Union Proud from Defiance, Ohio

Our success is attributed to the rank and file—the working men and women—of our local union!

Chartered 1948 uawlocal211.com April 2019

LocaL 211 News

Terry BodenbenderFebruary 2, 2016

WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER OUR FALLEN BROTHERSWorker’s Memorial Day Observed at GM on Friday, April 26

Doyle Price August 5, 1968

David A. McCreeryJune 16, 1990

Jimmy JonesSeptember 11, 1993

Kim CogswellPower & Sons

October 12, 2018

Furl Stallard August 16, 1967

James Kent

September 16, 1985

Carlos OlveraDecember 22, 1980

Joseph KonradDecember 13, 1972

Frank DixonSeptember 9, 1986

Benjamin WarnementJune 1, 1981

Bernard MeyerJuly 23, 1970

Robert Vogelsong October 22, 1971

Eugene ChildsSeptember 13, 1988

Clarence WebsterJanuary 20, 1983

Jimmie LilesJanuary 14, 1977

Jerry EdwardsMarch 31, 1969

Leroy HuntSeptember 2, 1961

President’s ReportBy Keith Boecker

GM unit had one retirement as of March 1st, Steve Niese. We had two retirements as of April 1st, David Goecke and Larry Hackman from GM; and one from our Johns Manville unit, Mike

Schmidt. Thank you for all your years of service and I hope you have a very happy and healthy retirement.

April 26 is Workers Memorial Day. This is the day that we stop for a moment and remember all those who lost their lives while performing their duties. All active or retired members are welcome to attend the ceremony at the GM circle drive at 9:00 am on that day.

On March 21st we held an Election at GM for the re-districting for the first shift committeeman and alternate committeeman. The results are Dan Maynard winning the Committeeman and Rene Gill winning as Alternate Committeeman.

The GM unit is now taking demands for the local contract now until May 9th at 4:00 p.m. We will be voting on these demands in June.

The new Lobby Hours at the GM Plant are 6:30 A.M. until 3:30 P.M.

The UAW Family Scholarship Applications are now available; you can pick an application up from your unit chairperson and the UAW Hall. This year only one week session is being offered, July 21-26, 2019 at Black Lake. All active or laid off UAW members in good standing are eligible if you have never attended the program before. Your spouse and children/grandchildren ages 4-18 years old may attend with you. This is a one week summer experience that will leave you and your family understanding and appreciating your Union. You will have to take vacation or Union leave to attend. The UAW pays for all lodging, food and program costs. For more information you can contact the UAW Hall.

Toledo Mud Hen’s Baseball tickets are being sold at the UAW Hall. First come, first serve, with 50 tickets available at $10 each. The game is on May 4th at 5:05 p.m. You must pre-pay for your tickets in advance. Contact Lisa if you are interested in purchasing any tickets.

The Women’s Committee will be hosting an event, Heroes Unite, on Sunday May 19th here at the UAW Hall from 2:00 P.M until 4:00 P.M. This is for all Active and Retirees children and

grandchildren. There will be a DJ along with the Super Heroes, a magic show, snacks will be provided. There will be a photo booth for an additional $2 charge. The cost will be $10 if you bring along any canned item to be donated to our local food pantry, $15 if you do not bring a canned item. Please contact someone from the Women’s committee if you have any questions on this event.

Please look out for more events being held in the future from our Recreation Committee and Women’s Committee, check these events out on our webpage at uawlocal211.com. Thank you all for your hard work and organizing these events for our members and their families.

The Special Convention was held in Detroit on March 11-14th. A lot of good information was given.

The Strike Fund was raised from $200 to $250 immediately and in January it will be raised to $275.

The Strike fund balance for 2015 was $633 million, in 2016 it was $679 million, in 2017 it was $721 million and in 2018 it was $767 million.

It was reported that last year GM made a $10 billion profit. GM has 17.5% market share. The UAW has 48,000 members working at GM with 7000 Skilled and 4,000 temps; we have the least amount of members of the big 3. It was stated that 1/3 of the vehicles are made in Mexico. It is time to take back product and jobs.

If anyone is interested in reading the resolutions that were presented at the Convention please contact the UAW hall at 419-784-5399.

Reminder that the UAW CAP meeting is always held the second Tuesday of every month starting at 5:30.

Now more than ever if you are looking to purchase a new GM vehicle you must look at the VIN number to make sure it starts with a 1, 4 or 5 to know it is produced in the USA by hard working UAW members.

Retirees ReportBy Ivan Burgei, Recording Sec

At our March meeting we were served kraut and chili dogs by Norma Williamson, Phyllis Greenler, Terry Rosebrock and LeAnn Breckler.

Colleen Allen from the Medical Benefits Trust gave us a 45 minute presentation of all the new developments and changes, we also heard from Tru Hearing, Express Scripts, Aetna and Blue Cross.

Our Retiree Chairman, Ted Fleming informed us the Chevy Cruze made its last vehicle at Lordstown, Ohio on March 6th.

April’s meeting started with kitchen helpers serving roast beef sandwiches and Cole slaw. Thank you to Jerry and Karen Mangas, John and Carol Ehlinger and Adrian and Pat Kuhlman for your help in the kitchen. Thank you to the nurses that came in to check blood pressures.

Once again Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Delta Dental, Davis Vision and Aetna were here to answer any questions the retirees had.

There has been a concern of depleting memberships UAW retiree’s across the nation; so a proposal was made to allow spouses to join as an associate member. We should have an answer sometime in the middle of April.

We are planning an outing at the UAW Park for all our grandchildren and great grandchildren. This is sponsored by the Local 211 UAW retirees, grandpas and grandmas. The fun fest will be held on June 20 from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. It will be on a Thursday so mom and dad do not have to take off work and the grandparents can spend a fun filled day with their grandchildren. If you don’t have any grandchildren please come and join the festival anyhow. We will have buggy rides, clown, face painting, pony rides, petting zoo, bouncy houses, food and ice cream. We have not held an event like this for a few years and I know the children miss it. So please make sure to keep this day open.

The retiree’s are still planning another bus trip; we are undecided of the location so if anyone has any ideas of a place that you would like to attend please let us know.

Just to let everyone know, Donelda Royal will be turning 98 years old on April 14th, please wish her a very happy birthday. Paul and Gail Stork will be celebrating their 47 year anniversary on April 22nd. Congratulations to you all and we wish you many more.

Collective BargainingBy Janice Malone

As I sit in the Cobo Hall for the Special Convention on Collective Bargaining, I see hundreds of brothers and sisters here to gather information as presented by the Convention Committees. The information was passed to the Delegates for their consideration and debate. We then proceeded to vote on resolutions for future contract negotiations.

There were many people from all walks of life from Nurses, Store workers, Zoo Keepers and of course Auto Workers to name a few all striving to make the work force better and fair for all.

One of the many topics discussed was V-CAP and how important it is to support. This helps in the election of people who fight for the working class, who believe that all races, religion and sex should be treated the same in the workforce. We support those who support us.

As I spoke with other Union members I see we all have the same goal and that is to make the places we work the best it can be.

It was announced to raise the strike fund from $200 to $250 effective immediately and then in January of 2020 it will raise again to $275.

There were many discussions on temporary workers in the work force to be permanent workers which is only fair so they can get all the benefits that we get; to stop the 2 tier pay scale which is not fair to any worker that does the same work as we do and gets paid less.

If anyone would like to see the resolutions that were presented please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to share the information.

It was a great experience to be a part of this convention, one that I will never forget and I thank the Local 211 UAW members for allowing me attend.

FINAL REMINDER:

The Local 211 UAW Retirees Fun Fest is scheduled for Thursday, June 20, from Noon - 4 pm at the UAW Park.

Financial Officers Conference 2019By Nicole Neth

I would like to start my article out thanking everyone who approved to send me to the Financial Officers Conference in Lake Buena Vista Florida for 2019. The knowledge, experience, and confidence I gained attending this conference will continue to help me in my everyday responsibilities as your financial secretary. I was able to spend two entire days with the staff from Roberts Custom Software, the International Auditing Staff, as well as fellow financial secretaries who all assisted me in my first encounter with the LM and 990 forms for the IRS. This conference also allowed me the opportunity to attend a strike class and listen to speeches from various people from International, as well as presentations for benefits for UAW members.

The sessions for the LM and 990 at first were intimidating. The pre-work that Roberts our software company had instructed me to do, allowed for more feeling of preparedness and a little less frightened. Rick Smith the financial secretary from Lordstown, Ohio made it a point to make sure I had everything I needed and helped me every step of the way! I cannot thank Rick enough for his patience and willingness to help no matter how busy he was. The guidance of the Roberts staff, the International Auditing department, and my fellow colleagues gives me the confidence that next year’s conference will go over without any uncertainty.

The strike class I attended gave me awareness to how important the financial secretary’s job is in a dire situation. The message that was reiterated to us in this class was not to say that any of the big three will strike but to be as prepared as we can for any situation. I decided to sign up for this class to expand my knowledge on the topic and make sure I am prepared in every aspect of my position as the financial secretary to help the members who have elected me.

One of the speakers at our conference was our Secretary Treasure Ray Curry. His message was clear and precise in saying International has made changes and cuts to put us in a better position financially. President Gary Jones also reiterated Ray’s message while bring mention to the fact that the UAW is not just the big three we are 400,000 active members 580,000 retired members in United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico throughout many job sectors. Union plus also had a presentation to highlight a free associate’s

degree opportunity for UAW member’s children, grandchildren, and financial dependents. Log onto unionplus.org to research and find more information on benefits they offer!

The four days I spent in Lake Buena Vista was not taken for granted. I picked up a lot of good advice from other financial secretaries that will help me in my everyday responsibilities. I was able to listen to our leaders on being prepared for the future which will help us at our local as things continue to change with each one of our units as well as learning some good perks that we are offered as UAW members. Solidarity is not just a message it is an action that I felt was expressed in its entirety at this conference and I am so grateful I was able to attend.

Purchase Purse Raffle Tickets:Local 211 Union Hall - Lisa Beardsley

GM Suggestion Office - Tonya Huss

Juanita Gomez – Retired 2/93

Russell James- Retired 7/04

Kenneth Brinker – Retired 2/93

Billy Smith – Retired 10/06

Larry Marckel – Retired 5/2000

Wayne Black – Retired 1/07

Elmer Tobe – Retired 7/08

Hubert Buell – Retired 2/96

Joe Stouffer – Retired 10/90

Robert Cox – Retired 1/2000

Frank Trevino – Retired 4/85

Richard Stanek – Retired 8/2000

Kim Shidler – Retired 10/2000

Larry Starr – Retired 10/03

Harley Dunakin – Retired 3/99

Tito Carrasquillo – Retired 1/79

John Hampshire Jr. – Retired 7/06

Thomas Moss – Retired 10/99

Gerald Friesner – Retired 7/04

John Johnston – Retired 1/07

Our sympathy for your loss...To our bereaved members and their families, we offer our sincere condolences for

the loss of their loved ones. We extend our sincere sympathy to the families of:

You Can Never Read

This Too Many Times! Try to remain calm, and REMEMBER THIS!

A possible lifesaver

This comes from Dr. Patrick Teefy, Cardiology Head at the Nuclear Medicine Institute University Hospital, London Ont.

1. Let’s say it’s 7:25 p.m. and you’re going home (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the job.

2. You’re really tired, upset and frustrated

3. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to drag out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five km from the hospital nearest your home.

4. Unfortunately you don’t know if you’ll be able to make it that far.

5. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.

6. HOW TO SURVIE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE. Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

7. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A

deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

8.Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it to regain a normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get help or to a hospital.

9. Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!

• A labor union is a group of organized workers formed for the purpose of advancing its members’ interests in respect to wages, benefits and working conditions.

• A labor union uses the “strength in numbers” mentality. Together the workers have much more leverage in negotiating wages, benefits, vacation, retirement benefits and much more. Solidarity is the most important aspect of a labor union.

• The labor struggle has been a violent and bloody one throughout the years. Many people have sacrificed their health and even their lives to gain many of the benefits that we often take for granted today. A number of such benefits include safe working conditions, child labor laws, 8-hour work days, 40-hour work weeks, weekends, overtime pay, paid vacation and much more.

• In 2018 the average weekly income of a union member was $1,050, while compared to just $860 for a non-union member. More than 79% of union members have health insurance, while less than 50% of non-union workers have health insurance.

• From 2010 to 2016, home ownership rate was 74% for union members, while compared to just 63% for non-union members.

• The most prosperous era for the working-class in America was when union membership was at its highest.

• Typically, union workers also enjoy better health insurance coverage, better vacation benefits, better retirement benefits, and safer working conditions.

• A strong union leads to better pay, better benefits, and better working conditions. This is why it is very important to stay active in the union and show up to our union meetings! Just an hour or two a month can have huge impacts on the quality of your job, and thus your quality of life.

•Remember! A union is only as strong as its weakest member!

Unions have fought for Weekends, Paid Vacation, Maternity Leave, FMLA, Paid Sick Leave, Child Labor Laws, Social Security, Minimum Wage, 8 Hour Work Day, Overtime Pay, Worker’s Comp, Health & Safety OSHA, Health Care, Dental, Vision, Collective Bargaining, Breaks, Wrongful

Termination Laws, Age Discrimination Laws, V.E.T.S., Raises, Sexual Harassment Laws, Americans Disabilities Act, Holiday Pay, Privacy Rights, Military Leave, Right to Strike, Equal Pay Acts and Civil Rights.

Prominent figures in the Labor Struggle

1. Samuel Gompers-Founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL)

2. Eugene V. Debs-One of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

3. Upton Sinclair-Author of The Jungle a book that helped to expose harsh living and working conditions for immigrants in industrialized cities.

4. Walter Reuther-Founding member of the United Auto Workers (UAW)

5. John L. Lewis-Founding member of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO)

6. Cesar Chavez-One of the founding members of the United Farm Workers (UFW)

7. Nelson Cruikshank-A leading voice in the development of Social Security and Medicare benefits for the working class

8. Mother Jones-(The most feared woman in America) Organizer of mine workers in the early 20th century.

9. Pet J. McGuire-Father of Labor Day (United States) and May Day (The rest of the world)

10. Joe Hill-Union organizer, songwriter

Labor History Timeline

1607: English planters found Jamestown colony and complain about lack of laborers.

1677: First recorded prosecution against strikers in New York City.

1770: British troops kill five dock workers in Boston Massacre

1773: Laborers protest royal taxation in The Boston Tea Party.

1775: American Revolution Begins.

1786: Philadelphia printers conduct first successful strike for increased wages.

1791: First strike in building trades by Philadelphia carpenters for a 10-hour day bill of Rights adopted.

1834: First turnout of “mill girls” in Lowell, Mass., to protect wage cuts.

1835: General strike for 10-hour day in Philadelphia.

1842: Commonwealth v. Hunt decision frees

Why Unions?By Josh Nichols

unions from some prosecutions.

1866: National Labor Union founded.

1871: After her dress shop is destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire, “Mother” Jones begins working as a labor organizer.

1877: National uprising of railroad workers Ten Irish coal miners (“Molly Maguires”) hanged in Pennsylvania; nine more subsequently were hanged.

1886: American Federation of Labor (AFL) founded.

1900: AFL and National Civic Federation promote trade agreements with employers. U.S. Industrial Commission declares trade unions good for democracy.

1903: Women’s Trade Union League formed at the AFL convention.

1909: “Uprising of the 20,000” female shirtwaist makers in New York strike against sweatshop conditions.

1914: Ludlow Massacre of 13 women and children and seven men in Colorado coal miners’ strike.

1919: One of every five workers walked out in great strike wave, including a national clothing coal and steel strikes; a general strike in Seattle; and a police strike in Boston.

1929: Stock market crashes as stocks fall 40 percent; Great Depression begins.

1933: President Franklin Roosevelt proposes “New Deal” programs to Congress.

1937: Auto Workers win –sit-down strike against General Motors in Flint Michigan.

1938: Fair Labor Standards Act establishes first minimum wage and 40-hour week.

1946: Largest strike wave in U.S. history.

1947: Taft-Hartley Act restricts union members’ activities.

1963: Equal Pay Act bans wage discrimination based on gender.

“We are one” was the theme of the 2019 Special Bargaining Convention held March 11-13 in Detroit Michigan. From the call to order for the Convention to the dismissal of the Resolutions Committee and closing remarks followed by Solidarity Forever and adjournment, the

2019 Special ConventionBy Steven Pryor

convention was exciting and full of good debate and lots of information about this great Union.

The presentation of the Douglas Fraser Excellence in Community Service Award was presented by President Gary Jones to US Representative Debbie Dingell wife of the late John Dingell of Michigan the longest serving Representative in Congress. He was a true warrior for labor and all issues affecting labor and civil rights.

We then went to the key Bargaining Philosophy and Bargaining Issues. We covered wages and salaries; profit sharing first which led to a great debate over the resolutions. The main thing most were in agreement was to end two tier wages and temporary workers. During the convention we also saw some great videos from past UAW Presidents and National Presidents that supported labor as well one of the most interesting speakers, Jennifer Kelly, Director of the UAW Research Department. She covered new technology and new jobs and it seems like there will be quite a shift in the type of jobs in all industries, especially in transportation. With 3-D printing and more robots the need for a more trained and educated workforce is vital for bargaining unit jobs. This contract will be one of, if not the most important for the survival of the jobs we have relied on and hope to have for the next generation. We are at a point in the UAW’s history that is faced with more obstacles than ever; a NLRB that won’t listen to our concerns and Right to Work legislations. It is time for “We Are One” to save what we have and create more opportunities for the next generation of workers before we dwindle away.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDDefiance, OhioPermit NO. 342

United Auto WorkersAmalgamated Local 2112120 Baltimore RoadDefiance, Ohio 43512

Return Service Requested

United Auto Workers, Amalgamated Local 2112120 Baltimore RoadDefiance, Ohio 43512

Telephone: 419.784.5399Facsimile: 419.784.5838Email: local211@defnet.com

Local 211 News

News Editors: Tonya Huss, Trisha RamirezWeb Editor: Mitch Chandler

Local 211 Newsis proudly printed by Keystone Press,

Toledo, Ohio.

Visit uawlocal211.com.

Official Publication of United Auto Workers,

Amalgamated Local 211

UAW Local 211 Unit Meetings

Please confirm exact dates and times.

General Motors Active, June 5 (UAW Hall)Retirees, May 2 (UAW Hall)Herbert E. Orr Tuesday, May 7 (Paulding Fire House)Midwest Community FCUWednesday, June 5 (UAW Hall) Sims Metal ManagementTuesday, May 7 (UAW Hall)Johns ManvilleTuesday, May 7 (UAW Hall)Powers & SonsWednesday, June 12 (Drop Tine Winery & Tap House)DFM Monday, May 13 (UAW Hall)

POLICY OF THE LOCAL 211 NEWSLETTERThe views or opinions expressed by the individual writers in

Local 211 News are not necessarily those of the editors or of the Local 211 administration. The editors reserve the right to edit all material submitted. Any submissions for Local 211 News may be e-mailed to: local211@defnet.com or dropped off at the UAW hall. Articles must be received by the Friday following the GM Unit membership meetings which are held on the first Wednesday of every month.

Here’s a reminder! If you find a mistake in Local 211 News, please realize that we have not included it on purpose. But, if you feel inclined, bring it to our attention and every attempt will be made to correct it.