roadhog

UAW12 get your facts straight, if we do not get voted in to go to the convention to raise dues then all of Chicago Assembly will be in dire straights. Carlo, Coby, Hammer, Fred and Jeff have made it clear that we will stand proudly to raise dues on the members and help protect the membership by being on the IUAW side. That is what elections are all about and the LTS's owe their jobs to us so they should be there to vote to send us to the convention so we can cast votes for the Union dues increase and protect them.

Dumbfounded, A. I started this thread for the exchange of ideas and not for you to have a default position of everything is good or bad, but just debate. B. For a person that puts their interest as hating cry babies, you cry more than a Cubs fan watching video of Bartman catching the foul ball in 2003.

cicilmeyer, the leadership was in a situation of trying to expand the dues paying rolls at CAP and was put in a situation that this agreement was the best we could negotiate. Our local is down to $585 thousand dollars at this time, 9 months ago we had over 1 million. The leadership team has been forced to sign FPS, let temps work at the plant, relax the stance on Health and Safety, Production Standards but it is in an effort to save the plant from closure. What you need to realize is that even though they make $9 per hour that is another $18 dollars per month to the IUAW in dues. We would have loved to put forth a referral system as was done in the past but we could not negotiate that this time and after the leadership team put our family in to the open slots there was no space left. But as our slogan stated "Putting our Family First" we hope to include the membership at a later date in hiring opportunities!

Everyone will be shocked! The LM2 report that was due to explain the spending at Local 551 and was due last month, has not been turned in to the Department of Labor. If one checks the Department of Labor website every local has turned in the 2013 report except, you guessed it Local 551, I'm sure it is an oversight and not anything out of line! "Iceberg dead ahead"!!!!!!!!

UAW12 your statement is not accurate, the Chairperson of the election was only paid ghost payroll for 3 and a half months. They hurt their thump which has had them off for 6 months more which could happen to anyone. Get your facts straight, just because they are going to come back 2 days before the Convention vote to count does not mean it is rigged. I am sure this has happened at lots of locals around the country.

As this information is spread around the plant and used for political gain it is important to know that allegations are not proof of guilt. Even if and it is a big if someone is convicted or implicates officials it does not mean all officials are guilty.

Wanted to give quick update to members of Local 551. The Bargaining Team had a special meeting with the Regional Director, Regional Servicing Rep and the reps at the Union Hall this week. I want to be clear we are 1 team no matter what some of the naysayers try and say. As a team of Carlo Bishop our President, Coby Millender our Chairman, Aaron Straker, Fred Weems Units we stood at Sub-Council and got the ball rolling on raising Union Dues and at the meeting with the Region the team stands by our decision. Some have pointed out that the team was for giving up the right to strike in 2009 and why now are we saying we need to raise dues to pump up the strike fund? The answer is we changed our minds and now we are for the right to strike. My fellow Skilled Tradesman you need to get on board with the team quick!

I am not sure exactly what your saying UAW12 but if it is close to what I think, the responsibility for this behavior would lie with our Local President and Election Committee and whomever signed off on the act. Unless there is lock solid proof and who would be stupid enough to be recorded or send a text implicating themselves.

First off Happy Thanksgiving to all of my UAW family from the Chicago Assembly membership. I will start by saying that I have found out it is easier to throw bombs than to catch them. With this being said the rumor mill is rampant at the facility mainly being stirred up by a former official or crybaby I will call him. Due to charges being brought up towards the CAP leadership instead of concentrating on new product and grievances, some of the leadership has had to retain lawyers to defend against made up charges that were presented to the Department of Labor. As I have stated the President is in charge of paying an election Chair not the Bargaining Team at the Assembly Plant even if something to the contrary is being spread for political gain. Just because of an email by an official requesting the Election Chair to be off for 3 and a half months, this does not prove guilt as will be proved.

For all those that want to talk smack about the decisions by the Local 551 Leadership the elimination of tag relief should send a message about what is on the horizon. So to try and save the plant product and future the Leadership has had to take tough votes upon our shoulders, such as the Chairman, President and Bargaining Team standing up at Sub-Council and voting for a modest Union dues increase(only $344.00 per member per year). Much of the criticism we face is from a certain former official and Skilled Trades that only think of themselves. We will continue to lead even if we have to stand alone to do it, and yes Decker not only myself but the whole team will be running for Constitutional Convention where we will proudly stand and support our vote to raise dues!

Setting the record straight again. TigerFan the leadership stood up and explained to the members we voted to raise everyone's dues but we need the help of the IUAW. As was stated in the Good and Welfare the company will not cooperate or give us anything we ask for to help the membership. So how much more of an explaination do you need, all those above said they voted to raise everyone's dues in the UAW and we will explain it to all of the delegates and stand up in support of raising the dues at the Constitutional Convention in the Spring.

Great point Decker, and the answer is a no! The President Carlo Bishop Paid the Election Chairman Kim Finley for 3 and a half months after the elections were over and we did not vote on it in the Executive Board(I have copies of the minutes of course) and it was not brought up in the membership meetings(I have copies of those minutes also). ChiTown has an obvious anger at the Local but the fact that we did vote for a Union Dues increase at Sub-Council I do not run from but believe it is important as was said in the Good and Welfare at the membership meeting to build good will with the IUAW. The fact that the leadership was the only group to stand and vote for the increase shows that we are the leaders from all the assembly plants with an eye at the future. Just because 2 individuals run on the same ticket does not mean that they are responsible for each others actions.

Truth of the matter at Chicago Assembly. I was going to avoid addressing the nonsense on this forum but due to how many of my members are reading it I must set the record straight. No one hit a Labor Representative at Chicago Assembly especially the Leader of the Plant. The Chairman has had nothing to due with the Union Fund going from over 1 million to 600 thousand in 4 months. It is true I was swore in during this point of time but Carlo runs the hall and not the Assembly Plant, the Chair is in charge of the Plant. Another clarification is that it is true the Election Chair was off on Union Time for over 3 and a half months after the election but again Carlo runs the hall and the Chairman has nothing to due with that part of the Union. It is being put out there that family members have been set up at the plant of the Leader of the plant, it is true that some of family members have been put in Appointed and other jobs but this has always been the case and I need individuals that I can trust and rely on. As far as previous leaders of the Plant we have been on the same page and if one checks he endorsed me in my race, so for those trying to divide us it will not work. Whatever rumors are said about what was known in regards to the reason the election Chair was granted and paid to be off after the election the Leader of the Assembly Plant had Nothing to due with it.

Just overheard Coby talking in the Mezz by Labor with the C-Crew Representative and he was bragging how Aaron Wynn needs to respect the Chairman and nothing would happen to him. If this is the new Team concept we are in for a rough ride. I can only imagine the lack of respect the company is going to have for the local UAW now. The company has MBA's and Masters and we have this type of thug representative, this is not good for the membership.

Decker, sounds like TT is a book of knowledge. He must have forgot that the same group that is in charge of the IUAW now were the authors of the 2009 concession package to give up the right to strike. What is even more amazing and sad is that Chicago Assembly's Chairman, President and Bargaining Team went along with putting a motion at Sub-Council on the floor to raise all UAW members dues and they were the only ones from any plant to do so. These individuals signed for the 2009 concession package which gave up the right to strike, and no nonsense about the company being in dire straits, the day after the vote failed the company posted over $1 billion in profits. This is going to be some legacy for our Chairman, President and Bargaining Team. They certainly are going to be popular with the hundred thousand plus UAW members paying on average $344.00 dollars per year in increased dues.

dumbfounded this type of form is for the free exchange of ideas and thoughts. You ridicule TigerFan because he started his account just a few days ago but so did you. This does not mean your ideas are to be ridiculed, make your argument and please calling others a liar is not an argument it is like my child telling their sibling liar liar pants on fire. If you were at the last 2 Union meetings you would know all the ideas that TigerFan presented were also brought up by members. And lastly to ridicule fake names, is your given name dumbfounded? Local 551 has some serious issues but ignoring them will not make them go away or help our local get stronger. So please address issues if you can with facts that rebut the arguments by others on this thread, but calling them a liar just shows your insecurity.

ChiTown, you sound as if you are certain about the outcome and only the Department of Labor knows what the outcome will be. Dumbfounded, you keep telling ChiTown he is lying and maybe he is and maybe he isn't but he is right you have not addressed one of the issues that if you were at the Union meetings lately everyone at the meetings is aware of. What I love is one of you will be proven wrong and we will know soon. High stakes poker.

Latest news at Chicago Assembly, and you better be sitting down. Last week was Sub-Council in Kentucky and our Chairman Coby Millender, President Carlo Bishop and 2 Bargaining Units Fred Weems and Aaron "Hammer" Straker attended.(Yes they went against the highest authority and kept the Skilled Trades Reps from attending) The crew from Chicago had the honor of being the only Local that stood and supported a raise in Union dues. The membership has not had a raise in 9 years but this group wants to take more money from their checks. Fast forward to today and I am in Pre-Delivery and Coby our Chairman is walking with 2 members from the IUAW and is telling the Entry Level Team leader that due to him signing FPS that they will be getting a $1 dollar raise. We ask the question, the contract states $1.50 per hour and when was the Chairman going to tell the membership that he signed FPS? Needless to say the Entry Level that are being paid half wage could not get a straight answer as to why they would not at least get the full raise? We were told during the campaign that the above ticket would bring the membership a good contract. Well the Chairman delivered on his promise for a contract, he signed for FPS which is a contract, which does the following, eliminates lines of demarcation, guts skilled trades, allows trades to be placed on the production line, allows production to perform minor skilled trades work, combining classifications which allows members to be moved at the discretion of the supervisor, I mean product coach, I mean Team Leader. All this has occurred in the last week with our elected officials, and not 1 piece of information has been put out. The local agreement is all but a past memory with the 500 plus page FPS agreement being signed by the Chairman. The next month is going to be interesting in Chicago but it always is in ChiTown!

All great points Decker, but all of this would be a mute point if the recount process that had always been used at Local 551 had been implemented. So for all the side issues the 1 fact that is impossible to get around is why would an Election Chairperson directed by the Region refuse to count the members votes?

It is over 500 pages and is a rehash of the 20009 concession package that failed, but for this Spring no vote is needed only the signateur of the Plant Chairman and Plant Manager!

Truth be told the Bishop crew has been rigging elections at Local 551 for 20 years and due to an individual that would not go along with the company I mean IUAW script the fix was in last May. Spring you hit it on the head that this is worse than the Teamsters, luckily for 551 members the crew in charge of pulling this fix off were arrogant enough to tell a short order cook-retiree at the hall who talks loud!

Who can say they are surprised at all that the Local President that won on an overturned election is not a part of using shady tactics to maintain his position. The part that is frustrating to the members who care is that the only side that is strengthened by this deep seeded corruption is the company. But let's connect the dots, Darryl Nolan's wife is a representative for a Instrument Panel company with their biggestr contract with Ford, Frank Keats wife is Carol Keats who is in charge of the FPS implementation for Ford and both these men are Administative Assistance to the Vice President of the UAW. Folks this is collusion at the highesrt level and how hard are they going to fight the company on behalf of the membership, it is time to turn the page. O ya, Jimmy Settles niece is the head of safety at Stamping for A. The UAW or B. The company. You guessed it the company!

I agree with the construction being a hinderance, but the question must be asked since the Chairman had the agreement to have the vote at the plant and the Election Committee refused to allow this with backing from the President did the powers that be want the membership to vote in mass or did they want the vote at the Hall and what was their motivatioin? I had many problems with the soon to be former Chairman at the start of his term but when he got his footing that is the precise time the Region, International(Management Team) and Local President pushed for his ouster. Many of us on the floor look at the writting on the wall and starting with a certain Regional Servicing Rep who backed the appointment of a member with 6 months seniority to Health and Safety the race to the bottom is in full gear, it is a must that as a local we fight back! Many of us hold onto the idea that we are the Union but at the IUAW the message and actions are clear that the UAW is a company run organization more worried about hookups then representation. Bob King and the rest of the Executive Board must be elected by the membership as every other Labor Union, if not you get the state of affairs as they are, a non-responsive Monarchy.

Again when you think you cannot go lower some in the leadership, go lower! While speaking with members outside of the Union Hall yesterday who comes up asking 4 of his family members to vote against a debate of the President, Chairman candidates in the upcoming election, the C-Crew Bargaining Unit! The person who wants to lead the local ask to not have a debate that was proposed by the Education Committee. This confirmed what most of us know while being a nice guy he does not have the ability to speak on the issues. A big positive for Chicago is the election committee has set the dates and for the first time individuals will only be able to run for 1 spot. None of this run for President if you lose run for District rep, as it should be. You could see the rats run for the exits as this passed and they knew the gig was up!

Seems the epic battle between the Chairman and Assistant Plant Manager over implementation of FPS sparked the latest attempt of an overthrow at CAP. I was told by group 1 Skilled Trades Rep. that Chairman had agreed to FPS and team leader format. Turns out that Group 1 Skilled Trades Rep was off due to a death in his family and was not even at meeting. I spoke with Group 2 Skilled Trades Rep and he was at the FPS kickoff meeting and he said it was more of a kickout meeting by the Chairman. Assistant Plant Manager told the Chairman FPS would be implemented as written and the Chairman pointed out he would have to forge his signature for it to become a reality. The big issue the rep told me was Team Leaders giving work assignments and ending lines of demarcation. As a Tradesman,if the Chairman stands by his position of no to FPS he will win the bulk of the Skilled Trades vote at CAP in my oppinion.