NO COLA, NO DICE

[hotcarl]

COLA and other concessions where supposed to be frozen. We let them freeze them until Ford was on better footing. "We lived to fight another day" as the union promised. Well today is the day we've been waiting for. Ford is solidly profitible and is set up very good for the future. Why do you think that they want to cap on profit sharing? They can see a huge windfall on the horizon. For those of you voted YES to the concessions, would you have voted that way had the proposal said PERMENANTLY give up COLA? It's high time that we THAW OUT those frozen concessions.

[LAP89]

COLA and other concessions where supposed to be frozen. We let them freeze them until Ford was on better footing. "We lived to fight another day" as the union promised. Well today is the day we've been waiting for. Ford is solidly profitible and is set up very good for the future. Why do you think that they want to cap on profit sharing? They can see a huge windfall on the horizon. For those of you voted YES to the concessions, would you have voted that way had the proposal said PERMENANTLY give up COLA? It's high time that we THAW OUT those frozen concessions.

 

Good Post.

 

Someone will be along in a minute to call you names, swear at you, and tell you how stupid you are.

The trolls must be sleeping in this morning.

[usedtobe898]

Good Post.

 

Someone will be along in a minute to call you names, swear at you, and tell you how stupid you are.

The trolls must be sleeping in this morning.

hot carl is right no cola no dice this deal sucks if we dont fight to get some of our concessions back they will be gone for ever------management got their perks back

[trm1111]

Do the math and you'll see with the COLA lump sum your wage goes up by .70 cents an hour.

 

Just a reminder: Did you see what happened at Catepillar a few years back?\

 

Those who fail to study history are destined to repeat it.

[iam2tier]

Do the math and you'll see with the COLA lump sum your wage goes up by .70 cents an hour.

 

Just a reminder: Did you see what happened at Catepillar a few years back?\

 

Those who fail to study history are destined to repeat it.

 

.70 cents an hour isn't good enough when you gave up your break time (ford makes 250 more trucks a week on those break minutes) at DTP, say 250 x 50 weeks that's 12,500 more vehicles the company is making in profit off my back, and lost fair profit sharing, sub pay limitations, no rasises for retirees and much much more. I'll be voting no.

Edited October 12, 2011 by iam2tier

[Dadzee]

Do the math and you'll see with the COLA lump sum your wage goes up by .70 cents an hour.

 

Just a reminder: Did you see what happened at Catepillar a few years back?\

 

Those who fail to study history are destined to repeat it.

 

You should study some history of your own.

What happened to the Union fighting for the 8 hour work day? Unjust convictions, 2 lynchings, and a suicide post Haymarket while fighting for such things; and here we are now over a century later. We can't even seem to fight for a 5 day work week, let alone the 8 hours to do "what we will"

 

Fear should not hold a person back from doing what is right, and this contract is a cementing of the UAWs evolution from simply having a Gompers's induced corporate structure into one sharing a corporate mindset. It does not have to always be us VS them, but my friend it should remain and in the eyes of the corporation always will remain US and THEM. This contract screams of the Union thinking it has magically become WE, the big happy family.

 

I do not think this is the time to get COLA back, BUT the language should remain suspending it, along with the other lost items minus the performance bonuses. The signing bonus should be bumped up a bit, the AWS bullshit abolished, and the disenfranchisement of the locals taken out of the new contract language. Locals are ELECTED by us, let them fight for us.

[MTP WORKER]

COLA and other concessions where supposed to be frozen. We let them freeze them until Ford was on better footing. "We lived to fight another day" as the union promised. Well today is the day we've been waiting for. Ford is solidly profitible and is set up very good for the future. Why do you think that they want to cap on profit sharing? They can see a huge windfall on the horizon. For those of you voted YES to the concessions, would you have voted that way had the proposal said PERMENANTLY give up COLA? It's high time that we THAW OUT those frozen concessions.

You already make way more than most unskilled people. The company will not raise fixed costs . They have to show investers that they pay competitive wages. If the company gives anything they will cut something else out. If Americans are told that Ford is not going to invest as much in American jobs by anything less than they are agreeing to now because the already well paid workers want more the American people will rally to do what they can to stamp the union out. If we were taking a big pay cut like some others have done than I would be voting NO along with you. The RISKS ARE GREATER THAN THE REWARDS. The No voters are gambleing with the Yes voters money. I wiil still be pissed even if I get something more because you took a chance with my finances which could of hurt my and lot of other families. I am good( actually great for my skill set) with were I will be at if the deal passes.

[danehilby]

Do the math and you'll see with the COLA lump sum your wage goes up by .70 cents an hour.

 

Just a reminder: Did you see what happened at Catepillar a few years back?\

 

Those who fail to study history are destined to repeat it.

 

 

You have that right, trm1111. Those who fail to study history are destined to repeat it. Apparently you failed to see that in the 1910's inflation rose 100% in just 6 years. That is why COLA is necessary. To protect from inflation. In the 70's, inflation rose 70% in 6 years. Could this happen in today's market?? Count on it. It happens every time the U.S. comes out of a recession. The last was in the 90's when inflation rose 30%.

 

Even though we have had decreases in our income, inflation has rose 19% in the last 6 years. And we haven't even come close to coming out of the current recession. What happens then? How much will inflation increase? Be assured, it WILL increase. 30%? 70%? 100%? More? It is possible. Yet all you want for protection from this is a $6,000 signing bonus and then $1,500 a year to protect you??

 

BTW, my understanding is that COLA would be $2.12 today if we still had it. But, really, that doesn't compare one bit with your 70 cents, does it.

 

People like you are like the natives in the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy" when a Coca Cola bottle hit one in the head and he couldn't figure out what happened. You, also, won't know what happened when your spending power is cut in half because of inflation. It has all ready been cut by 19% since the last time you got a raise. So, wha you could buy with a $28 an hour wage in 2005, now takes a wage of $33.33 to buy in todays market.

 

But, keep your head up; in four years when you lose your house and/or your car and/or any other assets you may own, you can look up into the sky and say, "The Gods Must Be Crazy"!!!

Edited October 12, 2011 by danehilby

[Len_A]

You have that right, trm1111. Those who fail to study history are destined to repeat it. Apparently you failed to see that in the 1910's inflation rose 100% in just 6 years. That is why COLA is necessary. To protect from inflation. In the 70's, inflation rose 70% in 6 years. Could this happen in today's market?? Count on it. It happens every time the U.S. comes out of a recession. The last was in the 90's when inflation rose 30%.

 

Even though we have had decreases in our income, inflation has rose 19% in the last 6 years. And we haven't even come close to coming out of the current recession. What happens then? How much will inflation increase? Be assured, it WILL increase. 30%? 70%? 100%? More? It is possible. Yet all you want for protection from this is a $6,000 signing bonus and then $1,500 a year to protect you??

 

BTW, my understanding is that COLA would be $2.12 today if we still had it. But, really, that doesn't compare one bit with your 70 cents, does it.

 

People like you are like the natives in the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy" when a Coca Cola bottle hit one in the head and he couldn't figure out what happened. You, also, won't know what happened when your spending power is cut in half because of inflation. It has all ready been cut by 19% since the last time you got a raise. So, wha you could buy with a $28 an hour wage in 2005, now takes a wage of $33.33 to buy in todays market.

 

But, keep your head up; in four years when you lose your house and/or your car and/or any other assets you may own, you can look up into the sky and say, "The Gods Must Be Crazy"!!!

Well, I doubt if you'll get COLA, even if you strike. Deal with it.

[danehilby]

Well, I doubt if you'll get COLA, even if you strike. Deal with it.

 

 

ROTF....LMBO!!!

 

Len_A. You are a piece of cake. "Deal with it". That tells me you are trying to get anyone (and everyone, for that matter), get so upset that someone, anyone will go so far as to threaten you. Then when it happens, the glass house has the URL address looked up. Then soon the person is fired for threatening a co-worker, whether they be Blue or White Collar. Nice try.

 

So now, in this day and age, the big men have Cyber Bullies instead of the Paid Thugs they used back in the day. But, I have your number (figure of speach), I have outed you. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A WHITE COLLAR BULLY. DEAL WITH IT.

[t5z4]

Wow I voted this morning YES YES YES. I like this contract you can't expect the company to give everything back the country is almost in a depression!!!!!!

[hotcarl]

So we will never get another raise? Fixed cost must always stay the same? Oh but wait, salaried employees don't count because they are smarter and more skilled than us. By the way, your 70 cent deal which will never rollover, is based on a 40 hour work week. It gets reduced dramatically if you work any OT at all to speak of. If this sorry ass agreement passes, wait until we get slapped in the face again by management when they hand each other HUGE bone"us"es.

[t5z4]

The only reason all of you guys are pissed is because the Union and Ford wants to hire and cut your overtime. Where I work, we have not had any overtime for over a year and I am doing fine. Do not base your life on overtime because it won't always be there. Thats the first rule I learned when I started working at Ford!!

[Back-Glass-Ass]

I am still waiting to see some sort of documentation that Ford gave the UAW stating that the concessions we gave up were Temporary. That they were just "frozen until we are profitable again"

 

All i know is that when we lost that stuff I remember thinking: "Damn, we are never getting that stuff back again..."

 

Any documentation?

[hotcarl]

I am still waiting to see some sort of documentation that Ford gave the UAW stating that the concessions we gave up were Temporary. That they were just "frozen until we are profitable again"

 

All i know is that when we lost that stuff I remember thinking: "Damn, we are never getting that stuff back again..."

 

Any documentation?

We were asked to freeze COLA not eliminate it.

[Grim Reaper]

COLA is included in the $200 per week strike pay

[4600]

Even though we have had decreases in our income, inflation has rose 19% in the last 6 years. And we haven't even come close to coming out of the current recession. What happens then? How much will inflation increase? Be assured, it WILL increase. 30%? 70%? 100%? More?

 

 

Dane, if inflation rises 100% or more, isn't it safe to say we will all be out of a job, or at the least, be looking at massive layoffs? It won't matter if we have COLA "protection" or not. If inflation rises 100% nobody will be able to afford a new car or truck.

[whereswaldo]

Wow I voted this morning YES YES YES. I like this contract you can't expect the company to give everything back the country is almost in a depression!!!!!!

 

I actually can live with the lump sum payments this time around. But I will not vote to put 10% of Ford profit sharing into a VEBA that helps prop up GM and Chryslers retiree healthcare. Imagine the ramifications if say Chrysler takes a dive and their VEBA bites the dust first......So Ford workers are going to be expected to bail it out ??? Remember the VEBAs were 3 separate entities, not anymore. I also wont vote to eliminate trades jobs which this contract will ultimately do. Those are my sticking points. Also was told the new hierarchy places the ACHers ahead of Ford Temp and LTS for new 2nd tier hiring. No wonder Chicago voted the way they did with all the LTS there.

Edited October 14, 2011 by whereswaldo

[kcsuperduty]

The COLA that you are talking about is in the Equity of Sacrifice Grievance along with all of the other concessions that we gave up during the 2007 Agreement. That is to be heard Nov 17 and 18. I keep asking people that say they are voting "NO" what they think we are going to get in return and I get the same answer " I DON'T KNOW". If we vote this proposal down people better realize that if the company gives us the 72 hour notice and they lock us out, because they do not have to go back to the bargaining table you will not have health insurance and if you have to go to the free market to get it be prepared for a big price tag. It will take no time to eat up that $6,000 signing bonus, another topic to think about is that Mullaly while at Boeing set into motion for Boeing to build a manufacturing plant in South Carolina to build the Dreamliner Plane with non union workers, moving a lot of the production from the Seattle (union) plant. This is not the time to vote no, we need to get all plants full of production first. Then the next contract we will have the leverage.

[wildosvt]

Here is your COLA, Read it.

 

http://www.ssa.gov/cola/

 

"Under existing law, there can be no COLA in 2011.

 

Why? As determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is no increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2008, the last year a COLA was determined, to the third quarter of 2010."

 

 

"

By law, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits increase automatically if there is an increase in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), from the third quarter of the year in which a COLA was last determined to the third quarter of the current year. This year there is no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2010.

If there is no increase, there can be no COLA"

Edited October 14, 2011 by wildosvt

[hotcarl]

Then it sounds like ford has nothing to worry about if cola is zero. They should reinstate it immediately. Maybe even make it retroactive. It wouldn't cost them anything. That wouldnt affect their fixed costs at all? Wonder why they don't want us to have it? What ever happened to Contract not being settled until EOS grievance was heard? Another UAW lie just like VEBA is funded for 85 years.

[Fatso]

I actually can live with the lump sum payments this time around. But I will not vote to put 10% of Ford profit sharing into a VEBA that helps prop up GM and Chryslers retiree healthcare. Imagine the ramifications if say Chrysler takes a dive and their VEBA bites the dust first......So Ford workers are going to be expected to bail it out ??? Remember the VEBAs were 3 separate entities, not anymore. I also wont vote to eliminate trades jobs which this contract will ultimately do. Those are my sticking points. Also was told the new hierarchy places the ACHers ahead of Ford Temp and LTS for new 2nd tier hiring. No wonder Chicago voted the way they did with all the LTS there.

Retirees are 15,000 potential NO votes.They have everything to gain and nothing to lose if we go on strike."Sonny,I did it back in 1976'.They have social security and medicare and Ford pension checks.Besides what else do they have to do besides come down to the local for coffee and donuts!If we go out lets go out big and demand COLA?Okay see you on the bread line!

Edited October 14, 2011 by Fatso

[hotcarl]

Retirees are 15,000 potential NO votes.They have everything to gain and nothing to lose if we go on strike."Sonny,I did it back in 1976'.They have social security and medicare and Ford pension checks.Besides what else do they have to do besides come down to the local for coffee and donuts!If we go out lets go out big and demand COLA?Okay see you on the bread line!

Retirees don't get a vote.

[Furious1Auto]

COLA is a black and white issue.

 

With it your standard of living does not change, without it your standard of living goes down with inflation.

 

No lump sum bonus that can be suspended can do that, and neither can an annual raise. Parity in wages for the low teir is also important, but not the biggest issue at present. At this point the company has hired so few new hires, very few will benefit from their pay raise. It can be addressed in a later negotiation.

 

COLA reinstatement, or production losses, choose. Bloomberg is spouting about replacement workers, good hire twice as many, and still not meet your production goals. Train all new hires, and lose market share due to the learning curve in an attempt to ramp up production. Deal with quality issues, and foreman training line workers to do work they don't even know how to perform. Remember, the new foreman (group leaders) are union members, and will be walking the line, not training your new workforce. Morally the COAL reinstatement makes sense, also it does from a business standpoint. The investors have no gripe. The stock has tripled since Mulally has taken the helm! :shades:

Edited October 14, 2011 by Furious1Auto

[Len_A]

COLA is a black and white issue.

 

With it your standard of living does not change, without it your standard of living goes down with inflation.

 

No lump sum bonus that can be suspended can do that, and neither can an annual raise. Parity in wages for the low teir is also important, but not the biggest issue at present. At this point the company has hired so few new hires, very few will benefit from their pay raise. It can be addressed in a later negotiation.

 

COLA reinstatement, or production losses, choose. Bloomberg is spouting about replacement workers, good hire twice as many, and still not meet your production goals. Train all new hires, and lose market share due to the learning curve in an attempt to ramp up production. Deal with quality issues, and foreman training line workers to do work they don't even know how to perform. Remember, the new foreman (group leaders) are union members, and will be walking the line, not training your new workforce. Morally the COAL reinstatement makes sense, also it does from a business standpoint. The investors have no gripe. The stock has tripled since Mulally has taken the helm! :shades:

There is no way the company is going to give into demands for COLA reinstatement, and I think they are willing to endure a strike is it means standing up to you and the rest of the union. I think the investors are willing to look at the long run, as well, and hope for the union being broken. No one, in a white collar world, is going to fault Ford for not wanting to add cost that GM & Chrysler don't have.