Following is issue #30 of The Barking Dog, dated October 11, 2000. It is edited by Caroline Lund, a worker at the NUMMI plant (New United Motor Manuf. Inc.) in Fremont, CA, and a member of UAW Local 2244.

Presidential Election

This Barking Dog has three viewpoints on the upcoming election. Other opinions are welcome for the next issue.

Don't Waste Your Vote

I'm voting for Ralph Nader for President. He stands for

• expanding workers' democratic rights and the right to organize unions,
• a universal, non-profit health care system covering everyone in the country,
• public financing, media access, and open debates to limit the hold of the rich over the government.

For nearly 40 years Nader has been a consumer advocate, helping to achieve such things as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and standing up to the dishonesty and greed of the big corporations and the government, which is controlled by them.

Nader does not see the elections as the key to social change. He says: "Unlike Gore and Bush I don't promote myself as a solution to the nation's problems." He thinks the key is average people getting involved and using their democratic rights to win more power away from the corporations.

Speaking to the July convention of the NAACP, Nader explained how every movement for social justice has been opposed by the big capitalists: "Who opposed the antislavery movement [in the 1800s]? Who opposed the women's right to vote movement? It wasn't just some men. It was the railroads, it was the liquor industry, it was industrial interests that didn't want women to speak out with voting power against child labor and the injustices of the Industrial Revolution.
"And who opposed the workers in the steel, coal, textile and other areas trying to unionize? It was the corporations."

I know our union leadership tells us to support Al Gore because Nader "can't win," and because Gore is supposedly a little better for working people than Bush.

But I think the problem is the two-party system. Both parties are financed and controlled by big business. Everybody knows that. The Democrat and Republican candidates talk a little different in order to fool us, but when they get elected, they do what is best for big business.

The only way working people get changes is by getting out in the streets and raising hell, like the people of Yugoslavia just did when they got rid of their dictator, Milosevic.

In the 1996 presidential election only 39% of eligible voters voted. The 100 million who did not vote are not stupid. They just felt, correctly, that their vote wouldn't change anything. A vote for Gore is a wasted vote. It will change nothing.
I will vote for Nader, hoping that a big vote for him will shake up the two-party system, make people think, and encourage working people to get involved in shaping their own lives and government.

Caroline Lund

Gore: A Leader I Can Trust

I will vote for Al Gore. I believe he is a leader I can trust. Al Gore has the knowledge and skills to be President gained by the experience of being Vice President for the last eight years.

Our economic growth was good, unemployment rates were down. Look at your 401-K - the market was up. Al Gore, who stands as a symbol of change, will give more to the working class, unlike the Republicans, who work hard for corporate rich business. I do believe the Democrats' decisions will be good for our future.

I also feel in years to come they will write in the newspapers about the end of the two parties. We will have a very strong third party, for the better of our country.

Juanita Archuleta

Won't Vote

I wouldn't vote for either one of those worthless crooks. There's no one to vote FOR.

Nader? Can you show me he's an honest man? You lay enough money on anyone and he'll turn crooked. If I see something about politics, I don't want to read it. If there was a politician-shoot, I'd be there!

Anonymous Member

Victory for Union Solidarity

In The Barking Dog #25 I wrote about the heroic UAW members at Accuride in Henderson, Kentucky. They make wheels for Ford, GM, Mack Truck, Peterbilt, and Navistar.

These brothers and sisters of Local 2036 went out on strike in 1998 when the company demanded they cut their pensions, health insurance, seniority rights, and all union representation. It was a union-breaking proposal.

UAW International officials had told these workers the union would support them to the end, but in September 1999, they cut off strike benefits and health insurance to the families of Local 1036, and then put the Local into receivership, which means the International takes over their bank account and everything else.

Local 2036 didn't give up. President Billy Robinson made contacts with rank-and-file UAW members all around the country via email and web sites. About 100 UAW members from around the country picketed the UAW headquarters, Solidarity House in Detroit, demanding our union back up Local 2036.

Caterpillar workers from Peoria, Illinois, raised $2,000 for the Accuride workers. Activists in Local 594 did a solidarity gate collection (without official union support) and gathered $7,155! Our International officials were apparently stung and worried about all us rebellious members who wanted to support the embattled Accuride brothers and sisters.

THE INTERNATIONAL JUST ANNOUNCED THAT STRIKE BENEFITS WILL BE RESUMED AT $350 PER MONTH, TWICE THE NORMAL AMOUNT, AND MEDICAL BENEFITS TOO.

UAW Region 3 Director Terry Thurman told the press it was time "to send Accuride a message." He said President Yokich and the union wanted to "get behind these people until it's settled."

Tears came to my eyes when I read the email saying our International union officials had decided to "do the right thing." It is a tremendous victory for union solidarity and for all of us rank-and-file union members who want a real union.

Want to find out more? Email Billy Robinson, President of Local 2036, at: wrobi27316@aol.com

Caroline Lund

Toilet Paper

A member from Trucks QC complained that the Company has seen fit to "cut costs" by giving us single-ply toilet paper, whereas we used to have double-ply. Have you noticed, either you pull it and it flies out all over the place, or, with a full roll, you pull it and only get one square because it is so thin and weak.

Hey, this is not the way to cut costs! People are just going to have to use twice as much to get the job done, right?

Overtime Out of Control

We've all read about the Bridgestone/Firestone tire scandal. Business Week says recalls from all the auto companies are soaring. Why?

According to the Sept. 18 Business Week, "Experts suggest that the quality problems could be tied to the industry's push for greater efficiency in the face of record demand. . . . Auto overtime is nearing levels last seen in World War II when the nation's survival depended on it. . . . That means the industry depends on a lot of tired workers and on equipment that may not have been out of operation long enough for proper maintenance and repairs. . . .

"Overtime has allowed the auto industry to look increasingly profitable over the years. Car companies can stay flexible on staffing levels. The massive layoffs and ramp ups of past years no longer are necessary. If demand slows, they merely will reduce the amount of overtime. Even at double time, overtime is cheaper than adding workers to the payroll and providing them with expensive benefits. . . . "

Negotiations are coming up next year at NUMMI. Where is our 8-hour day???

The Fall 2000 issue of Inside Track, the Company magazine sent to all our homes, features a member who has had 16 years of perfect attendance. He has never called in sick, only been late for one minute 10 years ago, cashed in 150 vacation days, volunteers to work on weekends, and comes in every day half an hour before starting time.

This is how NUMMI would like us all to be. But not many of us have the same life situation as this featured worker. The Company has to recognize that many of us have children or old parents to care for, school, other jobs, other interests - in a word, we work to live; we don't live to work.

Caroline Lund

Death From Overwork in Japan

This item was submitted by Robert Shaw.

The August 22 issue of the S.F. Chronicle had an article on the terrible conditions facing Japanese workers. "With companies viewing workers as expendable, office stress has skyrocketed."

Ichiro Oshima, a worker at Japan's biggest ad agency, died at age 24 from overwork. "In the final months of his life, Oshima worked 20-hour days, averaging 30 minutes to two hours of sleep a night and getting only one day off in 17 months."

Bosses forced him and other junior employees to drink beer from the shoes of senior managers. "In 1991, after nearly 17 months on the job, Oshima feel into a deep depression and hanged himself."

Kanban system

The Kanban system is a very simple, effective way of controlling line stocking and reordering for production. Here at NUMMI this system seems to have gotten completely out of control. As I see it the people in charge are out of touch with how "basic" this system is. Time after time we have tried new ways of improving the Kanban system and the end result just gets worse.

Now, I hear that we are going to try yet another "new" system that does away with Kanban cards entirely and we will use computer-generated forecast of parts. This, to me, will not solve any of the problems we are experiencing.

At a Group Meeting Sept. 12, we were told this "new" system is on hold due to the problems Trucks is having with the start up of the new 4-door.

At this same meeting we were told that they were going to lower the supply of parts at line side to three hours.

I have the following questions:

• Why does Conveyance get 200-400 calls a shift for parts that are about to run short? If we are now running with more than three hours supply of parts, we should not be getting this many calls.
• I have also heard that our manager is out due to "stress" . . . I wonder why?

Years back, when they split the house making us conveyance, they gave Production Control control of the Kanban cards. In my opinion this has been the problem.

GIVE CONTROL OF THE KANBAN CARDS BACK TO THE PEOPLE WHO TAKE THE PARTS TO THE LINE.

PC could care less how many calls Conveyance gets. Without control of Kanban cards, this problem will persist. When a call comes for a part that's running short, conveyance could then generate a card or two. PC can then supply us with parts to take line side.

Ken Laurin

Home	LabourNet Germany: http://www.labournet.de/ LabourNet Germany: Treffpunkt für Ungehorsame, mit und ohne Job, basisnah, gesellschaftskritisch The virtual meeting place of the left in the unions and in the workplace
	Datei:
	Datum: