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Feelings were running high in Passenger Assembly on March 13 when Governor Gray Davis came to NUMMI. Members in Chassis and the Motor Line were especially pumped up and feeling the power of united action.
When Davis' advance team came out to the line where Davis was supposed to begin his walk through the plant, the boos began. T/M Darren Cabrera said line workers shouted some questions: Why is Davis taking money from schools and giving it to NUMMI? Why is he taking money from schools and giving it to prisons? Why is our college tuition skyrocketing? Why take money from firefighters? Why triple our vehicle fees while giving our tax money to a successful corporation like NUMMI?
The loud booing, and questions from workers, led Davis's advance people to cancel his walk through the plant. He was supposed to be escorted by Art and Tito, our union Chairman and President.
But Yoda from Chassis 2 said, "I felt more union here today than I ever have since I was hired at NUMMI!" While our union officials were cosying up to politician Davis and to NUMMI, our rank-and-file members were courageously expressing their opinions about working people's needs.
When word first came out that Davis was coming, Nick Crockett of Chassis 2 did some homework and started giving his coworkers the facts. He made signs about Davis's cutbacks to education, and stuck them on the carriers to go down the line. He can tell you how many teachers are being cut in Fremont, Oakland, San Jose, and other cities.
Motor Line and Chassis people got some heat from Art and Tito for booing the Governor. But they can take it. They are thinking for themselves and getting things done through united action, the real union way.
Governor Davis came to NUMMI to make himself and NUMMI look good for giving NUMMI $6.4 million of our tax money to help pay for "training" that will go into producing the new model truck.
Meanwhile, Davis is cutting funds for education, the elderly, medical care for disabled children and other critical needs. At the same time, Davis proposed increasing budget funds for cars, catered meals and salaries of the state Legislature.
This $6.4 million is a government welfare payment to a successful corporation. Should we workers at NUMMI identify with "our" company and celebrate this transfer of public money to a private corporation, as our union officials tell us we should? Or should we identify with the forgotten youth in our crumbling schools, and the elderly whose senior lunch program is being cut, and the millions of working people like us who will have to pay the huge proposed increase in vehicle registration fees?
In addition, something else is disturbing. NUMMI previously got millions in state funds for "training" during the changeover to the Vibe and new Corolla. In Plastics, we were asked to sign paperwork saying that we were being trained for time periods when in fact we were just doing our normal jobs with no training taking place whatsoever.
You don't have to sign such paperwork if you are not being trained; to sign would be participating in fraud.
Robert Lee is a T/L in Body Shop Conveyance. He has 14 years perfect attendance. Robert needed to take off work on a Friday due to some pressing personal business, but 10% of his group already had the day off.
Robert told his G/L (Pat Kiernan, Sr.) that he would have to call in on Friday, but would be back to work on Saturday (Robert had previously signed up to work that Saturday, in response to the G/L's request for volunteers.) He did this as a courtesy, so that his G/L could anticipate manpower problems that might arise.
But rather than thanking Robert for the heads up, the G/L told him that if he didn't come to work on Friday, he could not work on Saturday. Even though there is no contract provision that if you take off a day during the week you can't work Saturday.
"Mutual respect and cooperation is a 2-way street," said Robert. "I used to go out of my way to make our Group run smoothly, but no more."
The only mention of this issue in the contract is on page 50, where it says "an employee who has worked two or more consecutive Saturdays may decline to work the following (third) Saturday provided . . . the employee has not missed any day during the week preceding the Saturday."
There is nothing in the contract saying that if you WANT to work a voluntary Saturday you can't do so unless you have missed no day during the week.
The General Election for our Local is in June. The people we select will determine the direction our Local for the next 3 years. Take the time to see first hand what's going on. Stay informed, get notification of meetings, and other information by joining my email list: autoworker@attbi.com
The Californiz Federation of Teachers issued a statement at their convention March 22, saying "No to War! For the Defense of Public Education!" Here are excerpts:
"We, who are teachers and public educaton activists, have demonstrated in the streets along with millions of people the world over to shout out in one voice: Stop this unjust and immoral war against the people of Iraq!
"Expressing the overwhelming will of the majority of the world's population, we call for military action to cease and desist immediately so that American and British troops can be removed from harm's way and brought safely home -- and to spare the Iraqi people more death, destruction and suffering."
On March 12 two union members from the new organization U.S. Labor Against War came to NUMMI to pass out flyers about union antiwar protests.
People who have worked at NUMMI for a while, and at GM before it, know that various leaflets and newspapers have been distributed at the intersection at the entrance to the plant for decades. Is NUMMI now going to eliminate this free speech right?
The leafletters on March 12 were told they had to leave by NUMMI security and Fremont police. Luckily, this was after they had been leafleting for over an hour, so they were able to pass their information to a lot of members.
Thsay that war is the eventual endgame outcome of worker a say tWe say that war is the eventual endgame outcome of worker against worker, dog eat dog competition which workers lose so the rich can be richer.
War is the ultimate, evil competition.
We call on workers everywhere to stop the competition between us and to fight for a world based in solidarity.
Everyone can at least talk and we ask that our talk include what we can all do to make the world a safe and happier place. We call on workers to simply talk about the traditional direct action tools of the labor movement.
Can we call for and have international conversations about redeveloping our traditional weapons - War is the ultimate, evil competition.
We call on workers everywhere to stop the competition between us and to fight for a world based in solidarity.
Everyone can at least talk and we ask that our talk include what we can all do to make the world a safe and happier place. We call on workers to simply talk about the traditional direct action tools of the labor movement.
Can we call for and have international conversations about redeveloping our traditional weapons - slowdowns, sitdowns, and strikes - to bring down those who kill us, and to equalize wages and working conditions at the highest possible levels throughout the world?
If we must fight, let us fight against those who constantly divide us and play us against each other for their own profit even to the point of forcing us to kill each other.
If we must fight a war let it be a war against selfishness and poverty.
Let us fight to unite all workers against the destructive, dictatorial greed of corporate moguls. Let us fight to see that those who have the least gain equality in wages, health care and education and the right to a happy life.
A simple conversation started amongst workers who believe in the working class values of solidarity, equality and democracy can change the world.
Let our war begin with the peaceful exchange of words and ideas.
Victor Reuther, UAW Pioneer, Washington, DC * Jim Emerick, Recon Infantry 1949-1957, Korean Combat Vet, 1950-51, 2nd Infantry; 1952-53, 40th Infantry, (CIB, 2 Silver Stars, 5 Bronze Stars, 2 Purple Hearts, 2 Unit Citations - mailed medals back to Dept. of Defense during 'Nam as protest of that war) Veterans for Peace (VFP), Former AFSCME Bargaining Chair, I.W.W.* Dennis Serdel, 11th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Div., Vietnam 1967-68 , UAW Local 5960 Pontiac, MI * Gregg Shotwell, Editor Live Bait & Ammo, UAW Local 2151, Grand Rapids, MI * David Yettaw, Vietnam Vet, Strike Leader, Fmr. Pres (now retired) UAW Local 599 , Flint, MI * John Kiel, Pipefitter, UAW Local 1111, Indianapolis * John Martinez, Editor, UAW Local 22 * Trish Staiger, Anti-Poverty & Peace Activist, Hastings, MN * Al McKinnis, Fmr. USMC, UAW Local 879, St. Paul, MN * Barbara Laney, Commercial Closer, Mpls. * Vern Gagner, 1st Cavalry, Vietnam; Mechanic, UAW Local 879, St. Paul * Tom Laney, Fmr. 82nd Airborne, UAW Local 879, St. Paul * ......
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