Presidents Report by Marc McQuillen
April 2008
The Executive Board, Unit One District One and Unit Two Shop Committee elections have all been decided by acclimation. Elections remain for Unit One District Two (GM) Committeeperson and Alternate Committeeperson only. That election is scheduled for Wednesday May 14 2008 with the run off date being May 21 2008. Please vote for the candidate that you believe best represents the interests of all of the membership, which is one of the best things that we can do to promote local union solidarity.
The March for Babies Walk scheduled for April 26 2008 is an excellent fund raising program that helps families with children born with birth defects. Thank you for sponsoring and supporting our local union walkers Deb Carrasco, Deb Mitchell, Deb Witcher, Bryon McKie, Don Roberson, my wife Anita and myself. Support from our membership shows the union commitment to issues in the community.
The local picnic is Saturday May 31 2008 at the Charlotte Knights game. Tickets are $10.00 for the member, their spouse or significant other, immediate children and grandchildren. Tickets may be purchased through the local Recreation Committee or by calling the local @ 704-587-4715. This is the sixth year that we have held the picnic at the Knights game and it is always a great time for the membership and their families.
The 2008 Presidential and national general election is probably the most important in history after witnessing what has happened to union ranks, the availability of good jobs, energy costs, the dollar and our place in the world over the past eight years. The International and local CAP program provides information for the membership about these issues and elections. The International or local is “not telling you who to vote for” but providing information so that you can make an educated decision as to which candidates best represent the issues important to us. As information becomes available, Doug Viehdeffer, our local union worksite coordinator will provide it our membership. Remember that every vote counts and that yours is the most important!
Our local meetings are scheduled for the third Sunday of every month and are held at Steele Creek Presbyterian Church Family Life Center, 7407 Steele Creek Road (Rt.160), Charlotte, NC. This location is less than four miles from the GM or Ryder locations. The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday May 18 2008 @ 1:30PM. Your attendance and participation is encouraged and welcomed.
If you have recently moved or need to update your address information please contact the local so that your current address information is up to date.
Please always work safely and be certain to satisfy our customers by focusing on quality and on time delivery. Quality is job security.
Should you have contractual questions please call your committeeperson or chairperson. Should you any questions concerning the administrative operation of the local please ask me or call me at 704-587-4715.
Thank you.
In Solidarity,
Marc McQuillen- Local President
Presidents Report from Marc McQuillen
February 29 2008
Chairperson Davenport and I attended the UAW sub council meeting on February 25-27. Chairperson Davenport and I discussed what to put in our reports so that we are not being redundant in our reporting to the membership. Please reference the Chairpersons report for additional details.
Attrition- the attrition package should be rolled out on or about March 13. Bevis Southern and Ed McIntyre will attend an information conference on the package on March 4. No FICA taxes will be withheld from those members eligible for the $45,000.00 or $62,500.00 cash distributions. We are planning to schedule a financial representative from Fidelity to come in to assist the membership with the attrition package or to help the membership better plan their financial future.
Amalgamation and the problems at the cross dock facilities was a major topic of discussion among the local SPO presidents. Our local is one of the few locals in the division that is amalgamated. Much information was exchanged and provided so that these locals can better prepare for the challenges of amalgamation.
UAW VP Terry Thurmond stressed the importance of organizing stating that our future solely depends on it. VP Thurmond asked that the membership “get active in the political process and support candidates that support the issues of importance to all working people”, to support changes to the Free trade Acts that cause a union member to lose a job every 23 minutes due to unfair trade and to support the passage for the Employee Free Choice Act that provides union representation when a majority of workers sign up for representation”. VP Thurmond stressed the importance of International organizing to thwart the transfer of jobs to countries such as Thailand and those in Central America where the governments support “anti- unionism”. Lastly, all members have an obligation to organize by reminding our family and friends that it was the organizing and the strength of the unions that created the middle class in this country that in turn created social security, paid vacations and health and retiree benefits. Without unions no one speaks for the American worker. We all need to live and talk union! Think about what you have and how much is due to you being a union member.
VP Cal Rapson spoke about the uneasiness in the plants due to some misunderstanding with the current agreement stating “that the agreement protects the wages, benefits and jobs of current members and allows the union to rebuild by bringing in new members at a lower wage only after all members have the opportunity to fill any applicable jobs”. The lower wage allows over 3000 jobs to flow back to UAW-GM facilities, will result in additional hiring that would have been subcontracted and that the wages of the new members will rise throughout the life of the agreement.
“Without the agreement the UAW would be unable to deliver economic and social justice to the membership and society” said Rapson.
Elections- VP Rapson recommended that the membership understand the importance of the 2008 presidential election and to focus on the ideology of the parties rather than the candidates stating that the Republican party wants to continue the income disparities between the rich and the working, make permanent the tax cuts for the wealthy and that there will be “no justice for all”. The Democrats support the appeal of anti trade and anti unionism legislation, the transfer of resources from the corporations back to labor that protects the jobs and benefits for workers in this country.
President Rudy Viola of Local 2162 (Reno- SPO) proposed an information rally to be scheduled with UAW locals across the country to educate communities about the adverse effects of trade acts, oil company profits (The CEO of Exxon has earned $20 billion over the last five years) and the relationship between China and the US that continues to weaken our dollar and cause job loss by flooding our market with cheap imports (Wal Mart imported $9 billion of goods from China in 2007). President Viola asked me to assist organizing rallies in the eastern part of the country. We are looking to schedule the rallies in April with additional details forthcoming.
American Axle (AAM) members went on strike February 24 affecting 5400 members at five plants and their subsidiaries. Management wants to eliminate retiree health care benefits, cut wages by about $12.00 an hour, close two plants and has threatened to move production to Mexico and Thailand if their demands are not met. The CEO of AAM made $20 million in 2007.
UAW Local 2069- the 2700 members at Volvo Truck in New River Valley Virginia have been on strike since January 31. Management wants to eliminate all retiree benefits, limit existing employee benefits and eliminate all seniority language in their agreement. I attended the rally at their local on Saturday March 1 and was impressed by their local solidarity and support in the community and from other locals. There was representation from eight other locals along with the district congressperson and Senator Jim Webb D-VA. The support has been enough to bring management back to the table as negotiations are scheduled to resume on Wednesday March 5. The only local business that has not provided any support to the striking workers is Wal Mart which is located within sight of the plant. Please think about that before your next shopping trip! We conducted a 50-50 raffle for this local at the last membership meeting raising $72.00 and may do another or a gate collection if they do not get a contract shortly.
If you have any questions or require additional information about this report please ask me at your convenience. Thank you.
In Solidarity,
Marc McQuillen- Local President
UAW Amalgamated Local 2404 Presidents Report for
March 2007
I hope that all of you are enjoying a healthy and happy 2007.
For the past several
months I have been working to affiliate our local with the Catawba Labor Council
(CLC). The CLC represents local union members that reside in South Carolina. We
are currently affiliated with the Southern Piedmont Labor Council that
represents our North Carolina resident members. Our SC membership will benefit
from the legislative and political representation and a direct link to the SC
state AFL-CIO thus providing the membership with a better awareness of the
economic and political issues that confront us.
Local contract demand resolutions
will be taken in April. Unit One (GM) resolutions will be
collected locally. Please see the Chairpersons Report for
additional details. Unit Two (Ryder ONLY) resolution
forms and instructions will be mailed to the membership to complete and return.
The resolution ratification meeting date will be scheduled at the April
15 2007 General Membership meeting.
The local recreation committee will be distributing the annual recreation survey within the next month. The results will be presented to the membership at the April 15 General Membership meeting for discussion and action.
A local retirees meeting is scheduled for 12:30PM on Friday April 13 2007. The purpose of this meeting is to establish a local retiree’s chapter. Benefits and general information sessions will also be provided. Additional details and location will be forwarded to retirees as soon as they are finalized. I look forward to seeing all of our retirees and hearing their retirement stories!
The local is participating with the Charlotte March of Dimes Walk America program. The walk will be held on Saturday April 21 2007. If you are interested in walking or would like to sponsor a walker please see me. Membership action recommended a gate collection for the Charlotte Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and that collection will be conducted by the end of the month. This society provides medical and financial aid to the families of children in this area that are suffering from these diseases. I hope that all of you will donate to support these organizations. This is a great opportunity to show the public what our local is all about while supporting two very worthwhile causes.
If you have recently moved or need to update your address information please contact the local so that your current address information is on file. This is especially important with contract resolutions and negotiations directly ahead of us.
In closing I ask for your solidarity as we enter a very challenging period with contract negotiations. It is paramount that we are unified in what is to be expected the most difficult negotiations since the charter of the UAW.
Above all, please always work safely and be certain to satisfy our customers by focusing on quality and on time delivery. This is our way of having a say in our future.
If you have any contractual questions please call your committeeperson. Should you have any questions about the administrative operation of the local please let me know.
In solidarity.
Marc McQuillen- Local President.
Presidents Report
October 5, 2006
Nominations for the office
of local Vice President, Recording Secretary, Unit Two Committeeperson for the
Charlotte South Domicile (Drivers) and Unit Two Warehouse Alternate
Committeeperson are scheduled for the October 22, 2006 general membership
meeting. You need not be present to be nominated but must be present to nominate
someone or yourself. Bill Wise, President of the Catawba Labor Council is also
scheduled to be in attendance.
I attended the UAW Regional Leadership Conference on September 18-22, 2006. The focus of the conference was the many challenges that we face in the automotive industry and with the mid term election this November. Regional Director Gary Casteel asked which delegates in attendance represented facilities that are scheduled to close or do not have a product line after 2007. 50 of the 150 delegates in attendance stood up. Although over 6,000 jobs have been organized in this region since 2000 the region will lose over 10,000 due to the attrition and closings at GM, Delphi, Ford and the many suppliers that provide product to the closing plants. Director Casteel spoke about the need to organize new membership both inside and outside of the traditional industries and how this action will affect the current locals and how the future of the UAW depends on successful organizing. There has been past resistance to organize in the transplant and supplier plants but that appears to be changing. The average non-union wage in our industry is between $10- 14.00 per hour and the union reports stronger interest for UAW representation. Director Casteel also stated that there would be no early negotiations at GM until a resolution is reached at Delphi. This was also reiterated by President Gettlefinger and Vice President Cal Rapson at the UAW- GM Sub Council meeting that Chuck and I attended on September 27- 29, 2006.
Alan Reuther, Legislative
Director for the UAW spoke of the need to get out the vote to change the balance
of power in the congress and senate that is under Republican control. The
current administration is pushing for free trade with Korea and Thailand that
would result in a loss of 500,000 jobs in this country, over 100,000 in the
automotive industry alone. The Fast Track trade law is also up for a vote next
year. This law allows trade bills to pass with out change or filibuster once a
trade law is proposed. A Republican senate and congress is expected to
unilaterally approve this legislation.
The administration and
Republican controlled congress and senate also want to remove provisions from
the Pension Reform Bill that would allow employers to freeze pensions and allow
companies to no longer fund their pension plans. The administration is also
expected to again pursue private accounts for Social Security that would
eliminate the surplus account in the program. If passed, this legislation would
eliminate social security as we know it while providing a tax cut to those
making over $500,000.00 per year.
The trade deficit in the automotive industry is $142 billion and the government borrows $3 billion a day to fund its debt obligations. Delphi is allowed to go bankrupt in this country while investing billions in Asia. The administration refuses to meet with the CEO’s of the Big Three or the UAW to discuss federal incentives to encourage domestic production of alternative fuel technology products in this country that would provide jobs, tax revenue and reduce the dependence on foreign oil. These products are recognized as the future of our industry.
We are witnessing the evaporation of the middle class before our eyes. I encourage all of you to get out and vote for the candidates that will support us instead of the multi millionaire supporters of the current party in control. If you have any questions concerning the candidates or issues please see any member of the CAP committee or myself. We will provide information to you on endorsed candidates for your review.
I have been working with the Citizens of Rock Hill Committee doing voter registration and educating voters on the issues that confront us. Our CAP committee has also been active in voter education and registration. Do not be fooled by those that want us to only focus on moral issues in this campaign. That is only a diversionary tactic to keep you from focusing on the real issues at hand.
The local ’s Committee
is hosting the regional committee meeting on Wednesday October 18 2006 at
10:00AM. If you are interested in attending please notify any member of the
’s Committee no later than Thursday October 12, 2006.
Margaret Cephas will be representing the local Civil Rights Committee at their regional meeting October 9-13, 2006. A dedication of a statue to Walter Reuther will take place at his home place during the week. The city of Wheeling WV has donated the original paving bricks from his home to the UAW. I won one of the 300 authentic bricks in a CAP drawing that the Regional Leadership conference. I will donate this brick to the local Education Committee to raffle. I recommend that the committee utilize the funds from the raffle to purchase UAW publications for the membership and community to raise awareness about the UAW, its goals and its place in the community.
I want to thank the
membership that represented the local at the Labor Day Parade on September 4. My
wife (the first lady?) and I carried the local banner and fielded many questions
about the local as we marched down Tyron Street. Doug Viehdeffer in his red
Solstice, Brian McKie in his black CTS and Roger Heavner in his red SSR caught
everyone’s attention while Tina Heavner drove a golf cart at the front of the
parade. This is positive community exposure for our local that also highlights
our products. Thanks also to Sonya Anderson, her daughter Andrea and to our
friend Susan Lambert for coming out to represent the local.
In closing I ask for your
solidarity as we enter a very challenging year with contract negotiations less
than a year away. I know that we all do not agree all of the time but is
paramount that we be unified in what is to be expected the most difficult
negotiations since the charter of the UAW. Always work safely and be certain to
satisfy our customers by focusing on quality and on time delivery. Our future
depends on it.
If you have any contractual
questions please call your committeeperson. Should you have any questions about
the administrative operation of the local or about the Leadership or Sub Council
meetings please ask me. Chuck also provided a detailed Sub Council report and
can answer your Sub Council and contractual questions.
In
solidarity.
Marc McQuillen- Local President.
UAW
Amalgamated Local 2404 Presidents Report for June
2006
I would like to extend my best wishes to all of the members who are
leaving us through the ongoing attrition program. This is a monumental step in
your life and one that you have worked very hard to achieve. We hope that you do
not forget us and that you find the time to stay involved with the local.
Congratulations! For those still interested in the program the line to sign
up is June 23.
I attended the regional sub council meeting and the National Benefits
Conference in May. These meetings provided additional information about the
attrition program and the effect that it has on the local and our membership.
The biggest administrative issue to a small local like ours is the decreased
amount of dues coming to the local and the effect that it has for the local’s
ability to serve the membership and conduct our necessary operations. This is
coupled with the Department of Labor guidelines and other pressures that
increase our costs and our ability to operate as a local. The Department of
Labor guidelines are solely for the purpose to further weaken unions in our
country and have an especially damaging effect on small local like ours. I met
with many of the other local presidents to discuss this issue and others that
affect us. We also discussed these issues with Region 8 Director Gary Casteel. I
also visited the SPO Flint Processing center. We receive much of our material
from this facility and I wanted to see their operation and to review their
Planned Maintenance program. They recently attained Phase III and have been
recognized as best in class in several areas. I saw what they accomplished,
compared it our program and learned how it may benefit our facility. There are
several aspects of our operation where we are better in PM than other
facilities. The International union supports the attainment of Phase III as a
contractual requirement and as a key component in the operation of a
facility.
With the attrition program ongoing, several members have been having
problems with credited service requests. This problem lies with Fidelity, the
program administrator. Although Fidelity is doing a better job as of late there
is still no excuse that GM provided such poor contractor service. Remember to
forward all of your questions and concerns to Bevis so that he can address them
for you.
The next local general membership meeting is scheduled for Sunday
June 25 2006 @ 1:30 PM. The location for the meeting is the 1093T UNITE
facility on Mount Gallant Road in Rock Hill. There is considerable new business
that needs to be brought before the membership including the discussion and vote
on changes to the local by-laws, discussion and action for the annual picnic,
the scheduling of meetings over the summer along with officer and committee
reports. The meeting is an opportunity for the membership to be involved in the
business of the local union and to bring forth your issues and to have a voice
in the operation of the local. The membership is of the utmost authority and the
local strives to bring all issues before the membership. Please make an effort
to attend your local union meetings.
The minor league umpires association strike that caused the cancellation
of the annual picnic originally scheduled for June 10 has been settled. Greg
Jackson reports that the July 29 game between Team USA
and Japan is available for our annual local picnic. This matter will be
brought to the General Membership for discussion and action at the June
25 2006 general membership meeting. If the membership approves action
to schedule the picnic, a short ticket selling period will follow. Please see
Sonya Anderson, Donald Dye (at Unit Two), Tom Fisher or Greg Jackson for
additional information.
All members in both units should have received their current union cards.
If you have not received a card please notify Tina Heavner- Financial Secretary
as soon as possible or call the local @ 704.587.4715. Please check your card to
make certain that all of the information is accurate. Also remember to always
provide your current address information to the local.
Civil Rights, CAP and Recreation have conducted successful general
raffles so far this year. We also had a fund raiser for Saint Jude’s hospital
that collected $1005.00 Thanks to everyone who donated. We are still awaiting
the check in the matching amount to be sent to us from GM so that we can forward
all of the proceeds to Saint Jude's. The Veterans committee will be hosting a
watch raffle within the next several months. These watches have proven to be
very popular with our membership. The ’s Committee will also conduct a
raffle to help raise funds for the hosting of the regional woman’s committee
meeting scheduled for October. Our committees do a fantastic job of organizing
activities for the local but would not be successful without the support of the
membership. Thank you for your continued support!
The charter for a local Retirees Chapter has been received at the local.
I encourage all of our retirees to contact Roger Heavner or the local for
additional information about joining our retirees’
chapter.
As the attrition
program continues we are witnessing unprecedented change to our business.
Although management may expect us to “do more with less” remember that it is up
to you to never compromise your SAFETY or the safety of others
and that QUALITY assures that we serve the customer and defend
our business in this hypercompetitive environment. Never give in to the
pressure to compromise your safety and quality. We all have an
obligation to each other to ensure our safety to protect our well being and for
our quality to ensure our livelihood.
When you have
contractual questions and concerns, please see your committeeperson. For
questions, concerns or information concerning the administrative operation of
the local please do not hesitate to ask me when you see me or call 704.587.4715
or email @ uaw2404president@aol.com. Remember
that you elected us to serve you!
Have a safe and happy summer! Don’t
forget the meeting on June 25.
In Solidarity,
Marc.
Visit the local website at
www.uawlocal2404.com
Presidents Report by Marc McQuillen
March 29 2006
First and foremost, any and all information concerning the Incentive Retirement and Attrition program for GM will be provided to you as we continue to receive information. Chuck and I were in Detroit for an informational meeting on March 28th and Chuck posted a detailed report upon our return. I encourage you to make certain that all of your questions are answered and that you understand this program before making any decision. For many of our members more than one option is available to you. How this program affects you should be your decision and yours alone for everyone’s situation is different. Make certain that you see Bevis for accurate term of service and benefit information and Chuck for the contractual details of this program. We also plan to schedule an independent financial planner to come in and help answer any other concerns and questions that you may have. I would not rely on ors, heresy and unsubstantiated sources when you are making such an important decision. UAW Vice President Richard Shoemaker stated that negotiations for the 2007 agreement have not started contrary to rumors that stemmed from a newspaper report. Newspaper companies are in the business of selling newspapers and several of them nothing more than bashing the UAW and GM. Anyone can put anything up on an internet blog for it is completely unregulated. Just because it is there does not mean that it is true. Several of our members have shared information with others that is not correct. There is no doubt that GM is trying to shrink its way to prosperity rather than investing in its vehicle line which is necessary to reverse market share decline and protect our jobs. Consequently, this attrition and retirement program appears to be only a small part of an ongoing program that affects all of us.
The local is continuing to build a website on the recommendation from the regional office. The website is designed to provide improved communications and education to the all members of Amalgamated Local 2404. We also plan to establish email links to all of the local leadership. The address is www.uawlocal2404.com. I encourage all of the membership to visit the site and the links that are provided. You will find current information for meetings, announcements, news and reports. There are links to other UAW sites and other locals. There is a link to an excellent regional CAP report among other articles and reports of interest. Attrition program information can also be accessed by clicking the UAW link on the website homepage. If you do not have a computer at home please visit our skill center for internet and website access.
I want to thank our committees for all of their hard work that they put in for our membership. Since our last report the Recreation Committee hosted a Valentines Day commemoration, conducted the annual activities survey and is working on the annual picnic. Our By-Laws committee has worked very hard instituting the changes to our by laws mandated by the International parties and the creation of specific by- law language that is necessary to further reflect our Amalgamated status. The ’s committee recently attended their regional conference and is planning to host a regional ’s Committee meeting in the near future. The Election committee will oversee the Constitutional delegate election on April 5. Civil Rights, CAP, and Recreation have sponsored raffles that were well supported by the membership. Other committees will be hosting raffles as the year continues. These raffles benefit both the committees and membership and the programs that the committees support in the community. Strong committees are vital to any local but they would not be a success without the support of the membership. I want to thank all of you for your support of our committees and ask for your continued support.
I would like to welcome John Maynard from Unit Two and Ralph Reavis to our By-Laws Committee and Tom Fisher to our Recreation Committee. I encourage all retirees to contact Roger Heavner concerning the organizing of a local Retirees Chapter. In addition, if anyone is interested in joining any committee, please contact me or any member of the Executive Board.
I had the opportunity to attend the regional CAP meeting with the CAP committee on February 24. It was an excellent meeting that provided important information on issues that confront our membership such as the status of free trade and the Bush administrations intent to repeal tariffs that would flood our market with vehicles produced in Thailand, the voting records of our elected officials and the status of labor and unions in our country. I encourage you to ask the members for the CAP committee about these reports. As previously mentioned the full report is also available on our local website. Our CAP committee is going to have an extremely busy two years with elections scheduled at the local, senate and congressional level this year followed by the Presidential election next year. I encourage all of our membership to pay attention to the issues that confront us and support the issues and candidates that support labor. Contacting your representatives and voting for candidates that support labor are the best way to have a voice.
The call letter for the annual Walter and May Reuther Scholarship summer school program at Black Lake has been posted at both units. This program is open to all members who have not previously attended. Please see me for an application and additional information. The deadline for local application is May 5.
Our PDC facility is recognized for its quality and this all due to the efforts of our membership. Please keep up your good work for we have only one opportunity to win a customers business in this hypercompetitive environment but always remember to never compromise your safety or the safety of others while working. We all have an obligation to one another to assure that we all go home in the same condition as when we came in.
The next local union meeting is scheduled for Sunday April 23 2006 @ 1:30PM. The By-Law additions and amendments along with the by laws specific to Unit Two will be discussed and will require a membership vote at his meeting. These by law additions and changes have also been posted at both units and on the website for membership review.
When you have contractual questions and concerns, please see your committeeperson. For questions and concerns or information concerning the administrative operation of the local do not hesitate to ask me when you see me or call 704.587.4715 or email @ uaw2404president@yahoo.com.
Thank you.
In Solidarity, Marc.