Rumors

"The mind revels in conjecture. Where information is lacking, it will gladly fill in the gaps."

James Geary

Why is it that union officials can never grasp this basic truth? Why do they so often fail to realize where it is exactly that rumors come from? In his latest handbill, Mr Harlow states that the shop committee simply can not take the time to answer each and every rumor that hits the shop floor. While i obviously agree with that, i would however argue that our union leaders have the power to stop the vast majority of the plant floor rumors in their tracks.

You see when you get right down to it, rumors stem from a lack of information hitting the floor. It is when people are left guessing that they begin to concoct and spread rumors. Too often information is a scarce resource within our plant walls. Obviously we all know that management has there reasons for with holding information from us, but why does it seem so many times that even our own union is a little afraid to give it to us straight?

We feel as though our very lively hood is left hanging in the balance. "Whats going on?" "Whats being discussed?" "What are the possibilities?" "What are the probabilities?. "Where do we stand?" These aren't really tough questions, but they really sum up what we want to know. It's what we NEED to know so we can go home and tell our wives and our husbands and our children that everything is going to be alright....even when we are pretty sure its not. There is a peace of mind that comes with feeling as though you are informed.

Mr. Harlow mentions in his latest handbill that it is his desire to have "ALL members on the shop committee." I would like to challenge Mr. Harlow to make it his duty to keep us "ALL" informed as if we were on the shop committee. Here are just a few ideas for how this can be accomplished:

* Get our union website up to date and actually UTILIZE it. In todays computer driven age, a web site is an invaluable tool if used to its potential. Why not post all handbills on the website the same day they are delivered to the plant? Why not have a moderated message board where union members can interact and discuss plant issues? Why not post regular video messages from union leaders addressing the membership on important plant issues? Why not stream audio or even possibly video of union meetings? Why not have a regularly scheduled LIVE chat session online where the union President and or SC spend and hour or so interacting with members and fielding questions and concerns?

* Have the President and SC setup simple blogs such as this one and keep it updated with regular journal entries detailing the events of their day or even week. This doesn't have to be a huge commitment or a formalized process. Its just a matter of the SC or Pres sitting down for maybe a 15 minutes every few days or even once a week, and saying "hey guys, this is whats going on....." I'm not asking for full detailed essays on all the events taking place in the work center or Hall....but even just short messages relaying the general "goings on" within the union would be a HUGE benefit to the members. This can be easily set up on sites such as this and linked directly off of our own union home page. There would be absolutely no cost and would only result in a more informed membership. Of course this would also introduce a degree of accountability for union leaders...but i cant imagine anyone would argue with that.

* Make union committeemen more accessible on the plant floor....but FIRST educate them as to whats going on with major plant issues so that they are prepared to relay information and answer questions. During the last election it was mentioned multiple times that too often our union representatives spend most of their days holed up in the union work center. Heck, i can't really blame them. They know the members on the plant floor are starved for information, but they themselves aren't even in the loop. The information needs to come from the top and work its way down. If not the rumors will start on the floor and work their way up. Simple as that.

I am sure there are MANY more ideas that others have for educating and informing our membership. Occasional handbills and monthly union meetings just don't cut it when our plants future seemingly hangs by a thread.

All we want is information. Is that too much to ask??

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A few words from our Shop Chairman.....

In case you missed it here is a link to latest Shop Chairman's report. Unfortunatly plant handbills are very rarely posted on our union website, so i am going to strive to display each handbill here on my blog for retirees or anyone who happens to miss it in plant.

Interesting stuff here concerning rumor control and a possible 2 year National agreement. I am presently preparing my thoughts on both subjects as quite honestly this handbill struck quite a nerve with me. I encourage everyone to read the SC report and post comments below.


SHOP CHAIRMAN-ELECT REPORT 11.26.07


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How did we lose this??

I cant help wondering how we lost out on building the GMC Acadia...along with the Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave and the Chevy Traverse. This should have been ours! Did we EVER have a chance to land production of these vehicles? Were we even considered?? Did our union or plant management drop the ball???

While we hang in limbo, preparations are being made to begin rolling the Chevy Traverse crossover off the line at Spring Hill, TN. Am i the only one who still cant shake the bad taste from my mouth over us not getting at least a share of these vehicles??????

Click on the links above for info about each of the vehicles....and also heres a little video of the Acadia. Kinda makes me sick.



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Yet Another POLL

Taking it one step further....Do you believe that Moraine Assembly will receive a future product beyond our current model? AND Will you vote to approve a National Contract that DOESN'T include a concrete promise of future work??

Our future is on the line. Obviously a simple poll on a meaningless blog may not change anything...but it is a chance to say something about what you think and how you feel about our future. Feel free to vote on the poll as well as let your voice be heard via posting comments on this blog.

If we do not speak up now we may never be heard!
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New Poll

I have added a very basic poll in the right column of this blog as a means of gauging opinions of our future at Moraine Assembly. Please take a second to voice your opinion via a simple 'Yes' or 'No' vote.
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New Absentee Policy Coming Soon....

Check out this link to learn about the new absentee policy surely to be introduced at Moraine in the VERY near future. The game is definitely changing...no more Doctor Notes, kids!

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071112/AUTO01/711120406/1148
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Elections

I purposely delayed writing my thoughts on the election until AFTER the vote. I know, i know...there is still a run-off election to be had..but in my opinion it is basically meaningless. Quite honestly i doubt anyone really cares too much about the position of Financial Secretary. Not that it isn't an important position, just that it doesn't really matter to me if our FS is Mr. Dyer or Mr. Alsept. I am sure they are both capable. As for the run-off for President....again I'm just not sure it really matters. Mr. Turner and Mr. Phillips are both good men who are respected throughout the plant. Either will do a fine job and i think that is the prevailing opinion plant wide. Sure they are from different "slates" but come on...we all know that either man will do an effective job as President and will work well with our new SC(shop chairman) regardless of which "slate" they came from.

Now on to the SC posiiton. The election between Mr. Hall and Mr. Harlow was in my opinion disgusting. Two men trading shots at each other, putting out bogus claims in the form of handbills, enlisting past SC's to come to their aid, etc...etc...etc... Make no mistake neither of these men handled the election well. Both got caught up in the mudslinging and it really was a slap in the face to everyone working the line.

Look Mr. Hall we as members of IUE-CWA798 are not idiots just because we work on the floor. We ARE aware that you led us to make MAJOR concessions in order to gain the promise of a future vehicle. Did GM mislead you into bringing us a not so great deal? Did we need to make the concessions to keep our plant open?? The answer to both questions is probably 'Yes'. I feel like we def needed to make the concessions to secure a future for our plant, but i feel like we were duped into making these concessions without a real concrete promise. Bottom line is the concessions made should have been tied directly to the announcement of a future product. Instead of letting management set the table by basically saying "IF you make these concessions THEN we will in turn promise the possibility of future work."...we should have stepped up and said "If you make an announcement of future product THEN these concessions go into affect." Simple as that.

Not so fast Mr. Harlow. We as members of the IUE-CWA798 are NOT idiots just because we work the floor. We ARE aware that you were involved in the bargaining process for the major concessions mentioned above. We ARE aware that your signature is indeed at the bottom of each and every document.


We ARE also aware that you chose not to publicly claim to be against the concessions until it was time to dispense with the usual election propaganda. WE ARE NOT IDIOTS SIR!

The bottomline is one of these two gentlemen had to win the election. Mr. Harlow came away from the election victorious. But that doesnt mean his slate is now clean. Unfortunatly another election is around the corner and even more unfortunatly the future of our plant still hangs on the edge of a cliff. It is now up to Mr. Harlow to put actions behind all his words. Will he continue with the election rhetoric right on into next years election or will he put that all behind and focus on our future?

The election is over, but our future is still very much on the ballot.

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Introduction

WHO I AM

I am just one of the 2400+ auto workers punching the time clock at General Motors Moraine Assembly plant. I am not unlike the majority of my coworkers. My Father worked for and retired from GM. My Grandfather worked for and retired from GM. While i began my GM career as a summer hire in the early 90's, i vowed to never follow in my ancestors footsteps. I was gonna go to college. I was going to get a degree and make something more of myself. I spent the entire summer of '91 cursing everything GM had to offer as i put in 50 + hour work weeks....and a few years later i walked into Moraine Assembly as a full time employee thinking i would be there 5 years max. Twelve years later i sit down in front of this blog looking back at the time that has flown past me....the job assignments, the contracts, the elections, the friendships, the psycho's, the schedule changes, the buyout...the decisions that have shaped not only our plant and our union but also, to a great degree, who i am today. I'm not the same kid i was back in '91. I have grown up. I have become my own person with my own family. I am ONE of 2400+ autoworkers at Moraine Assembly...but chances are I'm not a lot different than you.


WHO I AM NOT

I am not a disgruntled autoworker. While i am not happy with various aspects of our company and Union, i am not here to tear down either. While i do see great value in constructive criticism, i am not here to personally attack or ridicule any Union officer or member.

I am not an English major. While i strive to make this blog professional in appearance, i apologize in advance for any grammatical errors.

I am not anonymous. I am a real person. I have a real name. I am not hiding behind the 'Moraine Auto Worker' screen name. At this point i see no value in revealing my identity, but that is primarily because i doubt that many will ever even read this...and i already know my name. I do intend to reveal myself through my posts...not just my actual name but also a great deal of what i think and believe.

I am not afraid of criticism. I am opening this blog up to reader comments and i will allow anyone to post to this blog. Anyone may email me anything they wish to have posted on this blog and i will post it completely unedited....with obvious exceptions for vulgarities and other blatantly offensive posts. I intend this blog to become a sounding board of ideas from different perspectives, not just my own. Of course the majority of content is going to be coming from myself unless readers participate.


Why Do This

Simple question that really doesn't have a simple answer. I am not really sure why i am doing this to be honest. Basically, i have spent my entire career at GM in anonymity. I have kept my mouth closed and my ideas to myself. I'm tired of being quiet. I want to start a discussion. I want to air my thoughts and ideas and see how they measure up to others. I want to hear the ideas of others. I want to bring attention to issues that typically get swept under the carpet. We are at a critical juncture for both our Union and our company. If we don't speak up now, we may never be heard.
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