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Auto workers get pact details
By LARRY RINGLER Tribune Chronicle
POSTED: May 7, 2008
LORDSTOWN — Jon Schofield said he went to an informational meeting Tuesday ready to vote against a tentative agreement for 1,000 United Auto Workers members at the General Motors Corp. Lordstown West Metal Center.
Despite some misgivings, the Mineral Ridge resident left the meeting at the Local 1714 union hall ready to vote for the contract when balloting begins at 5 a.m. Thursday and runs until 1:30 a.m. Friday.
‘‘I changed my mind after listening to (shop chairman) Will Adams,’’ said Schofield, 59, who has 31 years with GM. ‘‘They did the best they could. They saved core and noncore jobs, and got extra jobs.’’
Bob Frisk of Mercer, Pa., said he didn’t like the prospect of losing money through a change in determining overtime but added he hopes the contract pays off for younger workers.
‘‘I’ll probably vote for it because I think they need the jobs. I hope they get the product, and they do well,’’ said Frisk, a skilled trades diemaker who plans to retire by July 1 after 38 years.
One of the younger workers said the contract appears ‘‘decent. It sounds like they’ll add a bunch of subassembly jobs in the next couple of years’’ as the factory takes over assembly of the entire body of the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 small cars the complex makes.
‘‘It seems like it will win us some work for job security,’’ said the worker, who declined to give his name but who said he lives in Boardman and has nine years at the factory as a production employee.
The Metal Center currently makes the cars’ underbody, but under the new pact will assemble the entire frame, including side panels, hoods, trunk lids and roof.
Local 1714 President Dave Green acknowledged different concerns by skilled trades workers — pipefitters, diemakers and others — from their production co-workers, especially how some of the skilled jobs will be combined as workers retire.
http://www.tribunechronicle.com/page/content.detail/id/504984.html
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By LARRY RINGLER Tribune Chronicle
POSTED: May 7, 2008
LORDSTOWN — Jon Schofield said he went to an informational meeting Tuesday ready to vote against a tentative agreement for 1,000 United Auto Workers members at the General Motors Corp. Lordstown West Metal Center.
Despite some misgivings, the Mineral Ridge resident left the meeting at the Local 1714 union hall ready to vote for the contract when balloting begins at 5 a.m. Thursday and runs until 1:30 a.m. Friday.
‘‘I changed my mind after listening to (shop chairman) Will Adams,’’ said Schofield, 59, who has 31 years with GM. ‘‘They did the best they could. They saved core and noncore jobs, and got extra jobs.’’
Bob Frisk of Mercer, Pa., said he didn’t like the prospect of losing money through a change in determining overtime but added he hopes the contract pays off for younger workers.
‘‘I’ll probably vote for it because I think they need the jobs. I hope they get the product, and they do well,’’ said Frisk, a skilled trades diemaker who plans to retire by July 1 after 38 years.
One of the younger workers said the contract appears ‘‘decent. It sounds like they’ll add a bunch of subassembly jobs in the next couple of years’’ as the factory takes over assembly of the entire body of the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 small cars the complex makes.
‘‘It seems like it will win us some work for job security,’’ said the worker, who declined to give his name but who said he lives in Boardman and has nine years at the factory as a production employee.
The Metal Center currently makes the cars’ underbody, but under the new pact will assemble the entire frame, including side panels, hoods, trunk lids and roof.
Local 1714 President Dave Green acknowledged different concerns by skilled trades workers — pipefitters, diemakers and others — from their production co-workers, especially how some of the skilled jobs will be combined as workers retire.
http://www.tribunechronicle.com/page/content.detail/id/504984.html
