In the blog concerning the United Auto Workers' (UAW) efforts to force encourage their Locals leaders to sign the new, proposed contract with Chrysler, we asked if a reader could provide a copy of the letter from the union's central office to the front lines. And here it is. In the missive, UAW Chrysler VP and Director General Holiefield instructs Local leadership to sell the contract. "All appointed union representatives" must show their support by returning the document with their signatures. The number of lines provided indicate that the letter is intended to be circulated by the Local President and Bargaining Chair to all appointees under their purview. Since the Local president and Bargaining Chair decide who gets the union's plum appointments, and the International gives final approval, if your signature ain't on this letter, you ain't getting squat (at the very least). Could this be what Gettelfinger was talking about when he told the press after the Chrysler Council meeting last Monday that "we have a democratic union?"
Find Reviews by Make:
Read all comments
So, are the UAW going to require a massive payoff VEBA from Chrysler to sell out?
Seems to be the trend.
Could this be what Gettelfinger was talking about when he told the press after the Chrysler Council meeting last Monday that “we have a democratic union?”
if the UAW is anything like it’s Canadian counterpart it has not the first clue of what ‘DEMOCRATIC’ means or else they use some obscure and hitherto unknown definition of the word.
As in:
Just try to object to the Union’s political activities using your union dues.
Then try leaving the union over the issue.
I lost a good job over infighting between CAW locals.
SOS does not exist because of the union’s adherence to democratic methods and union principles.
There are so many more examples of the totalitarian attitude of this union it would take a week to list them.
Kudos to TTAC for exposing this sham.
Loyalty, Fealty and Patronage. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
Gotta love the word entitlement being used to describe compensation. What does GM get for providing lifetime entitlements that they couldn’t get from hiring on the open labor market like Toyota does. Nothing in the agreement speaks about building a better company, rather the viewpoint is the company is a forever lasting entity required to pay for the lifetime benefits of retired workers.
What happens if the big 2.8 don’t sell enough cars?
Unions are like any big company there is lots of fiefdoms lots of special interest groups.Unions also have many strong leaders with big aspirations.You got a lot of ass kissing going on.You got many warring factions within thier own locals.
Is any wonder that democracy might be a casuality in this war?Does any large organization practice democracy.The UAW or the CAW is no different.
Ron Gettlefinger made a deal.Ron makes it quite clear to his subordinates,support my deal or pay the price.Betcha Tommy Lasorda told his upper management the same thing.
Can you imagine 100 union leaders with a 100 different agendas? Can any body say cluster f—
If Gettlefinger has got nothing else,he has sure got big gonads,and skin like an elephant.Not only that he is the boss.Like any other company the boss can make it real tough on those that don,t want to tow the line.
mikey Unions are like any big company there is lots of fiefdoms lots of special interest groups.Unions also have many strong leaders with big aspirations.You got a lot of ass kissing going on.You got many warring factions within thier own locals. That's true in almost any organization. However the problem is that labor unions aren't companies. They're supposed to be there to represent their membership and the membership's best interests. You can't represent someone when you ignore what they're telling you, or – even worse – you tell them how you're going to represent them and expect them to mindlessly agree to it and be happy with it. That's no longer representation. That's dictatorship. Telling members how to vote then making them swear they'll do it should be enough to make anyone want to oust the leadership and replace them with someone who does what they're supposed to: represent the workers' best interests and not their own.
I think the union reps need to form a union.
Entitlements? What the H are they “entitled” to? They are employees of a company,if they don’t like it there, leave! the only thing they are entitled to is a safe working condition and their paycheck at the end of a bonafide worked period of time. What a bunch of hooey, employee entitlement, how about customer entitlement? To honest dealers? no hassle warranty service? well made products? What a bunch of overindulged losers.
How are these union bosses elected? Is there a periodic vote by union-represented workers that can oust a non-performing president?
If so, I have been overestimating the rank-and-file’s collective intelligence. If not, the travesty is even worse than I had imagined.
I dont think most Unions are like the CAW and the UAW, I think they have been this way since they only represented Workers in the Auto Industry,When they first started up, In my case when I was working I was active in my own local for the CEP(Communications, Energy& Paperworkers Union here in Canada, I always was of the opinion that we should represent workers on the bottom, ie there opinions are most important and not like some other Unions that are Top down. If the rank and file dont have a say, then its hopeless.
Gentle Ted: The corruption and heavy handed tactics amoung unions are legendary (See Teamsters; Laborers etc.). Here in California, the Correctional Officer’s Union holds enormous political clout, and pretty much gets what they want from the taxpayers, via politicians, same with Service Employee Unions; Postal Union employees; Nurses Unions; and let’s don’t even get started about the Teachers Union who make the teachers pay the union dues and the union does with the dues what they wish, such as contributing to politicians that the member paying the dues does not support. What is the benefit of unions these days?