GM workers to vote on contract Friday
JANESVILLE — Hourly workers at the General Motors plant in Janesville will vote Friday on a local contract that could be a key component in any future the workers might have with the automaker.
A local contract also is seen as an important element in efforts to convince GM to stay in Janesville.
After nearly 14 months of negotiation, United Auto Workers Local 95 and General Motors reached a tentative deal Tuesday on a four-year contract that governs operations at the Janesville plant, which GM has said it will close by the end of 2010 at the latest.
Informational meetings about the contract and a ratification vote have been scheduled for Friday.
After a brief strike last fall, the UAW ratified a four-year national contract with GM.
While the national pact sets wages, benefits and policy on broad matters, the local contract covers particular operations in a plant, such as the amount of work performed by union members that can be given to outside suppliers. It also deals with job standards, worker classifications, seniority rights and a laundry list of grievances since the last contract was settled.
John Dohner Jr., Local 95's shop chairman at GM, would not discuss specifics of the contract. He said union members will hear the details from union bargainers on Friday.
"We negotiated a contract that gives our membership a chance of a future," he said.
Dohner declined to elaborate on whether that future might include a new product for the Janesville assembly plant.
The future of the local plant has been the talk of the town since GM announced earlier this year that it would cut second-shift production of Chevrolet Suburbans and Tahoes and GMC Yukon XLs and Yukons. The automaker followed up that announcement with the news that it intends to cease production in Janesville by 2010 at the latest.
Starting this week, the plant's 1,150 hourly and 130 salaried workers are off for three weeks because of slowing SUV sales and high dealer inventories. Non-production weeks also have been announced for the weeks of Sept. 29 and Nov. 3.
‘No stone unturned'
A local task force organized by Gov. Jim Doyle is developing a strategy to maintain some sort of GM presence in Janesville. The group plans to present its plans to GM officials in Detroit in the next few weeks, and Dohner said that a ratified local contract is a necessary part of the group's strategy.
"Local contracts often become tougher when a plant closing is looming," said Harley Shaiken, a labor and global economy professor at the University of California-Berkeley. "There's a real desire to see if there's anything that can be done on a local level to reverse the decisions that have been made."
Shaiken said locals facing a plant closing tend to compromise and make major changes in work rules at the plant. Points of discussion that might carry more weight in a normal contract negotiation fall to the bottom of the list, he said.
"When locals are confronted with the kind of situation that the one in Janesville is, they'll make sure they leave no stone unturned," he said. "The local wants to be seen as a group that can run a productive plant."
Local contracts typically lag behind national agreements, but the 11-month delay in reaching this contract is unusual, Dohner said. Local negotiations have been held up by GM buyouts, production cuts and ultimately by the announcement that the plant will close sometime in the next 2 1/2 years.
"It's been different than any other contract," he said. "It's been very trying."
If the local coalition is unsuccessful in securing future work for Janesville, workers will likely be laid off after GM gives the state a 60-day plant closing notice. It's also possible GM will offer some sort of a mutual separation package.
Some industry observers have speculated that GM could notify the state of the impending closure in late October or early November, as the plant has no production scheduled for the final two months of the year.
If the plant closes, GM workers will keep their health insurance benefits and receive the majority of their take-home pay until 2011, when the national contract expires.
Workers will receive state unemployment compensation checks that in most cases will be at the maximum of $355 per week. Supplemental unemployment benefits that were negotiated into their national contract will boost that state check to cover a majority of the workers' pre-tax weekly take-home pay.
When state unemployment runs out after 26 weeks, SUB pay will increase to cover the loss of unemployment and continue for another 22 weeks.
When 48 weeks of unemployment and SUB pay are exhausted, the workers likely will move into GM's Jobs Bank and return to full pay, even though they are no longer working in the plant.
While in the Jobs Bank, workers must accept job transfers to other GM facilities or be cut completely from the automaker's wage and benefits programs.
CONTRACT VOTING
United Auto Workers Local 95 has reached a tentative agreement with General Motors on a local contract in Janesville.
What: Informational meetings and a ratification vote.
When: Meetings at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, with voting between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. The doors will open at 9:30 a.m.
Where: Holiday Inn Express & Janesville Conference Center, 3100 Wellington Place, Janesville.
Other: Informational packets will be available Friday morning and handed out upon check-in. Proper identification—a UAW membership card, a GM badge or a driver's license—is necessary to attend and obtain a ballot.
Sep 11, 2008 at 9:56 p.m.
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I find it interesting that these employees are suddenly ready to make concessions now that the plant is at risk of closing, but in the past as the company is losing money they aren't willing to concede anything. Someone stated that U.S. Toyota employees make less money- that isn't necessarily true and that the Camry still costs more than the Malibu. Have you heard of supply and demand? The Camry has been a superior product- therefore they can demand a higher price. I worked a temporary job in the Janesville GM plant and I had a job that I could have done a whole days work in 1 hour. The hardest part was staying awake. I once tried to fix a speaker on a suburban that wasn't installed into the door correctly- I simply pushed it in to the correct position, and someone yelled at me because it's someone's job at the end of the line to fix what other workers can't do correctly- and I was stealing someone elses job. That is the mentality that is bringing down the UAW.
Aug 22, 2008 at 9:46 a.m.
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When is JP Cullen coming in to renovate the plant for production again with $14.00 an hour autoworkers?
Aug 21, 2008 at 7:58 p.m.
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yooper, are you a yooper? I am..Marquette..
anyway I hope the plant stays for a long long time.
Aug 21, 2008 at 10:59 a.m.
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What is wrong with you people that bash GM. 40 years ago $12.00 per hour was good money at most jobs. Today you are lucky if you can find that wage. Employers say that is too high, yet look at the cost of living now compared to 40 years ago. Do your research. 40 years later people are still stuck at the same wages. Wages have gone backwords NOT forward. If you think that you are not making enough money than get a different job with better pay. It is none of anyones business what someone else makes. GROW UP
Aug 21, 2008 at 8:52 a.m.
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opinions: which is it, do you make more than the gm employee or is it $12/hr for 10 hrs in full leathers? It can't be both. If you read these articles, it is not the gm employees that post first. It is the trolls like yourself that have to post their opinions of jealosy. Full leathers makes me think that your a welder. Don't welders make more than that on average? My assumption on your choice of work, if wrong, I appologize. If I'm right, maybe you should look into being a welder represented by a union, they make better money and benefits. I don't think $12/hr is a living wage, just my opinion, but hey if your happy stick with it. I don't think you are because you always tend to be whining about someone that has it better than you. There is a pipeline going through the area maybe you could get a better paying job there. The company is located at the intersection of 11 and 89. Check it out you can do better than $12/00/hr if you have all talent you say you have. I'm thinking you don't, that your claim to fame is your aninimity on this website.
Aug 21, 2008 at 8:45 a.m.
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To all the ignorance: Benefits and pay get negotiated at the national level. Before ripping on the GM plant and it's workers, get a clue on what you're talking about. It's easy to win a battle of the wits with unarmed people. If you're jealous of our pay and benefits, go to your bosses and negotiate your own deal but don't rip on us for what we've worked for! If we did take pay cuts, do you think the price of the cars would go down? NO, it's all corporate greed. Workers at Toyota make alot less than we do, are their cars less expensive than GM's? Malibu to Camery, No, Camery actually costs more, so explain that? Either way you look at it, love us or hate us, closing the plant equals jobs lost, money into the economy lost, and other businesses will be affected. Mabee your jobs will be affected by this? So stop complaining about the lazy GM worker unless you know for a fact of what you're talking about, and try to support any chance of keeping the place open. Until the corporation gives the date and puts it into closed status, there's still a small chance of something happening, i.e.; Spring Hill Tennesee, They were slated to close in '06 but their local union and government put together a package to keep it open and now they'll be launching the new Chevy Traverse. So it's not over until it's over!
Aug 21, 2008 at 8:03 a.m.
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I'm tired of the anti GM worker mentality that is present on this board every time there is a story concerning this GM plant. These GM workers don't take their money home each week and lock it up in a closet never to be seen again. They spend money in the community that benefits everyone. As a new home builder in the Rock county area for the last 25 years, I've had the pleasure of building many homes for GM workers and their families. The money I received for the sale of each new home helped me live a good living and the workers I hired made money and the suppliers I bought materials from were helped. When these GM jobs get replaced by jobs paying less than half of what these workers make it will affect my business as well as anyone else that took this income for granted. Wake up you whiners, good paying jobs help float many boats.
Aug 21, 2008 at 7:44 a.m.
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I can hear it not. "oh but its is hardwork, its hot in the plant, and we do back breaking work" blah blah blah. Try working at factory for 10hrs at 12 bucks an hour wearing full leathers. Then cry me a river you GM cry babies
Aug 21, 2008 at 2:23 a.m.
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I really hope somebody thats heading up this vote is pointing out to all the workers that some paycuts and concessions are going to be needed here, Think about this for A minute there are very few jobs out there in our area that would start for under $14.50 an hour without any skills(if that much) then as far as insurance there is almost always going to be A 90 day period before you would get them which will not even come close to what you have....... So with that said if we can not show General Motors that this plant could run for (A LOT LE$$)then we probably will not stand A chance!!!!!! GM closed A plant in Canada and in Mexico already do you really think those plants cost more to run?
Aug 21, 2008 at 1:37 a.m.
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Yeee Haaaa, lets vote on a contract for higher wages, better insurance, and oh heck lets ask for job security so that they can't leave us here in Janesville with all these freebies like subpay, extended unemployment higher than most working poor. Yupper lets get down there to the plant and vote us some more job ending benefits.
Aug 20, 2008 at 8:55 p.m.
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What are they going to do sit around in an empty plant. Seems like a real waste of time. GM made their decision. Voting on a contract isn't going to do anything but, waste peoples time.
Aug 20, 2008 at 8:44 p.m.
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Read between the lines Mr. Spanky. The plant will be here. The whole point of the story is whether or not Local 95 will be working in that plant. Leadership is putting its best foot forward and asking its membership to follow.
Aug 20, 2008 at 4:32 p.m.
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Seems a little pointless to have a contract when there won't be a plant here.
Aug 20, 2008 at 4:07 p.m.
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Thanks, Yooper. It should be 2 1/2 years and is now correct. Jim had it right, but format changes from system to system sometimes affect fractions.
Scott Angus
Editor
Aug 20, 2008 at 4:01 p.m.
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Beautiful separation benefits ... lost my own job 10 days ago and I am jealous! Not angry or resentful but very jealous. Still, I send good luck wishes to the GM workers.
Aug 20, 2008 at 11:43 a.m.
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DrTalk, i stand corrected. I never looked at it that way. LOL
Aug 20, 2008 at 11:03 a.m.
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Within the next twenty two years sounds better LOL.
Aug 20, 2008 at 10:52 a.m.
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Yooper,
Technically it's still correct. 2010 is within the next 22 years.
Aug 20, 2008 at 10:25 a.m.
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Jim Leute, I believe you have an error in saying the plant is scheduled to close in the next 22 years. Just letting you know.
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