DTPrt

I will not believe anything that is said unless I hear it in the Men's Room!!!!

Really? . . . Cite Yahoo Finance . . . What a poor source for news . . . It's the most viewed source for the most uninformed electorate in the country . . . Please beware of what you start saying before the Contract Negotiations begin . . . We can be ready for any type of crap that will come our way when they sit at the table . . . No need to start crap now!!!

Why? . . . I'm not dead and I show up for work everyday! . . . Still healthy, thanks for good Health Care Plan . . . Can you raise 3 kids, 2 Colleges, a lot of lay-offs for the first 9 years, 2 daughter weddings, provide for a wife with Cancer and do it on a single income? . . . Good for you!!! . . . I've seen my friends leave and they are the ones who call every year to hit me up for $5000, $3000 or what ever . . . With the poor economy and health care uncertain in the future and those who have left have either died early or have to find work, which they can't find . . . fixed income they make is difficult . . . Sure if I was a Skilled Tradesmen or stayed on Salary (with those who were stealing from the company), perhaps I would have made it in 30 . . . What about the uncertain future of the ones coming behind me, who want to screw the retirees . . . I'm doing just fine. . .

MTP'er has it right . . . I'll only add that when I had little or no seniority, Bob King who was my committeeman at the time, told me in March of 73, to put extra money away for the STRIKE . . . Having just started my family it was hard, but I opened an additional bank account just for that reason . . . We went on strike. Having $100 a week from the strike fund . . . (must walk the picket line to get paid - they sign you in) and having 3 months of money for my bills made my family feel safe as we fought for OUR contract . . . Please people prepare!!! . . . If we don't strike, you'll have a GREAT XMAS . . .

I've posted before in another thread, about Tier 2 and explained it as best I can, with many others explaining it further . . . I'm Tier 1 and have more seniority than most on this site . . . We wanted Tier 2 . . . get your job . . . We gave away much . . . Now with the Company standing on firm footing and investing in new product and improved plants (much better than the DAP that I worked in for 30 years) . . . Now is the time for ALL of us to begin making the money that is deserved . . . ALL of US work very hard ( except those who just show up when they can ) . . . The cost of living raising a family is so much more now than it was 10 years ago, many of you know that . . . Many of the Tier 1's lost a lot of our investments in TESPHE, home values declined. food and gas had skyrocketed . . . Please Tier 2's, understand that we are fighting for raises, not just for us, but for YOU . . . We want you to have PARITY (Some are receiving it now) . . . Sure it may sound like greed and maybe those that speak like that, might not express it well . . . Many of us are not the same generation and have used our backs for quite a long time . . . Cut us some slack . . . We are all UNION . . . Let's not lose it with such division as the New Contract approaches.

Good post, Cobra12 . . . Your talking straight . . . Your the new Union who must bring others along with your thinking . . . Your the new generation that has the SMARTS to do well . . . My generation were the ones who used our backs . . . Some were wise to become Skilled Trades and did better then those of us who stayed on the line, tho I went Salary for 5 months, but only found out that many Salary workers were stealing from the company . . . Just getting out of the military, I didn't want to dishonor myself with foolishness . . . went back to hourly and really have no regrets . . . Working hard, I can sleep at night . . . I taught my kids about Plan B . . . I'm glad your thinking that way . . . Your going to do well with what ever direction you choose . . . Hopefully you'll find it here . . . My family and I have worked for Ford since 1917 . . . I believe this is still a good (not perfect) company and one we all can be proud of . . .

This is a new era . . . There were people who died on a bridge in Dearborn for me . . . Then there was a time that I walked the picket lines in rain and cold in the 70's for profit sharing, wages and job security. At that time the company matched our TESPHE. We enjoyed much. . . It was old timers who yelled to Bob King not to give so much away, so that those who came after us will be secure. . . The younger ones wanted the $1000 signing bonus . . . The Concessions came . . . I spoke to many of the 2nd Tier as they arrive not to be disheartened. They are more smarter then any of those before them. . . Now is their time to leverage and fight . . . Don't expect to be given anything and expect less. . . Fight! Make it YOUR Union. . . Just please don't sacrifice those of us who fought before you. . . We wanted you to be 2nd. Tier to get you in. It may take not this Contract but the next to get your footing and your New Union to find your place . . . The economy is still fragile. . . The Union is divided and weak right now . . . Put YOUR people in and fight for what is needed . . . I've seen it done. I

I may be wrong, but weren't we to consider, during this concession blitz, that by agreeing to a 2 Tier system, that we wouldn't have to take a reduction in pay? . . . I seem to remember that we could have had our wage rates $18 - $23 per hour. . . The 2 Tier System seemed like a correct move for all concerned, since if we could improved our workforce, there would be a better chance that we all could begin to get these Part Timers and 2nd Tier people to Full Time and parity if the plants remained open and manpower was strengthen for the Union. . . I'm a 1st Tier and would have no problem fighting for 2nd Tier people. . . By the comments, it looks like they want to throw me under the F-150.

I'm required to claim weeks 9/13 and 9/20 on the 24th . . . How is it suppose to be 'in a week or so' before claiming them?

Driving with a knee on the floor and a foot on the accelerator pedal and take them to the yard. . . Dah . . . Lol

Would I walk the picket line to make it better? . . . Sure, and I did back in the 70's (in the rain, snow & cold) with Bob King,(my committeeman back then) but when he came to visit us at the DTP and started the crap of more concessions, I began to speak (NO MORE!) to him about all the things we walked for back then and have given them back, (PPH Days was a nice feature at one time)(and he wanted to give away more) to NEVER see them again. . . I was literally push back by thugs along with the younger ones who wanted to sell out for a $1000 to settle for more give backs. . . Picket Lines now? Huh, not in 100 years. . . It will be the responsibility of the young, educated and strong workers, with Pride, (and the fire within them) to find the leverage, motivation and the convincing dialog to bring along the New Union to the forefront. . . It will take time, but it's not impossible!!!

Are the 2nd Tier workers making $15 an hour? Just asking . . . Heard an interview of a demonstrator at Mc Donalds wanting $15 an hour and then was asked if he would give up his ETB card (Not sure what 3 letters they are) and he said "NO WAY, I want it all." Yet our young second tier work much harder. Should have never had a 2 Tier system. They need parity in 90 days. JMO. . . .

Fatso . . . Sounds like fire in the belly!!! . . . This is what these second tiers should be listening to. . . They need to be the fighters that were once ( when I first started ) . . . They are tech savvy and more educated than many of us who started yeeeaaarrrsss ago. . . Hope they pickup on what your saying. . . It's their future that needs fixing. . .

I'm asking for "Snickers" for the next 21 working days to break the habit of listening to my music. I just know I will not be MYSELF. I truly understand the ban on the drivers in Motor Bay, but please, those of us that work on the line, just doesn't make sence.

Hey RougeWelder, you don't have to go to Apple for an example. If it wasn't for Mrs. Ford, we wouldn't have the UAW. She was responsible for telling the old man to settle. If it was up to the Henry, he would of never settled with the strickers and UAW would have never existed.

SU-FI, being curious is healthy, but please consider that IF the membership had never learned of Salary receiving Bonuses, Raises and the Scholarship money, etc., there would not be this discussion going on. . . What would be gained to lie about this arbitration?. . . They gain time until the next contract. . . There will be some SLICK wording in negotiations that will give us the impression that we will receive a few extra bucks (signing bonus) for this issue to be resolved. WE WERE NOT TO FIND OUT WHAT THE UAW AND THE COMPANY had agreed upon. . . I'll say this again, I hope I'm wrong. . . QUESTION; Before a 3rd party (arbitrator) was decided on, wasn't there PRE-HEARING DISPUTES OR QUESTIONS that were public? Isn't this why they choose to go to Arbitration, so as it will be private?

I'll bet it was a CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT!!! I'm not interested in the agreement. . . We all know there was an agreement. . . I want to see the PUBLIC RECORD of the procedures and filings that suppose to have been made of OUR behalf. . . Most of these comments in this thread sure sound like reps who have been told to double talk us and perhaps we are stupid enough not to ask anymore. . . Oh, I know, You'll get back to us. . . Please, just admit that there is no arbitrator or legal procedures going on. . . MPT'er quoted it correctly . . . Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it

With all do respect, spine, I'm not referring to the explanation that we have be hearing for quite sometime. . . I'm looking for a public record of this legal procedure. . . Many of us have heard of an arbitrator and its ruling before. . . Wasn't there to be a ruling some time ago and now another ruling in August or September? . . . I guess I should have just never mentioned this, since the reply is what we have been listening to for a while. . . No need to reply. . . I'll just move on and wait for another explanation . . . I'm surely not holding my breath for the reversal of the temporary changes to our contract. . . Hope I'm wrong!!! . . . Maybe we misunderstood that it was temporary changes to the contract. . . Perhaps the word temporary has a different meaning in Ford/UAW language. . . I know that when Bob King was my comitteeman, (walked with him on the picket line in the cold, wet rain) that he promised a lot of good things. Then a few years back I had to remind him, when he came to the DTP to ask for the give backs, that he was attempting to give the rest of what we fought for away. . . I told him he is cheating our younger workers out of what we fought for . . . I suppose those things were temporary also. . . I degress . . . I'll just move on like I said earlier. . . . . . .

If I'm mistaken and I'm very sure one of you are going to nix me if I am, but wasn't it noted some months back that there was an attempt to find the public record of this Equality of Sacrifice and none could be found? The Union knows this, because they have not published a copy of any document to prove that there was a procedure put in motion. Everytime it is brought up, the excuse seems to be the same. Please find something to prove I'm wrong. My thought is that there is so many employees moving throughout the system and the country, that people will tire of this discussion and will eventually forget about it, and low and behold, we will be involved with the next contract and more serious negotiations, perhaps about health care or having our pensions frozen.

Hey Decker . . . Don't be concerned about pushing those units out the door and bringing them back into repair. . . We do the same at the DTP. . . It's been heard by visiting vendors that they think our units are HAND BUILT and are considering buying one.

They double you up until you can do it on your own . . . If you can't learn it in 3 days, your disqualified and return to Labor Relations for work available.

:reading: I believe it is called PermaFinish . . . Go to Permafinish.com and look over the site and see if it matches what you saw on the ticket glued to the window.

Her name is Marty.

He had his chance when he was Chairman. . . We voted him out. . . he needs to stop his ranting because his days have past . . . we need some intelligent people to solve problems within our plant, make their names known and get well established in the plant and we will send them forward. I've met some of you. I know your there. Use your smarts and the ability to speak clearly. You don't need a foul mouth to make your point or bitch about how things should be, learn and grow. Please let me retire with a Union I can be proud of.