Union Spirit - UAW Local 2488

UAW LOCAL 2488
Union Spirit
Mitsubishi Unit—Voith Unit
Volume 24, Issue 3
May & June 2013
Workers’ Memorial Day 2013
The candle lighting ceremony held during the
Workers’ Memorial Day tribute at the UAW Hall.
The picture to the right
shows the color guard at
the Bloomington/
Normal Trades & Labor
Workers’ Memorial Day
ceremony held in White
Oak Park in
Bloomington.
Inside This Issue:
Bargaining Chair Report
President Report
President Report cont.
Benefits Report
Relay for Life Info
Memorial Golf Outing
Retiree/Work Comp. Info
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
UnionSpirit
Chairman’s Report
By: Roger Goodwin
wide. Management has observed members with apparent idle time, which
justifies job elimination/combination
in their minds. The best way to avoid
this circumstance is to stay busy. Even
if there is down time and nothing to
do, the appearance of being busy will
do wonders.
Production transfers have been completed and 24 members should be in
their new groups by the time you are
reading this. Congratulations and good
luck to everyone who received a transfer!
By the time you read this, 32 JPH
should be implemented. We know
there are going to be problems associated with this. First and foremost, remember to work SAFELY. If you feel
there is a problem job in your area, let
your Coordinator or Committeeman
Twenty members were recalled on
April 29, with only 11 staying through know. MODAPTS will be requested
and the job investigated.
Friday. Four more were recalled by
April 30, with five more to be recalled
Certain members of management are
on May 6. The recall list sits at 148
using unethical tactics to double check
before the additional five are called.
the work of inspectors. Intentionally
Maintenance transfers are completed, ordering the wrong parts to be installed
but can’t be posted until the company is NOT an acceptable practice. Obviously the company disagrees since
sets a date to bring the newly hired
they have yet to put a stop to it. We
maintenance workers in. Tentatively,
need any and all members to notify us;
that date is May 20.
Coordinator, Committeeman, Benefits,
As many of you have found out first
Safety, Quality, Chair, President, anyhand, jobs are being eliminated plant
one; so it can be investigated.
The dates for 2013 summer shutdown
will be June 28 through July 8. Part or
all of Body may be required to work
on July 8 for line fill. Unless you work
the designated holidays of July 4 and
July 5, the qualifying days to be paid
for these holidays are June 27 and July
9, PERIOD. Make sure you are here
those days!
Our thoughts and prayers are with our
Brothers and Sisters in the Voith Unit.
It is a very unfortunate and disturbing
situation. To our friends, we salute
you and the great work you’ve done
with us! Here’s hoping that this bad
situation works out to be a beneficial
event in your lives!
Manpower as of 5-3-13:
Production – 849 Maintenance – 139
Layoff – 148
Supplemental – 48
U.S. Outlander Sport Sales :
March -2442 April-2111
Exports:
March-2751
April-2952
FUTURE UNION MEMBER
UAW Retiree Richard Bodmer proudly introduces
his grandson, Rowan Richard Bodmer born
9-6-2012.
Rowan weighed 6 lbs 1 oz and was 19.5 inches long.
Rowan was welcomed by his brother, Lincoln
Richard and his parents Richard and Madonna
Bodmer.
Page 2
Volume 24, Issue 3
Union Spirit
President’s Report
By: Jerry Harcharik
MMNA AXES VOITH
It is with a heavy heart that I sit at my
keyboard to share this report with you
today. Wednesday, April 17th, 2013
the manager of Employee Relations at
MMNA informed me that the contract
between MMNA and Voith Industrial
Services will not be renewed. MMNA
has reached an agreement with a company called MPW Industrial Services
headquartered in Hebron, Ohio. The
changeover has been set for June 17th,
2013. Voith (formerly Premier) has
been a vital part of operations at
MMNA since 1990 and employs 28
men and women. Local 2488 and
Voith recently completed successful
contract negotiations set to expire in
October of 2015.
that these displaced workers be prioritized when it comes to hiring 2nd tier
MMNA associates because it’s “the
right thing to do”. We were told that
Voith workers are not Mitsubishi employees and can apply for those jobs
“just like everyone else”. I consider
this another example of the attack on
union workers in this country. It is peculiar that a company that preaches of
“wa and harmony” would have such a
lack of respect for workers and their
families. Apparently they do not understand the concept of “you get what
you pay for” which they should have
learned from our current bathroom debacle!
LABOR LIAISON LEAKE
TO RETIRE
We were recently informed that our
labor liaison to the United Way of
McLean County, Gary Leake, will be
retiring this fall. The selfless work and
countless hours that Gary has put in to
coordinate the many facets of organized labor and the member agencies of
the United Way cannot be expressed in
dollars and cents alone. Labor met
with members of the United Way exWe are told that MPW will be prioriecutive committee Thursday morning,
tizing current Voith employees for
May 2nd to discuss the direction that
these new non-union jobs which we
will be taken with Gary’s departure.
assume will be at a drastically reduced We encouraged the United Way to
pay and benefit level. In addition,
continue the partnership that currently
Voith has offered current employees
exists with organized labor. Stay tuned
the opportunity to transfer to other
for further details.
sites…the closest being at the Ford
LOCAL ELECTIONS
plant in Chicago.
We have approached the head of Human Resources in the plant and asked
Congratulations to the newly-elected
officials from our area. Of the 13 labor
-endorsed candidates in the Bloomington-Normal area, 9 were elected. Congratulations also go out to Local 2488
members who chose to run for office.
Current Recording Secretary Gary
Wolf was elected to a 6-year term as
trustee to the Minonk Fire Protection
District. Former president and retiree
Dave Bevans was elected to serve as
trustee in Dry Grove Township. Former president Ralph Timan was
elected as a Mackinaw Township trustee and former member Steve Scudder
was elected as Bloomington Township
Assessor.
REMEMBERING KIM
Sunday, March 24th (the day of the big
snow) was also the memorial service
for Kim Goben here at the hall. A very
large crowd braved the weather that
day and came to honor Kim. Kim was
a tremendously active member of Local 2488 and her contributions to the
development of the local as we see it
today cannot be overlooked. She will
be missed. As a side note to that, Local
2488 will be partnering with the Home
Sweet Home Ministries food pantry
and the Women’s Committee. We are
currently making plans to hold a
canned food drive in Kim’s memory.
A list of items needed will be posted in
the boards and items can be dropped
off at the UAW plant office or here at
the Union Center.
DUE PROCESS
Let me take a minute to talk with you
about “due process”. Each and every
President Report cont. on page 4
Page 3
Volume 24, Issue 3
President Report cont. from page 3
June 21st and 22nd is the annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life to
be held at Normal Community West
High School. The event begins at noon
on Friday and continues for 24 hours.
UAW Local 2488 Community Services Committee is once again sponsoring the “Gary’s Labor of Love”
team honoring the memory of Gary
Nichols. If you remember, Relay for
Life was near and dear to Gary’s heart
and it is only appropriate that we continue the walk in his name. If you are
interested in joining us to walk during
the event or donating, contact Community Services Committee chairman
Ralph Timan or me here at the hall.
one of us employed at MMNA is entitled to our due process when it comes
to the disciplinary system. No matter
whom you are or what you are
“alleged” to have done, this local union stands behind each and every one
of us until the last soldier falls. Until
the process plays out, every employee,
even elected union officers, are considered members in good standing. Every
terminated worker has the total support
of the Local 2488 Executive Board and
we expect the entire membership to
support them as well. We have an obligation to let the process play out.
Every member has the right to the appeal process. We will not allow the
MARCH FOR BABIES
company to dictate the way we do
Congratulations to Brother Troy Pinckbusiness at UAW Local 2488.
ley from F4 for buying the winning
ticket in the March of Dimes “March
NICHOLS GOLF
for Babies” 50/50 raffle held in the
If you are a golfer or even a miserable
plant. Troy walked away with a check
hacker like me, I hope to see you on
for $384.50. Most importantly, a check
June 15th at the 2nd Annual Gary Nichfor the same amount was sent to the
ols Memorial Golf Outing to benefit
March of Dimes.
the Local 2488 Education Committee
Scholarship Fund and the United Way.
WORKER’S MEMORIAL DAY
This event is being played at the Den
Thank you to all those who took the
at Fox Creek in Bloomington and is
time to attend the brief Workers’ Mefilling up fast. The cost is only $75 per
morial Day candle lighting vigil on
golfer and includes golf, cart w/ GPS,
Monday, April 29th at the Union Cen2 beverage tickets and lunch following.
ter. Approximately 40 people joined
There will be plenty of games and
members of the Frank and Foster famiprizes as well. To sign up, pick up a
lies as we remembered those UAW
form at the plant union office, at the
members who lost their lives on the
union center or download a form at
job in 2012. There is always room for
www.uaw2488.org and click on the
more people at these events and the
“Gary Nichols Golf” tab.
families of Joe and John would love to
see you, especially those of you who
WALK IN THE FIGHT
knew them.
AGAINST CANCER
Page 4
Union Spirit
CUBS/CARDINAL BUS TRIP
Whether its Cardinal red or Cubbie
blue, you’ll have the opportunity to
strut your stuff as the UAW 2488 Recreation Committee sponsors a Cub/
Cardinal bus trip on Sunday, August
11th . The bus will leave from the
UAW 2488 Union Center. The package includes game tickets, bus transportation to and from Busch Stadium
in St. Louis and beverages on the bus.
The cost is $100 per person and we are
limited to 50 seats first come, first
served. For more information, check
the posting boards or contact Ron
Dixon at 888-8015.
SUMMER SHUTDOWN
This is the last publication of the Union Spirit you will be receiving until
after the summer shutdown period.
With the promise of more overtime
looming, please take advantage of this
time with your families.
VIEWPOINT FROM THE FLOOR
I truly enjoy the time I spend walking
the shop floor and hearing what you
have to say about what is going on in
our world. A few members have expressed interest in writing articles for
the Union Spirit. I love the idea! In
future issues, be looking for content
submitted by people just like you. If
you are interested in making a submission or for more information, please
note the Union Spirit Policy located on
the back page.
Until next time, I’ll see you on the
shop floor.
Volume 24, Issue 3
Union Spirit
Benefits Report
On April 1, 2013 Mitsubishi stopped
using Prudential Insurance and partnered with Liberty Mutual Insurance to
manage our Life Insurance, Voluntary
Term Life Insurance and Short/Long
Term Disability Insurance. The rates
will stay the same as they were with
Prudential. There was a small glitch
with members who have been on
leaves of absence. They pay their VTL
quarterly and some of them had paid
their quarterly dues to Prudential.
Their dues were refunded to them by
Prudential and new invoices along
with a letter were sent to them by Liberty Mutual. So far the transition with
Liberty Mutual has been smooth in
regards to the Disability program. We
hope this continues. If there are any
concerns or problems, please contact
us so that we can head off any problems as soon as possible.
Questions that are asked about our
Benefit Package
Q: Is there a seven day waiting period before a member is eligible for
disability?
A: Only if the disability is for an illness.
(1). If a member is injured and is
seen by a physician and within
one week of being injured is removed from work there isn’t a
waiting period.
disables, there isn’t a waiting pe- This applies to disabilities we have
riod.
outside of the plant or injuries we sustain inside the plant. It is imperative
(3). If a member is hospitalized
that we report injuries immediately.
for 23 hours or more there isn’t a
Make sure to go to the Medical Clinic
waiting period. Using these three
and also get a copy of your first report
examples members should qualif it is an in-plant injury.
ify for first day disability.
It is also that time of year where we
Q: How is the rate of pay deterneed to make sure that we talk to our
mined for disability?
college students about submitting their
A: Disability payments are made for class schedules as they receive them
time missed away from work during a for their Summer Schedule or when
normal week of Monday through Fri- they establish their Fall Schedule.
This allows us to keep their benefits
day. Members are paid 60% of the
(health and dental) active. If you have
base rate.
a child that is turning 19 and they are
Q: Are payments sent on a binot going to attend college, are not
weekly basis?
planning on returning to college or are
not sure they are returning to college
A. No. Payments are issued weekly.
make sure to fill out the Affordability
Members can elect to have payments
Healthcare Act affidavit. As long as
mailed to their homes or they can set
your child does not have insurance
up direct deposit.
offered to them through their employer
Q: I’ve heard I qualify for Holiday then we are allowed to keep them on
our health insurance until the age of
Pay when on disability.
26. Dental is not offered with this opA. In some cases this is true. A
tion. We have the Affordability
member may qualify for holiday pay if Healthcare Act affidavits in the UAW
they work in the pay period of or the
Benefits office if you need one.
pay period prior to the disability startOpen enrollment to add or make
ing. If the disability carrier pays the
member 60% then MMNA will pay the changes to the Voluntary Term Life
(VTL) policies will be June 3-5. There
40% difference. If the holiday was
part of the waiting period then MMNA will be posters and banners put up in
various places in the plant as a rewould pay the member the full 100%
minder.
for the holiday.
It is very important that if we have an
(2). If a member goes in for out
patient surgery and the physician accident/injury or illness that we seek
out medical treatment immediately.
Page 5
If you have any questions we can be
reached at: Johnna Jackson 888-8008 /
Ron Dixon 888- 8015.
Volume 24, Issue 3
Union Spirit
Relay for Life 2013
By: Ralph Timan, Community Services Chair
It sure doesn’t seem like it but almost two years ago Brother Gary Nichols lost his battle with cancer. Following his passing, Local 2488, along with Gary’s wife Maggie, formed the Relay for Life team named “Gary’s
Labor of Love”. For many years Gary would walk in the annual Relay for Life events and our team’s simple
goal annually is to keep that spirit of participation alive by walking, not only in his name, but for all members
and their families whose lives have been affected by cancer.
This year our Relay for Life team will be selling Luminaries to raise funds for our team. All money raised goes
to cancer research. Luminaria is a special ceremony which takes place during the Relay for Life event to honor
those who have survived cancer and those who have lost their battle with the disease. The name of the person
you wish to honor is written on the outside of each Luminaria bag you purchase. The Luminaria are placed
around the track and lit during a special ceremony held the evening of Friday June 21st around 9:15 pm.
Team members will be selling Luminaries for ten
dollars each on Fridays from now till Friday June
21st in front of the cafeteria at lunch time or you
may see the following team members in the plant
office to purchase one as well: Johnna Jackson,
Ron Dixon or Mike Young or stop by the Union
Center.
Gary Nichols Luminaria
Finally, the Community Services committee would
like to thank all the members who participated in
our 50/50 raffle in support of the March of Dimes
“March for Babies” fundraiser which raised
$384.50. Congratulations go out to the winning
ticket holder: Troy Pinckley of F-4.
GET ON THE BUS!
UAW Local 2488 Recreation Committee is sponsoring a bus trip to see
the Cubs battle the Cardinals on Sunday, August 11th.
We are limited to 50 seats and the cost is $ 100 each. This includes
outfield box seat ticket, Peoria Charter Coach transportation to & from
Busch Stadium plus beverages on the bus.
For more information & to buy tickets call Ron Dixon at 888-8015,
Johnna Jackson at 888-8008 or the Union Hall at 828-2880.
Page 6
Volume 24, Issue 3
Union Spirit
Page 7
Volume 24, Issue 3
UAW Local 2488
10226 East 1400 North Road
NON-PROFIT ORG.
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Permit No. 622
Bloomington, Illinois 61705
Phone: 309/828-2880
Fax: 309/829-2128
E-Mail Contact for the hall:
JHarcharik@UAW2488.com
Retiree Meetings Schedule
Meetings are scheduled on the second
Tuesday of every month and all meetings
will start at 10:00 am.
June 19 Tentative Retirees’ Day
July 9 Meeting at the hall
U.S. Postage Paid
Bloomington, IL
Please remember to keep the Union
informed of your current address
and phone number.
Contact Us
Editor: Linda Hickey
Contact us by postal address or e-mail us at:
uaw2488spirit@yahoo.com
Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
UAW Local 2488 Union Spirit Policy
The opinions expressed in this publication are not
necessarily those of UAW Local 2488 or its Communications Committee. Items submitted to the Editor,
UAW Local 2488 or Communications Committee
become the property of this Local and Committee.
All submissions must be signed and must contain your
group name and a telephone number. We reserve
the right to edit and/or reject any material submitted. Any use of materials appearing in our publication is prohibited, except with the written consent of
the Editor and/or the Local President.
Page 8
Katz, Friedman, Eagle, Eisenstein, Johnson and Bareck
will be at the Union Center on the following dates to
answer questions about Workers’ Compensation.
Richard Johnson
June 11 10:00am—5:00pm
July 9 10:00am— 5:00pm
Phil Bareck & Chris Mose Call for an appointment
Downstate Injury Hotline: 1-800-444-1525
Volume 24, Issue 3