Union Proud from Defiance, Ohio

Our success is attributed to the rank and file—the working men and women—of our local union!

Chartered 1948 uawlocal211.com December 2019

LocaL 211 News

UAW Local 211 held its Annual Kid’s Christmas Party on Sunday December 1, 2019. The kids enjoyed meeting with Santa, sharing their wish lists and getting a bag of candy. This year the Women’s Committee set up three crafts and the children really enjoyed each one. The kids decorated their own cookie, made some reindeer food and created a candy can reindeer.

At the Veterans Committee table, the children made Christmas cards for the Veterans Home in Sandusky, Ohio. The kids made some fantastic cards! The kids were also treated to face painting that brought a lot of smiles as the artists did a wonderful job. Lunch was provided and over thirty door prizes were given away. Thank you to Maumee Valley Vending Company and Midwest Community Federal Credit Union for their door prize donations. Thank you to everyone that made this a great success.

Kid’s Christmas PartyBy Josh Verhoff, Recreation Committee

Local 211 Union Hall will be closed beginning Saturday, December 21 and will reopen Monday, January 6 at 8 a.m. in observance of the Christmas holiday.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

President’s ReportBy Keith Boecker

Chairman’s ReportBy Rob Egnor

GM unit had six retirements in the month of November, Lawrence Smallwood, James Hoover, Marjorie Plummer, Kathy Badillo, Allan Skiver and Robin Hanker; Powers & Sons Unit had two retirements

in November, David Allman and James Clark. GM unit had six retirements in December, Steven Pryor, Joshua Verhoff, James Auch, Steven Saman, Michael (Stick) McBroom and Steven Carlisle; on December 12th Vicky Forester will retire from our Powers and Sons Unit; thank you for all your years of service and I hope you have a very happy and healthy retirement.

Josh Verhoff, Recording Secretary/Alternate Benefit Rep. and Steve Pryor, Trustee Chairman retired as of December 1st. Josh resigned from his position as recording secretary. Larry Cooper will take over the responsibilities as the Recording Secretary until our General Election in May. Steve Pryor, Chairman of the Trustee’s is going to stay as our Trustee until his term is up; thank you Steve and Josh for everything that you both have done for our Local Union.

Keep an eye out for a posting for the Alternate benefit Rep. If you have any interest feel free to contact me with any questions you have about this position.

Our GM membership voted to donate the rest of the food that was given to our members during the GM strike to the Path Center. Thanks to the membership the Path Center was extremely grateful for the donation.

The final numbers for the GM National Contract vote is as follows; Production vote: 19,228 voted yes, 15,386 voted no. Skilled Trades vote: 4051 voted yes and 2103 voted no. The Local 211, UAW vote for Production was 216 voted yes and 59 voted no; Skilled Trades voted 99 yes and 54 no.

Herbert Orr unit reached their tentative agreement. It was voted on and passed. Thank you to the Bargaining Committee for all your hard work.

Lights Before Christmas Zoo Tickets are now available at the UAW Hall to purchase. Adults Ages 12-59 are $12, Children ages 2-11 are $9 and Seniors ages 60 and over are $9. For more information you can contact Lisa at the UAW hall 419-784-5399.

We are looking for volunteers to help with our Recreation Committee. If you are interested please

send us a resume or contact the UAW Office. The Recreation Committee does a lot of wonderful events throughout the year and we would like to see more of our UAW members get involved and help.

The Charlie Chatham Scholarships will be available mid December. These Scholarships will be available from your unit chairperson, UAW Hall and the GM workcenter. The drawing for the scholarship awards will be at the February 5th meeting, the drawing will be held after the third shift meeting.

The new roof was recently completed. Thank you to our membership that voted to get this project done.

Recently Gary Jones, our former UAW President, resigned. He was replaced by Rory Gamble, Vice President. Effective December 5th the International Board appointed him as President until the next Constitutional Convention.

Now more than ever if you are looking to purchase a new GM vehicle you must look at the VIN number to make sure it starts with a 1, 4 or 5 to know it is produced in the USA by hard working UAW members.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years. Stay safe in everything you do over the Holiday Season.

Winter is creeping upon us and it will be here before we know it. Take the time to make sure you have some salt/icemelt to spread on the walk ways, a good shovel or a young neighbor kid close by

that is willing to do the winter weather work for you. Another thing most people forget to check is their tires. Make sure the tires on your vehicle are fit for the snow and ice that we tend to get in northwest Ohio. Taking a few extra precautions to make sure you and your loved ones are safe as possible is worth the time and money.

Here in the plant we currently have 472 members on the rolls with 26 out on sick leave. There are still a few of our brothers and sisters out on temporary layoff due to the low volume of the SPM head. The SPM head production should start back up on January 6, 2020 which will bring those brothers and sisters back to work. On the other hand, our LGE volumes keep shrinking. From what we see currently is that our customer Tonawanda is going to be asking for 655 LGE blocks per day. This will

Retirees ReportBy Ivan Burgei, Recording Sec

*ATTENTION*January’s GM Retiree

meeting has been cancelled.

We had a pretty good turn-out at our Novembers Retiree’s Meeting. After Bob and Linda Wagner and Vern Martin served us ham sandwiches and baked beans, we began our meeting.

The Christmas Party was held on December 5th and this took the place of our December meeting. Since our January meeting is scheduled the day after New Year’s Day, it was voted to cancel January’s meeting. Our next meeting will be February 6th at 12:00 Noon.

Right now we have close to 30 people who have applied for associate membership. With any luck, we hope to enter them in our Local this spring.

December 5th the Retirees held their annual Christmas Luncheon- 240 Retirees and guest enjoyed a nice meal prepared by Above and Beyond Catering service. It was a great day for fellowship

and storytelling. The Union hall was beautifully decorated by Peggy and Bob Sponsler, Ralph and Lydia Fleming, Ivan and Lisa Burgei and grandson C.J. We also enlisted the help of Larry Cooper and Josh Verhoff, we had 126 pick your gift prizes. The Committee responsible for boxing and wrapping these gifts Ivan and Lisa Burgei, Mylice Thomas, Dennis Harr, Bob & Leann Breckler and Dan Miller. WE had some special guest come from Kokomo, Indiana and Parma Ohio to join in on the Fellowship. The 50/50 was won by Dorse Crum it helped brighten his Christmas.

On behalf of the Local 211 Retiree Executive Board we want to wish everyone a Joyful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Retiree Chaiman’s ReportBy Ted Flemming

decrease our current operations from 3 mod shifts to 2. Management plans on running the 2 remaining shifts on 1st and 2nd shift and having a small crew on 3rd for cleaning and machine prep.

Management has informed me that they continue to find empty beer cans in plant 2, most of which have been found in the men’s hourly locker room. This is what has led to the increase in bag and bucket checks by security. Another concern people have had is that security continues to search the parking lot, looking in employees vehicles. The reason management ordered them to do this is due to the issue of continually finding alcohol containers inside the plant. If anyone knows who is bringing alcohol or the empty containers in, please ask them to stop. If you are not comfortable talking to the individual then please come get me or one of the members of the committee. If it is a case where the person needs help, then we will work with management to get that individual some help.

Thank you once again for being the hard working brothers and sisters you have always been. Be safe at what you do and remember to lock out your equipment. You are more important than any casting.

I would like to thank Local 211, UAW for all the donations to a Family that we adopted for Christmas this year. The GM unit membership meetings donated graciously as well as Midwest Community Federal Credit Union members. A very special thank you to Larry and Dawn Cooper and Becky Williams, who went over and beyond with clothes that they purchased for the children of this family, and Ivan and Lisa Burgei who donated some toys. I am thankful for all the giving individuals who always step up with a helping hand in the Local Union. With your help this family will enjoy their Christmas and they will have gifts under their tree. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Adopt A Family For ChristmasBy Lisa Beardsley, Secretary Local 211

Quarter Auction PhotosOn December 7, 2019 the UAW Local 211 women’s

committee held a quarter auction to benefit the Filling Homes of Napoleon, OH. Over $5,000 will be donated. We would like to thank everyone who made this event a success. The participants who came out, Local 211 for donating the hall, local business for donating items to auction, volunteers and vendors who came out and set up booths. This event could not have been a success without your support. We appreciate it very much.

Our sympathy for your loss...To our bereaved members and their fami-lies, we offer our sincere condolences for the loss of their loved ones. We extend our

sincere sympathy to the families of:

Ronald Okuly – Retired 7/11

Clarence Thompson – Retired 6/93

Dana Schmidt – Retired 8/95

Leo Hines – Retired 3/83

Gilberto Lopez – Retired 1/94

Financial assistance is available for Armed Forces Veterans and surviving spouses of Veterans.

Any family member raising a veteran’s young dependent children (such as grandparents) are eligible as well.

Contact the veterans office in the county in which you live. Request help with financial assistance; there will be an application that must be filled out to show need. Generally, we look at the last 30 days income and the last 30 days of expenses-that should be paid, even if they did not get paid. Each county will vary in what they can provide. You must have a DD214/Military Discharge to apply. In Defiance County we provide assistance with rent, mortgage, utilities (heat, water, electricity, sewer), food and gasoline. In Defiance, we ask that you call and make an appointment. If you cannot find your military discharge, we can assist you with applying for a new copy of it. In Defiance we also have the KAVIC FUND (Keller Trucking fund) which allows us to help National Guard and Reservist as well as those who have served active duty.

Defiance Veterans Office 419-782-6861

Williams Veterans Office 419-636-8812

Fulton Veterans Office 419-337-9266

Henry Veterans Office 419-592-0956

Putnam Veterans Office 419-523-4478

Lucas Veterans Office 419-213-6090

Wood Veterans Office 419-354-9147

Assistance For Veterans And Their Families

The UAW International Executive Board met Thursday, December 5 and named Acting President Rory Gamble to fill the vacancy of President until the June 2022 Convention.

“This is an honor to complete my career and serve the members of this great union in this capacity,”

said Gamble. “This wasn’t planned and it is a tall order. There are difficult decisions that will need to be made in the coming months for our members. But I promise one thing, when I retire and turn over this office, we will deliver a clean union on solid footing.”

Gamble, 64 spent 12 years as Director of Region 1A before being elected Vice President and appointed to head the Ford Department in 2018.

In his initial three weeks, Gamble moved swiftly as Acting President, coalescing the IEB around a series of ethics reforms, including appointing an outside Chief Ethics Office; and internal ombudsman; policy changes; a clawback provision to recover misspent money; new financial controls including auditing and identifying and implementing stronger financial management practices.

“Together, our members, local leaders and our Board have an opportunity to set the UAW on a course for generations,” said Gamble. “There are many opportunities through new technology; new jobs; new organizing drives and collective bargaining gains to lift up our families, our communities and the middle class. We are in this together as we work through these changes and challenges.

UAW International Executive Board Appoints Rory Gamble President

Young Workers Leadership Institute

By Dakota Lyons - Powers & Sons

I would like to thank Local 211, UAW and Powers and Sons Unit for giving me the opportunity to attend the Young Workers Leadership Institute at Black Lake. There is so much to learn there; I did learn that the Union is more like a family, that we consider ourselves as brothers and sisters. In case nobody knows the reason why we “the Union” wear red, It’s to remember a Union Brother, Gerry Horgan, who lost his life on the picket line in 1989 fighting for Health Care Benefits. Thank you again for allowing me to attend this Conference.

The active local 211 members would like to thank our retirees for their loyal support during our time of need during the strike.

Thank You To Our Retirees!

1) 1983

2) Kolchak

3) Triple Dog Dare

4) Yellow-eyed

5) Lifebuoy

6) Pink nightmare

7) Football

8) They have lots of hound dogs

9) You’ll shoot your eye out

10) Jean Shepherd

11) Chinese food

12) Ovaltine

13) Flick

14) Victor

15) Leg-shaped lamp

A Christmas Story

trivia answers:

Kids Christmas party continued from page 1

GOOD FOR THE WEEKS OF NOVEMBER 22nd THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST

ADULTS AGES 12-59: $12.00CHILDREN AGES 2-11: $9.00

SENIORS AGES 60 AND OVER $9.00

TICKETS AVAILABLE :150 ADULT ADMISSION

100 CHILDREN AND SENIOR

FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

CONTACT LISA AT THE UAW HALL 419-784-5399 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

LIGHTS BEFORE CHRISTMAS AT THE TOLEDO ZOO

Non-Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDDefiance, OhioPermit NO. 342

United Auto WorkersAmalgamated Local 2112120 Baltimore RoadDefiance, Ohio 43512

Return Service Requested

United Auto Workers, Amalgamated Local 2112120 Baltimore RoadDefiance, Ohio 43512

Telephone: 419.784.5399Facsimile: 419.784.5838Email: local211@defnet.com

Local 211 News

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Education Committee!News Editors: Tonya Huss, Trisha Ramirez

Web Editor: Mitch Chandler

Local 211 Newsis proudly printed by Keystone Press,

Toledo, Ohio.

Visit uawlocal211.com.

Official Publication of United Auto Workers,

Amalgamated Local 211

UAW Local 211 Unit Meetings

Please confirm exact dates and times. General Motors Active, February 5 (UAW Hall)Retiree, February 6 (UAW Hall)Herbert E. Orr Tuesday, January 7 (Paulding Fire House)Midwest Community FCUWednesday, February 5 (UAW Hall) Sims Metal ManagementTuesday, January 7 (UAW Hall)Johns ManvilleTuesday, January 7 (UAW Hall)Powers & SonsWednesday, February 12 (Drop Tine Winery & Tap House)DFM Monday, January 13 (UAW Hall)

POLICY OF THE LOCAL 211 NEWSLETTERThe views or opinions expressed by the individual writers in

Local 211 News are not necessarily those of the editors or of the Local 211 administration. The editors reserve the right to edit all material submitted. Any submissions for Local 211 News may be e-mailed to: local211@defnet.com or dropped off at the UAW hall. Articles must be received by the Friday following the GM Unit membership meetings which are held on the first Wednesday of every month.

Here’s a reminder! If you find a mistake in Local 211 News, please realize that we have not included it on purpose. But, if you feel inclined, bring it to our attention and every attempt will be made to correct it.