Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Strike Update - Mike Worrell Letter

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

This company is still trying to justify their last offer??? You can't justify takeaways no matter how hard you try. Give us a good contract and we will get in there and make us all some money!!! The longer you keep trying to polish that old turd the more this is going to cost us all, but I believe it will cost you (Vought) a whole lot more!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

How long from the time we go on strike before I get my strike benefits from the Union?


If a strike lasts more than two (2) weeks, benefit payments are paid COMMENCING with the 3rd week. Strike benefits shall continue to be paid through the last day of the week in which the strike terminates.


DEFINITION
com·mence
transitive verb: to enter upon : begin intransitive verb1: to have or make a beginning : start

LOOKS LIKE WE ARE GETTING SCREWED FROM BOTH ENDS THANKS
BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

THE COMMENCING OF THE 3RD WEEK IS ON THE 13TH AND YOU ARE MAKING US WAIT UNTIL THE 20TH AND SOME OF US WERE DEPENDING ON THAT.

Anonymous said...

ANOTHER ONE HIT BY TRUCK DRIVER LAST NIGHT!

There was a gentlemen hit last night on the picket line by a truck driver entering Vought.

The 4-8 shift. The police came out ambulance and I think a fire truck. The police took a report but would not release the video surveillance of the incident until it had been reviewed by their lawyers.

Anonymous said...

Vought should put up a calculator
showing how much of Randall's 401K
has been lost due to the dire economic condition the country is in. What a great time for a company to try and shove a 401K plan down our throats!

Anonymous said...

Was the clock to intimidate us? Please they need a scarier tactic than that!

They have saved a lot buy I guarantee they make more than they put out on us.

So lets do the math? How much are you making with nothing going out? From the sounds of things the price of the scabs and scraps is costing more than what you would have given to begin with.

So Maxie and Dan/Vought

TIC TOC...

Anonymous said...

The sad truth though is the Scabs are not mean people trying to take our jobs away. They are people like us, just trying to support their families. They've gotten laid off of their jobs somewhere most likely and here they are hundreds of miles away from their families just trying to support them. Sure, we don't want them taking our jobs away but don't be so immature as to think they are doing it intentionally to hurt you. They are doing it to feed their kids.

TS1 said...

The company's latest addition to their website (that lovely calculator) is the most gross misrepresenatation I have ever seen!!

If you look quickly It says $4 million has been lost by union employee since the strike began. that is a psychological tactic to freak you out and keep you from reading the disclaimer posted beneath it that states that the calculations INCLUDE raification bonuses!!

So here is the "simple math": As of 4:16pm 10/7 Voughts calculations says we have lost $4.2 million. Now, DEDUCT the $3 million that was alloted for bonuses (that was not actual income any of us had budgeted into our monthly expenses). That brings us to a loss of $1.2 million for the Union workers. (Well in Vought's little world)

Vought has forked out at least that all of the scab labor, G.I. Joe wanna-be security guards, etc. Add to that fact that there is no product going out!! Some of these projects have a 3 day move rate at $1 million profit a pop. Hmmm... So that has already put Vought out $3 million....
So who is REALLY losing money on this?? Sounds to me like Vought just made it easier for us to calculate how much THEY are losing!!

Anonymous said...

Retirement accounts have lost $2 trillion
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Americans' retirement plans have lost as much as $2 trillion in the past 15 months, Congress' top budget analyst estimated Tuesday.

The upheaval that has engulfed the financial industry and sent the stock market plummeting is devastating workers' savings, forcing people to hold off on major purchases and consider delaying their retirement, said Peter Orszag, the head of the Congressional Budget Office.

As Congress investigates the causes and effects of the financial meltdown, the House Education and Labor Committee was hearing from retirement savings and budget analysts on how the housing, credit and other financial troubles have battered pensions and other retirement funds, which are among the most common forms of savings in the United States.

"Unlike Wall Street executives, America's families don't have a golden parachute to fall back on," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the panel chairman. "It's clear that their retirement security may be one of the greatest casualties of this financial crisis."

More than half the people surveyed in an Associated Press-GfK poll taken Sept. 27-30 said they worry they will have to work longer because the value of their retirement savings has declined.

Orszag indicated the fear is well-founded. Public and private pension funds and employees' private retirement savings accounts _ like 401(k)'s _ have lost some 20 percent overall since mid-2007, he estimated. Private retirement plans may have suffered slightly more because those holdings are more heavily skewed toward stocks, Orszag added.

"Some people will delay their retirement. In particular, those on the verge of retirement may decide they can no longer afford to retire and will continue working," Orszag said.

A new AARP study found that because of the economic downturn, one in five workers 45 and older has stopped putting money into a 401(k), IRA or other retirement savings account during the past year, and nearly one in four has increased the number of hours he works.

Anonymous said...

Well, there ya'll go giving away our secrets again !You shouldn't of told Dallas that we couldn't count except on our fingers and now they've gave us a tool to shows us how instead of a fixed pension !I guess a little education for dumb hillbilly's is better than nothing or are we gonna have to pay for it to in a round-about-way!!!!Will this come out of my strike pay or the part of the bonus I didn't get!

Anonymous said...

My husband is on strike and tonight is his turn to "walk the line" I am going with him to show my support. I walked with him on the last one and I will do so again tonight. It is a shame that Vought is treating its people this way. When he went to work there thirty years ago the pay was great and insurance was better than you could wish for. The pay has not kept up with inflation and the insurance is terrible.Thats just a few of the changes in the last contracts because people did not take a stand, now it is retirement they are after. I will work overtime or take on a second job if I need too but I WILL support my husbands right to be treated fairly.

Anonymous said...

I hope that everyone is watching the debate and listening to the reality of the nation. Health care has gone up for many people not just vought it's 2008 not 1989!

Anonymous said...

Hey Mike, are you watching the debates tonight? With our economy a wreck I hope you all are really working hard at getting us back to work. Thanks for the update more would be appreciated. I hope that our union meeting will be more informative than your strike update.

woodie said...

lets asks some titian brothers to come out on the line go titians go iam735

Anonymous said...

I think Vought should put another clock on their website , so we can compare what we are losing to what they are losing. I am guessing, but I bet, they are losing close to two or three times what we are. Good luck to Vought hope everyone rejects every piece you send them. If they spent as much time on negotiations as they did on wasting time calculating what we are losing, we could probably be back at work.

striker1 said...

Vought! As far as im concerned,if you cant honor our fair demands for a contract you can just go out of buisiness for all I care!
The more you play these mind games the more im either disgusted or im embarrassed to have wasted my talents here and my time aswell.See how long you can make it when you the company is blacklisted!Believe me Im speaking from experience!
And for your information!there are general warehouse jobs in this area that pays better than any top out at this company!I can prove it! Drop the last best offer crap
also. That's an insult of the past,much like what your paying us!
Brother's and Sisters INDEED STAND STRONG!WE DON'T NEED THIS CRAP THAT VOUGHT WANTS TO REFEED US! WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS.
SO BE IT!(amen)
p.s. i
If vought wont do it im sure there are many others that would.

Anonymous said...

What are we asking for??? Incase no one has noticed we are in a recession, there are no jobs part time or otherwise. If we are goingt to spend our savings, someone needs to step up and let us know what we are asking for.

striker1 said...

My freind your just not looking.There are alot of em out there.
Also what we want is absolutely no take away's to what we currently have and a definite improvement upon what we currently have! like what Dallas has for starters.
The company is only as good as it's workers! Management on up are a dime a dozen!Though that could apply to the workers as well except when there is a fine group as we got here.You simply cannot replace such a thing as that.
A good manager ,employer .....
knows that when you take care of your employees they will do the same in return.Dont fix what aint broke!
Let's face it we are not going to be so easily replaced!That's just plain fact!We really are better than just another body,what's going on inside tell's you that.
Stand strong

Anonymous said...

the word on the street is that the so called contractors maybe unqualified to do our very skilled jobs. they also maybe picking them up on murfreesboro road just to clean and do other brainiac stuff. i wonder where are these scabbers are lighting it up if ya know what i mean. stay strong and keep the line strong...........

Anonymous said...

come on peeps there jobs all over, maybe a job ya dont wanna do but ya gonna have to do what ya got to do to survive, it will pay off in the long run

Anonymous said...

heard the contractors were of a different ethnic background and are not of the english first category... not hatin on anyone.. it just goes to show... vought's capabilities are weak...do immigration laws come into play? also the 1st day they let them smoke in our plant! they were gonna give them an inside designated smoking area.. and wouldn't give ya'll one?? i'm a non smoker but believe in fairness and equality!

Anonymous said...

i bet the reason the busses are transporting the contractors is not the fear of the picketers.... it's because they have no green cards or license! heard some of the busses were empty... just ploy's to make us think there were more people!

crimson69 said...

WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO NOT POST MY COMMENT FROM LAST NIGHT? DID I SAY SOMETHING YOU DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO SEE? I DON'T BELIEVE I SAID ANYTHING WRONG BUT MAYBE ONE WORD AND YA'LL WHERE SCREAMING IT AT THE RATIFICATION VOTE. I HAVE THE RIGHT TO WHAT I SAID AND I WILL CONTINUE SAYING WHAT I FEEL WHEN I FEEL IT AND HOW I FEEL IT!!! I AM WALKING THE LINE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN I HAVE TO AGREE WITH IT, NOT EVERYONE VOTED DOWN THE CONTRACT. I SAID IT LAST NIGHT, I DON'T WANT TO GET ANOTHER JOB THERRE ARE NONE TO BE HAVE IN MY FIELD. I DIDN'T GET A JOB TO HAVE TO GET ANOTHER JOB ANYWAY. TO ASK US TO DO SO OR TO SPEND OUR SAVINGS IS FLAT OUT WRONG AND YOU CALL YOURSELF FAMILY!!!! YOU ARE NOT LOSING MONEY, YOU HAVE A PAYCHECK EVERY WEEK, WE DON'T EVEN GET A MERE 150 UNTIL THE 20TH. SO I AM I PISSED YES, DO I HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE YES, IT IS MY RIGHT AS AN AMERICAN TO SAY WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT AND HOW I WANT. GET THE CONTRACT DONE, AND SHOW US WHAT YOU WERE OFFERING THE COMPANY AS A PROPOSAL ON OUR BEHAVE, I HAVE SEEN 3 OF THEIR'S, NONE FROM YOU. WE DESERVE TO SEE WHAT YOUR PROPOSAL WAS AND NOT JUST NO TAKEAWAYS YOU WERE ASKING FOR SOMETHING, AND BY THE WAY I DON'T WANT THE IAM TAKING CARE OF MY PENSION, I HAVE HEARD THAT WAS ONE OF YOUR PROPOSALS. THIS BLOG IS INTENDED FOR YOU AND I DON'T CARE IF IT GETS POSTED I WANT THE ONE I POSTED LAST NIGHT TO BE SHOWN YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH IT, HELL I DON' T AGREE WITH HALF OF WHAT HAS BEEN SAID OR WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW BUT I AM DOING IT.

Anonymous said...

I for 1 am sick and tired of these FACT CHECKER from Vought. They are nothing but propoganda from the Maxie/Dallas machine. Has anyone come up with a name for the rat yet? Let's name him.

Scab Hater

Anonymous said...

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein

Anonymous said...

I have a question.
With the local on strike, could the Union set up a way for all the Brothers and Sister to get a flu shot. With the weather and the elements getting what they are I think this would be a good way to help keep us as healthy as possible, and on the lines.

Web Steward said...

Crimson69,

Your comment last night wasn't posted because of language. Another post last night and one today wasn't allowed for the same reason, and they were both positive posts. Let's try to be adults here. Clean up the language, we'll post it.

There have been a few other posts that weren't posted for legal reasons.

Other than that, we're posting everything.

If you want to talk about the proposals, see or call a member of the Negotiating Committee.

We are allowing negative posts, because this Union is strong enough to handle criticism. We also know many of the critical posts are members of management posting as workers. Heck, at the beginning, members of the company negotiating team was posting here!

Everyone has to take that into consideration, and all posts are taken with a grain of salt. So, if you have questions, you should talk to the Committee instead of making accusations anonymously.

Other than that, these comments have been great, and we really appreciate them!

Web Steward

crimson69 said...

well the last time i checked i have not sent anything anonymous and i apoligize for my one word, however, i should not have to ask my committee members for what they were asking for us in their proposals, you had no problem posting their's yet you have a problem posting yours, hmmm, why would that be, is there something you don't want us to see? Don't tell me takeaways either that dog quit hunting a while ago. From what i heard the IAM wanted control of our pensions and they got mad when the company told them no. That is what i heard not saying it is true but there are alot of unknowns durning this whole process and surprising enough it comes from the people who are suppose to be looking out for are best interests. Just post what you are or where asking for us, all of deserve to see it, you have no problem posting what the company says.

Just Curious said...

Just curious when do you think that the company and the union will get back at the negotiations?

Anonymous said...

Just to let everyone know Vought is bringing in 200 more AMERICAN contractors this week! You dont want your jobs , There are plenty of qualified ppl who does and the last I knew this IS a free country.Like crimson69 said not everyone wanted this strike!

Anonymous said...

Crimson69, I've been reading this blog and if you aren't a manager pretending to be a worker, you certainly are on their side.

I'm a Spirit employee in Wichita. We've got the IAM Pension plan and it's a GREAT plan. It's a LIE that the money goes into union coffers, the pension plan is apart from the union, and it's administered by both union and company trustees. One of the company trustees is Nigel Wright from Onex, who owns Spirit.

The plan has things like 30-and-out retirement, and full retirement at 62 with 20 years.The plan has over 1,700 contributing employers, and is fifty years old. You can find out all about it at iamnpf.org.

The IAM pension plan is far superior to anything these companies have.

Don't listen to the company. They are lying.

crimson69 said...

no JIM LOCAL 834 I am not a member or management nor am i of the management, I just want to go back to work, I was not prepared for a strike nor was I expecting one, I personally like what was offered, the great thing about being an american is to have your own opinion. While we have all stood together with the strike it doesn't mean we all agree with it and I personally don't care what you think. We deserve to see, in writing, what the union was asking the company for us in their proposal. The company knows what it was, they countered 3 times, we saw those counters, not one time have we seen the unions. How can anyone make a logical desicion based on seeing one side and hearing another side, you can't.

crimson69 said...

oh and by the way I am not the only person that doesn't want the union to have control of my pension, but i speak for me not them

Anonymous said...

Question for crimson69, have you tendered your letter of resignation from the union? If you are dissatisfied with the way the process works then you might be better served by representing youself. I wish you well.

crimson69 said...

No I have not nor do I intend to. I have the right to feel the way I do. I am not the only one that feels we are in the dark. I don't believe it is wrong to know how far we are of between what the union proposed and what the company proposed, at least I know what the company proposed, that is my only issue I want to know as does alot of people.

communicator said...

crimson69,

The Union showing its wish list would be like playing a game of cards with all the cards showing.

Your question is a matter of Terminology. What we call the “Company’s Proposal” is simply “where negotiations stalled”. They would be happy with much less and we would be happy with much more.

When you go in to negotiations, you don’t pass proposals across the table and then try to meet somewhere in the middle. You take on each individual issue, one at a time.

"The Last Best and Final” is simply where negotiations stalled. It is only called the Company’s Proposal because this is as far as we have been able to drag them towards an acceptable agreement.

If we state what the Negotiation Committee would be able to recommend, the company would naturally try to work us down from there, just as we are trying to work them up from where negotiation stalled.

I wish I had explained that sooner. Sorry for the delay.

Tim Ramsay
IAM local 735
Communicator