Congratulations & Welcome – I want to take this opportunity to congratulate and welcome the new Shop Committee. Their presence in the West Clock House greeting members at the start of every day shift & walking the Shop floor has been noticed by all and continues to be received well by the Membership. The Bargaining Committee along with the Benefit Reps are committed to working together to provide the best representation to our members. One of the early priorities of the New Shop is re-establish the grievance procedure hierarchy on the shop floor of group leader and area leader for better transparency and consistency with Shop floor issues.
A Huge Thank You – goes out to the Recreation Committee who put on another great golf tournament this past Saturday. It was a beautiful day, and everyone had a great time. So thankyou Ken Naldjieff, Taylor Dempster, Mike Stewart & Carter Burkholder for organizing and running another great event for the membership.
48 Hour Rule – there has been lots of questions recently around the 48-hour rule again. Regardless of your status in the plant (TPT, Full Time Production or Trades) 48-hour rule pertains to hours worked, NOT hours paid. Recent long weekends have driven the need to clarify this rule. You can’t be forced to work beyond that.
Unused Vacation Money Payout – we have received confirmation from the payroll department that unused vacation monies will be processed the last week of June which will be paid out in the first pay of July.
Plant Volumes
In Zone 2 – V8 – has steady volumes but continues to have part supplier issues with valves. We are taking a shift out of assembly operation this week due to this valve shortage. Spring Hill and Tonawanda plants are also impacted. The partial late shift continues to be pushed out further until the valve supply becomes more stable. The V8 Machining area will have an opportunity to make up shifts not scheduled during the Friday of Victoria weekend while the Company purchased parts. These (3) makeup shifts will be at double time. Details of when these shifts will be honored will be provided after this week of layoff in assembly.
In Zone 3 – V6/GSC – Volumes are steady. There is a supplier issue with oil caps that could impact our plant. More details will be shared in the coming weeks once we know more. Our recent GMS audit in March graded us red for job rotation in V6 machining and GSC which is considered old work that predates the COA. While management has implemented a rotation plan in these areas to be green by the next auditor visit June 10th, the Union maintains the past practice over the last 15 years of job ownership by seniority in these old jobs and have written a policy grievance to protest rotation in these areas. Reminder: You cannot refuse a reasonable request of management unless you feel the request is unsafe. If you disagree with a reasonable request of management, you can let your manager know you’ll do it under protest and to call for your committeeperson.
Zone 4 – GF6 & DCT – GF6 volumes are steady with some overtime in the schedule before shutdown. Plans are being developed for those that indicated they wanted to work through shutdown. Details of those plans will come from the business team to these members in the coming weeks. Ask your Group Leaders for more details. The canvass pertaining to the August scheduled layoff are still being worked through. Schedule changes, part supplier issues and fluctuating customer demand make it difficult plan this early. More details to come.
DCT has launched! – After a year of construction, hard work and preparation the DCT area was finally changed from a construction zone to a production zone on May 12th. This is when the DCT production team took over the area and launched the following Monday, May 16th. Now that the DCT is up and running, only approved personnel are permitted to enter the clean room. These workers can be identified by their navy-blue smocks, corvette baseball cap and beard/hair nets. These items are a mandatory requirement in the clean room to ensure a clean environment within the assembly. The launch team is currently working through their training plans, machine tweaks and job instructions while trying to hit their quality metrics and throughput targets. It’s exciting to see the activity in the room and we know the launch team will make us proud.
TPT and New Hire information package – The Union is putting together an information package for New Hires and TPT’s so they can have their most popular questions answered on the topics of benefits, overtime and questions around hours worked & holiday pay. Our Education coordinator Vince Guardari is assisting in this assignment.
The Union ask the TPT’s to follow their standardized work and to work safely, stay off your cell phones while on the job and to show up to work when scheduled. The Union will always advocate for TPT’s to be hired on full time based on when they were bought into the plant, but the biggest factor affecting the hiring of TPT’s to full time has been poor attendance.
Safety Lock reminder. – In case you missed this important message recently, The Company has recently communicated through PCN and Start of Shift Messages their policy of keeping your safety lock keys secured and, in your possession. Do not leave your keys in your locks.
Respectful & Harassment free work environment – Many members are still struggling with Covid, the economy, the unpredictability of work schedules and how it impacts our families. Some can manage better then others. It’s important to realize that these uncertainties impact people differently. So be mindful of that when dealing with others, especially in the workplace. Be respectful to one another.
If you are struggling or know someone who is, please know you are not alone. The Union has resources that are available to you and we encourage you to use them. Alex, Jessica, your Shop or Benefit reps can all assist you.
Summer Footwear – is being allowed again but limited to the clock houses and locker/change room areas. Summer footwear like flip flops, sandals or crocks are not permitted in the plant. Only safety boots are permitted to wear into the plant to the team rooms and lockers on the Shop floor.
Issued by,
Trevor Longpre, GM Unit Plant Chairperson
On behalf of the Shop Committee, Stan Kuczma, John Adair, Scott Little, Tony Verde
cope343/nw