Welcome to UAW Local 686 Unit #1

As you may already know, the Tonawanda Engine Plant has started accepting flow backs from our plant. We have been told that Tonawanda anticipates calling more people for flow backs in the near future. Unfortunately we do not have any solid information on when this will happen or how many people they will be taking.

Your Shop Committee has been informed by the National Employee Placement Center (NEPC) that flow back applications filed prior to December 1st, 2005 are invalid. In accordance with the 2003 UAW/Delphi National Agreement which states “To minimize congestion in the transfer system, all applications will now be purged on an annual basis, with workers being notified in writing prior to the purging”, these applications were purged. Employees must have had an active flow back application in the system between December 1st, 2005 and October 1st, 2007 in order to be eligible for a transfer to another GM facility.

If you have any concerns about your eligibility log on to uawgmjas.org and sign in with your GMID and password. You can see the date you applied for a transfer when you click the view and print applications tab. Please print your applications and bring them in if you have any questions as we need that information in order to assist you. If you do not know your GMID and/or password call the help desk at 1-888-337-2400 for assistance. You will need to have your GMIN when you call the help desk in order to receive this information.

Your Shop Committee has asked for additional information from the National Employee Placement Center, and will communicate our findings with the membership as soon as it becomes available. Please see your Committeeman or contact Kelly Sears at 439-2606 if you need further assistance.



Today General Motors has announced that the profit sharing amount for 2011 will be $7,000.00. This will be paid on March 2nd, 2011

Management has informed us they are anticipating flow backs to Chevy Tonawanda Powertrain in the near future. Starting next week, mgmt will be surveying people who have in the system for powertrain if they plan on accepting the offer. This is strictly a survey and your answer is not a binding answer. Management is doing this so they can prepare what jobs to backfill and to properly train your replacement if you accept the flowback.



We previously were given incorrect information by the National Parties regarding flowback opportunities. The following is the correction communication:

For purposes of flowbacks, if you are offered a flowback and your seniority date is before 10/18/99, you will have One (1) opportunity to accept an area hire (Tonawanda) and 3 opportunities to accept an extended area hire. If you are offered Tonawanda and you reject the offer, you will NEVER be offered again!!!
For purposes of flowbacks, if you are offered a flowback and your seniority date is after 10/18/99, you will have One (1) opportunity to accept an area hire (Tonawanda) and One (1) opportunity to accept an extended area hire. If you are offered Tonawanda and you reject the offer, you will NEVER be offered again!!!



If you are surveyed by management and have any questions, please contact any member of the Shop Committee or Kelly Sears at ext. 2606 with any questions. It is very important you are fully informed on the flowback agreements.

In response to the feedback we have received from the membership, UAW Local 686 will be conducting a second ratification vote on the proposed tentative agreement with the following changes:

• Demand G-15- Foreign car parking lot demand has been withdrawn and is no longer a part of the tentative agreement.

• Demand P-13- Shift Preference for Production Employees has been withdrawn and is no longer a part of the tentative agreement.
The remaining provisions of the proposed agreement remain intact with the above being the only changes.

There will be contract rollout sessions in the bldg 7 cafeteria on Tuesday February 7th at the following times;

6:45 a.m
1:00 p.m
2:45 p.m
3:45 p.m

The contract vote will be IN PLANT ONLY on Wednesday February 8th. The times will be;

Building 7 cafeteria and Building 8 EDS
5:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.

The alternates will be covering the floor on Monday and Tuesday. The committeeman will be working in their respective districts to answer any questions on the agreement.

A copy of the tentative agreement is now available on our website online at www.uawlocal686.com for you to download and review.

After our Union meeting on Sunday and meeting with General Motor's management yesturday, we have begun the process to get approval to re-vote on our tentative agreement.

The feedback we have received at the union meeting Sunday and from the shop floor is that there is a great deal of confusion between Local and National Issues.

It is critical for our membership to understand the difference between National and Local Issues if we are successful in getting a re-vote. It has been very clear that without ratification of this agreement, our site will not be in a position to successfully bid and win future programs.

Here is a summary of the identified issues;

National Issues-The following issues were either ratified with the National Agreement and the provisions are already in effect or the issues cannot be settled locally;

* Hiring of Temporary Employees
* Future Work Commitments
* Summer Shutdown (holding vacation hours for shutdown)
* Reduced Break Schedule
* 93% on Scorecard-Job Rotation
* 3% Performance Bonus Grievance

Local Issues-

* Shift Preference

If any of you have any questions, please contact your union representative with your concerns. It is important for our membership to get the correct information and avoid confusion and misinterpretation of this tentative agreement on the floor.

We will keep you informed as we work through this process.

In June of 2011, UAW Vice President Joe Ashton visited our site and notified the shop committee that GM wanted to close the Lockport Site. I communicated that at one of our monthly union meetings to the membership. I also informed the membership at our rollout sessions for the National Agreement in September 2011, there was a proposal to close the Lockport Site and move the work to another GMCH plant in Rochester NY during National Negotiations. UAW Vice President Joe Ashton took the position not to allow the company to close Lockport and gave us an opportunity to save ourselves. Without the help and support from UAW Vice President Joe Ashton, his staff, and UAW Region 9, the Lockport site would have never made it through National Negotiations and our site would have been closed. I have thanked them for all their support in attempting to keep our plant open.

On Sunday, January 22nd, we will be having a very important union meeting. As all of you know, our local agreement was rejected last week by the membership. I am calling on all our members to attend. After my chairman’s report, I will be asking the membership to identify to the shop committee the reasons for the rejected ratification vote.

The Shop Committee has returned to their respective districts on January 17th because there are no negotiations scheduled. However, the shop committee has talked to several members and I want to report our findings of why the membership rejected the local agreement;

Temporary Employees- There was no temporary employees hired at any of the BIG 3 during national negotiations. With the help of Region 9 and International Union, the company agreed to hire 20. We understand that doesn’t fix our issue of our temporary employees but it’s was a start and it did show there was a commitment from the company to hire people permanent.

Job Rotation- This was an issue on the scorecard. With having to achieve a 93% on the scorecard, there isn’t a lot of room to play with. The shop committee made a decision to agree to job rotation instead of such issues as eliminating low man rule, transfer system strictly by national agreement, modified overtime selection processes, and job loses on the docks, crib attendants and tuggers. During the focus group meetings we have heard just as many people want to rotate that do not want to rotate. As a committee, we didn’t think substituting any of the above for job rotation was a better solution.

Shift Preference- The shop committee entered negotiations with the goal of keeping our members seniority rights. This provision strengthens seniority rights of production people to pick shifts in January and July by seniority.

Through our discussions, several National Agreement issues also surfaced; these issues are currently in effect at all GM and GMCH Plants today;

Work Commitment- There was no work committed to Lockport during National Negotiations. The new GM has stated they will only put work in facilities that have a business case to make money. It has been made very clear the days of forcing the company to put unprofitable work in a facility are over. However I did report at our rollout sessions that the company did say with a competitive agreement, our site would be considered for future business.

Summer Shutdown Vacation- The National Agreement now allows the company to hold up to 80 hours of vacation. That is a National issue and is currently in effect today.

Attendance Program (Doc. 8) - This was modified by the National Parties and the new attendance program will be going into effect Monday January 23rd 2012.

Reduced break schedule- This was modified by the National Parties and the new attendance program will be going into effect Monday January 23rd 2012.

Scorecard- When GM exited bankruptcy, part of the stipulations for government assistance were for each site to achieve a 93% on the scorecard. Currently, Lockport is the only Site that doesn’t have a 93% on the scorecard throughout all of GM and GMCH. The shop committee was faced with a task of best representing the entire membership when negotiating a 93%.

The last most common issue is the status of the 3% performance bonus we were due May 2011. This issue was grieved by the GMCH sites. As stated by the regional representative at our rollout sessions, there is an active grievance in the system and is currently at the umpire level.

I urge all members to attend the union meeting Sunday January 23rd and 11 am to have further discussions on the rejected local agreement.

The Voting for our Local Agreement is Tomorrow, Tuesday January 10th , at the UAW Hall in Lockport located at 524 Walnut Street. From 5:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m.

The Shop Committee will be available to answer questions on Tuesday at the UAW Hall from 5:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. regarding the tentative agreement.

***************************************************************

The Shop Committee has fielded many questions during our question and answer sessions in the cafeteria. The most asked questions are surrounding Summer Shutdown. Please remember the Summer Shutdown provision regarding holding up to 80 hours vacation is currently in effect under the provisions of the 2011 National Agreement and is applicable to all GM and GMCH plants. The only local modification we agreed to are the offering of higher seniority people to work Summer Shutdown and advanced notification from management if and where you are working Summer Shutdown.


In Solidarity
Local686

The Shop Committee will be available to answer questions in the building 7 cafeteria on Friday January 6th and Monday January 9th from 5:30 am to 4:00pm regarding the tentative agreement.

In addition, all information pertaining to the tentative agreement is now available on-line at our new website www.uawlocal686.com

Please click the "Downloads" link in the upper right hand corner of this page.

In Solidarity

Local686

If you ordered a jacket, they will be available for pick-up in bldg. 7 cafeteria starting Tuesday January 3rd - Friday January 7th..

You must be present to pick up your own jacket and must have your GMCH badge.

Times are as follows:

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

The Shop Committee has reached a tentative agreement with management on our local agreement. Due to the Christmas Holiday, the information sessions and voting will be after the New Year. There will be No details released before the informational sessions.

The appointed and elected people will be notified of the details of the new agreement on January 4th , 2012. The general membership informational sessions will be Thursday January 5th, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the UAW Hall in Lockport. We anticipate the informational sessions will last about 1 ½ hours so please schedule your day accordingly.

Voting will be Tuesday January 10th 2012 at the UAW Hall in Lockport. Voting hours are TBD.


In Solidarity


Local686