Shop Committee Report

from Jack Graham -GM Unit Chairman

To get started on my first column, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support of myself and the entire team in the general election.  We have a lot of work ahead and I feel our membership has selected the right group of people to get the job done.

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The latest Special Attrition Plan closed on May 22.  There are 542 UAW Local 652 members who have signed up.  Most who have signed up will be retiring on July 1.  To those members leaving; I wish you well in retirement and thank you for all of your contributions that has made UAW Local 652 and Lansing so successful.

To offset these retirements, GM has been adding temporary workers almost every week.  They will continue to add the temps as needed.  However, there is going to be a need for full time replacement workers.  We have been negotiating with the company to fill the openings with new hires.  So far we have had 57 of the temps hired in full time and also brought on 56 area hires. 

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At the end of June, elections will be held for District and Alternate District Committee.  Those of you who vote, and I urge everyone to vote, will notice a slight change in the voting procedure.

 No longer will it be necessary for members to fill out the information cards that included their name on the envelopes.  With this process, many members felt their ballots were not anonymous, but I assure you they were.  That was a procedure that has been around for 30 years but it really is not needed unless it is a challenged ballot.  With the new process, voting members will have their name checked off on a list and then be given a ballot.  If their name does not appear on the membership list they will then have to follow the challenged ballot procedure as in the past.  We are trying to make changes in how business is being done and we hope the membership will notice this small step in that direction.