duhblow7

I will be submitting this and I suggest all of us do the same. We should be setting the bar for all tradesmen in the United States. The more fervent we are, as a collective, in the demand that our representatives negotiate exactly what we desire, the more likely it is that we achieve our goal. A 25% increase will put our wage at a competitive point with skilled employees at other large companies. The reinstatement of the C.O.L.A will ensure that everyone be compensated appropriately for increased inflation. These should be our demands and nothing less. I have been at Ford 30 years, and have seen many contract negotiations. This can be done if we make our representatives fight for it. I have attached a PDF and a JPEG file of this resolution if anyone would like to print this off, sign and submit to your local union representatives. It's the only way to officially state our goal for the upcoming contract. If you agree, print extras and ask our fellow tradesmen at your plant to sign as well. Many do not participate on this forum. Thank you, Nathan FORD UAW RESOLUTION 1.pdf

Thank you, I feel much better now knowing that you have been getting screwed over for so many years and taking it silently. I guess I'll do the same. I've been in production and trades and have always had my vacations covered by overtime. We didn't have extra people loitering around to cover vacations....if that's what you've been used to. They still have to cover my vacations with overtime here at KTP so I don't understand why it makes a difference how many are off....and some might agree that getting time off when you want is NOT trivial.

What's the deal with the vacation scheduling....Having to sign up a year in advance is ridiculous. Then, we get denied our vacation when there are a few people off at the same time?? Did we agree to this ignorance? I could understand if they needed a couple weeks notice so they could schedule overtime, but this is over the top. Most Ford employees are hard workers and have earned their vacation time. We should be able to take time off when the need arises. I have 20 fellow Electricians on my shift, so only two of us can take off at any given time. I have worked at Ford for 20 years and now I have to hope that they will let me off when I need a day off??!! It's time to change this policy, because it is RIDICULOUS.

ahh yes

Not sure what that means, but I think it is prevalent here.....I wish I had as much cash as you fellows who can afford to live off strike pay for months. If Ford was trying to cut our pay or health benefits, I could understand voting no. Let's think very carefully about the consequences of our actions before making decisions. I believe if we use common sense and realize that we have the best blue collar jobs in the nation, we will vote appropriately. Timing is everything when asking for a raise....with every other blue collar worker in the nation making far less than us, this is NOT the time.

omg

I've been an outsider working at Ford for the past 20yrs. I don't believe we are owed anything extra because Ford makes a bigger profit. They pay us a good wage to build the vehicles.....the profit made on the vehicles is the owners' money to do with as they please. If you don't think they pay you enough, then find a better job.... or start your own car company and you can let your employees tell you how much there wage is going to be.

You may want to reread my statement...I am hourly...I wear blue jeans, kevlar sleeves, and boots to work....and it's a very sexy outfit, I must say.

I've been an hourly ford employee for 20yrs. If you guys don't think you're getting paid adequately, then feel free to quit and pursue other ventures. Your apparent ignorance of basic economics is disturbing.

In this "bad analogy", Ford is the homeowner, not the lawn care company. This is just a common sense story to remind people of their place in the workforce. Alot of my fellow employees seem to think they are owed something just for being alive. This is not our company...we don't own the factories...we just work for the guys that own it. If you don't like that you're getting paid top wages, then go work someplace else........If you want to make more, start your own business. Then you can let your employees tell you what their wage is going to be......good luck

very elegant...are you in theatre?

Just to clarify, I started at Ford on the assembly line, became an Electrician and have worked in a ford factory for 20yrs. The plant where I hired in is closing so I have transferred to another. I moved my wife and children away from all of our family and friends to stay with Ford Motor Co. because I knew I would be unable to find a job elsewhere that even comes close to affording me the ability to provide for my family on my own. Please understand, there is a time to demand raises and a time to play it cool. With most all of our fellow Americans across the nation taking pay cuts and losing their jobs, this is NOT the time for demands. We, as a nation, have allowed foreign companies to invade our economy and severely deteriorate our wages as Americans. Until the United States wakes up and realizes that the reason our economy is on a downward spiral is because we are purchasing all of our goods from China, Indonesia, Korea, etc..., then we have no hope of recovery and no hope of future employment anywhere. Even now, our leaders' solution is to open up more free trade agreements with third world countries in which the workers get paid only dollars a day. The only way to save America is to make it illegal to import anything into the U.S. that can be made here.....period. Thousands of factories would flock back to the U.S and jobs would be plentiful. When our fellow Americans once again have a job and are making a good wage, THEN we can demand our raise.

Let's say you hire some dudes to mow your grass. They mow it for the season and do a good job. You are paying them more than any of the other mower dudes in the nation. The next year they demand that you give them a raise or they will strike and not mow your lawn. Would you give them a raise or hire some other dudes that mow just as well. Ridiculously easy answer. Get a clue and vote yes....until the wage of our competitor's workforce increases (which it should, but that is our government's fault and is another discussion), then demanding a raise is futile.

I don't believe I know who Stacy David is?

How about a sliding ragtop?...anybody seen one or had one installed in a truck.....I think they sell them at street beat customs online, but I don't know anyone that's seen one.