News & Updates
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Today, Ford Motor Company announced their first-quarter 2023 resulted in $1.8 Billion in net income. In addition, the company announced a 20% increase in Quarterly Revenue from Year over Year. This should be good news for UAW Local 249 members who’s contract is set to expire this September.
Year 1980 average auto worker makes 20$ hr!!!! Fast forward to todays time & that equates to roughly 70$ hr!!!!!! We ARE WORTH MORE WHEN THE MAKE BILLIONS IN JUST PROFIT
Even Henry Ford said the workers should be able to afford what they build. What happened to that. Because $70k for a truck on $32/hr or less isn't cutting it. Remember your worth when it's time to vote. A bonus today is worth nothing a few years from now. That's why they are so quick to offer it, instead of raises.
Return of all our concessions. $5/HR wage increase, 50% wage increase for retirees. This means nothing if the UAW is not in attack mode
GM employee here. We agree, it's time for the union to make a stand. We deserve to get back all the things we've lost through the years.
Just a reminder to active employees who someday hope to use their retirement benefit when they retire. There is no COLA or inflation benefit. I retired in 2007 and my monthly check is the same today as it was in 2007. As we all know the cost of living is off the charts compared to 16 years ago. Unless you have other income to supplement this situation it can become a real hardship.
Record profits!! As usual!! Remember this when contract comes up & bargaining says it’s really the best contract we can get!!! Billions of dollars PEOFIT?!!! While ford uppers receive extremely generous bonuses, prob 5 X what the average auto worker makes a year…. Ford truck prices since the 90’s has increased 3 X, what was a 20,000 truck, is now a 60,000 $ dollar truck yet our wages stay the same In a record increase of cost of living!!! We DEMAND MORE MONEY$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, actual retirement, more paid personal days, 0 changes to insurance etc!!!
I smell raises at contract time!!
Easy to make profits when you short your employees pay, and don’t fix it.
More like $45-50 hour it's time for ford to pay up.
Are they still hiring?
Ford preaches cost savings at every turn and upper management continues selfish raises and parachutes while they continue to say NO to increasing wages and benefits This UAW will not fight for pensions for all. This union will not fight for COLA for all! And finally This union forgot about the retirees. If COVID-19 didn't straighten out supply chain issues by now then it was cover for Ford for zero give backs! Be ready for strikes!
Oh I’m sure they will Have some Room and gloom excuse
Comments filtered out of course!! Don’t like to hear the truth I guess
This is also NET !! Not gross
We Need COLA back..and Cola for Retires or inflation will pass you buy. And 4 dollar raise from concessions. 12 grand signing Bonus. That's where the Bar is. Go get em
You guys push this rhetoric every contract year and then fail to deliver.
We need one
But the company will claim they made no money
6 minutes per hour break NOT 5
Ya right, same shit different year. We're not making any money.
Overpriced vehicles.
Local 249 to replace elevator at union hall By Natalie Wood
Dana Davidson, our Local 249 Financial Secretary reported the status of the elevator at Local 249. Plans include replacing the elevator starting at the end of May and hopefully completing the project by the end of December 2023. Once this is done, we will be making plans to return home at Local 249 for our future Retirees meetings. Now ain’t that good news.
Representatives Glenn Johnson, Labor Liaison and Kevin Corrigan, business manager from Kelley & Ferraro talked about the Asbestos testing taking place April 19 and 20. They talked about testing procedures and what happens if your test is positive. They encouraged those that have received checks to cash the checks. They let us know that several companies have been involved in the settlement of the asbestos claims. Each company may attempt to settle, which means there could be several checks coming. They asked that we cash those checks, If you have any questions please call 1-888-839-8479.
Josh Curtis, from Motorcycle Committee, reported that the Motorcycle Committee and Veterans Committee are still selling raffle tickets. They are raffling off several guns.
Benefit Representative Steve Hibbs discussed the over the counter (OTC) medication from a catalog. Both husband and wife are entitled to $150 each. However, if you have traditional Blue Cross/Blue Shield, you and your spouse are entitled to $50 each. Christina Bell from United Health Care and Lamont Corbin from Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan were there to give information and answer questions. The number to call for the catalog and to order supplies is 1-877-218-9951.
Vice Chairperson of the Family Auxiliary Lorie Marin called for Anniversaries. Lorie led us in singing the happy birthday song to seven retirees and celebrate one retiree anniversary. Congratulations to all.
There is an election of Local 249 officers on May 11 and 13, 2023. The election is for the active members; however, retiree members may vote for President, Vice President, Financial Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Guide, Sergeant at Arms and Trustees. Retirees are welcome to vote at Local 249. Starting at 5:00 a.m. on May 11 continuing until 5:00 a.m. May 13.
Bill Parker, our service officer, reported there were two new retirees: Sterling Maples, Kellie Phillips and 12 deaths. We encourage all to keep their families in your prayers. The list of deaths that were reported at our April 19, meeting are: Donna Basousse, Franklin Campbell, Logan Clark Jr., Frankie Cole, Jerry Gillespie, Joseph Henderson, Carl Mayo, Allen Roach, Thomas Standiford, Phillip Swisher, Louis Tuck, Harley Tucker, Rick Roark, Robert Kim.
We had a nice turnout for our April Retirees meeting. There were 90 members and guests. We serve lunch at each meeting. This month we were served hot lasagna, green salad, bread sticks, cookies. Beverages provided were water and coffee.
We try and keep our retiree abreast of what is going on with our benefits. It’s a good time to fellowship and pick up on good information. Join us on May 17th at 10:30am at the Pleasant Valley Community Center for next Retiree Meeting. Masks are not required but wear them if you please.
Let’s get ready for the fall, now!
By Tony Renfro
The UAW added 10,000 new members last year and many of those new members are here in Kansas City where about 1,000 new members have hired in at KCAP to help launch a third crew in the Transit System.
The growth of the union nationally and here in Kansas City is good news for working people who have seen their wages decline for decades. A bigger union is a stronger union. A stronger union is not only better able to win increases in wages and benefits for its members. It’s essential to building a movement of all workers – the kind of movement that will be required to rebuild the American middle class. And a nation with more union members, a vibrant middle class is a fairer, more just and happier nation.
While the growth we saw last year is a positive sign, it’s not yet enough to make the kind of change we all know is needed. Nevertheless, that growth brings with it a few challenges in the short term.
In just a few months the UAW is heading into negotiations for new four-year contracts with the Detroit Three – Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. September 14 is the deadline for reaching those agreements. No one – and I mean no one – knows if one company will be chosen as a target or negotiations will proceed simultaneously at all three. Likewise, no one knows if the union will reach an agreement with any of the companies before the deadline, launch a strike on Sept. 14 or extend talks beyond the deadline.
One of the many challenges we face is that many of our members – perhaps a majority at KCAP – have never been through contract negotiations or a strike before.
That means we have our work cut out for us here in Kansas City to get ready. We don’t know, and likely won’t know until late summer, if Ford will be chosen as the target for negotiation. We may not know until Sept. 14 if we will be on strike. That means we have to be prepared for a number of possible contingencies.
No matter what happens, we must begin to prepare now.
One of the important things we are doing now is gearing up the local’s Community Services Committee. The Community Services Committee performs the important task of getting help for members and their families in time of need. It plays a pivotal role in plant closings, strikes and layoffs. The committee works through public and private organizations to assure that members faced with problems and emergency situations – like strikes – get relief when needed.
Generally, strike insurance benefits are handled by this committee when local unions are forced to demonstrate their economic strength.
Strike pay has been raised to $500 a week. The union will also cover health insurance payments for the duration of a strike. That will help members in the event of a strike. However, our union is only as strong as our weakest link. That’s why it’s important for every member to prepare financially. Save your money. Don’t take on new debt.
Take time to learn about the process we will be going through in the next few months. Rely only on trustworthy sources of information – your committeeperson, our monthly newspaper, First Local News, the union Facebook and Instagram pages and the union website. Trust me, there will be plenty of bogus sources trying to weaken our union by sowing misinformation among our members. Don’t let them mislead you.
Unity will be the key to winning the kind of contract we deserve. We are stronger when we stick together. We all need to work together.
Strike now or it will a loss forever. No ⚾️⚾️
Any word on strike vote date
Tony Griffin, Kyler Griffin, Ben Benji Baldwin, Jessica Ann
Union Addresses Understaffing and Pay Issues; by Jim Fisher
Our Transit System launched the C-Crew in early April. During this time Local 249 representatives have been addressing several issues. It has become clear that while Ford continues to hire in new members at full time status, the plants manpower is very understaffed. Due to the understaffing KCAP management has made efforts at attempting to deny members days off on the calendar and ask for members on their days off to volunteer to come into work.
To address both issues, Local 249 continues to enforce the Local Language and has been making sure our members are getting their contractual time off. Also, while members who are willing to come into work on their regularly scheduled days off, some have been placed in areas and on jobs they are not familiar with. If you’re not familiar with the job management is placing you on make sure your supervisor is reviewing the O.I.S. Sheet with you to make sure you understand and are able to complete the job assignment correctly. Our plant’s reputation for quality should remain our members top priority, and members need to make sure they are following all quality processes set in place.
Like we do in every contract year, we remind members to pay careful attention to their surroundings. This contract year already seems to be introducing several challenges to Local 249 members. There has been a clear effort from management to attempt to avoid investing in proper tooling. During the launch of the Transit C-Crew many repairmen were working without tools to make quality repairs. Local 249 has been working with upper management to ensure those tools are being purchased and handed out to our Team Leaders and Repair Departments. In addition, KCAP has hired new members for our skilled trades departments and several of those members have also not been supplied with proper tooling.
During the launch of the Transit C-Crew we have heard from several members that they were not being paid correctly. Currently, an audit of all Transit members is being performed to confirm they are on the correct DROT. Members not being on the correct DROT has caused some of our members to be shorted on hours worked if the supervisor forgot to write the members pay in. This has also affected Short Work Week Benefits, Holiday Pay, and Shift Premiums. We will continue to run audits until all the pay shortages are fixed. We are also asking members to check their DROT daily to confirm their pay is correct. It’s a much faster resolution if you report any pay errors to your supervisor by checking the DROT. If members are not seeing the pay shortage until they receive their check, it only delays the correction process.
Additionally, Local 249 representatives have had to write several Safety Complaints due to management not resolving issues that have been identified. While we continue to hold the company accountable and get these issues addressed, as usual some members of management have only been interested in addressing the issues that cause disciplinary action to our members.
For a company that reports record profits in the billions to have such issues like unsanitary restrooms, an unsafe work environment, dirty drinking fountains, improper tooling, and having multiple pay errors is not acceptable. This is either being done as an attempt to frustrate the membership, or KCAP’s upper management needs to leave their newly remodeled administration offices and address the issues on the floor.
I’m owed around 1k and I’m not sure when I’ll ever see it
What are our options when we can't get a copy of our drot? Multiple days I've tried to verify mine, and it's unavailable.
Should also address the supervision having buy off power on called quality concerns, and the fact that they are able to get scanners while repair people are not able to get them
Been like this for years? Maybe this contract???
Well said!