo hall in downtown Detroit MI. We suspended the regular order of business so that Illinois Governor Pat Quinn could speak and then get to the airport to fly back to Illinois. “I am honored to be here and I am proud of our Region 4 members in attendance today,” he stated started his speech. “In our state we have UAW union shops at John Deere, Caterpillar, Navistar, Ford, Chrysler and Mitsubishi among others. You are here in preparation for Bargaining in the next year. You are here in a fight for the middle class for the right to collective bargaining. I know this fight and I support this fight,” he continued. Over 150 years ago Abraham Lincoln believed in the right of the working class to have a voice in the workplace and we support that today in the land of Lincoln. On his way out he states, “Early to bed and early to rise, to fight like hell, and organize.” He left with a rousing round of applause and a standing ovation.
(more…)

March 15, 2011

Travel to Detroit for Special Bargaining Convention

by bassman — Categories: Uncategorized — Tags: Amy Richardson, Convention, Gwen Winston, Holli Murphy, Mark Gevaart, Todd McKibben, UAW — No Comments

The UAW Special Bargaining Convention is scheduled for March 22, 23, 24, 2011 in Detroit Michigan. Your UAW Local 2209 Delegates are, Amy Richardson, Gwen Winston, Holli Murphy, Todd McKibben and Mark Gevaart. This post is written by Mark Gevaart.

As elected delegates to the 35th UAW Constitutional Convention we all are delegates to the 2011 Special Bargaining Convention. As of this writing, Wednesday, 3/16, I have been given no agenda or items that will be discussed at this Convention.

I do know that our Local, has an elected delegate, Amy Richardson who has been asked to serve on a Steering Committee. They will meet earlier in the week, before the convention convenes on Tuesday 3/22 at 10:00am. I also learned that our 2209 President Orval Plumlee, a fraternal delegate with no voice or vote on the convention floor, was also asked to serve on the Steering Committee as well. (more…)

March 5, 2011

Hello Local 2209 Members!

by admin — Categories: Uncategorized — 2 Comments

Welcome to the site we will use to communicate what is being discussed and voted on at the Special Bargaining Convention in Detroit March 22, 23 and 24, 2011. Our Membership size allows us 5 delegate positions. Your Delegates are; Amy Richardson, Gwen Winston, Holli Murphy, Todd McKibben and Mark Gevaart. These delegates were elected in May of 2010 and previously served at the 35th Constitutional Convention.

This Special Bargaining Convention is designed to bring all UAW member delegates together to review the bargaining strategies we are launching. UAW members from GM, Delphi, Ford, Visteon, Chrysler, Aerospace, Agricultural Implement workers, Technical Office and Proffesional members and the list goes on. More details on the convention attendees will be posted in the future.