Management’s Wish List

Recently management addressed the Shop Committee with a wish list for how they wanted to run the new AA5X Press in 23 Bay and 24 Bay. 

Gerald Johnson, who at the time was Manager of MFD Stamping Plants, told us they would find it hard to place any additional work into Grand Rapids if we did not work things out.

I explained to the committee that part of our job was securing the future of this plant for our people, and the committee agreed with me. So we proceeded to sit down with management to hear what they had to say.

(Remember that the Team Agreement within the Local Agreement is the only part of the agreement that is living and we can change it as we go.) 

Management’s wish list was plain and simple.  They wanted one team of Production Techs to do everything inside of the two bays – from running the presses to driving hi lo’s.

You elected the members on this committee because you trust us and “no” we did not sell the farm, but we did agree to do some things different.  I will break it down for you group-by-group on how it will affect us.

Die Maker, All Leader: 

As long as we are in office, Die Makers will run the press.  There will be three Die Maker All Leaders in each bay and one Die Maker All Team Leader overseeing both bays.  The Die Maker All Leaders will learn and rotate amongst all job functions of the D.M.A.L. Team – including Die Repair and Press Operation assigned to 23 and 24 Bays. 

The parties recognize that this D.M.A.L. group does not constitute a separate E.O.H. and therefore, overtime hours necessary for Die Preventive Maintenance and Repair will continue to be offered to the D.M.A. group, as is current practice.  Both sides agree we might end up adding manpower if it is warranted.

Production Techs

Production Techs will perform incidental cleaning of the bolsters and rail surfaces, exterior of press, and associated equipment.  They will operate power floor scrubbers within the Press Bay.  They will operate overhead cranes within the bay to pick and place only, and they will be trained for this in 2007 after, and if the entire Crane training is completed for the Die Movement Team, in which they have trained no one in the last two years.  They will operate a hand-Jenny to move the racks to the end of the bay where hi lo’s will pick them up.  So “no” they will do no driving.

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Cleaners

We will maintain the number of 40 Cleaners according to the 2003 contract.  Management was going to remove three Cleaner Leaders from that 40, but now will add three Cleaners to the group to be Leaders (which comes to 43 Cleaners), and management will maintain that number.  Also, any overtime that is worked in 23 or 24 Bay that is cleaning will be done by the Cleaner group. 

Crane Saver

Crane Savers will inspect each lift of blanks for quality and prepare each lift of blanks by removing the outer wrap, and removing or installing side gages and banding.

Promise of New Work

The committee worked out this agreement with management based on the promise of new work for this plant.  If either side does not live up to their word, this agreement can be pulled by either side. 

If you, the membership, want to change something in this agreement, remember – you can put in a demand for the 2007 Local Agreement.  But if management does not live up to the promise of new work, this committee will be taking care of it ourselves.

Pulling in the Same Direction

I would like to thank the committee for sticking together on this.  We all had a say and management tried to mess with our heads so they could get what they wanted, but it didn’t work.  By the way, we had all ten committee members working on this agreement.  When you have all the horses pulling the same way, it’s good to see what can be accomplished.

Leadership Conference

Barb and I attended the UAW Leadership Conference in Mount Pleasant.  Many Locals did not have a lot of good to say about how it was going with their company.  Electrolux and Lear were two Locals that of course did not sound good when they stood up to give their report.  Many of the Local’s companies are moving to Mexico or shutting down.  There was a lot of gloom and doom folks. 

Two Jobs Leaving

There are two jobs going out of the plant:  one on Z-1 to Lansing and another to Mansfield, off CC-1.  This committee does not like work going out the door, but having said that, we have 70 sets of dies coming into the plant over the next two years.  So there’s definitely more being obtained than going out brothers and sisters, and we will continue to monitor and watch closely.

Teams

We have given the Plant Manager notice that we are not happy with two Teams in the plant.  The two are Die Movement and Material Handling.  What’s this mean?  We told you that we were going to do it right this time and it’s not happening.  So we’ve told management to get it together or else.

In solidarity,

LOCAL 730, UAW

Louie Schreuder

Shop Chairman

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