The Ultimate Diversion & your Commitment

[Dayshift]

The ultimate diversion

 

I have had the good fortune to be around for at least 6 contracts. During that time we have fought & gained some things and for sure we have given some things up. Each contract has had different battles and different goals, but one theme has always been the same. Every contract the contrast between salary compensation & more importantly executive compensation as compared to hourly base pay & bonuses has been at the forefront. The gap has always been a major focus during contract talks.

 

Let me just say when a CEO performs well they should be compensated but not at 600 to 700 or even 1000 times the base yearly wage of the workers. This contract we all seem to be discussing who should get a raise & who should not. Some are saying the tier 1 should get most of the additional compensation, others are saying tier 2 should get to full pay first or some version of each. A few have even mentioned the retirees a time or two.

 

I say we stick together and demand fair pay increases for everyone. We must demand a good raise & a clear path to full pay for Tier 2. I say we force the company to also give them some of the basic rights we all deserve like recall rights if laid off. These basic protections cost the company nothing but provide dignity & security for the workers. It’s high time the retirees get a little something as well. Remember they do not get any pension adjustment unless we demand it. We have much of what we have because of the fights the fought. I has been handed to us. I also think for those who no longer get a pension (new traditional & Tier 2) we must demand some better choices in our tesphe accounts. Those without pensions will need to make solid choices throughout their career regarding their investments. Let’s put the focus back on the inequality between management and the workers. By creating 2 classes without a clear path to bridge them, the company has shifted the focus off their massive bonuses & company profits to our fight between each other.

 

In a time when Ford and the other AUTOs are making massive profits we must fight for what is right. We must stop fighting among ourselves & agree we will not ratify a contract that does not give raises for all & a clearly defined path to tier one for tier 2. We must also assure commitments for “NEW” work for plants in the US and every job that leaves the U.S. must be replaced with “NEW” jobs here. Our power as a workforce & as a Union lies in our ability to stick together. The company knows if they can divides us then we loose our power.

 

Who on this forum will promise to vote no on any contract that does not accomplish these basic goals?

Edited August 28, 2015 by Dayshift

[Axle72]

Awesome post I'm rt there with ya man!!

[Decker]

Thank you for a great post.

Thank you for proving there are those on this board that believe in unionism and the true union idealogy of banding together.

Thank you for pointing out, it is not as our IUAW leaders want us to believe "member against member" the two class system is based in the corporate ideology of which our IUAW leadership seems to be opting into each passing year, contract after contract.

"President Williams" releases in a paper that for years has been deemed by the IUAW leadership as "anti-union" when the paper runs articles based on the IUAW leadership`s short comings as labor leaders. Just to release an article about what? How he has come up with the idea to help the corporations deffer costs and responsibilities of benefits through moving the membership to a health care co-op administered by the IUAW leadership. Then proceeds to state that this action has to be put in place to offset any future corporation sought concessions.

Then "President Williams" goes on to state that the administration of this healthcare Co-Op would be secure because of the experience and successes of the IUAW administered IUAW Retired Members healthcare coverage. VEBA successes?

The only ethical task that the IUAW leadership has to maintain is the fair and equal treatment of the membership of the organization they were sworn to represent in any collective-bargaining agreement they enter into.

The day the IUAW leadership brought back a tentative agreement that put member against member in as much as allowing one tier to do the same labor as another tier performs, for less, put in place a major crack in the constitution that references equal income for equal labor. But once again our IUAW stooped to the corporate ideology and proceeded to use half truths and threats of mass lay offs to do what? Put the membership's income on the line so as to pit lower wages against the lost of income. Once again corporate ideology.

A very long time ago Henry Ford stated that he would control the union through executive privileges. Take a look at the press releases or news papers do you see a working woman or man's best interests coming from those IUAW leaders? Or, do you hear the corporate mindset of control and/or greed?

Thank you day shift for a ray of hope. You have my word not to support anything that dosen`t support the membership as equal`s.

 

Decker
1 of the 1788

Edited August 27, 2015 by Decker

[fmccap]

I think we should add a part to that also. Make the jobs equal.

[Zeek]

Here here Dayshift.....pretty solid post maybe a few less "I"s and "we"s but over all good points to build on.

 

On board with the "we must demand some better choices in our tesphe accounts", not much noise about this else where. Its good to have choices and ours seem to be more limited each and every year.

[caustic]

Great post.

 

I for one would like to see more options for our tespe for sure, it has funds so crappy I don't even put anything in it.

 

I keep a retirement account outside of Ford because their's/our's sucks.

 

Being new I cannot and do not expect much for us low senority people but I'd be willing to picket and strike for tier 1 to take it up the ass less this contract.

[RougeWelder]

HERE HERE Dayshift and Decker. This is one of the best threads/posts I have seen on this site in quite awhile. If this was the mindset of the IUAW, UAW, local committee people, I would be so frickin proud to be a UAW member instead of just accepting their current self serving ways because with absolutely no representation, we all know what would happen.