IUE-CWA Union urges GM to offer buyout incentives

[NfamousZ24]

Offers of early retirement could ease hardship for 340 workers who stand to lose their jobs in layoffs.

MORAINE — Union leaders at General Motors Corp.'s Moraine Assembly plant said Thursday they hope to persuade GM to offer money incentives to allow eligible plant employees to retire early, to reduce the 340 layoffs that the company plans to impose in 2008.
The buyouts would be patterned after those offered in 2006 to the United Auto Workers and International Union of Electronic Workers-Communications Workers of America in GM's reduction of its labor force, said Mike Hall, shop chairman for IUE-CWA Local 798, which represents Moraine's production workers.

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GM will say only that it plans to indefinitely continue Moraine's production of GMC Envoys, Chevrolet TrailBlazers, Saab 9-7Xs and Isuzu Ascenders for the midsize SUV market, which has slipped.

Also in the blog our shop Chairman posted

By Mike Hall ( Shop Chairman IUE-CWA local 798)
December 13, 2007 3:24 PM | Link to this
I am amazed by the number of people writing to this post who appear happy that General Motors may be considering closing the Moraine Assembly plant. I disagree with those of you who claim Union employees are lazy, don’t come to work or that we are overpaid. I understand some of the perceptions of Unions, we have in the past protected employees who did not come to work, or who did not always do the best job, or who may have even been somewhat lazy, That was the Unions of the past, today’s Unions understand that if we are going to survive we must have people who do the best possible quality job. The employees of Moraine Assembly and the Union are very dedicated to building the best possible vehicle. In 1992 we became the first General motors plant to reach a two tier pay scale. The employees of this plant starting pay is 55 percent of the traditional UAW automotive plant. It takes ten years to reach full wages. We have schedules that allow us to work on Saturdays for straight time, we do not build a few vehicles and then lie around and do nothing the rest of the day. We work 8 hours a day or longer, build almost 500 vehicles a shift and only get 46 minutes of break per day (including our 24 minutes for lunch). I would bet that many of you reading this probably get a longer lunch than we have in total breaks and lunch. The members of this Union have done everything we could to make sure that General Motors made money on the products we made. We have been criticized by other Unions for the agreements we have made, but we understood that if we wanted to survive General Motors had to make money. If you are happy that we are being threatened about our jobs you really should think about the outcome if we do close. If you work at the bank or the mall or the doctor’s office in and around Moraine it will affect you if we close. We are only 2300 people but for every one of us there are approximately 4 people who also have a job because of us. Are you one of those four people who might also lose your job? You just might not know you are one of those people until it’s too late. Stop hating the employees of Moraine Assembly, we are not the enemy. We need your support. The Moraine Assembly Plant is open for public tours, if you still believe we are lazy or overpaid for what we do come take a tour. I promise after you take the tour you will see how hard we work

[NfamousZ24]

Offers of early retirement could ease hardship for 340 workers who stand to lose their jobs in layoffs.

MORAINE — Union leaders at General Motors Corp.'s Moraine Assembly plant said Thursday they hope to persuade GM to offer money incentives to allow eligible plant employees to retire early, to reduce the 340 layoffs that the company plans to impose in 2008.
The buyouts would be patterned after those offered in 2006 to the United Auto Workers and International Union of Electronic Workers-Communications Workers of America in GM's reduction of its labor force, said Mike Hall, shop chairman for IUE-CWA Local 798, which represents Moraine's production workers.

~

GM will say only that it plans to indefinitely continue Moraine's production of GMC Envoys, Chevrolet TrailBlazers, Saab 9-7Xs and Isuzu Ascenders for the midsize SUV market, which has slipped.

Also in the blog our shop Chairman posted

By Mike Hall ( Shop Chairman IUE-CWA local 798)
December 13, 2007 3:24 PM | Link to this
I am amazed by the number of people writing to this post who appear happy that General Motors may be considering closing the Moraine Assembly plant. I disagree with those of you who claim Union employees are lazy, don’t come to work or that we are overpaid. I understand some of the perceptions of Unions, we have in the past protected employees who did not come to work, or who did not always do the best job, or who may have even been somewhat lazy, That was the Unions of the past, today’s Unions understand that if we are going to survive we must have people who do the best possible quality job. The employees of Moraine Assembly and the Union are very dedicated to building the best possible vehicle. In 1992 we became the first General motors plant to reach a two tier pay scale. The employees of this plant starting pay is 55 percent of the traditional UAW automotive plant. It takes ten years to reach full wages. We have schedules that allow us to work on Saturdays for straight time, we do not build a few vehicles and then lie around and do nothing the rest of the day. We work 8 hours a day or longer, build almost 500 vehicles a shift and only get 46 minutes of break per day (including our 24 minutes for lunch). I would bet that many of you reading this probably get a longer lunch than we have in total breaks and lunch. The members of this Union have done everything we could to make sure that General Motors made money on the products we made. We have been criticized by other Unions for the agreements we have made, but we understood that if we wanted to survive General Motors had to make money. If you are happy that we are being threatened about our jobs you really should think about the outcome if we do close. If you work at the bank or the mall or the doctor’s office in and around Moraine it will affect you if we close. We are only 2300 people but for every one of us there are approximately 4 people who also have a job because of us. Are you one of those four people who might also lose your job? You just might not know you are one of those people until it’s too late. Stop hating the employees of Moraine Assembly, we are not the enemy. We need your support. The Moraine Assembly Plant is open for public tours, if you still believe we are lazy or overpaid for what we do come take a tour. I promise after you take the tour you will see how hard we work

http://http://www.daytondailynews.co...407gmfolo.html

[K-1]

By Mike Hall ( Shop Chairman IUE-CWA local 798)
December 13, 2007 3:24 PM | Link to this
We work 8 hours a day or longer, build almost 500 vehicles a shift and only get 46 minutes of break per day (including our 24 minutes for lunch). I would bet that many of you reading this probably get a longer lunch than we have in total breaks and lunch.

I get an unpaid 30 minute lunch. While eating, I still continue to work. Quit your bitching.

[NfamousZ24]

Originally Posted by K-1

I get an unpaid 30 minute lunch. While eating, I still continue to work. Quit your bitching.

Well that is your choice. These are Ohio State Law minimum anyways.


Also why was the 2 posts merge? GMI was doind weird stuff yesterday. It made 2 posts when all I did was edit one to add the link. All you needed to do was Delete the one post that is now the first post.

[Duffy31]

For those of you who do not think the closing of Moraine Assembly will not affect the local economy you should really think about watching Michael Moores movie called Roger and Me!! You will see what happened to Flint Mi!!!!!

[63GrandSport001]

Originally Posted by K-1

I get an unpaid 30 minute lunch. While eating, I still continue to work. Quit your bitching.

What do you do for a living?

[HoosierRon]

Originally Posted by K-1

I get an unpaid 30 minute lunch. While eating, I still continue to work. Quit your bitching.

Lunch is for wimps. What are you complaining about?