UAW Region 1-C and the Local 652 Veteran'c Committee are selling T-shirts to raise money for Charity. The dark blue T-shirts are available in sizes L - XL - 2XL - 3XL and are $20 each. Call Veteran's Committee Chair Mike Melfi at 285-4070 or Ron Olivarez at 775-4832 to order yours.COBRA Sign-up Extended
Due to high call volumes and difficulty getting through to a representative, the COBRA sign up period has been extended to February 23, 2010 for eligible retirees.
February 11 is UAW White Shirt Day
Thursday, February 11, is the annual White Shirt Day. The day honors the Flint GM workers who participated in a 44 day sit-down strike that ended February 11, 1937 and resulted in the first UAW/GM contract.
White Shirt Day not only honors those workers but celebrates workplace empowerment. The shirts represent equal respect and treatment for blue collar workers, and the unity and strength of the UAW members.
White Shirt Day started in 1948 when Bert Christensen, a member of the UAW Local 598 Education Committee suggested White Shirt Day to mark the end of the sit down strike. He wanted workers to wear the white collar attire traditionally worn by managers to show the company they were just as important as management.
Men and women throughout the UAW continue to celebrate this day annually.
Oldsmobile Outdoor Club Winterfest
The Oldsmobile Outdoor Club will be holding their annual "Winterfest" at Houghton Lake February 12, 13, and 14. This year the event will be held at the Knights of Columbus hall just east of Prudenville on M-55.
UAW Local 652 is once again sponsoring a FREE hot breakfast on Sunday morning at the Knights of Columbus hall for all Winterfest participants. Join us from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and get all the flapjacks you can eat served up by the officers and other volunteers of the Local.
A terrific three-day schedule of events is planned for Winterfest so be sure to book your rooms early. More info can be found at the club's website at www.oldsmobileoutdoorclub.com.
New Employee Placement System
Beginning January 11, 2010, a new web based Employee Placement System will be available for hourly GM employees to apply for Area Hire and Extended Area Hire job opportunities at other UAW-GM locations. This web based system may be accessed using the GM-UAW Joint Activities System (JAS) or My Socrates and will replace the 1-800 phone method currently in use. JAS (www.uawgmjas.org) will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except when weekly maintenance is being conducted. Details of how to access this new Employee Placement System (EPS) effective 1/11/10 will be available on-line after clicking the Employee Placement System link at the JAS or My Socrates web page.
In order to accomplish the conversion to the web based process, starting Thursday, December 17, 2009, employees will not be able to access the 1-800 number. If desired, employees have up until this date to generate or delete and re-enter a new placement application. If you are satisfied with your current application, this is not a required step since the 1-800 EPS information will be transferred to the new web based Employee Placement System. Any job opportunities to be filled from 12/17/09 and thereafter will utilize the last application on file in the 1-800 system or as updated in the web based system after January 11, 2010. Job offers will be made according to the 2009 UAW-GM National Agreement Addendum.
Employees will need a GMID and Password to access the web based Employee Placement System. Click here for instructions to help obtain a GMID and Password.
Lansing Labor News Online
The Lansing Labor News has their new website on line. You can visit it at www.lansinglabornews.org or click on the link at the bottom left of any page on the UAW Local 652 website. Since the Lansing Labor News will now only be published quarterly the new site will be updated often to help keep everyone informed on the latest happenings and events in the Labor community.
2010 Calendars
The 2010 Calendars are now available for download. Click HERE for a PDF version of the calendar. For those who prefer to print it in a large size on a plotter for a wall calendar set the print setting to print at 230%
