level

That is why the project coordinators have been used more extensively....tradesmen have taken over for the engineers and supervisors to retain work. We bid it...we engineer it....we order material...schedule manpower and timing.... if they only let us pay ourselves they could eliminate salary maintenance supervision layers! Their lack of "wanting any responsibility" has forced us to take it on in order to be able to retain such work. This practice has been catching on in a lot of plants...and the trades are being supported engineering-wise by Outside contracted engineers like Construction Commodity Managers. Actually it is a great thing....lI would even be willing to let them pay us and tell Maint. Supervision as a whole to get lost.

It will be a MAJOR topic of discussion, and a major issue for the UAW. Huge savings can be realized for all of the reasons mentioned. I actually think they (Ford) have begun to realize it is inevitable with such a surplus of trades and I know the issue would improve morale and save millions. Win-Win.

As of this morning it was reported that Chrysler is willing to give up majority share and has resumed talks with GM on a merger to show the Government a good faith effort at solvency and viability.

I may have a high brow attitude ...but you are a little too "cock"y.

I understand and agree with your statement. I'm sure most people feel that way, as well as the UAW....which is why Our President called for equality of sacrifice......... on that note....these things (educational) were suspended for salary a while ago.... on the CEO wages.....I am with you 100% I agree that Mullaly has proven himself to be the best choice for our troubled industry, which is the reason he was chosen after Boeing was restructured under his watch.....however the pay for CEO's around the world has risen dramatically....as well as those salaries of professional sports players breaking records....all while the wages of blue collar are being pointed out as the reason these companies and businesses fail........burns my ass to no end.

Little Timmy has a Potty mouth. Bad timmy.

Well, I do not have the exact breakdown, but this is more than just the employees getting tuition at 4500....it is also the dependent tuition assistance....and most people have more than 1 child getting such assistance at 1500 per child. Even if it is 10% or 15%....or if it is 8 million or 10 million.... the point is that it if you are going to make any sacrifice for the benefit of the whole mass...you should prioritize cuts that have a high cost and only benefit the few....that way the "whole" may take less of a cut overalll.... I was trying to make that point.....not be an accountant....hope that clears it up

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Correct...... However....I find it very hard to concentrate on what you have typed with that ass gyrating in your avatar! LOL

Nevermind....already answered.

That is not what was said. It is being "suspended" not eliminated. When Ford returns to viability, the program will probably be reinstituted.... Right now it is just 8 million a year we don't have. These programs are from money that is not in any bank account. It is from Ford's hard cash. The amount generated for our use was based on hours worked and overtime worked by each employee. As you can probably guess...with 40k less employees working....and no overtime being worked or very little....the funds are not being generated for the program to be funded anyway...along with the fact that we have to make some cuts...and at 8 million a year cut to a program that is only used by less than 10% of the employees for their children should be one of the first cuts. It's a matter of prioritizing. I agree it was a great benefit....and I also believe that it is one that will be returning when we return to profitability.....else....the word "eliminated" would have been used. Ford and the UAW have always believed in the further education of our members and their families.

While I agree with you that is the process that is used, I do see trades benefittting from it as well as Ford. For example, many, many, many times the trades get a last minute opportunity to bid on a job....or it has very short timing. Thus the Company wants to outside contract. In order to retain the work, the trades need to build up components asap, therfore they need steel asap. A commodity supplier or CCM can get on the phone, buy it and have it delivered sometimes same day! The "Ford" process is to go through so many approvals in plant before it goes out of plant. I s scrutinized by at least 10 people and when you finally get an okay...you find out that there is lead time needed on the order because they have to go through a certain supplier. Happens all the time....and the trades would not get the work because they wouldn't make the timing. Using the "end around" might cost 100.00 bucks more per purchase order.....but the trades retaining the work in house saves a hell of lot more and offsets it. While I agree with you that this example may not be true in all types of purchases....in this case we lose if we don't "go around" the bullcrap rules. In many other cases though....you are correct 100%. We could use a community supplier for a tremendous savings of cost and time but they are not "approved" vendors. That is stupid bureaucratic accounting bullshit and I couldn't agree more. During previous cost savings explorations....Ford tried to revamp this system because every plant said the same thing....we could be helping our small community suppliers and getting things faster and cheaper....but the system wion't allow it.... A lot of talk went into it.....and nothing ever happened.

Well, I don't know what exactly we are going to do ....... it was only said that we were willing to take a part as stakeholders, but I can try and answer on a different "level" . #1. He is sitting in front of the Senate, trying to protect your friggin job and our entire industry. #2. He isn't asking for any loan so he doesn't need to be there, but he has more friends than they do up there and it is unprecendented for a Union leader to sit at such an event with the employers to leverage, represent and show "our" stake...the people part....not the corporation interests. #3. Unless you haven't been watching the hearings...we weren't going to get anything without some type of sacrifice. The public perception of our union workforce is still overpaid and lazy making crap cars. Ron has pointed out the tremendous sacrifices we have already made and showed the Senate a good faith effort to help return these automakers to viability. None of this would have been done by the CEO's. #4. Do you really think that the improvements in Quality, Safety, design etc. were the end product of the big 3? If so you are wrong. It was the Union who pushed these issues and drove these tremendous changes and improvements. All of the quality initiatives and safety initiatives have been driven by the union...and without those improvements we realized already...we wouldn't even be asking for any loan.......because we would be able to show viability........... In effect.....Ron is saving your ass.........again.

Do you ever question why.....if those plants were such money makers we needed to hold on to them.....that no one bought many of them????? Did you ever question why Delphi, Plastech and many, many others have gone or are going into bankruptcy???? Do you know what happens to a union contract then???? Even with orange wages there many of them can't even stay afloat now. I don't get your point.........?????????????

???? I could not comment on a factless Local shift bump issue, nor would I want to. Sorry everyone, my fault.....not what this thread was about.....

I am not an expert on this by any means...but I think ...if you retire and anyone goes bakrupt, you at least have a Federal pension guarantee (41 1/2% or something), albeit severely lessened. If you stay working and they go bankrupt....you have nothing. I dunno what to tell you brother......scary times. I hate it too.

Even with the cuts that the union is considering, public sentiment is 6 to 10 against us getting the loan. Ron does what he must to ensure we all survive. If one goes down, another may fall....and our supplier base will fail....then we all fail. One for all....and all for one. Ron is saving your ass........you need to understand that you and I...are ignorant of many facts and figures of why things are being done. You need to have faith in your leadership. The press gets a lot of things wrong, as you have seen all too many times. Not even our Senate and Congress has correct perception of the industry or the UAW....as seen at the hearings. Take everything the press says with a grain of salt, trust your leaders and pressure your Congress and Senate...not your union.

Ford has been cutting salary heads...they are in the middle of another big cut right now..... I agree on one point though...there should be a standard ratio that applies to all plants..... I do not like like to see anyone, salary or hourly lose their job....don't wish it on anyone....but equality of sacrifice is the right thing to do.

KTP and LAP are the same local union in the same town.... it makes perfect sense to me.

It's pretty simple....you can retire....take a buyout....or Quit. I suggest quitting... No one is forcing you to stay here. Make some more room for the rest of us.

I apologize everyone for my necessary rant. I wanted you all to understand Pioneer's raping of the system. There a a lot of good ideas on here once you get past the idiots like him. I assure you they will be looked at, keep em coming.............

You know what Pioneer, there are people here that have legitimate ideas. We don't need your friggin advice on anything except maybe how to personally ruin JSP for everyone YOU @#$%! You are a perfect example of how privileges get abused. You are an Electrician from Monroe who refused multiple opportunities to transfer. You are now in JSP getting 85% of your pay sent to your home, while you are working at NEAPCO, the Chinese outfit that took Monroe's work!!!!!!!! You are a piece of crap, and are only pissed off because now you will have to claim the money you make at NEAPCO on your unemployment! BOO HOO, we all feel bad for you. Wants to decertify because he lost his free paycheck while he worked his second job at a Chinese outfit that took his own plant down! WHAT A PIECE OF SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The JSP was meant to save American jobs, not supplement you as a second income. Turds like you ruined it for everyone else by your abuse, you made your bed.....lie in it. 希望您得到与那个工作的一个蛋卷! (traditional chinese for: hope you get an eggroll with that job!)

If you really want to help point out waste that you all see happening everyday..... Things that would help Ford save cash....... I am starting a new thread for such ideas... Name your plant, because your situation may not be the same at all plants, explain the waste and any idea that would save or offset it. Let's get all of these ideas onto one thread without any stupid bullshit.........REAL IDEAS.....REAL WASTE THAT WE SEE AND IGNORE EVERYDAY.......and let's put it on one thread. ONE THREAD. Let's quit with the in-fighting and finger pointing and all of us ....put our energy into identifying savings we can achieve....onto one thread....together......for all of our sakes. BULLSHIT POSTS WILL ONLY LESSEN THE IMPACT AND IMPORTANCE THIS THREAD COULD HAVE. BE REAL...REAL FACTS.

If you really want to help point out waste that you all see happening everyday..... Things that would help Ford save cash....... I am starting a new thread for such ideas... Name your plant, because your situation may not be the same at all plants, explain the waste and any idea that would save or offset it. Let's get all of these ideas onto one thread without any stupid bullshit.........REAL IDEAS.....REAL WASTE THAT WE SEE AND IGNORE EVERYDAY.......and let's put it on one thread. ONE THREAD. I will call the thread "Cost savings ideas from the plant floor" Let's quit with the in-fighting and finger pointing and all of us ....put our energy into identifying savings we can achieve....onto one thread....together......for all of our sakes.

Apparently you are uninformed Spring. The UAW International Union ratified and mirrored the wage cuts (70%), benefit and pension cuts that the membership ratified, and these are not "new future hires" that are taking these cuts as in the memberships contract........these are 20 year and up UAW Ford, Chrysler and GM members who were at grandfathered rates just like you are now.....that have to take a reduction to get a promotion. The IUAW already has new people working at these new low rates due to retirements, the membership has none at this time because they are still at a surplus. The IUAW has also had to delegate additional job responsibilities of 2 or 3 people who retired onto 1 person as they tried to par down their membership also. If anything I would say they have exceeded equality of sacrifice. A very unfair and incorrect statement sister. You hurt my heart.