Protests Mount Over Plans To Close Calif. Toyota Plant

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

TOYOTA:  ANTI-UNION / ANTI-CONSUMER

UCS News Service reports:

Toyota’s decision to close its huge New United Motors Mfg. Inc. (NUMMI) plant in Freemont, Calif. April 1 was being met by an increasing storm of protest as the day approached. The closing would take the jobs of 5,400 workers at the plant and those of some 35,000 to 50,000 parts and other workers whose livelihoods depend on facility.

United Auto Workers and Teamsters members - who haul new vehicles to dealers - protested outside the Embassy of Japan in late Janunary. A mid-February demonstration outside the plant kicked off a nationwide campaign to save it.

The plant had been in a joint venture with General Motors since 1984. When GM decided to drop its Pontiac line, Toyota said it would close the plant even though, according to the union, only 10 percent of NUMMI’s capacity was used for the Pontiac brand. The popular Toyota Corolla sedan and Tacoma truck are the plant’s mainstays.

The NUMMI facility is the last remaining auto manufacturing plant in California. Toyota plans to move production to Canada and Japan. Speaking at the January rally, UAW Vice President Bob King called on Toyota to not abandon “the principles that made them successful globally.” He said that when the company began its U.S. operations it was known for loyalty to its workers and lifetime employment for its workers in Japan.

“It is a betrayal of workers to try to take the jobs away from them. To shut down 50,000 jobs is a betrayal of the consumers who have been most loyal to Toyota,” King said.

NUMMI has claimed in the past to pump more than $500 million in wages and benefits into the California economy annually.
University of California Professor Harley Shaiken., who specializes in labor and the global economy, says the decision to close the plant could add more than $2 billion to the U.S. trade deficit.

UPEC Board to Meet in Milpitas

Sunday, February 28, 2010

HQ - The UPEC Executive Board will take their first road trip meeting of 2010 to Milpitas on Saturday, March 20th. Milpitas Employee Association President Paul Mullett is organizing the event which will include lunch. The UPEC Executive Board and Staff travel 2-3 times each year to meet with members. This event provides presentations about the services UPEC provides, Local updates and provides members an opportunity to meet the Board and give feedback and ideas. The event will be held beginning at 11:00 am at 1275 North Milpitas Blvd. with lunch served at 1:00 pm. Members and their families are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to Patti Wyatt at the UPEC Office at 800-241-1890. Members from all areas are welcome to attend. The Board is planning to visit Monterey in the fall in conjunction with the Annual Monterey Bay area Picnic. 

Business Manager Comments on SCGU

Friday, February 26, 2010

Click on “Business Managers Office”.

Monterey General Employees Vote to Meet with City on Concessions

Thursday, February 25, 2010

MONTEREY - The GEM Board faced a packed house at their member meeting Wednesday night to discuss and vote on the request by the City that members give up their 3% raise in July. A very close vote by the membership decided that the GEM negotiations team will explore options with the City on whether the members will tax themselves the 3% or come up with alternatives to bail out a projected City financial shortfall. GEM Chair Randy Malispina will be sending a letter out to his members requesting their input on this issue. Malispina wants to ensure that every member has an opportunity to participate in this process and to explore all avenues for solution. 

Shasta County Workers offer to pay 7% PERS

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

REDDING - The largest bargaining unit in Shasta County, Shasta County General Unit Members, made a formal concession this morning to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in open session. The members recently voted to pay the employee share (7%) of their retirement in exchange for a status quo contract and an extension to April 30, 2012. The SCGU contract expires on April 30, 2010. SCGU follows a list of other County unions who have agreed to do the same over a 12 month period. The unit was waiting to see what County elected and department heads were willing to do before sending the offer to the Board. Labor Relations Representative Cinamon Pitts presented the concession on behalf of Business Manager Chris Darker who was in the Monterey Bay area this week working on concession issues in the City of Monterey and attending various meetings.
“This was not an easy decision for the members, said Darker. This unit, like so many others, have given up salary and benefits to achieve and maintain 100% paid retirement over the years. In fact the County improved the retirement by dropping the 5 year PERS payment requirement by newly hired employees just 4 years ago. There was no concern then or as recently as two years ago about sustainability”, said Darker. Darker also said that it was cheaper and saved the tax payers money to pay the PERS rather than grant salary increases. In recent months, the media, and politicians looking for public approval ratings have been making a lot of hay about the golden public employee pensions even though the average pension is less than $24,000 a year and no Social Security benefits.
Even though the concession offer was just made at 9:15 am this morning, by 10:30 am, the County called UPEC and requested to meet with the UPEC negotiations team to begin negotiations for the SCGU next Wednesday, March 3rd. “At this time, we don’t know if that means that the generous concession by our members has been rejected by the Board or that a contingency plan has been staked out by County Administrators”, said Darker.

GEM To Vote On Salary Concession

MONTEREY - The City of Monterey is facing another budget shortfall and is asking UPEC members to give up a 3% raise due July 1, 2010 to help finance the City budget shortfall. City workers deferred their increase from 2009 and now the City is asking members to forgo the 3% completely. GEM members will vote to decide Wednesday night in their membership meeting on this concession. Business Manager Chris Darker met with GEM Board members Monday to discuss the proposal. “This is a request to amend the GEM contract which was extended to 2011 for economic reasons”, said Darker. This is not something that the City can force the bargaining unit to implement.