Barking Dog #46

Here is #46 of The Barking Dog (dated July 1, 2002). Comments and contributions are welcome.
Caroline

UAW Conventions

We have had no report from our official local leadership about what happened at the constitutional and bargaining conventions in early June in Las Vegas. "The Barking Dog" is the first report you get. Here you will read the true story, not a sanitized version that prettifies everything.

We have three reporters, Justin West, UAW President at the Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Illinois; Gregg Shotwell, delegate from Local 2151 at a Delphi parts plant in Cooperstown, MI; and our own convention delegate, Local 2244 First Vice-President, Leo G. Garcia.

At this convention, President Stephen Yokich retired and a new guy took over, Ron Gettlefinger. All top officers were hand-picked by the Administration Caucus.

Justin West: "Not one candidate was opposed (ain't democracy wonderful?). Brother Yokich did not properly close nominations for each position (asking for any other nominations) but that simply reflects on the Administration Caucus' brazen control of this one-party union."

A mysterious but very significant Constitutional amendment was passed.

Justin West: "Delegates voted to transfer $75 million from the Strike Fund to an 'Emergency Operation Fund' which would finance the International in the event of a 'protracted strike' or 'other events posing a serious threat to the economic viability of the International Union.'

"Translation: this money can be used howsoever the International chooses and it does not have to be accountable to the membership.

"Don't believe me? Try to follow where this money ends up. . . good luck. The rank-and-file of this union really needs more watchdogs over the International; unfortunately, there are so few of us here to make a dent in the action.

Gregg Shotwell: "This was the most significant economic amendment to the Constitution in 35 years. The delegates hunkered down for debate. The first delegate rose in support. The second delegate called the question. Hands up. Hands down. The band broke into 'Happy Days Are Here Again' and the delegates grabbed pre-made picket signs. . . and did the hokey-pokey all around the hall."

Rah, Rah, Rah

Leo G. Garcia: "The conventions were pretty much the same as always. Almost all Administration Caucus. It's like at our Local Union meetings, they shout you down if you raise questions. Only at our Local Union meetings, it's a little more divided. At the convention, it's you against the world.

"Gettlefinger seemed to be a little better than Yokich - more animated, more aggressive. But then, they talk a lot of b.s. and then when it comes down to the nitty gritty, it's all just political. When contract negotiations start, they back down. Like they did with Local 2036 in Kentucky [details later]. I do have to say that it's not easy when you're dealing with multimillion-dollar corporations.

"On one issue I voted no against stopping debate, because I wanted more information, and delegates around me looked at me like, 'what are you doing!?'"

"It was all the same as always. Organize. Elect politicians. All ran, rah, rah. All orchestrated. And money is no object; they wine and dine you.

"There was no discussion in our NUMMI delegation about doing any organizing into the union, and no one from our delegation spoke on the floor. I did speak to GM negotiator Shoemaker about some concerns of our retirees, but I don't have much confidence he will do anything."

Democratic?

Justin West: Day 3 saw a small group of delegates (including yours truly) passing out literature in support of the 400 UAW members of Local 2036 who were hung out to dry by their employer . . . and their union.

"The handbill was merely inviting all delegates to come to a meeting with former Local 2036 President Billy Robinson and hear for themselves the details of their heroic struggle.

"Unfortunately, our democratic International leadership sent out the Sgts-at-Arms to stop the distribution inside the meeting hall and began removing the handbills from the tables . . . never mind that the tables had been covered with Administration Caucus handbills before the doors even opened."

Corporate Terrorism in Kentucky

Justin West: "A Region 4 delegate named Lee Sustar spoke of the 'corporate terrorism' that the Accuride Corp. committed against over 400 dues-paying UAW members of Local 2036 in Henderson, KY. He told of how strike benefits had been cut off (after nearly four years of being locked out by Accuride) and how the International then pulled the Local's charter.

"This IS the IPS [Independent Parts Suppliers] sector, folks, and if we cannot stand by those in need, in the parts supplying industry, how the heck are we going to be able to organize another IPS plant?

"Sustar closed by calling on the attendees to reconsider reinstatement of strike pay/health benefits to the locked-out workers and a return of the charter to 2036.

"WOW! A union member calling on support of brother and sister union members-in-need: isn't this what we're all about:

"Yokich, on the other hand, flew off the handle, accusing the delegate of attacking the good name and efforts of the International and added that you win some and you lose some.

"Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, usually in the past, when the President would get hostile and belittle a non-Administrative Caucus delegate who said anything critical of the ways in which an issue was being handled by our fine union, the audience of 95% majority A.C. delegates would rise up in a standing ovation of support for the President and ridicule of the delegate.

"That did NOT happen here, however. Sustar received a reasonable amount of applause for his position. Yokich did get a few cheers and a sporadic handful of some A.C.s standing up in support, but, magically, this was NOT a convention of old. There were a lot of NEW delegates in attendance and I believe a lot of members, if not vocal, are seeing the light that there IS a problem here."

Punishment for Disobedience

From the Oakland Press ( a Detroit newspaper): "Gettlefinger's official installation was delayed by an internal dispute about the directorship of UAW Region 2 in Northeastern Ohio. Warren Davis, the incumbent director, had been expected to retire Wednesday. But, at the last minute, Davis rescinded his retirement plans and ran for re-election with the help of his hand-picked successor."

Justin West: "Davis was bucking the system and giving the finger to the A.C. and their repressive, age-discrimination rule by running for re-election." Oakland Press: "Davis' maneuver outraged the other board members, who promptly moved to prevent him from remaining on the board. A meeting of the constitutional convention was quickly convened and the union's constitution was amended to dismantle Region 2 and distribute its constituents to other regions, effectively denying Davis a seat on the board." Justin West: "Here was a blatant Administration Caucus political retribution play against Davis . . . and the membership of Region 2 was going to pay the price."

Resolutions

Gregg Shotwell: "Local unions submitted a total of 220 amendments and resolutions to the Constitutional Convention. But none were reported out. Only amendments submitted by the president's office or written by staff hacks were subject to 'debate.'"

Health Care Benefits

Detroit Free Press, June 8, 2002: "With the UAW's membership aging and hundreds of thousands of retirees drawing pension and health-care benefits from automakers, Gettelfinger was adamant that the union will accept no shifting of medical costs from the companies to his members.

Medical Benefits at NUMMI?

President Gettelfinger's pledge is good news. But what about our medical benefits here at NUMMI?

In the March/April issue of Local 2244 News, Art Torres has a "Bargaining Chairman's Report" which tells us all about rising health care costs, and how "employers are always trying to find ways to control cost." He concludes that "Fair, equitable and comparable benefits plans are getting more difficult to attain," and that there is "no quick fix."

This article is puzzling. What do the union and company have in mind, trying to reopen our supposed contract and renegotiate lesser medical benefits?

Then, on May 31, the Company put out a memo with our checks, saying approvingly: "As Art Torres recently noted in his Bargaining Chairman's Report, health care costs are expected to increase more than 15 percent this year." . . . blah, blah, blah.

Instead of telling us about "rising costs" to NUMMI, a "new economic reality," and the "difficulty" of having good health care plans, our union leaders should be educating our members on: €how Kaiser has racked up record profits this year due to cutbacks in benefits and more co-pays; €how the pharmaceutical companies charge higher prices here than anywhere else in the world, leading Americans to travel to Mexico or Canada to get reasonably-priced prescriptions; how workers in European countries have achieved national health care benefits for all, not dependent on which company you work for or a union contract.

We need arguments and information to help us defend our right to good health insurance, not company arguments about how they can't afford it.

_ Caroline Lund

"Leader Board" Messages

[Introduction to this article: Over the past months, management has installed about 60 bulletin boards around the plant, where managers place daily messages concerning attendance, quality, etc. There are also containers on every board where workers can deposit questions they would like management to answer. Recently, our top GM manager, Steve St. Angelo, posted a couple dozen supposed messages from workers dumping on fellow workers who "don't come to work," and who "abuse FMLA" and don't care about quality or the future of the plant. One message called for double attendance points for absences on Fridays or Mondays. Another called for eliminating modified work for injured workers. Another called for the company to send more spies out to check up on people on FMLA. The following article is commenting on this.]

In recent weeks it has become obvious from messages featured on the "Leader Boards" that some fellow T/Ms are really frustrated with manpower problems. Inasmuch as these concerns are legitimate and problematic in nature, the manner in which some T/Ms are responding to the issue is of more concern to me.

A dangerous precedent is being set, which negatively affects workers' rights across the nation. In fact the UAW leadership should be dealing with this issue, as it transcends NUMMI.

For certain T/Ms to verbally attack fellow T/Ms on FMLA or other forms of absences is most deplorable and moronic. The Family Leave and Disability acts are the law of the land. These laws were not just enacted for the heck of it. They were designed and implemented to protect the American worker and the American family.

For the record, and for uninformed T/Ms, FMLA and other forms of absences cannot be abused. If any inconsistencies exist, it is because management/union allow their favorite T/Ms to get over.

In my opinion, favoritism is at the core of major problems/conflicts here at NUMMI. For a T/M to qualify for FMLA, he/she must have worked a specific number of hours in addition to providing legal proof of why the LOA is sought. Put in a nutshell, you either qualify or not.

By attacking T/Ms who lawfully apply and are granted FMLA absences, we are attacking the laws that protect us and creating cracks in the legal framework that created these same laws. We should not ignore the scary fact that most major employers are lobbying hard to have the FMLA and ADA laws annihilated.

Let us work out our problems on a two-tier level -- protecting our workers' rights, while at the same time ensuring the prosperity and continuity of our company.
__A. M. Young-Harry

The Government and 9/11

Nora Barrows-Friedman, 23, Albany:

"Our government leaders knew exactly what was being planned and chose to look the other way. Since then, they have been using the attacks to broaden domestic and international control over poor people, people of color and people who question governmental action. I expect more to surface linking 9/11 with governmental knowledge and involvement."

-the S.F. Chronicle "Two Cents" column, May 26, 2002