UAW Women Get it Done

May - June 2016
UAW Women
Get it Done
Making it happen
at work, making it
happen at home
Also
Inside:
Auto supplier
workers demand
clean air
Winning streak in
Vegas continues
Page 6
Page 8
Union membership will help women
fix wage inequality
The second Tuesday of April was
“Equal Pay Day,” which represents
the extra four months the average
woman would have to work if she
wanted to earn as much as a man
did in the last year. With women
making up half of the workforce
and earning more college degrees
than men, why are they paid
less? Employment discrimination,
caregiving responsibilities, and less
value being put on jobs defined as
“women’s work” make it difficult for
women to earn the same as men.
Women often have to choose jobs
with flexible schedules that typically
pay less because they have families
to care for. Single mothers and
women of color are at a greater risk
of poverty than men throughout their
lives because of the gender wage
gap. The children and, quite possibly,
the elderly parents of these women
are at risk, too.
Research shows that union
membership improves the lives of
women and their families, both
economically and by giving them a
voice in their workplace. Both men
and women want higher wages,
better benefits and job security, but
women bring new perspectives to
the labor movement because what
they face on the job is different
from men. By giving women a voice
in the workplace through collective
bargaining, women in unions are
more likely to have greater security
from harassment and discrimination.
The wage transparency in a unionized
workplace helps close the gender
wage gap and prevents gender bias.
Unions also typically provide women
better access to benefits such as
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SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
pensions and health care.
But union women have also
helped us make the connection
that what they’re dealing with at
home is important, too. Juggling
the responsibilities of work, family
and community can make union
activism very difficult, but women
have used their voices to not only
better themselves and the lives of
As more and more
families rely on
women’s paychecks,
being paid less
than men for the
same job results in
women and their
families being
shortchanged.
their families, but also the overall
community. Women in unions have
used their voices to speak up and
shape national policies that are
important to them, like fighting
for equal pay, women’s health
concerns, child care policies and
paid family leave.
Yet, despite this, our country still
has a long way to go in addressing
the issue of gender inequality.
Many achievements that have
been made by women have been
under attack by the Republican
Party, which has a different vision
of what women and their families
deserve. While the GOP takes
care of the wealthy, it passes laws
that make forming a union more
difficult, prevent women’s access
to health care and social services,
and block equal pay for equal work
laws.
Republicans support bad trade
policies that hurt all workers by
displacing jobs, lowering wages
and discouraging workers to
form unions. But low-income
workers are the most negatively
affected by these free-trade
agreements and most of these
workers are women ­— women
who are already being paid less
than their male counterparts. A
lifetime of unequal pay makes
it more difficult for a woman to
save money for retirement, for
her children’s education or for the
down payment on a house.
In this election, we have to vote
for candidates who will support
economic policies that help women
and their families. Child care
isn’t just a woman’s issue, it’s an
economic one. Women can’t go to
work every day if they can’t afford
safe quality child care. Unlike
every other developed country,
the United States doesn’t have
guaranteed paid maternity leave
and access to paid family leave is
limited. Women lose paychecks
and even their jobs if they have a
baby or a family member gets sick.
PHOTO : DENN PIETRO
As more and more families rely on women’s paychecks, being
paid less than men for the same job results in women and their
families being shortchanged.
But women have the power to determine the outcome of
elections. In 2012, women were the majority of voters and
most of them voted for President Barack Obama. As I’ve said
before, this election is critical and will decide if we are going
to move forward or go back to how things were eight years ago.
UAW fights for the so-called “women’s issues” because these
issues are really economic issues that affect us all. A country
that supports women is a country that supports families and
communities.
Women in the labor movement have a proud history of
championing women’s rights through political action, fighting
for racial equality and organizing nonunion workers. We should
support working women and listen to their needs because an
economy that works for women works for us all.
Region 1A Expo: Page 10
6 Not backing down
Workers at suppliers fight
to be union
8Momentum
Las Vegas local’s winning hand
12 Overdue Rule
OSHA acts to protect workers
14 COVER STORY
UAW women work hard
on job, and at home
21 Kokomo Rising
Local rebuilds after
devastating tornado
22 Volkswagen Update
NRLB vote favors Tennessee
workers
PLUS
12 24 25 27 28 Legislative Update
Union Sportsmen
Union Plus
Letters
Black Lake
COVER PHOTO: Kim Gomillion helps daughter
Faith with her homework before making dinner
at their home in Sterling Hts., Michigan.
PHOTO: DENN PIETRO
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
3
Community service:
It’s who we are
There is no greater calling than to
serve your fellow men. There is no
greater contribution than to help the
weak. There is no greater satisfaction
than to have done it well.
— Walter Reuther
There’s something special about union people. If
someone is in need, we respond. We don’t judge or
make excuses not to do something: We act. What
is it about trade unionists that makes this trait so
ingrained, so instinctive? For starters, it’s why we
organized in the first place. “An injury to one, is
an injury to all” was an early labor slogan used
in organizing to emphasize the point that we are
stronger together. How then can we turn our back
when someone in our community is in need?
During World War II, unions across the country
began initiatives to organize relief projects in
communities. The idea of community service
was enshrined in our union through the
Community Services Department which was
established in 1951. Community Services is also
one of the mandatory standing committees
noted in Article 44 of the UAW Constitution.
But service happens not because our
constitution mandates it, but because it
is who we are. There are examples of this
everywhere: countless locals raising funds to
send water and supplies to Flint, Michigan;
food donations for striking Kohler workers;
school book bag drives for students in
need in the fall. If UAW members see a
need, we organize quickly to address it.
Below are stories from two locals, but
this is just a small sample of what UAW
members are doing every day to build
stronger communities and strengthen their
union.
No project too small
Fort Wayne, Indiana, is home to big General
Motors’ trucks and big UAW hearts. Local
2209 members work at GM’s Fort Wayne
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SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
Assembly plant. “Local 2209 members come from
all corners of the country. Some are far from their
families. Despite that, we have a very strong sense
of community here, and that drives a lot of our
activism,” said President Brian Hartman.
“Our community services program is very organic.
We do a lot of activities in partnership with the
area United Way, but we are also always keeping our
ears open to find out what is going on and what our
members are concerned with. There’s no shortage of
work to be done, unfortunately. But we take on as
much as we can in our local.”
That means that their Community Services
Committee might be called on for disaster relief,
building ramps, gate collections for people in need,
or rallies, to name just a few. “It’s a broad array
of projects, for sure,” said Hartman. “We recently
heard about an elementary school that needed a new
flagpole. It was a pretty simple project for us, but the
impact on the students was huge. And that’s the point:
Community service can change lives. And it goes both
ways — we help others, but also gain so much back in
return.”
Above: Local 862 members
built more than 300 ramps
in Kentucky through its
Wayne Vickers Memorial
Wheelchair Ramp Project.
Left: One of the thank you
letters Local 2209 members
received from students at
Roanoke Elementary School
in Indiana.
Hartman gives an example: Community service gives
the local the chance to engage with members about
how their projects are connected to their strength at
the bargaining table. “A rally to support Vera Bradley
workers whose jobs are going to China is also about
what could happen to us at Fort Wayne Assembly.
Injustices in our community need to be called out, or
they become acceptable and are soon happening to all
of us,” said Hartman. “Even the flagpole we donated
to Roanoke Elementary School. One day one of those
kids might think about organizing her worksite and
have a positive memory of the UAW instead of what is
shown in the media.”
Because the local has such a variety of projects,
it put together a brief commercial which does the
math on hours volunteered and dollars raised. “That
commercial got a lot of positive attention. Members
were proud when people would thank them at the
neighborhood grocery store or gas station.”
‘We not only build cars and trucks, we
build communities.’
Local 862 in Louisville, Kentucky, is made up of two
large Ford Motor Co. assembly plants and multiple
smaller units. “We’re very active in the community,”
said Local 862 President Todd Dunn. “A key part of
our program is working with other groups. It’s a great
opportunity to find common ground with organizations
that might not know anything about labor,” said Dunn.
“From that, we can build real, lasting relationships
and strengthen their understanding of unions.”
In addition to participating in parades and putting
together events and fundraisers, Local 862 has an
unparalleled reputation for its building projects. It has
built more than 300 ramps through its Wayne Vickers
Memorial Wheelchair Ramp Project (named in memory
of a co-worker). The local also takes on much larger
building projects. It designed and built a “Mobility
City” for Visually Impaired Preschool Services to
simulate storefronts and buildings to help visually
impaired pre-school children. “It gives children a
safe environment to navigate streets and feel what
a fire hydrant or city parking meter looks like,” Dunn
said. A course for a local high school’s robotics team
is also on its list of accomplishments. And one of its
latest projects was a memory garden for residents
of an assisted living center. “We talked with the
therapists and asked what would help the residents
stimulate their memories and from that we came up
with ideas like a park bench with a stanchion to insert
pictures such as a man with his dog. This helps trigger
memories and make their lives more comfortable,”
said Dunn.
The local has also built cabins and is soon starting
a welcome center for Active Heroes Retreat Center,
an organization dedicated to ending suicides among
veterans. Remember how Dunn said working with
other groups can sometimes open minds about unions?
“Just recently, I met a very wealthy philanthropist
who supports veterans. She wasn’t really familiar with
unions and was probably quite conservative politically.
I told her about all the work our local is doing with
Active Heroes and how committed our union members
are to community service. She said our conversation
was an eye-opener and that she had no idea labor
unions were so patriotic. She then opened her
checkbook and wrote Active Heroes two huge checks.”
Involvement is critical
“For us, it was important that we get broad
involvement in our Community Services Committee.
We have co-chairs from our two big plants and we
make a point of doing projects that touch every part
of our community: the elderly, children, veterans,
everyone,” said Dunn. “Honestly, we owe so much to
those who have come before us. They’ve taught us
about union values and compassion for others. Our
hope is that the members of today see that in what
we are doing in the community every day.”
Tips for Community Services Committees
• Recruit volunteers: For many members, Community
Services is their first step in union activism.
Members who might not normally be participating
in their union find the work of these committees
a very good fit. From that, they learn more about
their union and grow into volunteering for other
union events.
• Keep volunteers busy: Members have varying
amounts of time they can volunteer. Even if it is an
hour a month putting together a mailer, or 10 hours
on a Saturday building a ramp, effective committees
have various activities to fit the skill and availability
of volunteers.
• Let the world know: Local 862 leaves behind lawn
signs when they build a ramp, and the sign is made
from corrugated plastic. “It’s amazing how long that
sign will last,” said Dunn. This is an important part
of the project: Members feel pride in seeing their
union at work in the community, and it reminds the
community who we truly are.
• Work with allies: Whether it’s building a long-term
relationship with the area Red Cross or United
Way or stepping out and finding other like-minded
groups, working in tandem with other groups
can change do a lot to change attitudes in your
community. Remember that community groups are
leaders — their opinions and experiences influence
many others.
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
5
Something in the air at Ground Effects
Health and safety problems spur protest, drive for representation
When Jason Coffey is working at automotive supplier
Ground Effects in Dearborn, Michigan, he feels like he
is under water.
“I feel better when I’m away from the facility than
when I’m there,” he said. “It feels like I am breathing
in heavy air.”
“What I found out for me and my coworkers is
that many of us have headaches a lot more often,”
said Maria Sanchez, a former employee at Ground
Effects who believes she was fired for supporting a
union. There have also been complaints about skin
deterioration, fatigue, hair loss and more.
The company didn’t listen, so workers have taken
matters into their own hands. In late February they
filed 10 Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) complaints for major health and safety
violations that include lack of adequate ventilation,
repeated skin contact with the toxic uncured
isocyanates, respiratory problems from robotic spray
booths, lack of adequate hand and foot protections,
and problems with the alarm systems.
On March 3, they took their complaints public with a
3 a.m. protest at the company and a news conference
later that morning.
“Would you like your daughter to work in a place
like that? I don’t think anyone should work in those
conditions,” said John Salazar, another former
Ground Effects worker who believes he was fired for
supporting the union organizing effort. There have
been at least 18 unfair labor practices filed against
Ground Effects and the company has been fined
$6,500 for health and safety violations. In addition
to Sanchez and Salazar, two more Ground Effects
workers, Maria Chavez and Miquell Bragg, have been
fired for speaking out on workplace conditions. The
discharged workers have since filed Department of
Labor whistleblower charges against Ground Effects.
There are nearly 100 workers at the Ground Effects,
where the work includes spraying the bed liners of
Ford F-150 pickups produced at the Dearborn Ford
Rouge Complex.
In addition to the health and safety violations,
workers have had other problems at Ground Effects.
In July 2015, during an organizing campaign,
workers had more than 80 percent union support
on authorization cards. They were on the way to
forming their own union. The company brought in
union busters and workers lost the election by one
vote.
However, in December, the National Labor Relations
Board approved an agreement to hold a second
election because of tactics the company used during
the vote. Since then, Ground
Effects has committed other labor
practices that are unfair such as
firing workers like Sanchez and
Salazar who want to form their
own union.
“Our goal is just to get the point
across to management that we
need a union in here,” Sanchez
said.
“I just want to provide for my
family,” said Juan Gutierrez. “I
want that for us and for others
who are going to work here.”
Sandra Davis
Ground Effects workers have
been fired for speaking out about
dangerous workplace conditions.
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SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
The power of staying together
Detroit Chassis workers in Ohio win their union
The word “temporary” is one of
those words workers at Detroit
Chassis in Avon, Ohio, came to
know as meaning “permanent” — as
in, if you are an employee here you
will permanently be a temporary
employee.
So the 60 temporary workers
decided to try to change their
standing at the plant on the shore
of Lake Erie. They believed the
best way to do that was to join the
UAW and to take direct action. The
plant supplies parts to the nearby Ford Motor Co., Avon
Lake, Ohio, truck plant.
They told the company that they would go on strike
unless it recognized the UAW as their bargaining agent.
On April 19, when they were ready to carry through
on their plans, the company agreed to their request to
join a union.
Never doubt the power of people sticking together to
accomplish a common goal.
“Winning this union is a huge relief for us, and will
help bring good jobs that are sorely needed in our
community,” said David Perrier, 51, a production
worker at Detroit Chassis who is paid $11 an hour. “I’ve
worked at the plant since Day One, and I could see
the only way we were going to get a decent paycheck
and fair treatment on the job is by coming together in
a union and demanding it. This victory proves that by
speaking out, we can win real change.”
The workers — all of them temps — make between
$9.50 and $11.50 an hour. They want permanent fulltime employment and better wages and benefits. Their
duties include assembling axles for the Ford F-650
and F-750 trucks. Auto parts workers are increasingly
rejecting the low pay and unsafe conditions found
throughout the industry. In neighboring Lorain, Ohio,
workers at an auto parts factory operated by Camaco
are organizing for good jobs at a plant where 1 in 4
of the jobs are temp positions that pay as low as $10
an hour. Late last year, workers at a parts plant in
Piedmont, Alabama, voted by a 2-1 margin to join the
UAW.
Ken Lortz, director of UAW Region 2B, which includes
Ohio, said the effort by Detroit Chassis’ workers to
secure representation was nothing short of courageous.
“They basically said, ‘Enough is enough,’” Lortz
said. “They decided that the chance to be treated
Workers at Ford supplier Detroit Chassis celebrate
their victory.
like valued full-time permanent employees was worth
fighting for. We are proud to welcome them into our
union.”
The workers won a commitment from Detroit Chassis
that sets in motion a process that will allow workers to
achieve their goals — forming a union with the UAW,
making them solely employees of Detroit Chassis rather
than contracted temporary workers, and the chance to
bargain a contract that will transform their lives. Lortz
said the UAW will immediately begin working with the
company to bring about these changes.
Jobs at the Detroit Chassis plant in Avon are a
microcosm of the broader trend of wage cuts and
widespread use of temp positions that has unfolded
across America’s manufacturing and auto industry
over the past decade: One in four manufacturing jobs
in the U.S. now pays less than $11.91 an hour, and
wages in the auto parts sector have fallen nine times
faster than the rate for all other jobs over the past
decade, according to a recent report by the National
Employment Law Project.
As wages have declined for manufacturing and
autoworkers, temporary work has increased
significantly in the industry. In the auto parts sector,
about 14 percent of workers are now employed by
staffing agencies, and wages for these workers are
substantially lower than for direct-hire parts workers:
auto parts workers placed by staffing agencies make, on
average, 29 percent less than those employed directly
by auto parts manufacturers, according to estimates
based on U.S. Census Bureau data.
Vince Piscopo
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
7
Success in gaming isn’t by chance
Reaching out to all members is key to building a strong local
Local 3555 in Las Vegas has demonstrated it knows
how to appeal to Nevada workers on The Strip. In
the last two years, gaming workers from Flamingo/
Margaritaville, The LINQ, Paris/Bally’s and The
Cromwell have joined the UAW.
There are first-ever contracts in place at Flamingo/
Margaritaville, The LINQ and Paris/Bally’s. Organizing
continues, and Local 3555 recently held its second
annual open house at its office just off The Strip.
Part of the UAW’s success in Las Vegas and
elsewhere is due to reaching out to a diverse
population. It’s to let them know that they are a part
of our movement and are welcome to bring their
ideas, talents and energy to the fight.
Las Vegas is the most recent example of this, where
Local 3555 has reached out to Asian-American gaming
workers. The local estimates that 35 to 45 percent
of dealers and slot attendants at the Flamingo/
Margaritaville casinos are Asian-Americans; about
50 percent are Asian-American at The LINQ. Overall,
estimates are that 50 percent of gaming workers in
Las Vegas are of Asian heritage
Part of the outreach is making sure the organizers
have members who speak the same language on the
organizing committee. Another part is making sure
printed materials are in the language that members
feel most comfortable using. For instance, in Las
Vegas, ads for the recent open house were placed in
the major daily local newspaper, and in Chinese and
Spanish language newspapers. Local 3555’s Quiling
“Mandy” Sun said building trust with prospective
members is crucial. It’s hard to build trust if there are
language barriers.
“We have to build a relationship with that person,”
Sun said. “If they trust us, they will support us and
the union.”
Yuee Xie said the numbers of Asian-American gaming
workers means they can be a force for economic and
social justice.
“It’s very important to have strong Asian members
as they have influence in the Asian community.
People will listen to us. Also, as a group we are very
powerful. We have a lot of power at our command as
we represent over 50 percent of the gaming industry
here in Vegas,” Xie said. “It would be a shame for us
to not come together and use that power, not only for
our benefit but to benefit all gaming workers.”
8
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
Right: An ad in the
Las Vegas Chinese
Times is tailored
for Asian-American
members. Below:
Quiling ‘Mandy’ Sun,
left, and Yuee Xie
say the numbers of
Asian-Americans in
gaming means they
can be a force for
positive change in
Las Vegas.
Xie added that the UAW needs to continue to
promote the many positive things it does in the
community to help bring more Asian-Americans into
the union.
“There are a lot of things the union does behind the
scenes that workers never hear about,” she said. “We
have to take credit in some ways for all the positives,
heard and unheard.”
Sun said many Asian-Americans support the UAW’s
efforts in Las Vegas because of its past success in
the gaming industry. With more than 13,000 gaming
workers in nine states, gaming workers understand
the UAW has tremendous experience in the industry.
“We also get the best contracts for the workers,”
she added.
Two of those contracts recently were ratified by
table games dealers at The LINQ and slot attendants
at the Paris/Bally’s casinos. The contract for the
287 dealers at The LINQ was ratified by a 99 percent
margin. The contract for the 38 slot attendants
at Paris/Bally’s was unanimously supported. The
agreements, which include guaranteed raises in each
year for all employees, expire Sept. 30, 2019.
Marlo Brooks, the chair of The LINQ bargaining
committee, said there were dealers who were not
making $9 an hour after decades on the job. The
guaranteed raises provided in the agreement are far
superior to so-called merit raises. The bargaining
committee investigated and found that very few
dealers actually received those raises.
“Their merit raises are nothing compared to what
they are going to be,” Brooks said. “Ninety-nine
percent of (the members) are really excited.”
Michael Boudell, chair of the Paris/Bally’s bargaining
committee, said slot attendants were pleased with
the economic gains, but other gains were important,
too.
“With our UAW contract, we finally have a process
that protects the workers by which we can hold our
employer accountable and a grievance procedure
that assures us that discipline is for just cause,” said
Boudell, who noted that the slot attendants also work
at the Bally’s casino, which is connected to the Paris
property. “The workers are thrilled that we all have a
seniority structure that replaces an old matrix system
that was based on favoritism.”
Gary Jones, director of UAW Region 5, which
includes Nevada, said the bargaining committees
did an outstanding job at winning agreements that
address the employees’ needs at each particular
property.
PHOTO BY VINCE PISCOPO
Gaming workers
at The LINQ
casino recently
ratified their
first-ever contract
by a 99 percent
margin.
“All properties have different needs and the
bargaining committees won strong improvements and
protections that will serve their memberships well for
years to come,” Jones said. “The solidarity shown by
Local 3555 members helped these committees craft
solid agreements.”
The ratifications come nearly one year after UAWrepresented gaming workers at the Flamingo/
Margaritaville casinos ratified their first-ever contract.
The UAW now represents more than 750 gaming
employees on The Strip.
Neil Berson, president of Local 3555, said the strong
member support for the contracts also strengthens
the UAW’s presence in Las Vegas.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Berson said. “These are
contracts that protect the workers, that give the
workers rights, and that give the workers something
that they didn’t have before.”
Vince Piscopo
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
9
Fully engaged
Region 1A shows how everyone can play a part in our union
Many longtime UAW members
know about the numerous ways
they can get involved in our union,
from serving veterans to running
for local office to civil rights and a
long list of others.
But many UAW members have no
idea of how long and varied that
list really is. That is what inspired
Region 1A Director Rory Gamble
to host the Region 1A Expo in late
April.
The expo, held at the Region 1A
office in Taylor, Michigan, served as
a clearinghouse of information for
a variety of programs and services
offered by the region.
“While UAW members in our
region are some of the most active
and committed in our union, we
found that having an event that
brings all of our programs and
councils together under one roof
was an effective way to reach
out to members who want to get
involved, but don’t know where to
start or where they might fit in,”
Gamble said.
At the urging of their
committeeperson, a group of Local
174 members including Lear Corp.
workers Rose Oates, Bashua Brooks
and Viola Williams, stopped by to
check out what was going on at the
various information tables. Brooks
said she was interested in what our
union does to protect members’
civil rights.
“I’m all about equal rights,”
Brooks, a quality technician, said.
“That’s what interests me — people
being treated fairly.”
Williams checked out the region’s
effort to support children’s
charities, including the March
of Dimes and Director Gamble’s
charity, the G.I.V.E.S. program,
which benefits the Muscular
10 SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
Above: There was plenty of
information for members.
Right: Torria Wynn, left,
and Rebecca Martinez of
Local 3000 were there to
bring information back to
members, as was Local
600’s Nazar Nasser, who
won a UAW veterans bag.
PHOTOS BY DENN PIETRO
Dystrophy Association, the United
Negro College Fund and other
charities.
“I love kids and I love helping the
kids,” Williams said. “Today’s kids
need all the help they can get.”
Oates said she was there in part
to find out about affordable dental
plans for her parents. Workers at
Delta Dental are represented by
UAW Local 889, and the company
was at the expo to explain various
dental plans to our members, as
were representatives of Health
Alliance Program, where UAW Local
600 members work.
“It’s very important for UAW
members to support each other,
whether we are buying cars and
trucks, health and dental insurance
or any other product or service
produced by our brothers and
sisters,” Gamble said.
Jason Brandau, a trustee at Local
723 who works as a drive-line
assembly welder at auto supplier
Neapco in Monroe, Michigan, was
manning the community services
table. He said it’s important for
members to be educated so they
understand that the best solutions
come from the rank and file.
“At the end of the day you have
to educate yourself to question
your leaders,” Brandau said. “We
want our members educated and
we want them to know what’s going
on.”
Others were at the expo to
bring information back to their
co-workers who could not attend.
Torria Wynn and Rebecca Martinez
of Local 3000 at Ford Motor Co.’s
Flat Rock Assembly Plant made
the short drive to Taylor, as did
Nazar Nasser of Local 600 at Ford’s
Dearborn Truck Plant.
“We just spread the knowledge,
get people involved, worker-toworker type of stuff,” Wynn,
chairperson of the local’s education
committee, said.
Sam Brown Jr.’s objective was
more social than anything else:
The Local 36 retiree and former
material handler at Ford’s former
Wixom Assembly Plant, said he
hoped to see old friends at the
expo. But he also wanted to check
out the health care plans at UAWrepresented providers to see if he
could save some money in co-pays.
“I’m here to see who is offering
the best deal for the retiree,”
Brown said.
Vince Piscopo
Above: There were plenty
of cool things given out at
the expo. Left: Members got
to check out some Harleys.
Below: Jason Brandau of
Local 723 explains some
of the region’s community
service programs.
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 11
Fighting for the protection we deserve
New crystalline silica rule long overdue
In late March, millions of working people earned a
long and hard-fought victory when the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took action
to curb lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, and kidney disease in America’s
workers by limiting their exposure to respirable
crystalline silica. Crystalline silica is a ubiquitous
mineral, found most commonly in the form of quartz.
These tiny dust particles can cause lung cancer,
emphysema, kidney disease and other diseases. The
rule will save more than 600 lives and prevent more
than 900 new cases of silicosis each year, once fully
implemented. It is projected to provide net benefits
of about $7.7 billion annually, although it is impossible
to put a value on human life.
The adverse health effects of inhaling silica dust
Ten UAW members from around the country testified before OSHA in support of the new standard for crystalline
silica. First row from left: Andrew Comai, UAW International Health and Safety Department, Local 174; Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jordan Barab; Deborah Berkowitz, former
OSHA chief of staff and Senior Fellow of Worker Health and Safety for the National Employment Law Project;
Shawn Ragle, Local 974, Mapleton, Illinois. Second row: Darius D. Sivin, UAW International Health and Safety
Department; Rodney Graves, Local 2317, Lafayette, Indiana; Jeff P’Poole, Local 523, Calvert City, Kentucky;
Andrew Mercer, Local 8, Sparta, Michigan. Third row: Stan Burkeen, Local 523, Calvert City, Kentucky; Matthew
Wafford, Local 2339, Rushville, Indiana; Richard Boecker, Local 211, Defiance, Ohio; Robert Hitchcock, Local
211, Defiance, Ohio. Not pictured: Greg Essex, Local 226, Indianapolis.
12 SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
have been known as far back as ancient stone-cutting
grind materials like concrete and stone. The disease
in Greece and Rome. We have known how to prevent
suffocated him, and he literally worked until his dying
silicosis for at least 80 years, as wetting down the dust
day. His father’s death from silicosis was not just a
or improving ventilation significantly cuts down the risk
personal tragedy for Ward and his family; it was a
of unhealthy exposure. In the mid-1930s, U.S. Secretary
financial crisis, too, because they lost everything.
of Labor Frances Perkins convened a panel of experts
Inspired by his father, currently Ward works in the
to study this issue.
crafts trades and teaches many of the safety measures
“This rule will save lives. It will enable workers to
that could have saved his father’s life. He believes we
earn a living without sacrificing their health,” said
need a better, updated safety standard that protects
current Secretary of Labor Tom
people who work around silica
Perez. “It builds upon decades
dust. Ward joined Perez at OSHA’s
of research and a lengthy
announcement of the final silica
For decades, the UAW has
stakeholder engagement process
rule.
— including the consideration of
Progress has been slow in large
fought to protect workers
thousands of public comments —
part because powerful industry
to finally give workers the kind of
groups have always fought against
from exposure to silica.
protection they deserve and that
stricter standards. OSHA last
Frances Perkins had hoped for
acted in the 1970s, and even those
This new rule will help UAW
them.”
standards were out of date from
members who work in glass
For decades, the UAW has
the moment they went into effect.
fought to protect workers
The new protections will take
manufacturing, foundries,
from exposure to silica.
effect in June 2016, but businesses
This new rule will help UAW
will have ample time to comply. In
plastic injection molding, ball
members who work in glass
addition to reducing the exposure
manufacturing, foundries, plastic
limit, the final rule will require
bearing manufacturing, auto
injection molding, ball bearing
that employers limit exposure
and truck assembly, auto repair
manufacturing, auto and truck
through engineering controls,
assembly, auto repair and heatcreating an exposure control
and heat-treat operations.
treat operations. Additionally,
plan, providing medical exams
welders, metal fabricators and
to exposed workers, and training
paint manufacturing members
workers on the risks of exposure.
will be positively impacted by this new rule. Workers
From the time the UAW was formed, worker
are also exposed to silica in new industries such as
protections have been a part of what we do. We have
stone or artificial stone countertop fabrication and
always worked hard to ensure the health and safety
hydraulic fracturing and will be better protected as a
of the lives of men and women in America, and we
result of the new standard.
worked equally as hard to help complete this rule. Our
OSHA had a thorough process to develop the standard
brothers and sisters who work with steel, brick and
that included 14 days of public hearings (in which UAW
stone — who build our homes, operate our foundries
members and our health and safety representatives
and maintain our roads — deserve nothing less than
participated). During this period, more than 200
the best possible protection. Passage of this final rule
stakeholders presented testimony, and over 2,000
serves to protect their right — one of our most basic
comments were accepted.
rights of all — to come home safe and sound after a
For Tom Ward, a masonry trainer for the Bricklayers
hard day’s work.
and Allied Craftworkers in Michigan, the final silica
Source: UAW Legislative Department
rule was personal. When Ward was young, he thought
his dad was Superman, especially because he worked
with his hands. Ward told Secretary Perez about how
heroic and invincible his father seemed, about his
For further information:
athleticism and his work ethic. But years of working as
a sandblaster had taken its toll and silica turned out to
To read more details of OSHA’s new rule
be his kryptonite.
on crystalline silica, go to
When he was just 34 years old, Ward’s father was
https://www.osha.gov/silica/
diagnosed with silicosis, a progressive, incurable
disease afflicting workers who drill, cut, crush, or
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 13
Fighting for
a better life
Tina Kollek works hard. The 45-year-old Local 651
member has been a parts handler at General Motors’
Davison Road Processing Center in Burton, Michigan,
near Flint, for almost 10 years. The job has allowed
Kollek to provide for her family as the single mother
of three children.
Kollek has a lot on her mind as she works. She thinks
about what awaits her the minute she gets home,
where her “second shift” of housework will begin.
Her days repeat like this, starting at 5:30 a.m. until
she falls into bed, exhausted.
And she thinks about her children, especially her
daughter Cynthia.
Cynthia was born with Down Syndrome. As the
years progressed, more and more major medical
complications arose, including diabetes. Cynthia
required intensive personal care, including many
doctor visits. Diabetes complications affected
Cynthia’s kidneys, and eventually blinded her. She
needed dialysis treatment three times a week,
UAW women
know the power
of a union
helps them
requiring Kollek to rush from work so she could sit with
Cynthia, comfort her, take her home, then rush to the
grocery store, maybe run an errand, then return home
and squeeze in housework.
Working women need unions
Kollek’s story isn’t uncommon among UAW women.
Balancing a job, taking care of family, running a
household and handling other duties means women
have to multitask. Whether it is a single mother or
father or a grandparent juggling work and life, the
caregiver often has little time to address their own
needs. UAW members who work and raise a family
know that union support makes a huge positive
difference.
UAW President Dennis Williams knows being a UAW
member means having a job with pay and benefits
that provides for a family’s needs. “Health care, sick
time, prescription coverage, family leave: These are all
things that parents, including mothers, need to protect
and raise a healthy family. Union jobs have those
benefits because they’re negotiated through collective
bargaining. That’s the power of solidarity and collective
action for union members,” said Williams.
UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada, who leads the
UAW’s Women’s Department, knows all working
mothers, especially single mothers, deserve a good
union contract to provide for their family and support
their children. “The UAW provides the seat at the
table to bargain full health care coverage, time off
for children’s needs, and many other provisions that
relate to caring for a family,” she said. “Mothers
trying to balance full-time work and full-time home
responsibilities need that contractual support and they
also need the solidarity of their union brothers and
sisters.”
She works hard for the money, with little
sleep
Tina Kollek’s daughter, Cynthia, at home, shortly
before she died, with Kollek’s grandson Jaxon.
14 SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
Shauna Lewis, 41, has lived in Ypsilanti, Michigan,
about 35 miles west of Detroit, her entire life. Since
2007, the Local 900 member has worked in the body
STORY BY JOAN SILVI
PHOTO: PHIL HOLLIFIELD / LOCAL 3000
Being a UAW member, she said,
makes it possible to take the
time she needs to make sure
her baby, and her older sons,
are getting the medical and
personal attention they need.
and stamping department of Ford Motor Co.’s Michigan
Assembly plant in nearby Wayne. Lewis is a team
leader on the first shift which, at Ford, is the midnight
shift. In the middle of the night when most people
are fast asleep, she’s in the heart of her workday that
starts at 11 p.m.
Lewis workday ends at 7 a.m., but that time also
marks the beginning of her daily routine of caring for
her infant son Dallas. She has two other sons, Darrius,
21, and DeShaun, 19, who
are in college or work full
time.
Lewis picks up Dallas from
her parents’ house and
heads to her own home
where she feeds him, gets
in some play time, and puts
him down to sleep around
8 or 8:30. Over the next
several hours, Lewis does
some housework and tries
to rest for an hour or so,
sometimes unsuccessfully.
‘I cried every day’
“Thank God we’re UAW members because nonunion
families don’t get the benefits we have,” said Kim
PHOTO: DENN PIETRO
Local 900’s Shauna Lewis of Ypsilanti, Michigan, with
son Dallas.
Some afternoons, Lewis takes Dallas with her to union
meetings and shoots for one last nap before it’s time
for the next day of work.
On a good day she gets seven hours of interrupted
sleep, but that’s rare.
Being a UAW member, Lewis said, makes it possible
to take the time she needs to make sure her baby and
her older sons are getting the medical and personal
attention they need. Lewis is often tired. But it’s
all worth it to “see Dallas growing up in these early
years.”
Local 653’s Kim Gomillion
starts the family dinner
after working all day at GM’s
Pontiac Stamping Plant.
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 15
Gomillion, 44, a hi-lo driver at GM’s Pontiac, Michigan,
Metal Center. The Local 653 member said, “The hours,
the helpful information, the family time I need off,
the (unpaid) leave, just everything that we get is
important. Many younger workers have never belonged
to a union and don’t understand the sacrifices that got
them those benefits, like the insurance they don’t have
to pay for, for example. And my union seniority allows
me to stay on the day schedule, which makes all the
difference in being with my daughter and my family.”
Kim and her husband, Roy, live in Sterling Heights
with their 15-year-old daughter, Faith. On most days
they work the same shift: 6 a.m. to about 2 p.m.
But Gomillion didn’t always have a husband’s help
at home. In 2001, she was a newly divorced parent of
Faith, then an infant and her pre-adolescent son Dion,
working 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. as a Local 662 member at
auto parts supplier Delphi Corp., in Anderson, Indiana.
For a year, Gomillion worked that shift on little sleep.
“In the evening, I would take my kids to my sister’s
and they would spend the night there. From there, I
would go to work until 7 a.m., then pick up my kids,
drop the baby off at another sitter’s house and take
my son to school. I would go home and be in bed by 10
a.m., sleep for maybe four hours, pick up my daughter
from the sitter at 2 p.m., and my son would come
PHOTO: DENN PIETRO
UAW
Women
Kim, left, and Roy Gomillion enjoying a moment with
daughter Faith.
Women Creating Caring Communities
continues its job of inspiration and encouragement
‘These are the times
to grow our souls.
Each of us is called
upon to embrace the
conviction that despite
the powers and
principalities bent on
commodifying all our
human relationships,
we have the power
within us to create the
world anew.’
— Grace Lee Boggs
(1915-2015)
16 SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
home at about 4 p.m.,” Gomillion said.
“I felt like a zombie all the time, not getting enough
sleep,” she added. “When my son got home I would
make dinner, help him with homework, make sure the
kids got bathed, then put them down to sleep. As soon
as they fell asleep, usually around 8 or 9, I would pack
them up, and then drive them back to my sister’s to
stay overnight, and then I would go to work and start
all over again.
“Thanks to my UAW local at Delphi, I had access to
good information about 24-hour day care providers
and help in other areas of my life, including excellent
health care coverage that a nonunion employer might
not provide.”
In 2002, Gomillion started work at General Motors
Corp.’s Fort Wayne Truck Assembly Plant in Roanoke,
Indiana, and needed a new babysitter for her children.
“My new UAW Local, 2209, gave me a list of sitters
in the area and I started looking. But until I found
one, I had to be 130 miles away from my daughter for
two weeks and my son until June. I cried every day.
It was horrible. So, in addition to my work schedule
and looking for a sitter, I made the round-trip journey
from Ft. Wayne to Indianapolis two or three times a
week. I’m glad those days are over,” said Gomillion.
The world needs changing, and UAW
women inspired by Grace Lee Boggs’
quote have been growing their souls
across the union.
In March, Women Creating
Caring Communities held its 6th
annual International Women’s Day
celebration: “Women Creating a
World Without Walls: Real Problems,
Real Solutions.” This year’s gathering
at the UAW GM Center for Human
Resources brought together 500 men,
women, and young people, making it
one of the event’s largest turnouts.
UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada
started Women Creating Caring
Communities with her mentor and
dear friend Grace Lee Boggs in
2011, after Boggs challenged her
But she had new troubles as a single parent, and it
was with both kids.
“My son was rebellious, acting out in school. I was
130 miles away until June,” Gomillion recalled. “When
school ended in June, he came to live with me, but
he missed his friends. After 3:45 p.m. each day, I left
for work and took my daughter to the babysitter. I
was worried about my daughter being with a new
sitter I didn’t have experience with.” Gomillion found
comfort with co-workers in her local union, many in
similar situations. “One of the women at work, her
older daughter went to the same baby sitter as Faith,
so I knew her daughter would keep an eye on Faith.
Her mother and I worked the same shift, doing the
same thing. We were on the same schedule, and we
leaned on each other.” Gomillion later met her future
husband, Roy, and by 2012 they were married, working
at GM in Pontiac, and living about 15 miles away.
Roy also knows the challenges of balancing work and
home. Before he met Gomillion, he said, “My son was
living with his mother and because of my work hours
I wasn’t able to attend his extracurricular activities.
For 16 years, I would rush to pick him up from school,
drop him off at his mother’s house and be at work on
time. It was a struggle working and having a young son
to create a space where women
who were active in their union
and women who were active
in their community could come
together and create re-spirited
neighborhoods working toward a
common vision.
“We have to give each other the
kind of hope that trumps fear and
anger because we have much to
give,” Estrada said. “We have
to depend on each other. Grace
stressed the responsibility I had to
the community and that getting
good union contracts should not be
the only focus. To grow our souls
was also important.”
Women Creating Caring
Communities is not about hosting
an annual gathering. Instead, it
represents a banner for a diverse
group of labor and community
women to gather under and work
together to create the beloved
community that Dr. Martin Luther
King envisioned and died trying to
create.
“We lost Grace last year at the
age of 100,” Estrada said. “It’s in
her honor that we as UAW women
and all women need to challenge
ourselves to very intentionally
overcome whatever fears we have
and powerlessness we feel and
create the caring communities that
our children need now and future
generations deserve.”
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 17
UAW
Women
2006, Darden got into a car accident with her mother
and baby in the car. Her mother and the baby weren’t
hurt, but Darden was seriously injured and had to
spend months recovering from her injuries after
hospitalization.
“My mother would put my son on my chest so I could
nurse,” Darden remembered. “It hurt that I couldn’t
touch my son, sit up and hold him. I cried, but I
thanked God I was alive and that I could see him.”
Eventually, Darden recovered and returned to
work in late 2006 to continue her apprenticeship
on the day shift. As is often the case with single
parents, a relative, often a grandparent, steps in to
help. That was the case with Darden. Her mother
watched Kameron while she worked. When Darden’s
shift switched to afternoons, 3 p.m. to midnight,
her mother changed her schedule to accommodate
Darden’s child care needs, and this time her brother
and father also helped watch Kameron while she
worked. Kenya’s schedule changed again as she
continued juggling work, child care, nursing and
Kenya Darden with son Kameron and daughter Kayla.
trying to get a few hours of sleep.
Darden says she got through her challenges ‘through
During this time, Darden became a team leader
the grace of God and the UAW.’
at work, which was unusual for a woman who had
just become a journeyman. Darden said the added
responsibilities increased her work stress, but she
because I worked overtime all my career. I’m at least
was determined to continue and do a good job as a
happy I had good UAW medical coverage to help with
worker and as a single mother who was still nursing
raising him.”
her son.
“I had an electric pump,
Making history in
and at work I would spend
Kansas City
She couldn’t do it all without
less than 10 minutes each
Kenya Darden, a 42-yeartime going in the bathroom
old single mother, is the first
the benefits she gets as a UAW
twice a day to get my milk.
African-American woman to
Because I’m skilled trades
complete the skilled trades
member, especially the sick
I’m not tied to the line,
apprenticeship program
so it was easier for me to
at GM’s Fairfax Assembly
leave time and health insurance
step away for 10 minutes.
plant in Kansas City, Kansas.
I would nurse before work,
And being a single mother,
for her and her children.
and nurse again when I got
Darden’s achievement
home.”
wasn’t easy. The Local 31
In 2010, Darden was
maintenance electrician
expecting a second child
started work at Fairfax in 1999, and began the
and had another difficult pregnancy with severe
apprenticeship program in 2002. Five years later she
complications and lots of time in the hospital. In
was a journeyman electrician.
March 2011, her daughter Kayla was born. Now, a
Those five years were tough. Darden’s workday as
single mother of a newborn and a 5-year-old son,
an apprentice started at 6 a.m. and lasted until 2:30
Darden was nursing her new daughter while she
p.m., followed by class until early evening. In 2005, she
worked second shift, and managing the arrangements
became pregnant, and life got even more challenging.
at work to make sure she could use her pump and
Darden had a difficult pregnancy and had to go on sick
continue her nursing program with her new baby — an
leave. Shortly after her son, Kameron, was born in
18 SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
issue only women who are new mothers have to face
nephew, daughter and new baby granddaughter.
in the workplace.
When her daughter returned to Michigan State
In 2013, Darden’s father died, and she was
University with her newborn, Shavers started drive
responsible for all of the juggling. “I got through all
from Detroit to East Lansing on the weekend to help
of these challenges through the grace of God and the
her daughter with the baby.
UAW,” she said.
“Sometimes I would crash,” said Shavers. “And ever
She knows couldn’t have done it without the benefits
since chemotherapy, I get bad migraines if I don’t
she gets as a UAW member, especially the sick leave
get enough sleep. Still, I have perfect attendance at
and health insurance for her
Ford and have never called
and her children. And the
in sick, even with those
support Darden gets from
migraines.”
The work and home balance
her local union solidarity
Shavers appreciates the
sustains her at work and at
help
from her UAW local.
was overwhelming at times.
home. “It’s solidarity all the
“If I needed time off, my
way,” she said.
committeeman was really
But now that her children are
good, and my team leader
She’s a grandmother,
was helpful when I had
older, and she has a grandchild,
but mothering isn’t
migraines; my family’s
medical needs were taken
over
Shavers said it was worth it.
care of. I am so glad I was a
Some mothers with grown
union member during those
children find themselves
really hard times,” said
doing the child rearing all
Shavers. “My union sisters and brothers have my back.
over again, stepping in for the parents to raise their
There’s solidarity at work.”
grandchildren.
Balancing work and home was overwhelming at
Kim Shavers, 53, is a member of Local 900 and has
times. But now that her children are older, and she has
worked at various Ford plants, including Ford Integral
a grandchild, Shavers said the struggles were worth it.
Stamping & Assembly Plant, Flat Rock Assembly,
She did what many working mothers and grandmothers
Dearborn Truck and now at Michigan Assembly, where
do. “I sacrificed my life for theirs. Games, spelling
she works afternoons four days a week 6 p.m. to 5
bees, swimming, athletics: I made them participate
a.m.
in activities because they didn’t ask to be here and
Shavers is a breast cancer survivor. She went through
I didn’t want the streets of Detroit to get my boys
chemotherapy and had her right breast removed,
after school. I made sure they had positive male role
returning to full employment in 2007.
models, mainly with coaches, in their lives. Some days
She has two children, daughter Philura and son
I just couldn’t see straight, but, as a woman, I had to
Aaron. When Shavers was abe to return to work,
be hands on. If I was man, maybe I might have looked
Philura was in college and her son was in high school.
for other women to help me. Women do what needs to
Her brother’s high-school-aged son, Jacquais, was also
be done,” she said.
living with her.
This summer, Shavers is taking her first real vacation
“I would get off work at 5 a.m., get home at 6:15,
— a Caribbean cruise, paid by her grateful children.
shower, sleep for a couple hours, get up around 11:30
It’s a trip all hard working mothers and grandmothers
a.m. or noon, fix dinner for my son, then leave the
deserve.
house at 4 p.m. to get to work at 6 p.m. On a good
day I would get maybe five hours of sleep,” said
Invaluable support from her UAW sisters
Shavers.
and brothers
While her son was in high school, and then in
Today, Tina Kollek still worries as she works wrapping
college, she and her brother would rotate traveling to
car parts. But now, the Local 651 member returns
every one of his games on weekends, with her leaving
home to a dark and empty house, where her worry
as soon as her work shift ended at 5 a.m. Saturday.
is replaced by sadness. That’s because her daughter,
In 2009, Shavers’ daughter moved back home and
Cynthia, died June 10, 2015, at age 27.
gave birth to daughter, Kendall. For almost a year,
The same support system of UAW brothers and sisters
Shavers worked full time and supported her son,
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 19
Tina Kollek sits in Cynthia’s room with a painting of
her daughter.
PHOTO: DENN PIETRO
that helped Kolleck during the many years she juggled
the stress of work and handling Cynthia’s serious
medical problems and hospitalizations now sustains her
in her time of grief.
“Cynthia had heart failure, was on a breathing
machine, had to be fed through a tube, then had a
stroke and was comatose until she died,” said Kollek.
“I had to take a lot of time off through FMLA (Family
Medical Leave Act).”
Local 651 made sure Kollek got the leave she needed
and held fundraisers, collecting more than $13,000
to help her pay household bills and funeral expenses.
The local also tried to make her work shift as flexible
as possible to accommodate her home needs and
personal time right after Cynthia died. Members even
contributed items for a memorial garden for Cynthia
that’s in Kollek’s front yard.
“If I had a nonunion job, I wouldn’t have been able to
keep my job while Cynthia was alive because I wouldn’t
have had the support of the UAW.”
PHOTO: DENN PIETRO
UAW
Women
Above: Tina Kollek and family in front of a memorial garden for Cynthia in their front yard. Tina’s daughterin-law, Amanda Kollek, left, son Christoper holding his nephew, Jaxon, and Tina’s son Joshua. Left: Local 651
members donated the funds that allowed Tina’s husband to built this ramp for Kollek and her daughter.
20 SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
Union hall is rebuilt after devastating tornado
When former U.S. President Bill
Clinton recently swung through
Kokomo, Indiana, on a campaign
stop in advance of the state’s
primary election, he was greeted by
a full house at UAW Local 685.
Among the nearly 800 people
from the community who filled the
hall were babies, retirees, young
parents, grandparents, and many
active and retired UAW members.
There were flags and banners on the
walls, a lot of giggles and smiles,
plates full of pancakes and selfies at
every table.
Just as special as a good pancake
breakfast paired with being able
to greet the 42nd U.S. president
in person in this great hall, was
the fact that there was a union
hall, period. Just two years ago,
a devastating tornado and its high
winds and rain left the facility
crumbled, splintered and contents
blown all over.
“We have come a long way since
then,” said Carl Greenwood, Local
685 president. “It’s good to have our
new hall, but it is more significant in
what it represents.”
UAW Local 685 is home to about
6,800 Region 2B members who
work for FCA US at either Kokomo
Transmission, Indiana Transmission I
and II, or Tipton Transmission plants.
Just as the local was the venue
selected by the Howard County
Democratic Party for the group’s
annual pancake breakfast that
doubled as a presidential campaign
stop, it is also a place where
veterans and retirees gather, where
couples are married, families
celebrate and community events
help raise money for area nonprofit
organizations.
“We are kind of a pillar in the
community because we have a large
presence and because in the old and
new building people know that we
have a nice facility with reasonable
fees,” said UAW member Jerry Price,
PHOTO: LINDA TAYLOR / UAW LOCAL 685
Local 685’s new home is more than a building
The union hall that was destroyed by the tornado has been replaced; it is
more than just a building as it is used for many community events.
also the local’s vice president. “I
don’t know what Kokomo would be
without FCA and Local 685.”
The commitment to community
goes both ways, said Price, a UAW
member for 44 years. “We have
a membership that is very active
in the community and I think the
community understands that and
responds to that.”
On Sunday, Nov. 17, 2014, about
an hour after Price left the hall, a
tornado ripped through. The sturdy
brick structure was destroyed as
powerful winds whipped a large
metal recycling bin through the
front of the building.
“The wind just picked that thing
up and used it like a wrecking ball.
The roof fell in and the other walls
just crumbled,” said Greenwood.
Debris was tossed and blown all
over. The building was a total loss.
Members salvaged what they
could, including old photos and
memorabilia dating back to the
local’s founding that, thankfully,
escaped damage.
Two days after the storm,
members gathered to remove as
much debris as they could. “All of a
sudden, it was like in a movie. High
school students started showing
up,” Price said. He estimated that
150 high school students pitched in
and helped UAW members salvage
what they could from the building and
the parking lot.
UAW members broke ground for the
new building June 2015 and opened
doors to the new facility a year later
with union and community events
scheduled regularly at the hall.
“The members of Local 685 are
keenly focused on the community
and how this local union hall is an
integrated part of that,” said UAW
Region 2B Director Ken Lortz. “It
makes a difference for members and
the community and it creates a lot of
opportunities for everyone to come
together for all kinds of events and all
types of issues.”
Although the hall is frequently rented
out, members use it, too.
Retirees of all ages, including those
in their 90s and older, have monthly
dinners at the hall and an annual
Christmas dinner. The retirees are
there regularly to reflect on old times
and to play a good game of pool
with some showing their sharpness
in competitive pool tournaments.
Members and their families use the
gym and the weight facility or walk off
a few pounds hitting the track.
“We have tried to make it a place
where you can have your grievance
heard and have a good time, too. We
want this place to be a beacon for
our members, their families and the
community,” said Greenwood.
Sandra Davis
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 21
Unfair labor practice filed
Volkswagen needs to follow the law
Skilled trades workers at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga,
Tennessee, plant, members of UAW Local 42, in
December voted to join the UAW, a decision the
National Labor Relations Board affirmed in March.
But the automaker continues to drag the
representation fight out in violation of U.S. labor law
by claiming that all of its union-eligible workers —
production and skilled trades — should be included
in the potential bargaining unit. That position was
rejected by the board in April.
“The employees in the petitioned for-unit are readily
identifiable as a group, as it consists of all maintenance
employees employed by the employer at its
Chattanooga, Tennessee facility,” the NRLB wrote in its
order. “They also share a community of interest under
the traditional criteria – similar job functions; shared
skills, qualifications, and training; supervision separate
from the production employees’; wages different from
the production employees’; hours and scheduling
different from production employees’; other unique
terms and conditions of employment and a human
resources manager dedicated solely to maintenance
employees.”
Local union members applauded the order. “The
NLRB supervised a fair election at the plant and then
promptly certified the results,” said Mike Cantrell,
president of UAW Local 42. “We’re glad to see the
decision upheld and we look forward to meeting
Volkswagen at the collective bargaining table in the
near future.”
Local 42 skilled trades members are ready to
exercise their rights to enter into negotiations with
the automaker on a first-ever contract. They also
want to join Volkswagen workers around the world as
part of the Volkswagen Global Group Works Council,
the influential body of employee leaders from around
the world. Virtually every Volkswagen plant around
the world has union representation and is seated on
the council — except for workers in Chattanooga.
“It’s long past time for the company to respect the
decision of the NRLB and Volkswagen’s skilled-trades
workers,” said UAW Secretary-Treasurer Gary Casteel,
Key Events
in Volkswagen workers’ drive for UAW representation
February 2014
April 2014
July 2014
August 2015
Workers at Volkswagen’s
Chattanooga, Tennessee
assembly plant petition the
National Labor Relations Board
for a representation election.
Following an intense anti-union
campaign launched by business
groups and anti-union Tennessee
politicians – including U.S.
Senator Bob Corker who claimed
that he was told the plant
would receive a new product
if the workers voted the union
down – the vote fails. Due to the
undue political interference in
the election, the UAW files an
objection with the NRLB.
The UAW withdraws
the objection after
securing an agreement
with Volkswagen that
the company will
recognize the union as
the representative of
its members.
Local 42 receives its
charter from the UAW
to represent workers at
the Volkswagen plant.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen
announces a new crossover
vehicle is announced for
the plant. State officials
said the decision on
incentives was not related
to the February union vote.
Members of
UAW Local 42
ask Volkswagen
to recognize the
local union as
the bargaining
representative of
its skilled-trades
employees at the
Chattanooga plant.
The company
declines the request.
22 SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
Members of UAW Local 42, who
received their UAW charter nearly
two years ago, want the company
to come to the bargaining table in
good faith.
who directs the union’s Transnational Department.
“They should come to the table in good faith and
bargain a contract that will benefit the workers, the
company and the community. It’s time for Volkswagen
to move forward.”
The company and union representatives were
expected to meet sometime in May for additional
discussion. It is unacceptable that Volkswagen has not
agreed to bargain a contract, Casteel said.
“The reality is: Our UAW local union already
represents a majority of the blue-collar workforce
in Chattanooga. Volkswagen knows this because the
company has verified our substantial membership
level. If Volkswagen wants meaningful employee
representation, the company is free to recognize the
local union as the representative of its members, as it
committed to do previously.”
Vince Piscopo
October 2015
November 2015
December 2015
February 2016
April 2016
UAW Local 42
files paperwork
with the National
Labor Relations
Board seeking a
representation
election for
employees in the
skilled-trades unit.
The NLRB rules
in favor of UAW
Local 42 and
orders an election
for 160 skilledtrades employees
at Volkswagen’s
Chattanooga plant,
rejecting an attempt
by the company to
block the election.
Skilled-trades employees
at Volkswagen’s plant
in Chattanooga vote
overwhelmingly to
designate UAW Local
42 as their bargaining
representative. The
NLRB confirms that 71
percent of employees
voting favored
recognition for UAW
Local 42. Volkswagen
refuses to recognize
UAW Local 42 or
enter into collective
bargaining, and asks the
NLRB for a review of the
election.
UAW Local 42 files
charges with the
NLRB stipulating
that Volkswagen
is violating the
National Labor
Relations Act and
has “unlawfully
continued to refuse
to bargain.”
The NLRB denies
Volkswagen’s request
for a review of the
December election,
in effect, upholding
the election and
its results. Days
later, the NLRB
issues a complaint
against Volkswagen
stipulating “unfair
labor practices”
and requiring the
company to “bargain
in good faith” with
the skilled-trades
employees.
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 23
UNION SKILLS. OUTDOOR PASSION. COMMON PURPOSE.
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real world workmanship and organization. With those three things, mountains can be moved
– or bridges built, trails made and parks improved. The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA)
brings together union members who love the great outdoors and are willing to volunteer
their unique trade skills to help protect our outdoor heritage for future generations through
hands-on conservation projects. USA members work hard … but they also play hard, and the
USA helps serve their passion through sporting clays shoots and conservation dinners across
the country, a union-dedicated TV show that takes union members on once-in-a-lifetime
hunting and fishing trips, a magazine filled with photos and stories of union members and a
dynamic website and social media platform. You deserve an outdoor organization to call
your own – an organization that’s as dedicated to you as you are to your craft.
That's the Union Sportsmen's Alliance.
JOIN TODAY. IT'S WHERE YOU BELONG.
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SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 25
Donald Oetman:
A fighter who left a lasting legacy
UAW members recently said goodbye to a former
UAW regional director who served the union for 45
years, Donald G. Oetman. The retired UAW Region
1D director was 71 when he passed away April 13.
Oetman began his tenure as director of UAW
Region 1D in 2002 after decades of commitment
and enthusiasm for improving the lives of working
men and women, and retirees, of his region. He
continued that enthusiasm as regional director.
“Don was a dedicated union leader who was
focused on members and making their working
lives better,” said Region 1D Director Gerald
Kariem. “He leaves a strong legacy of service in
our region.”
Born in 1944, Oetman began work as a tool
machinist and journeyman at Micromatic/Ex-Cell-O
in Holland, Michigan, shortly after high school.
There, he joined a committee of plant workers
that eventually formed UAW Local 1502. They later
negotiated their local’s first contract.
Oetman’s leadership skills were quickly apparent
as he continued to rise in his local as fellow
members voted him into leadership positions.
From 1967 until 1984, he served Local 1502
members as steward, vice president, president,
bargaining committee chair, Ex-Cell-O IntraCorporation Council vice president and president,
as Allegan-Ottawa Community Action Program
Council vice chair and as a local union discussion
leader.
During that time, in 1965, he married Corlyn
Bouman, the love of his life.
In 1984, then-UAW President Owen Bieber
appointed him to the International UAW staff as
a service representative with Region 1D. In 1995,
then-UAW President Stephen P. Yokich appointed
him to serve as Region 1D assistant director.
In 2002, Oetman began his tenure as Region 1D
director after his appointment to the position by
then-UAW President Ron Gettelfinger.
After many years of working hard for his fellow
UAW members, he retired June 30, 2010.
During his time with Local 1502 and with Region
1D, he focused on serving the labor community
throughout west Michigan. He served with
numerous community organizations, including
the Michigan Association of United Ways, the
Red Cross and the Michigan State University
26 SOLIDARITY May - June 2016
Labor Studies program. He also served on the
Muskegon and Kalamazoo Labor/Management
Joint Participation committees, the Workforce
Development Board for Allegan and Kent
counties, and the Coalition for Labor Union
Women.
Oetman’s family meant the world to him. He
loved life and his family, and the quality time
they were able to spend together over the
years, especially at Dumont Lake where he and
Corlyn lived for more than 16 years.
He enjoyed his retirement participating in
some of his favorite pastimes, such as golf,
water skiing, fishing and boating. He served as
council president of Christ Community Church
and on the Wings Home and the Wings of Hope
Hospice boards, continuing his belief in being
of service to others and helping improve their
lives.
He is survived by his wife, Corlyn; their
children Julie and Eric Lynema, Jerry and
Linda Oetman, and Barb and Tom Staat; six
grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and
many nieces and nephews.
Joan Silvi
letters
Memorial Day is Monday, May 30
Memorial Day is a solemn holiday. We pause to reflect on those who
have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. There are some 7,000
servicemen and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since
2001 among those who have laid down their lives for our freedom since
the founding of our nation. The families of those heroes fully understand
the sacrifices that were made. It is our duty to honor those sacrifices,
aid the families who have lost loved ones, and make sure those who
have served and returned to civilian life are afforded the respect and
aid from a grateful nation.
Dennis Williams
President, UAW
Ford retiree reminds us:
‘Sit-downers’ in other plants, too
Much is told of the “sit-downers” in Flint, Michigan, but what about the
other locations?
My dad was a “sit-downer” at the Fisher-Body-Chevrolet complex on
East Delavan Avenue in Buffalo, New York.
As a boy in 1939, My brother and I helped mother pack food articles.
She arranged babysitting, and with neighbor women, took two city
buses to the plant fence on the strikers’ behalf.
Today, we enjoy benefits because of ALL those pioneers of the labor
movement.
Angus MacLeod
Local 897 retiree
Woodlawn, New York
International Union, UAW
President: Dennis Williams
Secretary-Treasurer: Gary Casteel
Vice presidents: Jimmy Settles,
Cindy Estrada, Norwood Jewell
Regional directors: Charles E. Hall,
1; Rory Gamble, 1A; Gerald
Kariem, 1D; Ken Lortz, 2B; Ron
McInroy, 4; Gary Jones, 5; Ray
Curry, 8; Terry Dittes, 9; Julie
Kushner, 9A
Communications Department
Senior Communications Advisor:
Brian Rothenberg
Communications Director:
Sandra Davis
Digital Director:
T. Andrew Huddleston
Solidarity Editor: Vince Piscopo
International Representatives:
Gwynne Marie Cobb, Susan
Kramer, Denn Pietro, Joan Silvi
and Chris Skelly, members of
CWA/The Newspaper Guild Local
34022.
Clerical staff: Susan Fisher and
Shelly Restivo, members of
OPEIU Local 494.
Solidarity (USPS 0740610) is
published bimonthly by International
Union, UAW, 8000 E. Jefferson Ave.,
Detroit, MI 48214,
(313) 926-5000,
uaw.org. ISSN 0164 856X.
Give generously to UAW V-CAP:
It’s an investment in our future
The UAW cannot use union
dues to directly support federal
candidates and, in an everincreasing number of states, any
candidate for public office. Our only
means of monetary support for
many labor-friendly candidates is
voluntary political contributions from
UAW members to UAW V-CAP (our
union’s political action fund).
Members can contribute to
V-CAP in multiple ways. Many of our
contracts have “check off” which
SOLIDARITY
May - June 2016
Vol. 59, No. 5 - 6
allows for direct contribution to
V-CAP through payroll deduction.
Members and retirees can also
give to V-CAP directly with a
check. Either way, a modest
contribution of $10 a month
comes to about 33 cents a day
and allows our union to support
candidates who support our
values. Send to:
ADDRESS CHANGES
Postmaster: Please send changes
to ATTENTION: UAW Solidarity
Magazine.
Readers: Please email changes to
uawsolidarity@uaw.net; include old
address and numeric identification
number (the line above name on the
mailing label). Or send changes and
old mailing label to UAW Solidarity
Magazine, 8000 E. Jefferson Ave.,
Detroit, MI 48214.
Printed in USA.
Circulation this issue: 3,474
UAW National CAP Department
8000 E. Jefferson Ave.
Detroit, MI 48214
SOLIDARITY May - June 2016 27
Great
Camping
at Black
Lake!
Enjoy the great
outdoors in Black Lake’s
majestic surroundings by staying
at the scenic campgrounds at the Walter
and May Reuther Education Center in Onaway,
Michigan. Make your vacation a family camping trip
by pitching your tent or using our full hookup sewer and
electrical services for your motorhome, fifth wheel or any type
of camper. Spend an activity-filled day then enjoy the convenience
of full-service dining in Black Lake’s dining room, then grab a nightcap with your
favorite beverage at The Inn, Sports Bar or Black Lake Golf Club and Grill.
Don’t forget that you can bring your boat and personal watercraft for boating, recreation and great
fishing on Black Lake. Load up on all kinds of fish from the lake, including trout, walleye, northern pike,
small and large mouth bass and muskie. The natural beauty of Black Lake awaits you with a boat launch,
a sandy beach for swimmers, canoeing, and a covered beachside picnic area to make a day of it.
uawblacklake.com
PHOTO: MIKE RANKERT / UAW LOCAL 685