UAW Officials To Be Tried In '97 GM Strike

[Perian]

Link: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...605150403/1014

BY MICHAEL ELLIS - FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Two UAW officials will go on trial in early June charged with prolonging a nearly 3-month-long strike at General Motors Corp. facilities in Pontiac in 1997 in order to pressure the automaker to hire a family member and a friend.

Donny Douglas, who works with the International UAW as a service representative, and Jay Campbell, the retired UAW Local 594 chairman in Pontiac, are scheduled to go on trial June 1 in a Detroit federal court on charges of conspiracy, extortion and mail fraud.

A third UAW official, retired bargaining committeeman William Coffey, was also charged, but he died in 2003.

Workers at GM's truck plant and truck validation center in Pontiac walked off the job in April 1997 in a dispute over staffing levels.

The strike lasted 87 days, making it the longest walkout GM had faced since 1970, and it cost about 5,900 workers between $10,000 and $20,000 each. It also cost GM hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from potential sales of its top-selling pickup trucks.

Prosecutors charged that the three men delayed settling the strike until GM agreed to hire Campbell's son Gordon and Todd Fante, son-in-law of former Local 594 official Clarence Powell, for skilled trades jobs. Neither was qualified for such work, prosecutors said.

Some current and former workers said they are particularly glad to see Douglas go on trial.

"He cost the members of 594. Many lost their cars," said Gene Austin, who served as shop chairman of UAW Local 594 briefly after the strike and is now retired. "It was a terrible time."

Austin and some current workers were angered by rumors that the UAW was planning to give Douglas an award for service to the union. Douglas' lawyer Peter Kelley confirmed the rumor.

The charges followed a 4-year investigation by federal prosecutors into the strike.

The case is unusual because some workers in Pontiac alerted the government.

Dale Garrish, the first worker to contact the government, was one of more than 140 UAW workers who filed a class action lawsuit in August 2000 seeking $550 million in lost wages and damages against the UAW and GM for the strike.

Full article at link.

[MOGI]

I wonder how this will affect 2007?

UAW = Mafia

[Kennyboy]

Hmmmmmm.

More greedy union members feel the need to put themselves ahead of the company and thier follow coworkers.

Get ready for China, ****************************s.

[mbukukanyau]

Link: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...605150403/1014



"He cost the members of 594. Many lost their cars," said Gene Austin, who served as shop chairman of UAW Local 594 briefly after the strike and is now retired. "It was a terrible time."


Full article at link.

As usual UAW members blame others for their wows...
Its sad that even they do not take time to consinder that they approved the strikes, so they bear responsibility for loosing their cars

[steverino]

Don't see UAW leadership condemning their actions. So does the leadership stand by these two or what. Where are quotes from Gettlefinger & Shoemaker.

[mikest00]

I can't imagine anyone in the UAW being greedy!

[jbernie]

As usual UAW members blame others for their wows...
Its sad that even they do not take time to consinder that they approved the strikes, so they bear responsibility for loosing their cars

They may have approved the strike but i doubt they would approve the actions of the leadership in getting the family members hired. Obviously you have to figure out how long the strike was prolonged for.

If you were a worker who lost a vehicle or such during the extension of the strike you would be rightly annoyed (said politely). If you were going to lose it a few weeks in then that is just unfortunate.

[CobaltSScrazy]

why am i not surprised...as long as gm doesn't have to pay, sue the crap outa the uaw...if gm has to pay these bois need to stop crying and shut the **************** up!

[McG]

Tony Soprano would be proud.

[56 Starchief]

good, jackas/ses

[redimpss5]

This post will be bombarded by the whiners!!

[bobojay]

This is old news, and as usual, this web site doesn't tell the whole story.....it's the usual one sided smear. These guys were tossed out of the union heirarchy right after it happened. And, there were some GM company folks involved too.
The people that blew the whistle on this were applauded within the rest of the UAW.

[johnny smallblock]

This is old news, and as usual, this web site doesn't tell the whole story.....it's the usual one sided smear. These guys were tossed out of the union heirarchy right after it happened. And, there were some GM company folks involved too.
The people that blew the whistle on this were applauded within the rest of the UAW.

Hey, knock it off! Your facts are getting in the way of union bashing!

[69Firebird400]

I wonder how this will affect 2007?

UAW = Mafia

I would be willing to bet that it has ZERO impact on the 2007 negotiations.

[BurnOut]

Dale Garrish, the first worker to contact the government, was one of more than 140 UAW workers who filed a class action lawsuit in August 2000 seeking $550 million in lost wages and damages against the UAW and GM for the strike.

This is old news, and as usual, this web site doesn't tell the whole story.....it's the usual one sided smear. These guys were tossed out of the union heirarchy right after it happened. And, there were some GM company folks involved too.
The people that blew the whistle on this were applauded within the rest of the UAW.

I figured that SOMETHING else had to be going on, if GM was named in the suit... otherwise, why name someone who you know is going to bring an army of lawyers with them?? Not something that you'd do for gits and shiggels.

Hey, knock it off! Your facts are getting in the way of union bashing!

Have you ever wondered why the unions have such a poor reputation?? I hate to say it, but most stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason.