Post by skimp on Oct 14, 2011 22:19:23 GMT -5
Ford contract would make concessions permanent!
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The tentative Ford contract means this: Ford will give us a signing bonus of $6,000 (before taxes), plus four $1,500 bonuses (before taxes) and promises of profit-sharing. But we lose all the concessions we gave up. Everything that we want back, Ford said NO! NO! NO!
NO raises, NO COLA, NO performance bonuses, NO Christmas bonuses, NO Easter Monday holiday, NO return of lost break time. NO overtime after 8 hours. (Letter on back-up time doesn’t change this.)
First tier autoworkers lost up to $30,000 in concessions over the last few years. Now Ford wants to continue these concessions for another 4 years. At what cost to us? Lose another $30,000? All for $12,000 in bonuses? No raises for 4 more years, after we have already waited 6 years?
They give us 2011 profit-sharing this November – by taking it away from next March’s money – hoping we will jump at the money now and forget about what happens later.
The biggest concession is that 2-tier will continue.
This contract does not bring up the 2nd-tier workers up to first tier. This contract keeps them permanent 2nd-tier, with no path to move up to first tier wages and benefits. The pay increase, spread over 4 years, barely makes up for what 2nd-tier workers lost in the 2009 concessions. The supposed 20% limit on 2nd-tier workers is filled with loopholes. The percentage of 2nd-tier workers will increase, meaning the threat of everyone being eventually reduced to 2nd-tier will increase.
The profit-sharing formula is supposed to be improved, by including North American operations instead of just the U.S. But what is to keep Ford from shifting profits around to hide them? Do you trust Ford? There is also a cap on profit-sharing when there didn't used to be one. And there is no guarantee of getting profit-sharing every year.
This contract makes us pay for what Ford did not put into the VEBA. The VEBA is underfunded because Ford only put in 57% of what was needed for retiree health care. Retirees are paying more out of pocket. Instead of making Ford pay for their obligations, this contract would take 10% of any profit-sharing we might get to put into the VEBA.
New retirees will take another hit because for the first contract ever, there is no increase in the 30-and-out pension. Current retirees’ Christmas bonus is taken away from them.
There are promises of new jobs. But remember the 2007 contract where Ford promised to save 10,000 jobs – instead we lost 17,300 jobs. If you look closely at the promises of jobs, it is mostly work that Ford was going to do anyway.
When the past concessions were taken away from us, they wanted us to believe that when the companies were reporting a profit again, we would get back what we gave up. It was all a lie.
They want us to accept that these concessions will be permanent. But we don’t have to stand by and watch our families’ standard of living be permanently reduced, while our bosses are the only ones who prosper from our hard work.
The Ford contract does have more upfront money than the GM contract. But let’s remember why it is more – because we voted “No” in 2009. It ‘s a good lesson to remember this time.
I’m voting “NO” and I ask you to vote “NO”!
Gary Walkowicz
Bargaining Committeeman, Dearborn Truck Plant, Local 600
Download
The tentative Ford contract means this: Ford will give us a signing bonus of $6,000 (before taxes), plus four $1,500 bonuses (before taxes) and promises of profit-sharing. But we lose all the concessions we gave up. Everything that we want back, Ford said NO! NO! NO!
NO raises, NO COLA, NO performance bonuses, NO Christmas bonuses, NO Easter Monday holiday, NO return of lost break time. NO overtime after 8 hours. (Letter on back-up time doesn’t change this.)
First tier autoworkers lost up to $30,000 in concessions over the last few years. Now Ford wants to continue these concessions for another 4 years. At what cost to us? Lose another $30,000? All for $12,000 in bonuses? No raises for 4 more years, after we have already waited 6 years?
They give us 2011 profit-sharing this November – by taking it away from next March’s money – hoping we will jump at the money now and forget about what happens later.
The biggest concession is that 2-tier will continue.
This contract does not bring up the 2nd-tier workers up to first tier. This contract keeps them permanent 2nd-tier, with no path to move up to first tier wages and benefits. The pay increase, spread over 4 years, barely makes up for what 2nd-tier workers lost in the 2009 concessions. The supposed 20% limit on 2nd-tier workers is filled with loopholes. The percentage of 2nd-tier workers will increase, meaning the threat of everyone being eventually reduced to 2nd-tier will increase.
The profit-sharing formula is supposed to be improved, by including North American operations instead of just the U.S. But what is to keep Ford from shifting profits around to hide them? Do you trust Ford? There is also a cap on profit-sharing when there didn't used to be one. And there is no guarantee of getting profit-sharing every year.
This contract makes us pay for what Ford did not put into the VEBA. The VEBA is underfunded because Ford only put in 57% of what was needed for retiree health care. Retirees are paying more out of pocket. Instead of making Ford pay for their obligations, this contract would take 10% of any profit-sharing we might get to put into the VEBA.
New retirees will take another hit because for the first contract ever, there is no increase in the 30-and-out pension. Current retirees’ Christmas bonus is taken away from them.
There are promises of new jobs. But remember the 2007 contract where Ford promised to save 10,000 jobs – instead we lost 17,300 jobs. If you look closely at the promises of jobs, it is mostly work that Ford was going to do anyway.
When the past concessions were taken away from us, they wanted us to believe that when the companies were reporting a profit again, we would get back what we gave up. It was all a lie.
They want us to accept that these concessions will be permanent. But we don’t have to stand by and watch our families’ standard of living be permanently reduced, while our bosses are the only ones who prosper from our hard work.
The Ford contract does have more upfront money than the GM contract. But let’s remember why it is more – because we voted “No” in 2009. It ‘s a good lesson to remember this time.
I’m voting “NO” and I ask you to vote “NO”!
Gary Walkowicz
Bargaining Committeeman, Dearborn Truck Plant, Local 600