uRfk9AcDfo9Wui Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 NORFOLK A retiree frustrated by a shift in health insurance knocked on the union official's door last week, wanting answers. "I just called that hot line," he complained, "and it wasn't worth a hill of beans." Ed Hay, chairman of United Auto Workers Local 919, which represents workers at the Ford Motor Co. plant, offered reassurance. Yes, Ford was switching from Optima to another provider next month. "It looks like it's going to be a washout" in terms of cost, Hay said. As for the phone line, "they should have it up by the middle of the week." For Hay and the local's president, Chris Kimmons, the insurance switch is the latest bump in an unrelenting 14-month assembly line of crises. First, the announcement to close the Norfolk Assembly Plant and the uphill battle to keep it alive. When that failed, the personal struggles: helping members choose retirement packages, find new jobs, negotiate early exits from Ford. After the plant closes at the end of June, Kimmons and Hay will still be working in the union hall, just a few yards from the plant's entrance. They expect to get their salaries, paid by Ford, at least through 2007 as they help dozens of workers find jobs at Ford plants and others solve benefits questions. Well where the FUCK have they been the last 6 months??? Vegas? Florida?? The only thing they are going to help is THEIRSELVES!!! $$$$ Kimmons, the local's top official, hopes it doesn't end there. Although 919 will have lost virtually all of its active members, Kimmons said he's recruiting new members from mostly non automotive fields - he wouldn't identify his targets - to keep the local alive. YEAH RIGHT!!!! who the fuck are you going to recruit??? Food Lion workers??? All he's doing is milking Ford and the UAW for some more $$$.. Kimmons put his odds at 50-50. Wishful thinking? "It could very well be," he said, "but we can't stop trying. I believe every American should be represented against the big boys. It's as simple as that." Even Hay wonders about Kimmons' chances: "I applaud him for trying to do that. I'm not sure I'm as optimistic as he is that's going to happen." Three labor researchers gave Kimmons generally tough odds. "His local is caught in a cycle of decline because it's going to be very expensive and time-consuming to organize new members, and his primary source of income is his present members," said Gary Chaison, a professor at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., and author of "Unions in America." "The question is, if there are these workers who are ready to join you, why haven't they joined you already?" he asked. Because they don't want to have to carry the dead weight of the worthless fucking pieces of shit the union protect. And they don't want to get skipped over so the union can put all their family, dick sucking friends, and their slut whore girlfriends in all the good jobs!! THAT"S WHY!!! When you see the union trying to orginize you run FAST AND FAR AWAY!!!! Lee Adler, who teache s employment law and labor classes at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., called it "a difficult road" in a right-to-work state such as Virginia, where union membership cannot be mandated. Joseph McCartin, an associate professor of history at Georgetown University, was the most optimistic, calling Kimmons' plan "feasible." "For about 20 years or more, the UAW has tried to branch out of the auto industry, organizing clerical workers on college campuses and, in some cases, workers in the public sector," McCartin said. "It's not inconceivable that this local could survive by doing that." The UAW has more than 800 locals, said Roger Kerson, a spokesman in Detroit. Active membership has fallen 27 percent in the past decade, from 794,000 in 1996 to 580,000 last year, reflecting a nationwide drop in union enrollment. He predicted that Local 919 would "stay in operation for a while" helping former employees sort through problems and chart their futures. As for it recruiting new members, Kerson said, "We want to assist that process in any way possible. " He declined to say whether that would include money. Kerson said UAW locals outside Atlanta and St. Louis, where Ford closed plants in 2006, are still in existence, though he did not know how long that would last. UAW Local 919 was chartered in 1941, Kimmons said. At its peak, he said, it had 2,900 members. That's down to about 1,400, who work at Ford or suppliers such as TDS/US and Johnson Controls Inc.. All will close by summer's end. Dues are two hours of pay per month. A 2006 report submitted to the U.S. Labor Department listed $1.7 million in "dues and agency fees" collected by the local last year. The report also identified about $1.1 million in assets - $744,000 in cash and $379,000 in fixed assets. It said the local's one-story brick building on Springfield Avenue and the surrounding land were worth $219,000 and the office furniture and equipment $160,000. The city real estate assessor's office lists the value of the building and land at $346,900. If the local closes, Kimmons said, the local's assets will go to the UAW. And Kimmons will begin the retirement he has delayed. He planned to step down in 2006. But when Ford announced it would shut the plant, "I felt I needed to be here till the place closed," said Kimmons, who lives on the south end of Virginia Beach. "I'm going to ride the horse up to the barn now," he said. And stuff his pockets $$$ the whole way!!! Hay hopes to start his own business. He lives with his wife and grandmother in Suffolk and has ruled out relocating. "To move for Ford - I don't think that's something you can count on anymore." In his understated way, Hay said, "Both of us have been frustrated to a degree. I wish I could do more and find every person a job at the rate we get paid here." The plant's final day of operation will be sometime during the last week of June. Kimmons and Hay don't know if they'll go inside that day. Well they haven't been in there in the last 6 months no need to start now!! What a fucking JOKE!!!! "That sure isn't going to be a celebration," Kimmons said. "It's more like going to a damn funeral. There won't be no smiling faces at the end of that line." article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TruckerMan2003 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 NORFOLK A retiree frustrated by a shift in health insurance knocked on the union official's door last week, wanting answers. "I just called that hot line," he complained, "and it wasn't worth a hill of beans." After the plant closes at the end of June, Kimmons and Hay will still be working in the union hall, just a few yards from the plant's entrance. They expect to get their salaries, paid by Ford, at least through 2007 as they help dozens of workers find jobs at Ford plants and others solve benefits questions. Well where the FUCK have they been the last 6 months??? Vegas? Florida?? The only thing they are going to help is THEIRSELVES!!! $$$$ YEAH RIGHT!!!! who the fuck are you going to recruit??? Food Lion workers??? All he's doing is milking Ford and the UAW for some more $$$.. "The question is, if there are these workers who are ready to join you, why haven't they joined you already?" he asked. Because they don't want to have to carry the dead weight of the worthless fucking pieces of shit the union protect. And they don't want to get skipped over so the union can put all their family, dick sucking friends, and their slut whore girlfriends in all the good jobs!! THAT"S WHY!!! When you see the union trying to orginize you run FAST AND FAR AWAY!!!! If the local closes, Kimmons said, the local's assets will go to the UAW. And Kimmons will begin the retirement he has delayed. He planned to step down in 2006. But when Ford announced it would shut the plant, "I felt I needed to be here till the place closed," said Kimmons, who lives on the south end of Virginia Beach. "I'm going to ride the horse up to the barn now," he said. And stuff his pockets $$$ the whole way!!! Kimmons and Hay don't know if they'll go inside that day. Well they haven't been in there in the last 6 months no need to start now!! article Ed Hay and Chris Kimmons will stay as long as they can spend Local 919 union dues and collect a pay check from Ford. They are not doing anyone any favors just putting there hands in the union cookie jar. Why wouldn't they stay on the payroll to steal supplies, equipment and computers from the union hall and plant. Kimmons and Hay organized the workers at TDS/US and Johnson Controls pay union dues to Local 919 and we all see how the union made there jobs secure. "At its peak, he said, it had 2,900 members. That's down to about 1,400, who work at Ford or suppliers such as TDS/US and Johnson Controls Inc.. All will close by summer's end." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANTASTICFORD Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Ed Hay and Chris Kimmons will stay as long as they can spend Local 919 union dues and collect a pay check from Ford. They are not doing anyone any favors just putting there hands in the union cookie jar. Why wouldn't they stay on the payroll to steal supplies, equipment and computers from the union hall and plant. Kimmons and Hay organized the workers at TDS/US and Johnson Controls pay union dues to Local 919 and we all see how the union made there jobs secure. "At its peak, he said, it had 2,900 members. That's down to about 1,400, who work at Ford or suppliers such as TDS/US and Johnson Controls Inc.. All will close by summer's end." I guess union representation is getting very bad in most plants, I pray and hope the new union we vote for at DTP will do a much better JOB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unionj Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 It seems that realistically local 919 will disolve after NAP closes. Is it wrong that the remaining assets of Local 919 be divided up amongst the existing members at closure? Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uRfk9AcDfo9Wui Posted June 13, 2007 Author Share Posted June 13, 2007 I guess union representation is getting very bad in most plants, I pray and hope the new union we vote for at DTP will do a much better JOB. GETTING???? Man they have been fucked up for the last 10 to 15 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious1Auto Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 GETTING???? Man they have been fucked up for the last 10 to 15 years. uRfk9AcDfo9Wui You must be in management. Every topic or post is doom and gloom or anti-union! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Bennet Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 will the union disappear after the trucks disappear? THe union disappeared at NAP a while ago! probably when the cracker prez got his job back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious1Auto Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 will the union disappear after the trucks disappear? THe union disappeared at NAP a while ago! probably when the cracker prez got his job back Cracker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtpworker1993 Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Cracker? Harry must be black, thats what blacks call whites and you know what whites call blacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uRfk9AcDfo9Wui Posted June 14, 2007 Author Share Posted June 14, 2007 (edited) uRfk9AcDfo9Wui You must be in management. Every topic or post is doom and gloom or anti-union! I know you told me that before. I'm just telling it like it is... And there's MORE doom, gloom, and anti-union to come!!! :yup: Edited June 14, 2007 by uRfk9AcDfo9Wui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F250 Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 Although 919 will have lost virtually all of its active members, Kimmons said he's recruiting new members from mostly non automotive fields - he wouldn't identify his targets - to keep the local alive. With so many disgruntled flat rate techs why isn't he recruiting from all of the dealership and independant service and parts departments. The combined total which would include all brands of vehicles should provide more than enough members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Bennet Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 With so many disgruntled flat rate techs why isn't he recruiting from all of the dealership and independant service and parts departments. The combined total which would include all brands of vehicles should provide more than enough members. after seeing how INEFFECTIVE Hay, Kimmons, and the rest were at keeping NAP open, WHY would the flat rate techs join them? A union like that is just another layer of management. Let's see they organized a dealer ship. What would happen first? they'd install one of their boys as chair and what else? Get better insurance? better job guarantees? they didn't deliver these for NAP or TDS or any other extension of 919. there are other unions that are better at delivering the goods without all the favors and other BS. its a damn shame, because the workers at NAP deserved better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uRfk9AcDfo9Wui Posted June 15, 2007 Author Share Posted June 15, 2007 after seeing how INEFFECTIVE Hay, Kimmons, and the rest were at keeping NAP open, WHY would the flat rate techs join them? A union like that is just another layer of management. Let's see they organized a dealer ship. What would happen first? they'd install one of their boys as chair and what else? Get better insurance? better job guarantees? they didn't deliver these for NAP or TDS or any other extension of 919. there are other unions that are better at delivering the goods without all the favors and other BS. its a damn shame, because the workers at NAP deserved better what else... Bring in every family member and dick sucking buddy and create a position to put them in. Protect every piece of shit that the company would need to get rid of, and make the good workers bear their load while they were out on medical or just plain ass fucking off all day. Make you all kinds of promises that they won’t keep. Squander all kinds of money on stupid union shit that doesn't help the people just the union officials. And help run the company so far in the ground they would have to file bankruptcy. Yeah everybody needs a union!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious1Auto Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 (edited) what else... Bring in every family member and dick sucking buddy and create a position to put them in. Protect every piece of shit that the company would need to get rid of, and make the good workers bear their load while they were out on medical or just plain ass fucking off all day. Make you all kinds of promises that they won’t keep. Squander all kinds of money on stupid union shit that doesn't help the people just the union officials. And help run the company so far in the ground they would have to file bankruptcy. Yeah everybody needs a union!!! The premise on which unions where founded is far from what they have become! This is at the fault of it's members, we must demand reform! The first that needs to change and the same for the government, is their ability to vote on their own pay raises! Edited June 15, 2007 by Furious1Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawselectrician Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 The premise on which unions where founded is far from what they have become! This is at the fault of it's members, we must demand reform! The first that needs to change and the same for the government, is their ability to vote on their own pay raises! i think what we need to do is demand a vote on ALL union (national included) positions. and i mean a rank and file vote for everything all the way uo to gettelfingers job. make these fucks hit the campain trail and have to explain to the ranks why they deserve the privlige of representing us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious1Auto Posted June 15, 2007 Share Posted June 15, 2007 i think what we need to do is demand a vote on ALL union (national included) positions. and i mean a rank and file vote for everything all the way uo to gettelfingers job. make these fucks hit the campain trail and have to explain to the ranks why they deserve the privlige of representing us seconded! All in favor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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