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A FEW WORDS FROM ED |
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June 1, 2010
Greetings to all Sisters and Brothers:
It is not how much you do, but how much Love you put into the doing that matters.
With the Memorial Day holiday behind us we can look forward to the joys of summer. Some of our Units have time off in the summer, others schedule vacation time, but all spend time with family and friends during these sunny, beautiful days. That is what is truly important. Family, friends and the good life we build each and every day.
Determination, patience and courage are the only things needed to improve any situation.
Our elections for our Local are over and we look to the Constitutional Convention for our International elections. May our Leaders guide us straight and true, thru prosperity and adversity. We have come thru some difficult times both Locally and Nationally. The big three are starting to thrive again. On the Local level we have negotiations coming up at Americold and issues at Mack Macungie beginning to get resolved. Everywhere we look for the economy to pick up. Orders and customers solve a lot of problems.
Congratulations to Kevin Fronhieser. He will be attending the UAW Fellowship at Blake Lake as the Region 9 delegate.
At First Student, we have three outstanding grievances we may have to arbitrate. The new Regional Director, Don Swift has a lot of common sense and has worked thru some issues with a win/win for the Company and Union. We will keep you updated as we move forward.
For our Mack Macungie Sisters and Brothers I include an update:
MACK UAW Membership Update
March 3, 2010, Steve Marzen, Chairperson Macungie was issued a 30 day administrative suspension for representing employees who were working in water which additionally had diesel fuel mixed in. Steve was performing his duties trying to get the water and diesel cleaned off the floor. The Union has filed a grievance protesting the action of the company. The grievance is scheduled for a 4th step meeting June 2 and 3.
In the early part of May, the Union held a Good and Welfare meeting at the local union hall with Jim Goodell, Carolyn Crouse, and Bill Buss to discuss concerns and solutions to problems in the Macungie Facility. Issues discussed were OBU concerns of Material Planners, EBU concerns involving KOLA V-Spec, ORF S notes, Sprint tickets, Shop concerns involved issues in the Final Department, Assembly lines, Material (shipping and receiving), Maintenance, employee involvement, sprint tickets and quality of our products shipped to customers. The concerns and possible solutions were assembled by the UAW committees from the Shop, OBU, and EBU from information compiled from the floor by our membership. Health and Safety in the Macungie Facility was discussed about the lack of urgency which caused numerous OSHA citations.
The Union also made the company aware about the hostility and intimidation by management toward employees that is continuing in the Macungie Facility. Workplace Harassment is unwelcomed, unwanted and is unprofessional conduct that is unacceptable anywhere. Together we must work to create and maintain a work environment that is free from workplace harassment (also know as workplace bullying).
Approximately two weeks later in the Month of May, Upper Macungie management responded to the Union on some of the concerns raised in the Good and Welfare meeting. In order to move forward in any way the hostility toward employees must stop.
Mack/Volvo CEO, Dennis Slagle is well aware of the Union’s concerns in the Macungie Facility and has sent a letter in response to the UAW International Heavy Truck Department in Detroit.
On Thursday, May 13th, Dave Perkins President of Mack Truck Council, Ed Balukas, President of Local 677 and William Waters, Director of Human Performance, North American Trucks, met and discussed issues in the plant. He acknowledged certain supervisors have been over the line in their behavior. Counseling, workshops and other remedies are being pursued.
Again the review step (4th step) meetings covering many issues – Steve Marzen, Health and Safety, Production Standards among others are scheduled June 2nd and 3rd. The Company will have 10 days to respond. If not resolved the Union may take the issues to arbitration.
There have been some additional personnel added in the Human Resource department in Macungie, hopefully moving forward the Company and Union can achieve resolution on the issues and get refocused on building quality products for our customers. The customers are the foundation of our business!
In Solidarity, the Mack Truck Bargaining Committee.
6-1-2010
So enjoy the summertime pursuits, love your family and friends. I wish you all the joy and blessings possible. Here are some old Union songs to sing!
In solidarity, Ed Balukas President
PASS IT ON
Freedom doesn’t come like a bird on the wing, Doesn’t come down like summer rain, Freedom, freedom is a hard won thing, You’ve got to work for it, Fight for it, Day and night for it, And every generation’s got to do it again.
Pass it on to your children, mother, Pass it on to your children, brother, They’ve got to work for it, Fight for it, Day and night for it, Pass it on to your children, Pass it on!
JOE HILL
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night Alive as you and me. Says I “But Joe you’re ten years dead.” “I never died,” says he.
“In Salt Lake, Joe by God,” says I Him standing by my bed, “They framed you on a murder charge” Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead.”
“The copper bosses killed you, Joe, They shot you Joe,” says I. “Takes more than guns to kill a man,” Says Joe, “I didn’t die.”
“Joe Hill ain’t dead,” he says to me. “Joe Hill ain’t never died. Where working people are out on strike Joe Hill is by their side.”
“From San Diego up to Maine In every Mine and mill, Where workers strike and organize,” Says he, “You’ll find Joe Hill.”
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night Alive as you and me Says I, “But Joe you’re 10 years dead,” “I never died,” says he.
Words by Alfred Hayes Music by Earl Robinson
Joe Hill was born Joel Hagglund in Sweden. In 1910 he became a member of the IWW. In January, 1914, Joe Hill was framed on a murder charge in Salt Lake City, Utah. Despite the intervention of President Woodrow Wilson and the Swedish Government, Joe Hill was executed by a five man firing squad on November 19, 1915. The night before he was executed, a speaker at a protest meeting cried, “Joe Hill will never die!” In a way he never did because he has become a symbol of the hundreds of men and women killed while battling for working men and woman’s rights. Copyright 1938 Bob Miller, Inc. |
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UAW Amalgamated Local 677 |
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Your business tag line here. |
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Representing workers of Mack Trucks Shop, Office, Engineering, Reman, Americold Logistics, Lower Saucon Township, First Student Northampton
Chartered in 1939 |