DAYTON, Oct. 3, 3:00 PM “IUE-CWA is deeply disappointed in General Motors’s
Refusal to keep the Moraine Assembly plant open. The announcement that the plant will
be closed much earlier than initially stated will further hurt our members, their families
and a Dayton community already rocked by plant closings and layoffs.
‘The IUE-CWA Division and the Local 798 negotiating committee worked closely
together to try to rescue this plant. We had a strong basis to start from given the high
quality and productivity of the workforce. Despite offers to do whatever it takes to save
Moraine. GM was determined to shut down the plant.
“We are finalizing a package that we believe will give our members in Moraine options to allow them to transition their lives after this devastating blow. The package, which negotiators have worked extremely hard to achieve, will include buyout, retirement and flow back opportunities. We are proud of what we have won, but realize nothing compensates for the end of a career.
“Rest assured that the IUE-CWA and the Local 798 leadership left no stone unturned in searching for a way to keep Moraine open. From outreach to elected officials to a range of innovative bargaining proposals, we fought to save this plant. I commend Local 798 President Gaylen Turner and his entire team for their commitment and leadership in a most difficult situation.
I know that we can count on the professionalism of our membership to see that the last truck out reflects the quality they are known for. We are saddened and angered by what has happened to our plant. I call on our members to express their outrage by voting in November for an Obama administration that will work to keep good manufacturing jobs in the United States instead of a continuation of the same trade policies and lax regulation that have destroyed our economy.
Jim Clark
IUE-CWA President
What stands out to me most in this response is the use of past tense by President Clark. "The IUE-CWA Division and the Local 798 negotiating committee WORKED closely together to try to rescue this plant." "We HAD a strong basis...." "....we FOUGHT to save this plant."
Perhaps i am just being picky, but ARENT there still dues paying members of this union active in this plant?? In fact, unless every single one of us takes the buyout, wont there STILL be dues paying members even after the plant closes on December 23? Am i wrong??? If i dont accept the buyout, i will still have to pay union dues while i collect subpay after the plant closes? If there are still people paying union dues, DOESN'T PRESIDENT JIM CLARK STILL OWE US REPRESENTATION???????
Why then isnt President Clark telling us that the IUE-CWA will continue to work to try to rescue this plant? Why isnt he stating that we STILL HAVE a strong basis to present GM in regards to reopening the plant once it closes? WHY ISNT HE SAYING THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT TO SAVE THIS PLANT???
Look, i am not blind to what is going on here. I understand that our plant will close on December 23. I realize that it is GM's stance that they have no intention of putting a future product in Moraine. I will even acknowledge that our union did actually do everything they can to save the plant from closure....lets face it, IUE-CWA doesnt wanna lose our union dues anymore than we wanna lose our jobs.
However, i believe that our top union officials owe it to us to continue to fight for this plant for as long as there are members from this plant paying dues. Okay, so you left no stone unturned...turn them over again! Okay, you made innovative proposals....make more! Okay, you fought to save the plant...keep fighting! I dont care if Rick Wagoner himself told Jim Clark that the situation was irreversible....keep pestering him until he is sick of hearing about Moraine Assembly.
I just cant understand this garbage where Jim Clark decides the situation is hopeless and therefore he declares it a lost cause and moves on to other matters. I do understand that state and local government officials at some point have to shift their focus towards finding ways to reuse the plant. That makes sense because those government officials have a duty to serve the entire populus of the City of Moraine as well as the State of Ohio. However, Jim Clark has only an obligation to those of us who pay dues. The way i see it, that obligation continues for as long as there are dues paying members, even if it does seem like a pointless waste of time.
Humor us here, Jim.
2 comments:
Hats off to you MoraineAutoWorker! What a wonderful commentary.
Based on everything I know and have experienced in my tenure at GM, I believe that now that the IUE will be getting a big huge fat VEBA, all the current leadership cares about is maintaining it so that they have jobs they can keep. As long as there are retirees, and a VEBA there is an income for them and they don't have the added burden of active hourly workers. Rumor has it that Rob is trying to wedge his way into being the administrator of the VEBA.
This is just a replay of the Merger in 2000 when Ed Fire and Nick Nickols sold us down the river. It was the beginning of the end and this is the end. The only winners are the greedy leadership. Isn't that how it always goes? If anyone dares do dispute this then wait five years and see who is still getting a paycheck. I bet it will be Jim Clark, Harry Bogan and all the boys at the INTL who already have GM retirements and are now working toward IUE-CWA retirements, Gaylen, John, Rob, Stu, Jamie, Brenda, some of the other 99 seniority appointees and the negotiating committee including Eric Chamblin, MIke Ball and Catfish. All the people we haven't seen for months. They'll be the ones still getting paychecks.
That is IF this contract passes. They really thought that they wouldn't have to give us the right to vote but the Gov't took care of that. By law, if you have a VEBA attached to a contract you have to let the membership vote!! So now they are really sweating bullets. They think we are going to turn it down. Well what the heck are we supposed to do? We don't even know whats in it. We don't know any details. They haven't passed any information to us and don't plan to any time soon. (Have you noticed how now that the threat of an election is over you don't see Stu Stull and Jamie Mullett out on the floor anymore?) Have you seen anyone but Billy Thorpe? He's the only one with enough courage to come out an talk to us.
They even went so far as to get Jim Marlow out of the plant permanently because they were so afraid that he would get the membership to vote no.
This is by far the most corrupt union activity I have ever seen or heard of in my life. Managament has basically thrown our contract out the window and are running rampant doing whatever they please. All anyone in the plant can talk about is "What's going to happen to us?" How sad. It feels like we are Titanic occupants drowning at sea. God Help us all.
I think they have us backed in a corner, and we have no other option but to vote yes and they know it.
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