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Come September We need To Help The Company


Decker

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Ford F-Series Marks 42 Straight Years as America’s Best-Selling Pickup, Topping 900,000 Sold in 2018; Ford Hits Nine Straight Years as America’s Best-Selling Brand.......

But we lost a billion dollars on those darn  alllluminumm trucksters and we can`t even give away Explorers.... so the IUAW needs our help to help the poor souls in Dearborn out of their terrible losing streak.  

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Remember too that even though our labor cost for a vehicle is less than 10% they don't need to look elsewhere for a place to cut cost, IT HAS TO COME FROM THAT DAMN UNION WAGE.  Hell, even Social Security gave recipients a 2.8% cost of living raise for 2019 yet Ford retirees haven't had a raise in forever and active legacy employees haven't had a raise to their pension "Life Income Benefit" for about 10-15 years. And don't forget the International got a 31% raise.  Remember, they can only screw you if you vote for it.  

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I know the IUAW is real busy and all but, the IUAW could pick up on this idea of no two tier thingy... from right down there in bourbon heaven. (it`s lengthy put a good read of how to win)

 

Workers at the Four Roses bourbon distillery and bottling plant chose their moment well.

Just as their industry was preparing to welcome thousands of visitors for September’s Kentucky Bourbon Festival, they walked out on strike—in defense of workers they hadn’t even met yet.

“This is a family company,” said Matt Stone, a leader in Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 10D. “Grandfathers, fathers, sons all work here for generations, and my family may be working here one day. We want to take care of the next guy.”

With few resources at their disposal, these 50 workers in rural Kentucky stared down the Japanese conglomerate Kirin Brewery, which owns Four Roses, and won.

‘TAKE CARE OF THE NEXT GUY’

The dispute was over a two-tier contract proposal that would have given worse benefits to new hires.

One fact Four Roses hadn’t counted on was that many of its employees had friends who worked at the nearby Jim Beam distillery. Two years ago, Jim Beam workers struck over a similar issue and forced their employer to back off.

The Four Roses workers, represented by UFCW Locals 10D and 23D and the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (SEIU), spent nearly two weeks walking the picket lines near the distillery in Lawrenceburg and outside the bottling and warehouse facility in Coxs Creek.

When they returned to the bargaining table with the assistance of a federal mediator, within hours they had a tentative agreement—and in the words of Local 10D President Jeff Royalty, “There is no two-tier in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky!”

BOURBON BOOM

Precisely what caused the company to back down remains somewhat of a mystery, even to the workers involved. What is clear is that their public campaign—direct outreach to would-be customers, support from the local community, solidarity from other unions, and outreach to the media—helped turn the tide.

The workers also had a strategic analysis of their situation. A global boom in the bourbon industry gave them leverage. After all, bourbon-making is a long process. Since the raw product must age in barrels for years before it can be sold, any production time lost would affect revenue years down the road.

Further, the industry’s record profits completely undermined any justification for concessions. Workers knew Kirin could afford to do better.

Finally, the strikers had the support of the largely union workforce doing construction on the property. The day the strike began, the construction workers packed up their tools and left, refusing to work during the strike.

DID IT THEMSELVES

The Four Roses strike was organized, managed, and staffed almost exclusively by rank-and-file members, not officers or staff. Workers made their own signs, handled all media interviews, and organized picket line shifts.

“You’ve gotta do what you gotta do,” said Jeff Scott, a boiler operator at the distillery. “You can’t wait for other people to step up. We probably put in more hours working the picket line than we would’ve if we’d been working.”

The workers organized parking near the distillery for picketers, secured outdoor bathroom facilities, and maintained a round-the-clock presence at both plants to monitor for any signs of the company bringing in replacement workers.

As it turned out, the company never did bring in replacements. But rumors that they were gearing up for it added a sense of urgency to the workers’ actions.

FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT

Conveniently for the strikers, the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival gave workers what Scott called “our best chance to put public pressure on the company.”

Workers and supporters descended on the event to leaflet festival-goers. “I think it was a black eye for the company,” Scott said.

Those on the picket line also talked constantly to tourists who were hoping to visit Four Roses. Time and again, the visitors turned around. One retired union railroader from Missouri told the workers he wouldn’t cross the picket line for anything.

Tours—and the gift shop revenue they generate—are among Four Roses’s biggest moneymakers. Attendance dropped significantly during the two-week strike.

Late in week two, workers drove to Louisville to leaflet in front of a restaurant where Four Roses was co-hosting a special event. The Fairness Campaign, a local LGBTQ rights organization, happened to have an office next door, which it lent as a base of operations—offering its bathrooms and copy machine.

NO BACKING DOWN

Two-tier contracts are bad for solidarity. They spark resentment and erode a union’s position among newer workers, especially in a “right-to-work” state like Kentucky, where union membership is voluntary.

“Why should I support the union,” new workers may ask, “if the union sold me out before I even showed up?”

To get two-tier contracts past current members, employers count on short-term self-interest. Four Roses, which was offering unusually large signing bonuses, claimed implausibly that the new system would be better for current workers and provide more flexibility and choice to new workers

 

Wonder if the IUAW sent any support for this type of solidarity? Wonder if our resident activist got the local membership to pay for a bus tour to Kentucky? Wait wasn`t it the local activist that got on the local news to announce the tiers were gone at Lear? Guess he just was in the wrong state at the wrong time referring to the wrong company.

Makes me want to pick up some of that Kentucky sippin corn  :hat_tip:

Edited by Decker
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Decker, Four Roses is in the same county where i live.  On Friday nights after work I pass by there on the way down to my farm for the weekend.  Each time I passed I slowed down, tooted the horn and waved.  Same thing on the return trip.  Hopefully since I was driving a F150 they gathered I was a union worker.   Jim Beam Distillery is only a few miles on down the road and is where my late father was their Union President for many years.  Many, many years back he was instrumental in negotiating a pension shortly before my grandfather retired.  Years later my father was all set to retire on his 62nd birthday and passed away from a heart attach two months before his birthday in '94.  

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You all need to do something about those paper ballots.  At LAP & KTP we have voting machines.  If you think back you'll recall that we are usually one of the first plants to vote.  That way they know how many extra ballots they need to stuff in the box.  On the last contract we voted it down but then other plants passed it.  You should bring this to the floor in your next union meeting and get voting machines before the contract.  After everything that has  recently come out about the union you need to take steps to ensure your vote tally is legit.  

Edited by pmooret
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Autoworkers are in dire need of Union reform, the current UAW international and local is outdated corrupted and just isn't working as intended. Time to explore other unionizing options or create a new one cause this one is broken and there's no fixing it without killing it first. 

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Ididdoiit

14 hours ago, Ididntdoit said:

Autoworkers are in dire need of Union reform, the current UAW international and local is outdated corrupted and just isn't working as intended. Time to explore other unionizing options or create a new one cause this one is broken and there's no fixing it without killing it first. 

No one wants to face the reality, we all know this, we see the effects of it on the floors of ever plant but most people believe that it will fix itself. It will not. The number one priority moving forward for the members should be how the UAW as an organization that represents workers in every industry must change its direction from being a buisness to being in buisness to protect and fight for its workforce. My father worked for 35 and I also have 10 years in a Uaw building and the minute they announced that they union was responsible for the healthcare benefits for active and retirees I know that this was the nail in the coffin for anyone who still had hope in a organization thats main concern is rights of its members. These funds have hundreds of millions of dollars in them and you think with the folks at international will ever let that go, they will do what ever it takes even at the cost of its members. The legacy folks are on there way out care but after 20 or 30 years of shouting, screaming and constant confrontation while to many of there peirs are conflicted or disillusioned on there concerns have faced the reality that we dealing with a billion dollar monster and my single voice will be shut down if it conflicts with feeding and growing the beast. This call for change must start with the Low man or women up. If the new hires speak up and unify on there demands not only will it possibly lead to change it will also avoid the legacy, retirees and the first folks who took a stand and suffered humiliation, intimidation violence, threats, physical and emotional injuries and deaths to not go in vain. If not, why do we even work for a union organizated company. We just want the perks and benifets that are being taken every single year since those before us protested for or against. 

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On 1/3/2019 at 2:58 PM, Decker said:

Ford F-Series Marks 42 Straight Years as America’s Best-Selling Pickup, Topping 900,000 Sold in 2018; Ford Hits Nine Straight Years as America’s Best-Selling Brand.......

But we lost a billion dollars on those darn  alllluminumm trucksters and we can`t even give away Explorers.... so the IUAW needs our help to help the poor souls in Dearborn out of their terrible losing streak.  

We in Weld Teardown are doing our part. We just passed the audit and did so well the plant manager mentioned us in a flyer saying what a great job we are doing and how knowledgeable we are and they even bought us lunch. The best best  partof our hard work is they are trying to eliminate another weld inspector. Their plan is to HOPEFULLY catch any weld issues before they get out to the customer.How reassuring to know the car you are driving MIGHT be welded together correctly.

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2018 Model Year total Units Sold - Two million Three hundred ninety three thousand Seven hundred thirty one - 2,393,731.

 

"Winding-down car sales also impacted our December results.   Focus sales were down 67.4 percent in December; at this point we’re just selling whatever stock is left on dealer lots.  As we move into 2019, Taurus and Fiesta will also end production. This will be that short period where we are winding down cars but have not yet launched our all-new SUV products."

"F-Series had a spectacular 2018 with 909,330 trucks sold, making it our 42nd consecutive year as America’s best-selling pickup.  It was our third best year in F-Series history, and what makes it even more incredible is that these results came with record transaction pricing for the year.  We had ten straight months of F-Series sales above the 70,000-mark in 2018, with 87,772 trucks sold in the month of December.  It was truly a phenomenal year, as no other truck commands this kind of volume at these transaction prices."

"Ford brand SUVs had a record year with 797,238 vehicles sold.  This came on the success of Expedition and EcoSport and sets up the brand very well as we look toward transitioning to the all-new Explorer and Escape later this year.  Expedition retail sales were up 35.4 percent this year, and EcoSport added just over 54,000 sales to Ford brand SUVs in 2018."

"Vans are so often underappreciated, but they are so important to our business.  They may not be sexy, but they get stuff done! Vans are like the offensive linemen on a football team. Not much fame or time in the spotlight, but try to participate in a game without them – you can’t. Everyone knows when they are bad, but when they are great they are rarely appreciated. We have a 40-year all-pro van line up, as Ford marked its 40th straight year (season) as America’s best-selling commercial van line.  We sold 217,653 commercial vans in 2018, with Transit representing 137,794 vehicles in the mix. This makes Transit America’s best-selling commercial van since it first went on sale in 2015."

"As we pause to reflect on 2018 we maintained some key leadership titles with impressive results from our trucks, SUVs and vans, which is exactly where we are placing our focus as we move forward. This year, we’re looking forward to the introduction of the all-new Ford Ranger, Explorer and Escape.  There is no doubt that we have a lot of hard work ahead, especially in the first half of the year, as we manage the transition to the new Explorer and Escape.  But we’re also looking forward to the positive momentum that we will begin to see later this year from the start of our all-new SUV portfolio launches." 

Just a little insight, "transaction price" this part of IUAW/Ford history that isn`t clearly really defined much but, transaction pricing has never been higher in the history of the company.

Yet cost of labor is sold for half or less than what it was being sold to the company for 20 years ago. The ability to see a return on our investment (pension benefits from our cash investment)  over the last 15 or so years has been flat. Health care is at best stagnant for legacy members of the Ford team. The tier members of the Ford team see no ability to invest in a defined pension benefit and are stuck with something tied to market loses. The tier members of the Ford team have little incentive to stay, when other companies are now offering higher wages and benefits now allowed for through the on going collective bargaining done by our groomed representatives. 

1976 Taurus "loaded" sold for in the neighborhood of nine thousand dollars. A 1996 Taurus for 12 to 14 thousand. 2018 Taurus headed for the 30 thousand range. Those $90,000.00 units are a direct result of the cost of labor and fringe benefits? 

 

"Transaction Pricing" is what the Company charges a customer for the product, that the customers "are" signing that dotted line for. That piece of record breaking news isn`t heralded much in the press releases.

 

 

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"If Ford F-Series were its own business using average U.S. transaction prices of $46,700 to calculate revenues, F-Series would have the equivalent of $50 billion in revenues, or greater revenues than Oracle ($37 billion), American Express ($35 billion) or Best Buy ($42 billion)."

 "Along with increased sales volumes, F-Series average transaction prices have steadily grown since the 2014 debut of the new F-150 with a high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body, climbing an average of $7,400 per truck."

They sell 1.075 "M"illion trucks in one year but that wacky "no drivers needed" guy said Ford will lose a "B"illlion on the F Series units this year.... lets see if the run down train station buying, bus company start up guy is correct in his math.

At one billion dollars of lost money on one million F Series trucks that would be a bundle of cash in the glove box of each purchased F Series truck. Now my calculator flipped me off before it ran off and hid, but the old long hair thinks that bundle in the glove box would be Ten Fricken Grand.....lost on every truck the Hacker sold?  I thinks the Hacker`s noise be growin...

Mulally please come back PLEASE  

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