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FBI probe expands to Ford and GM


fuzzymoomoo

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This same post is on our local forum. Below is a copy and paste of my reply on that forum.

 

Geez, sounds like the Teamsters in the old days and we all know how that ended for some folks. I have always been weary of the company screaming at contract time how they are broke and cannot compete crying we need to take a cut in pay and benefits then the union backing them up. They have screwed new hires to death, and legacy employees haven't seen a raise in their retirement Life Income Benefit in probably 15 yrs. We should be making the same wage as UPS drivers yet we lag behind by about $5 hr. Perhaps someone who knows when the last raise was on the LIB can update us.

Although the company screams they need cuts they still somehow seem to have enough money to sponsor high profile sporting events, the Ford family owns a football team yet new hires can't afford to own the product they build. When they cry they need cuts what that actually translates to is we are going to take money away from you and give it to ourselves.

And will someone please explain to me why they need a "Training Center"? Either you can handle shooting screws or you can't.
That was just another slush fund to keep the union folks happy and well paid so that the company can have cheerleaders when contract time rolls around.

Remember folks, the union is in charge of our retiree medical insurance fund, VEBA. Is that comforting to you or is the fox watching the hen house?


Read more: http://scottrlap.proboards.com/thread/16054/fbi-looking-ford-uaw#ixzz4xJ0qwcBl

 

P.S. At LAP the airport and local UPS hub is across form the plant and some of us have always gauged our pay/benefits with theirs but lately we have been lagging behind. Years ago when they were on strike somehow we only worked four hours one day and loads of us drove by their picket lines honking horns, etc. They were extremely grateful and some had a few brews with us.

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I would like to see Illinois become a right to work state....

 

It is clear as the writing on the sold out contracts we have been given for the last 4 or 5 contracts. Really, no increases in hourly rates for 12 to 14 years, give back after give back and lets not be so giddy as to forget our great King that opened up a contract and just kept saying "we have to keep the company out of the bankruptcy court" and I`ll never will forget Little Jimmy telling us not only will we give back this and that but we should all be thankful for having a job. I`m wondering just how thankful Jimmy and our King are?

 

Two years from now I hope all the locals that voted for this last in a long line of sell out contracts get those warm and fuzzy feelings again when these International Bullshiters come to their locals and start the "its the best we could get bullshit" or "we have to help the company bullshit". Every second or third tier member should feel really glad they have a job knowing these bullshitters are taking home more in one year than second tiers, TPT`ers, LTS`ers will make in ten years.

 

I`d sign up to be an agency member in a heart beat if I worked in Michigan.

 

Decker

Edited by Decker
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As long as you still have ballot boxes in your plant the contract will always pass. In Ky at LAP & KTP we have electronic voting machines and we almost always vote down the contract. Then when I see your numbers I just can't believe the difference. Once I found out that you still have the old ballot boxes it wasn't hard to figure out.

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Ballot Boxes?At the Rouge local 600 the reps walked around with plastic buckets with slots cut in the lid.You checked YES or NO on a slip of paper folded it and stuffed it in the bucket after you presented I.D. and had your name scratched off a list.Ballot Boxes,,,,,,all ya need is an old plastic paint bucket.The problem with corruption is greed/temptation, it is embedded in human nature, it is not unique to any particular union or corporation.One of the suspects in the FCAU/UAW case bought himself a Ferrari and a $37,500 pen .I didn`t know there was such a thing,I mean whats the point,oh yeah,showing-off,wow.What do you do?Hold up the pen and say out loud "Do you know how much this costs"?Everybody or most people anyways, prefer to have rich friends.Some people at the Big Three are handed "the keys to the kingdom".They are not scrambling to be on the clock or put on the spot to constantly learn new tasks.They don't need to follow thousands of rules.All we ask of them is to be fair with us and look out for our best interest with the understanding that we know they can only do so much.I mean it is the FORD motor company not the UAW who signs our paychecks.The latest contract is not all bad,I voted Yes.I don't think a strike would have been worth the cost.These people under investigation by the Feds are in for a rude awakening and I have absolutely NO sympathy for them.

Edited by Fatso
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You checked YES or NO on a slip of paper folded it and stuffed it in the bucket after you presented I.D. and had your name scratched off a list.

I never presented ID, nor did I check the box. I was changing a motor at the time. Lying on my back with my hands dirty, and the rep did it for me. He looked at me funny when I told him to check the "no" box. Couldn't tell you what vote was actually cast, and IMO, it didn't matter. It was going to pass.

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CAP, KCAP, LAP and KTP all voted the last one down. The last two or three contracts have been voted down at CAP and I`m sure at least 2 were paper ballot. People we can`t get wrapped up in the how the vote is calculated, although there are very good reasons for changing to electronic ballots but, we have to realize if their lips are moving their full of shit.

 

The membership that is frightened or scared has to get over the lies and the bullshit told by these corporate whores that line their pockets with your lost wages. We have members that are getting less than half what other members get to do the same dam labor and those corporate whores have the nerve to ask the membership to support " women's equal pay for equal work movement"..... really what kinda bullshit is that. People, it`s past time to wake up from this corporate whore induced coma and finally realize its time to stop letting the semi elected pieces of shit tell you don't think or don`t question anything they bring you. This proves what so many on this board and all over the internet have been saying for years, the corporate whores believe we don`t have any sense or are just plain idiots that can not understand the concept of thinking for ones best interest.

 

I`ll never forget getting the region 4 and solidity for themselves house calls telling me I was non union because I wasn`t sending enough members to the Greathouse or Black Lake day care centers. I was helping close these facilities, I was shaming the great people that sacrificed so much that came before me and I was never going to win another election again ;). All this while my local lost a complete shift of production, lost close to 1400 members and saw our monthly per capita taxes cut by more then half. But these low life juice money bastards only cared about sending members so they could get their registration fee`s and room and board charges. At the time the region 4 director...our current international president.... had his bag men kept stating Dennis isn`t going to be happy with your unwillingness to do the right thing. Then the call from the region 4 assistant director, now director, "Brother (made me sick then and now) Decker would you just listen for just one minute... hell you will be saving money by "just" sending the ones on layoff"... "that way you don`t have to give them any lost time money and maybe put a motion on the table at your e-board meeting to stop or cut per diem expense money". "THE ONES ON LAYOFF" this from I guy that would sing that bullshit solid jingle at a drop of a hat or when Dennis started to pout.

 

Now our local just sent $200,000.00 to region 4 to help rebuild the Greathouse red light district because after the fire it seems region 4 didn`t have fire coverage??? I keep remembering a saying by one of our members on this board "keep lying - make the lies really big and keep repeating the lies" something like that anyway, it sure is the moto of these corporate whores.

 

Training Centers are just but the tip of the shit pile, people wake the hell up and look around. Most locals are mirror images of what the international is. Period.

 

Maybe just maybe the sheep will see that what so many have been trying to wake them up for...so...long. Hey Tennessee, Alabama or Indiana want to organize now :spiteful:

Edited by Decker
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I will say this. Even though almost all they spew is bullshit, we still have it better than the Teamsters. At least we see our representatives regularly, if not every day despite the bullshit. I would know, I was a teamster for 3 years before coming to Ford. Not once did I ever see my rep. I didn't even know what local I was part of.

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That must be a MAP thing. I only see my reps during elections and contracts.

 

Kinda funny how I'm on an alternative schedule but my representatives are not. Don't get me wrong, I like my schedule, but a lot of guys don't. It's hypocritical that the reps don't have to follow the schedule they negotiated for the membership.

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Seeing representitives as compared to the Teamsters?

 

There is a reason you may see our rep`s more than Teamster rep`s and that is on the local level the UAW rep`s are paid by the company to represent you. Unlike so many other unions where their rep`s work a job along side everyone else and when an issue comes up, then they become your union rep. The UAW membership does`t pay a local rep or the multitude of appointed rep`s it is by design that the company pays them. Henry said he would control the union with one thing, executive privilege.... Come as you please, leave whenever and never have to worry about a schedule. AWS for the membership and what for the representatives? Yes I`m completely aware that the grunts, front line rep`s are scheduled to represent their crews A, B, C but look beyond these poor souls. All is fair when it comes to the level of executive privilege representatives. Hell how many locally appointed rep`s have their restaurants or IUAW auditors their bar & grills? Not hard to work two jobs when one is work as you want and still get your full pay from the company that you sit with to represent the membership`s best interest.....

 

Or better yet have a sister or brother in law run a t-shirt, jacket or sporting attire shop and then brag to the membership about how you just got the membership a new t-shirt, jacket or book bag. All the while the company cuts the nickel fund check to you sister or brother in law for the t-shirt, jacket or book bag..... Ahhh yes I hope the FBI sneaks a peek at the cash cow that is the nickel fund and lets not forget that neat little savings account called bank hours....

 

Dam, this could get real interesting.

Edited by Decker
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That must be a MAP thing. I only see my reps during elections and contracts.

 

Kinda funny how I'm on an alternative schedule but my representatives are not. Don't get me wrong, I like my schedule, but a lot of guys don't. It's hypocritical that the reps don't have to follow the schedule they negotiated for the membership.

it's a FRAP thing too. My rep there was fucking terrible (he got voted out this year) but I did see him almost every day. He did eventually start avoiding me because he couldn't answer my questions.

 

Edit: I wonder if it's partly because you're trades. I can't remember the last time I saw the trades reps on the floor at MAP during a normal shift. I know who he is and I do see him now and again, but it normally around special events. I think he mostly stays in his office unless he's needed.

Edited by fuzzymoomoo
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