UAW members in Flint, Michigan, announced last Tuesday they will be marching through the town against Delphi autoparts maker’s attack on their pay, healthcare and jobs.
The flintsolidarity.com website declares: ‘Spark a movement!
‘Join UAW Local 651 members and the Soldiers Of Solidarity as we protest Delphi’s attempt to nullify our labour agreements and the closing of the Spark Plug & Oil Filter production in Flint.
Sponsored by UAW Local 651, Flint workers are holding an ‘informational picket’, march and rally next Thursday, February 16th.
Their slogans are:
SUPPORT DELPHI WORKERS!
STOP THE WAGE CUTS!
PRESERVE PENSIONS!
PRESERVE BENEFITS!
AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE FOR ALL!
NO CONCESSIONS!’
The flintsolidarity site also announces a public meeting in Peoria, Illinois, the following week
The meeting on Saturday February 25th is billed to ‘bring together Solidarity Now organisers and local area “Members for CHANGE” and other working people.
‘To discuss the current crisis in Health Care, loss of pensions, reduction in wages and loss of jobs and strategies to effect protection for working people.
‘Discuss the Delphi/GM debacle, how it will effect workers everywhere.’
Meanwhile, below is the Soldiers of Solidarity’s ‘Workers Demand Justice’ petition:
‘We, the undersigned, believe in our Great Country, our Fellow Workers, and the American Dream.
‘It is through the powerful work ethic of this land’s middle class that this country has achieved its greatness.
‘We have families, pay our taxes to this government, and are integral parts of our communities. The wages we have earned have gone into building the communities in which we live.
‘We can no longer stand by and have our life’s work degraded, belittled, disparaged and moved out of this country.
‘To rebuild and preserve our Great Country is our purpose and goal. It must start with you and your administration.
‘We hold you the leaders of our Great Country responsible for the decline of work and working people in the USA and the shattering of the American Dream.
‘We, along with our fellow workers, will no longer be distracted by issues that only cloud elections.
‘Do not respond to us about the “morality” of this government, one that allows its citizens to be trampled on by the elite few who control the corporations.
‘This country has seen many examples of corporate abuses robbing the American worker of the American Dream – that if we went to work, remain loyal to our employer, and played by the rules, we would be rewarded with comforts in our old age and our children would have the chance to have a better life than our own.
‘That is no longer the case for a growing majority of Americans, which includes our retired workers.
‘It’s time to address the “real” issues: the paying of living and prevailing wages to American workers; protection of workers’ pensions and enforcement of laws requiring corporations to fund their pension plans; ensuring that corporations uphold their moral and ethical obligations as American citizens by contributing to the tax base here at home that funds everything from national security to education; and affordable health care available to all Americans.
‘We, the working class of this country, stand united in this effort and will continue on until laws are enacted and enforced to protect American Workers’ Rights.’
Soldiers of Solidarity also announce: ‘We have been working to oppose the concession contract at Ford.
‘We are currently circulating a petition in Ford plants. The petition supports the appeals that have been filed to overturn the ratification vote. So far, we have over 750 signatures. We are trying to get this petition to people in as many Ford plants as possible.
‘Those speeches last week by Bill Ford and his friends were a slap in the face.
‘Just a few weeks after they came with a concession contract to take our money and retiree health care, they were bragging to Wall Street how they made a nice profit.
‘And in the same speech they barely mention their plans to lay off thousands of Ford workers, like it meant nothing.
‘We should be mad about this. We need to be mad about this. It’s time for UAW workers to start speaking up because the bosses are coming after us big-time.
‘GM got away with tricking people into a concession contract, and the ink wasn’t even dry before GM was talking about eliminating the Job Bank.
‘Ford thinks it got away with getting the contract passed, despite the suspect vote. And in last week’s speeches, Ford bosses were talking about more sacrifices from us.
‘And look what just happened at Borg-Warner, which has a UAW contract. Borg-Warner is now making their retirees pay for their health care, just like at Ford and GM. And Borg Warner did this without the UAW even agreeing to it. They just went ahead and did it.
‘It shows that when we start giving up concessions to bosses, they think they can get away with anything.
‘The futures that we have worked for and planned for are being threatened today.
‘These concessions will not stop until we stop them.
‘We can start with that contract that supposedly passed by 51 per cent. And now we are hearing that it was less than 51 per cent. Who really believed that it passed at all? We know that it wasn’t done right.
‘Some Ford workers have filed appeals to the UAW International to have this concession contract made null and void. Petitions to the UAW International are being circulated in support of these appeals.
‘We need people to sign these petitions, to support the appeals and also to send Ford a message that we didn’t want these concessions and don’t even think about coming with something else.
‘There is a copy of the petition on the back of this leaflet.
‘Please circulate in your area and get it to one of the people below. We will also get signatures at the door. If you know workers in other Ford plants, get a copy of the petition to them so they can get it around their plant and get it back to us. Gary Walkowicz, Andre Lowe, Lonnie Spight, La Sonya Lawscha, David Gelman, Donny Pruitt.
‘PETITION – Just have supporters sign below this statement.
To Ron Gettelfinger, UAW President;
‘We support the appeals by Ford workers to overturn the contract voted on in December, 2005.
‘The contract should not have been re-opened.
‘Retirees should have been allowed to vote.
‘The contract was rushed through, and we didn’t even see what’s all in it.
‘The vote count is very suspect.
‘We want the contract vote made null and void.’
