Labor Section D

8/8/2019 Labor Section D

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The future of

Kokomo and

Chrysler is in

the hands of a

native son.

United Auto Workers

Local 685 president Rich

Boruff recently was

elected to serve as chair-

man of the UAWs national

bargaining committee

when it sits down with the

automaker next June. It isan honor that never has

been bestowed upon a

Kokomo operations repre-

sentative, and it couldnt

have come at a more im-

portant time.

Local 685 has sent dele-

gates to the national nego-

tiations in the past.

Presidents Neil Brooks and

Leonard Barber previously

were chosen to serve, but

Boruff has taken it a step

further by winning the

chairmans seat.

Its cool; every piece ofcontract language will go

through me, said Boruff.

It will do nothing but

strengthen our local in this

process. But now that I

have been picked, it is my

objective to take care of

everybody. I want to ad-

dress everyones concerns.

We have the largest invest-

ment in Chrysler coming

to Kokomo. I feel like we

cant step aside, but De-

troits concerns have to be

at the forefront.

When you look at De-

troit Axle, as it transitions

to Marysville, many of

those workers will have

flow rights, but other

workers will be left out.

Since it is a transfer of op-

erations and not a closing,

the people with 15-17

years of seniority will be

faced with date of entry

seniority with a new local.

Theyre scared; it isnt fair.

We may have the discus-

sion again about true sen-

iority. As president, I lis-

tened to the concerns of

our members. When St.

Louis closed, some of our

members had to go to

Belvedere and start with

Day One seniority. How

fair is that? This discussion

needs to take place.

It will be one of many is-

sues that will be decided in

a process that typically

takes months instead of

weeks. For instance, when

Barber went to Detroit to

negotiate less than a

decade ago, it took the en-

tire summer to reach an ac-cord. It is something that

weighs on Boruffs mind,

but it is also something that

he feels Local 685 must

do.

Leonard went up in

June and stayed until Oc-

tober, said Boruff. He

had his hands full. The

stress was unbelievable.

They closed eight plants

while he was up there. He

ended up in the hospital; it

was a scare for all of us.

Those are things you haveto think about. My wifes

getting ready to have a

baby. There are things that

have to be taken care of.Im going to be gone for

weeks and months. But

this is our future. We have

been the largest workforce

in Chrysler forever. To not

act like it is inappropriate.

The election took place

three weeks ago in Wash-

ington, D.C. Boruff trav-

eled there with other

representatives from theunion sub-councils that

deal with Chrysler to select

the committee while also

participating in the One

Nation march in support

of American jobs. The

election was just as politi-

cally charged as anything

that happens in a tradi-

tional campaign for public

Its almost like you can hear the sigh of reliefat Chrysler. Not only have people been

called back to work, but Chryslers hired

new workers off the street. And the com-

panys even hiring new white-collar work-

ers.

For UAW Local 1302, its a way to get back what

was lost a few years ago.

At one time we were a little over 300 strong be-

fore all of the cutbacks, said Don Blanch, presi-

dent of UAW 1302. Now we have just over 200.

But were in the process of hiring quite a few engi-

neers. In the last few weeks weve hired 10 or 12

here in Kokomo. Were looking at hiring 50 to 60

more. Weve got a few engineers that have come

from closed plants, butwere looking at a lot of

hiring off the street. Its

really good to finally

see us hiring new peo-

ple. Its nice to have

some good news. It is

so nice having positive

news.

UAW Local 1302

represents the white-

collar workers, which

includes office and cler-

ical workers, nurses,

engineers and techni-

cians.

Theres good news

all over right now.

Production is going

up at most of theplants, Blanch said.

Indiana Transmission

Plant II just added a

second assembly shift.

Theyve actually dou-

bled their production in

the last few weeks.

Sales are picking up.

The future lies in new

programs, Blanch said.

With the tax abatement, well have the 8-speed

rear-wheel drive transmission; its an all-new trans-mission to be put in SUVs, the bigger cars like the

300 and Charger-type cars, he said. Theres an-

other program, the 9-speed front-wheel drive, that

has not been officially announced to go in Kokomo,

but we think it will. Thats why were looking at

hiring quite a few engineers this year by the end of

the year and maybe into the first of next year.

Heres what chief executive officer Sergio Mar-

chionne announced at dealers meeting a couple of

weeks ago:

[W]e will have eight-speed rear-wheel-drive

transmissions in market by mid 2011 and to be fol-

lowed by a nine-speed front-wheel-drive transmis-

sion. They are both all-wheel drive and hybrid

capable. These are leading-edge solutions to themileage and emissions objectives we have set for

ourselves. And I can assure you that there will be

no other mass manufactures in the NAFTA region,

other than some snotty premium manufacturer out

of Europe, that will be able to match the offering.

New programs are the lifeblood of engineer-

ing, Blanch said. Weve been very fortunate,

more fortunate than a lot of towns.

With all of these new programs, were hoping to

Oct. 20, 2010 D1

HIRINGD2

Engineerswanted

by Lisa Fippsmanaging editor

[email protected]

Boruff elected chair of UAW-Chryslernational bargaining committee

Local 685 president is first from Kokomo to hold topnegotiating post; talks to start next summer

by Patrick Munseystaff writer

[email protected]

Its cool; every piece of contractlanguage will go through me. Iwill do nothing but strengthenour local in this process. ... Iwant to address everyones

concerns.

Rich Boruff

president

UAW 685

Were in theprocess of

hiring quite afew engineers.In the last fewweeks wevehired 10 or 12

here in

Kokomo. Werelooking at

hiring 50 to 60more.

Don Blanch

president

UAW 1302

BORUFFD2


2/10

get back close to 300

members, Blanch said.

We want some people

with experience and some

new graduates, so were

looking, really, to get a

mix.Of course, with new

people on board even if

they are experienced

they will have to be

trained.

But those are the kinds

of programs you like to

have compared to the

problems we have had.

Were really looking for-

ward to the new programs.

Its an exciting time for us.

New programs are going to

be the future of Kokomo

down the road for the nextdecade or so. Its really im-

portant we get the new

programs in Kokomo to

have something to manu-

facture as ones we cur-

rently make are phased

out. Its really critical for

the future here in Kokomo

for the next decade or so.

Blanch said that hes

worked at Chrysler since1965, starting as an intern

when he was at Purdue.

Kokomos been very

lucky, he said. We got

the program for the new

first front-wheel-drive

transmission during the oil

embargo in the 1970s. That

was a real shot in the arm.We got the electronic

front-wheel drive program

during the time of the fed-

eral governments loan

guarantees. This is kind of

the same trend. Weve

come through a slow time

and now have a new pro-

gram.

The people and leaders

of Kokomo need to know

just how important this is

to Chrysler and the com-

munity. The community

helps Chrysler and

Chrysler helps the commu-

nity.

Our industry is so cap-

ital intensive, you only get

these programs once in a

while, so its really impor-

tant that we get them here

in Kokomo, Blanch said.

Certainly the city of

Kokomo and Howard

County have been a huge

help to us in what weve

gone through. The tax

abatements for these new

programs are so important.

The company looks at thecommunity and its support

of these programs. Those

things make a huge differ-

ence sometimes as towhere the program goes.

So if Kokomo has the 8-

speed rear-wheel drive and

the 9-speed front-wheel

drive, will that mean more

facilities will be built lo-

cally?

As far as we know at

this time, the new trans-

missions will be built in

the current facilities,

Blanch said. Final layouts

are still being developed

and there has not been a

formal announcement of

the 9-speed front-wheel

drive transmission going to

Kokomo yet, although

there are engineering stud-

ies being worked on.

kokomoperspective.com/Salute to Labor

Kokomo Perspective Oct. 20, 2010

D2

HIRINGcontinued from page D1

office, Boruff soon discov-

ered.

The election is decided

by delegate votes, Boruff

explained. The number of

members in the local de-

termines its voting power.Kokomo is the largest con-

tingent among the plants in

its sub-council. Still, it is

not large enough to win the

election on its own.

We were told wed

have to have another local

union support us; we

couldnt win outright,

said Boruff. Looking at

the numbers, I thought

maybe we could. It looked

like we had more member-

ship than the rest of the lo-

cals combined.So, Boruff went looking

for a partner. He wasnt

sure there was one to be

found. The Michigan-

based locals Mack En-

gine I and II, Trenton

Engine, and Detroit Axle

had formed a voting

bloc to support the presi-

dent of the local represent-

ing Detroit Axle.

I had a conversation

with the Kenosha presi-

dent, Glen Stark, said

Boruff. I asked him if he

had been privy to the meet-

ing with the Detroit locals

because I hadnt. We had

been treated like outsiders.

Coming into the meeting,

there was some tension.

After talking to Glen,

Kenosha supported me for

the negotiators spot for

the sub-council. In turn, I

endorsed him for the chair

job.

The Detroit guys tried

to isolate us, and ended up

isolating themselves. I was

asked to step aside. Therewere concerns in Detroit,

and the unions wanted a

representative from De-

troit. I told them I would

not. I wasnt going to let

someone push me off my

position. If I lost the elec-

tion, at least Id still have

my integrity. Five minutes

prior to the election, they

tried to get me not to run.

Kenosha placed its dele-

gates with Boruff, and all

of Local 685s delegates

did the same. The outcome

was assured. But the elec-

tions were not complete.After that, all of the

sub-council negotiators

meet together; there are

eight or nine of us, said

Boruff. (Kokomo Casting

Plants) Shawn Fain from

Local 1166 was on there

representing skilled trades.

I came out of powertrain.

Youve got clerical and en-

gineer workers, parts, as-

sembly inside and outside

of Detroit.

During a conversation

with a sub-council repre-sentative from Jefferson

North Assembly, Boruff

asked him if he had con-

sidered running for the

lead negotiators spot. The

representative instead pro-

moted Boruff for the posi-

tion. The sub-council

representative from

Belvedere Assembly threw

his support behind Boruff,

as did Toledo Machining,

and Fain from Local 1166.

Boruff was elected

chairman of the national

bargaining committee on a

unanimous vote.I was running, win or

lose, said Boruff. I told

our membership I wanted

this position for them. It

isnt going to be easy.

(Vice president) Jerry

(Price) is going to have to

run the show while Im up

there negotiating. Its a

monster. This job is a lot to

handle on your own.

Negotiations will begin

in June, though Boruff will

travel to Detroit just afterthe beginning of the new

year to go over the draft

proposals. And with any

luck, Kokomo will be the

beneficiary of a new con-

tract that keeps jobs in the

community for years to

come.

BORUFFcontinued from page D1


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Oct. 20, 2010 Kokomo Perspective

D3

New life breathed into Chrysler in Kokomo

Rich Boruffnever antici-pated that themembers herepresents as

president of United AutoWorkers Local 685 wouldhave much of a future. Alittle more than a year ago,Chrysler was mired in

bankruptcy and neededfederal aid to survive. Fewpeople believed the com-pany would survive, evenwhen Fiat stepped in andtook over operations.

My, how things havechanged.

Everyone has beencalled back to work; noone is on lay-off status,said Boruff. We popu-lated a new unit represent-ing Caravan Nights, anamalgamated local of 685.

Theyre the janitorial jobsthat were outsourced.Theyre earning seniorityand benefits now. The em-ployees were re-hired, andwe still represent them.There are about 150 mem-bers between the threeplants. They have a goodplan.

The Temporary Part-Timers TPTs all gotoffers to become full-time,and 72 of the 85 acceptedthe offer, added Local 685vice president Jerry Price.They gave them seniorityand no probation period.Insurance and benefitpackages from Day One.

Some had been TPTs for10 years. And theyre evenbeing paid a little morethan the new hires.

Thats 150 new mem-bers of Local 685, contin-ued Boruff. And wevehired maybe 250. You fig-ure weve increase our em-ployment by at least 400.And we still anticipate newproduct launch commit-ments. Kokomo can rest atease. Thank God every-

thing is going our way. Wewere scared. This is ourhometown, and after youbust your ass and do agood job, you dont wantto see things leave yourcommunity.

Nothing is leavingKokomo. In fact, with the$300 million investmentChrysler announced lastspring, it appears that aboatload of good fortune isheaded this way. Already,Boruff believes local work-

ers have plenty to get ex-cited about with the newproducts on showroomfloors today.

I feel with the newproducts coming out,were going to be in goodshape, said Boruff. Thenew Jeep Cherokee wevegot coming out. Its an un-believable car. I bought mywife one. Its tighter thanany car Ive had. You feelproud to sit in it. The at-tention to detail they paid

in interior and exterior de-sign is amazing.If we can do that with

the Durango, the 300, theCharger, that can carry us.

Weve had volume in-creases every month sinceChrysler came out of bank-ruptcy. Were up 61 per-cent from the previousyear. If we can keep themomentum going with thenew product line, all kindsof good stuff is coming.We can bring our member-ship back. We can be prof-itable.

But to do these things, itis going to take an unusual

commitment from theworkers to embrace FiatsWorld-Class Manufactur-ing (WCM) program. It isa 10-pillar foundation thatemphasizes quality atevery level. Last week,union and managementfrom Kokomo traveled toFiat facilities in France andItaly to benchmark theWCM efforts there and re-turn with new ideas formirroring their success.

The reason for the trip

is to see what they do withWorld Class Manufactur-ing (WCM), said Boruff.Were trying to get a bet-ter grasp on how (Fiat)functions. Fiat was justlike us prior to WCM. Itwould be nice to talk to thepeople who have gonethrough the transition.

WCM has made its pres-ence known in theKokomo facilities, and ac-cording to Boruff, the re-sults have been impressive.

He used a Fuji machineon one of the productionlines as an example. Themachine, which had beenknow for consistent break-

downs, has been torn apartand repaired three timessince Fiat implemented thezero-faults WCM policy.

Now it works betterthan any machine in theplant, said Boruff. Wevebeen through joint pro-grams and never have beenable to sustain the effort.When you hear Fiat talkingabout taking things tobasic conditions and zerofailure, you think, Comeon. This is a manufacturingfacility. But after you seewhat they do to the ma-chines, you can see howthey get to zero failures.

They address everyleak, everything that couldpossibly cause problems.

They will get to zerobreakdowns. That helpsthe operators. It increasesproductivity. It drives costsdown and secures our jobs.Its all good for us.

Its a big difference fromwhat Price has seen overhis decades-long career atChrysler. He remembersdays when even the deathof a line worker wasnt al-lowed to get in the way ofproduction and times whenmaintenance took a back-seat to the days quota.That is the past.

This is different, saidPrice. When internationalreps have visited theseItaly plants before, theysaid since theyve gone to

basic conditions theyhavent had a breakdownon the line in 16 months.Weve never seen 16weeks without a break-down.

And Boruff is optimisticabout the level of involve-ment the company is re-questing out of theproduction workers whenit comes to ensuring thatthe manufacturing processruns trouble-free.

In the past, we werejust told how to do things;now they want us to useour brains, said Boruff.

Thats awesome. Every-body wants to have inputto make our jobs better.

UAW Local 685 has seen increased membership on heels of revival ofcar companys for tunes; new product could bring more good news


[email protected]


4/10



D4

When GeneralM o t o r sagreed totake backt h e

Kokomo manufacturing op-erations from Delphi Elec-tronics and safety last year,the hourly employees repre-sented by United Auto Work-ers Local 292 thought themove would be good forthem. According to unionpresident Cory Stanley,there was nothing good

about it.Now, the workers are fac-

ing a slow death. Existingproduction is set to phaseout, and GM wont commitnew business to Kokomo un-less the union agrees to yetanother round of wage andbenefit concessions.

I think in some respectsit has been worse becauseeverybody had anticipatedthat it would be a goodthing, said Stanley. But GMmade it very clear from DayOne that they didnt want tobe in the parts business.Were the red-headedstepchild. They put us underGMCH, and we dont neces-sarily have an agreementcontractually. Were gettingthe worst end of the deal be-cause they want to pressureus into complying with wageand benefit reductions. Thatis aggravating to me becausethree years ago we did allthat with the promise that itwould save the business.Were in a different wagestructure than all the otherplants.

The knock-out punch mayhave been delivered to theworkers just a few monthsago when Delphi announced

that it will cease productionin the FAB (integrated chipmanufacturing) facility in Oc-tober 2012. That leaves verylittle production taking placenorth of Lincoln Road, and itmeans more workers with-out a job.

It feels like theyre bleed-ing us dry, said Stanley. Intwo years they are supposedto pull out of the FAB com- pletely. So, were in theprocess or at least GeneralMotors has committed to usverbally to try to put somenew business in there. Man-

agement has promised thatthey plan on bringing in newbusiness, but its always con-tingent upon us giving uswages and benefits.

Its always based on ushaving to give. They look at itas all-in wages and bene-fits together they want $14an hour total compensation.Thats darn near minimumwage. Thats where theywant us. Thats where theykeep saying we have to be toremain competitive.

That is a wage level thatthe members of Local 292

may not accept, no matterthe consequence. UAW work-ers have begun drawing aline in the sand, not just in

Kokomo, but in other facili-ties as well. Sometimes that

means the business just goesaway. In September, two-thirds of the membership ofUAW Local 23 at General Mo-tors Indianapolis stamping plant voted to reject wageand benefit concessions. GMresponded by announcing itsintent to close the facility.

The workers decision hasbeen largely panned, butStanley can understand theiractions.

Local 23 in Indianapoliswas still at the upper-tierwage, said Stanley. I think

they looked at us and sawthat Kokomo took the diveand didnt get anything for it.Now theyre closing. Every-one wants to hang their haton that, but were doing thesame thing. Theyre justbeing sneaky about it. Pieceby piece, theyre pulling outour production, our lines.

If a concession proposalcame to Kokomo today, Stan-ley wouldnt be surprised ifthe Local 292 membershipvoted it down much like Indi-anapolis did.

The reason I feel our peo-

ple wont buy into that is wewere told the same thingthree years ago, said Stan-ley. When the new peoplecame in and voted for legacyworkers to take a pay cut,that is what we were told weneeded to do to bring in newbusiness. But it never hap- pened. You can only claimthat so many times beforepeople dont believe you any-more.

There are a few things hap-pening that bring a smile toStanleys face, albeit a grimone. GM did push production

up to full employment levelsrecently.

The good news is wevebrought everybody back

from lay-off, said Stanley.Everyone who was on the

street and had recall rightsare back. There are still agood chunk of skilled tradesworkers out, and there weresome people who didnt havea year in who didnt have re-call rights who are still out.But thats good news thatthey brought some peopleback.

Even with 750 membersmaking a wage in an econ-omy that is recovering far tooslowly, Stanley said there islittle joy on the plant floor orin the union hall. They are all

waiting to die, professionally,and theyre doing so with theknowledge that there is noth-ing left with which to bar-gain.

The attitude is gloom anddoom, said Stanley. Werepast the point of being able toconvince people otherwise.Everyone sees it whittlingdown to nothing. The tomb-stone was Delphis an-nouncement with the FAB.The biggest issue is we donthave any of the intellectualrights to anything. Delphiwants to talk about how sep-

arate we are, but they stillown all that. Even the newbusiness they promised usover the next couple years.One of our product lines willtaper off, and the next gener-ation of the product willcome in. Weve got that busi-ness simply because we arethe UAW. They didnt want togive it to us. Even the intel-lectual rights to that belongsto Delphi. It feels like theyown us. Its a raw deal. Itsnot good. People alwayswant to ask the president,What do you think? They

have the same eyes I have.Look around. If we dontbring in new business, werein big trouble.

Its gloom, doom for UAW 292President Cory Stanley certain that new work must come

to Kokomo or GM facilit y will disappear


[email protected]

Letter carriers

go to WashingtonState and local NALC leaders lobby

congress to stop five-day mail

delivery; overfunding pension plan

Like many unions,the National Associa-

tion of Letter Carriershad a tough year. Dur-ing the economicdownturn, the UnitedStates Postal Servicewas under a lot of fi-nancial scrutiny.

However, whencongress got aroundto asking the NALChow to help fix theproblem, the unionfound more than $75billion that could befreed up. Recently,

state and local unionmembers went toWashington, D.C., tolobby congress on be-half of the NALC.

Basically the stateassociation and thecongressional districtliaisons for the NALCwent to Washington,D.C., to lobby con-gress in reference toHR 5746, said TimTurner, NALC Local583 president. It is a

bill that was intro-

duced that will allowcongress to pay back

the overpayment ofthe civil service retire-ment account. Thataccount has beenoverpaid by $75 bil-lion. Since 2006, con-gress has mandatedthe postal service toput more than $8 bil-lion a year in retireespre-health-care bene-fits, which is morethan what is needed.

The NALC mem-bers also lobbied con-

gress to preventfive-day mail delivery.We were also thereto discuss HR 173,which is a non-bind-ing resolution to askthe congressional del-egate to support six-day delivery for thepostal service, saidTurner. To this date,I believe we have fouror five congressmansigned up.

The NALC esti-

mates that cutting Sat-

CARRIERSD6

by Tim Turnerdigital media manager

[email protected]

Cory Stanley


5/10



D5

Every so often,

the teachers

unions, school

boards and ad-

ministration

are on the same page. This

election season may be

one of those times again.

All five Howard County

teaching union presidents

are worried about what the

future may bring if the

General Assembly is con-

trolled by one party.Shortly after Mitch

Daniels was elected gover-

nor, all state workers ex-

cept teachers lost their

collective bargaining

power.

Education as a whole is

having a hard time agree-

ing with this governor,

said Dan Robinson, presi-

dent of the Northwestern

Classroom Educators As-

sociation. This is the first

time in our history where

administrators and teach-ers are standing together

against what the governor

is planning. We actually

agree and we are banding

together to fight what his

plan is.

This November, each

teaching union president

believes that teachers

could be added to those

without bargaining power

if Republicans win total

control of state govern-

ment.

If this legislature be-

comes Republican, then

(Daniels) will get rid of

collective bargaining for

teachers and he will effec-

tively make us state em-

ployees, Robinson

alleged. Hell put us on

state insurance eventhough our insurance is

better and at a lower cost

because he can control it.

Public Law 217, the

Certificated Educational

Employee Bargaining Act,

is feared to become elimi-

nated. This includes salary,wages and hours.

Much of the animosity

stems back to December

when every public school

had to cut from its budget

as the state needed more

money to balance the

budget.

I have never seen so

rapid changes as Ive seen

this last two years since

(Indiana Superintendent of

Public Instruction) Tony

Bennett has been in of-

fice, said Bev Austin,Western Education Associ-

ation president. It seems

like we are always having

to react to things and were

not part of the equation.

Robinson agrees.

This particular gover-

nor has not been education

friendly at all, he said.He does not understand

how schools work. This

current state superinten-

dent (Bennett) has a com-

pletely different agenda.

Between the two of them,

theyve done a real good

job at tearing up education

and it will be a long time

before education in this

state recovers from this

governor and this states

superintendent.

Kokomo Teachers Asso-

ciation president Cheryl

Simmons said she doesnt

know if there will be a

teaching association on the

day after the election.

We are public employ-

ees, so the election has

profound effects on our

jobs, she said. You could

call me after the election

and I may not be the union

president because we may

not have a union. We are

not sure where its going.

Taylor Education Asso-

ciation president Debbie

Lewis echoes the fear.Basically, if the Repub-

licans win the House it is

Mitch Daniels and Tony

Bennett with a free reign

to do whatever they want,

Lewis said. I dont care

how they package it, how

they sell it, what they want

to do to public schools is

not in the best interest of

anybody. Its not going to

be devastating to teachers,

but its not good for public

school students and its not

good for their parents.Robinson said that

teachers did not want to

become political because

teachers teach.

We cant be teachers

right now, we have to be a

political active entity be-

cause we have a person or

person on the attack, he

said. Theyve done a

good job at turning the

basic electorate against us.

For the first time in a long

time, professional educa-

tors are perceived as thebad guy, because we are

fighting this. It doesnt

make sense. We are the

people who are with your

kids on a daily basis want-

ing to help them to suc-

ceed.

One dilemma that teach-

ers are facing in this elec-

tion is whether to vote by

their morals or vote to pre-

serve education, he said.

How can a teacher say,

ok, Im against abortion,

Im against gay marriage,do I vote my values and

vote for the Republican

Party? he questioned.

But then I cut my throat

professionally because the

Republican Party cannot

stand up and cross party

lines and take a look at a

union presidents is to work

together in supporting can-didates who have shown

their support to public

schools. The Indiana State

Teachers Association

(ISTA) has even posted a

list of public education

friendly candidates as rec-

ommended by I-PACE (In-

diana Political Action

Committee for Education)

on its website.

We have been working

together in supporting can-

didates who are public

school-friendly by sending

out post cards and man-

ning phones, Austin said

At every corporation,

teachers are volunteering

to do that, because they

know it is really important

to the environment that

they work in.

Simmons said another

idea is going door-to-door

to show support for the ed-

ucation-friendly candi-

dates.

Eastern Howard Class-

room Teachers Association

president Kim Pattersonhas even stumped for a

candidate.

Ron Herrell without a

doubt is the most public-

education friendly candi-

date for the House of

Representatives, Patter-

son said. He listens to

teachers. He seeks us outto ask whats going on in

our classrooms. He makes

a point of emphasis to un-

derstand where were com-

ing from. Hes real with

us.

Another issue that irks

the teachers unions is the

state wanting to control

education.

I think now we are

looking at the state having

a curriculum map telling

us what to teach on what

days, so that everybody

across the state is doing

the same thing on the same

day. I think you are taking

some away from what

makes teachers unique out

of the equation, Austin

said. Its sad.

All of the Howard

County school districts are

among the best in the state.

Eastern, Kokomo, North-

western and Western each

have Four Star schools

within the district, which

means they are in the top

25 percent of all IndianaPublic Schools, yet the

state wants to set one blue-

print for all public schools,

Robinson said.

The things we need to

situation. This state is

more polarized than any

other state in the nation,

because of Mitch Daniels

and Tony Bennett. They

label all teachers as liberal.

Thats the most asinine

thing in the world.

According to the teach-

ing union presidents, the

state wants total control

over education as their

way of improving educa-

tion.

We want to improve

education, but education

must be improved from the

grass roots, Robinson

said. To improve educa-

tion, youve got to talk to

those in the trenches.

So now the plan by all

Teachers unions get politicalThey say November election outcome could end collective bargaining

by Peter Adelsen

staff [email protected]

TEACHERSD6

This is the first time inour history whereadministrators and

teachers are standingtogether against what

the governor is planning.We actually agree and

we are banding togetherto fight what his plan is.

Dan Robinsonpresident

Northwestern Classroom Educators Association


6/10



D6

improve are far different

than inner-city Indianapo-

lis, he said. One blue-

print cannot be for all.

What we need to do is

draft a blueprint for what

we in this locale with local

control, our school board,

our superintendent, our ad-

ministrators and our teach-

ers working together. How

can we get better? Com-

mon sense says that if weare a Blue Ribbon school,

a Four Star school, then

what weve got to do bet-

ter is less when you have97 percent of your kids

graduating. Its not the

same as 40 percent in Indi-

anapolis. The socio-eco-

nomic problems are not the

same here. We dont even

have that problem. We can-

not relate to that problem.

Another common mis-

conception, they all said,

was that the problem with

public schooling is not

teaching seniority.

There is the myth out

there that teacher seniority

is one of the things wrong

with schools and we need

to get to get ride of teacher

seniority, Lewis said.Thats simply not true.

Thats not whats wrong

with the schools. If youve

got an ineffective teacher,

you dont have to have that

ineffective teacher forever.

You just have to document

the problem and take the

steps. Its not a free reign

for teachers to do whatever

they want. What it is, is job

security.

As schools face the pos-

sibility of more budget

cuts, it will be the tenured

teachers who are most

likely to be forced into re-

tirement or cut altogether.

If you are going to getrid of a teacher, common

sense says they are going

to get rid of the older, ex-

perienced teacher, Lewis

said. Not because they are

bad teachers, its because

they cant afford them.

Your teachers are going to

be young, inexperienced

teachers and dont get me

wrong there are some ex-

cellent first year teachers,

but generally age and ex-

perience plays a role in theclassroom.

TEACHERScontinued from page D5

urday delivery will cost

80,000 jobs. They also

feel that cutting Saturday

delivery is a dispropor-

tionate cut, which willonly cut 4 percent of the

USPS costs while cutting

17 percent of their deliv-

ery.

The NALC has been

very active for years mak-

ing sure their membership

stays in contact with Con-

gress.

The way the state asso-

ciation is set up, we have

congressional district li-

aisons for each district,

said Turner. I am the con-

gressional district liaison

for Indiana Congressional

District 5.These continued rela-

tionships ensure that a trip

like the one they recently

took is fruitful. The Indi-

ana delegation met with all

the state congressional of-

fices when they went to

Washington. Some of

them were more beneficial

than others.

We spoke with con-

gressman Joe Donnelly in

person, said Turner. Wespoke to congressman

Pete Visclosky in person.

We spoke to congressman

Andre Carsons aid and

shortly after that he signed

up for HR 5746. We have

a commitment from con-

gressman Brad Ellsworth

that once he returned from

the election he would sign

up for the bill.

Turner thinks that any-

one who is looking to have

legislation passed in Con-

gress should consider tak-

ing a trip to visit their

congressman where they

conduct their business.

CARRIERScontinued from pageD6

You always hear of

your representative being

here visiting you in their

home state, but you also

need to go meet them

where they are at so they

know there is interest back

here in Indiana, said

Turner. You need to let

them know what the issues

are and that you support

them. A lot of people think

that with your congress-

man being in Washington,

D.C., they are out of touch,

so sometimes you need to

go visit them so they stay

in touch with the issues

that are going on back in

your state.

Turner said he didnt

think there would be a vote

on any legislation until

after the midterm elec-

tions, but he is hopeful that

the trip he went on will

turn into yes votes from

Indiana congressmen.

For more information

about the NALCs fight to

keep six-day mail delivery,

or any of their other leg-

islative issues visit their

website at nalc.org.

IN WASHINGTON Tim Turner, fourth from left, next to Joe Donnelly after asking the congressman to support six-

day mail delivery.Perspectivephoto /Provided


7/10



D7

The Dodge brand is on a

tear for the 2011 model

year, redefining itself with

six all-new or significantly

redesigned vehicles, intro-

ducing new lifestyle pack-

ages designed to better meet

the needs of its customers,

launching catchy new ads

that have started conversa-

tions in the mainstream

media, actively participat-

ing in new events and spon-sorships and developing

relationships with its long-

loyal enthusiast base, aswell as reaching out to new

customers who want cars

that leave them wanting

more.

Ram Truck brand newfor 2011

The Ram Truck brand

continues to establish its

own identity and clearly de-

fine its customer since its

launch as the newest

Chrysler Group LLC vehi-

cle brand.

For 2011, the Ram Truck

brand adds the hardest-

working Ram trucks the

Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500

Chassis Cab trucks to itsalready award-winning

truck lineup which includes

the rugged and reliable

Mi k e

L u p o i ,

g en e r a l

s a l e s

manager

at Button Chrysler Jeep

Dodge Ram, is excited.

He knows and sees what

the folks at the local

Chrysler plants are mak-

ing. He knows the excel-

lence of the products. He

knows the appeal to theconsumers. Hes thank-

ful that the products

made here are sold here.

Last month we had the

opportunity

to attend the

Dealer An-

nouncement

Show in Or-

lando, Fla.,w h e r e

Chrysler un-

veiled 16

new, or sig-

nificantly re-f r e s h e d ,

v e h i c l e s ,

Lupoi said.

This was an

exciting time

because it

gave us a

glimpse of

what the best

a u t o m a k e r

has in store

for us.

Chrysler is

very focused

on the

launches of

the new and

refreshed vehicles.

Some you can see, but

locals will have to wait to

see some of the others.

They are not publish-

ing photos or vehicles spe-

cific details until

approximately 60 day

prior to the first vehicle

coming off the assembly

line, Lupoi said. As an

example, the all new

Dodge Durango and

Dodge Charger where justrecently unveiled to the

public. On Oct. 13, we or-

dered our initial selection

of both the 2011 Durango

and Charger. As most

everyone knows, the new

Jeep Grand Cherokee has

been a tremendous hit

with refined styling and

performance. The Jeep

Wrangler for 2011 has a

greatly refined interior and

has been selling very well

also. Some of the other

significant changes still tocome include the all new

Chrysler 200, which was

unveiled to the public on

Oct. 12. The Chrysler 300

will be rolled out very

soon, and Im confident

people will love what they

see. With great product

still on the way, we are

very excited to see the

2011 Dodge Durango and

Dodge Charger, as well as

the New Chrysler 200 and

redesigned 300!

Chrysler has made acommitment to their won-

derful employees andfaithful customers to pro-

vide a vehicle lineup that

includes world-class qual-

ity and safety features as

well as beautifully ap-

pointed interiors, Lupoi

said.

Not only are parts on

those vehicles made lo-

cally, but Button ChryslerJeep Dodge Ram is a lo-

cally owned and operated

organization that has been

woven into the fabric of

Kokomo since 1932.

It is our desire to serve

our community with in-

tegrity, honesty and re-

spect, Lupoi said. We

consider it a

p r iv i l eg e ,

not a right,

to serve the

residents of

Howard and

the sur-

r o u n d i n g

c o u n t i e s .

We under-

stand and

value theimportance

of buying

locally. It is

our drive to

p r o v i d e

value to all

of our cus-

tomers, re-

gardless of

what they

buy.

B u y i n g

l o c a l l y

doesnt just

help theC h r y s l e r

workers and

Button.

When we buy locally,

we continue to energize

our local economy which

breeds continued success;

however, we must make

the choice to purchase lo-

cally, Lupoi said. This

allows our hard-earned tax

dollars to be put to use

here in Kokomo instead of

other cities and counties.

The most common ques-tion asked to us by

Chrysler employees is

Are we selling a lot of ve-

hicles? They never ask

what specifically is sell-

ing; they are just con-

cerned that we are selling

new Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge

and Ram products. Any-

time a Chrysler, Jeep,

Dodge or Ram product is

sold it adds to the success

and viability of Chrysler

LLC. It is evident that the

local employees here in

Kokomo recognize that

fact. I would like to addthat the great employees

of Chrysler LLC who

work here in Kokomo

were recognized at the

Dealer Announcement

Show in Orlando last

month by Chrysler LLC

CEO Sergio Marchionne.

They were recognized for

their hard work, determi-

nation and adaptability to

a changing environment,

which I think is quite an

accomplishment.

The greatemployees of

Chrysler LLC whowork here in

Kokomo wererecognized at the

DealerAnnouncement

Show in Orlandolast month byChrysler LLC

CEO Sergio Mar-chionne.

Mike Lupoigeneral sales

manager

Buying Chrysler vehicles

in Kokomo benefits

entire community

Keeping the moneyin Kokomo

by Lisa Fippsmanaging [email protected]

Ram: Ready to rollChryslers Dodge 2011 models

Dakota, Ram 1500 themost-awarded Ram truck

ever and Ram 2500 / 3500

Heavy Duty pickups.

The new chassis cab

trucks provide customerswith first-time innovations

and features along with new

RAMD9

RAM 1500


8/10

Page D8 Kokomo Perspective Oct. 20, 2010

INTERNATIONAL

BROTHERHOOD OF

ELECTRICAL WORKERS LOCAL 873

Wevebeencompetit

iveallalong.

Alotoffolksfeelaunio

n-trainedelectricianco

stsmore.Thatjustisn

tso.And,youknow,itn

everhas

been.

Yousee,wevebeencompetitiveallalo

ng.Infact,jobafterjob

,wevebeenlessexpen

sivethanmost

non-unionelectricians,

becauseweare29%morepro

ductiveandaverage

completing38%more

squarefeetperhour

ofelectricalwork.Th

atsbecausetheorganizedelectrical

industryhasdeveloped

aninnovativetechnique

forloweringcostswh

ileguaranteeingourwo

rkmanship,materialsandfinishing

thejobontimeandon

budget.

Foramorecompetitive

bid,callacontractorw

hoemploysunion-train

edelectricians.

Compareourcosts.

Comparecostsyourself

andsee;unionelectrica

lcontractorscostless

.

Wekeepourword.

Ourworkisfinishedon

timeandonbudget.

Ourtraining

istough.

Union-trainedelectricianshave8,000

hoursofon-the-jobtrai

ningand5yearsofsc

hooling,whilere-

ceivingacollegedegre

e.

Youlllikeourpride.

Wetakeprideinourw

ork.

Oldfashionedcraftsm

anship.

Craftsmanshipisputin

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OUR WORK IS G

UARANTEED . . .

WORKMANSHIPAN

DMATERIALSAREG

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HELECTRICALCON

TRACTOR.

WE NEVER STRI

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WEHAVEBEENINBU

SINESSSINCE1919

ANDHAVENEVERHA

DASTRIKE.WEPRIDE

OURSELVES

WITHNOON JOBCU

STOMERPROBLEMS

.

WHAT YOU DONT KNOW

ABOUT OUR ELECTRICIANS

COULD COST YOU MONEY!

WHAT YOU DONT KNOW

ABOUT OUR ELECTRICIANSCOULD COST YOU MONEY!

WE

SALUTE

ALL

WORKERS

OFHOWARD

COUNTY!

YOU CAN COUNT ON US...

UNION CONTRACTORS OF

HOWARD COUNTY ARE:

457-5371

457-5507J&J ELECTRIC

457-9137HUSTON ELECTRIC

452-2090STELKO-ELECTRIC

THANKYOU, TOEACHINDIVIDUAL, TOEACHUNIONMEMBER, TOEACHCOMMUNITYOFFICIALANDEVERY

BUSINESSFORYOURCONTINUEDSUPPORT

OFOURLOCALUNION


9/10



D9

Built on 70 years of legendary heritage,

Jeep is the authentic sport utility vehicle(SUV) with class-leading capability, crafts-

manship and versatility for people who

seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep

brand delivers an open invitation to live life

to the fullest by offering a full line of vehi-

cles that continue to provide owners with a

sense of security to handle any journey with

confidence.

Jeep builds on its tradition of providing

unique, iconic, versatile and capable vehi-

cles for 2011, with its next-generation, pre-

mium flagship vehicle the 2011 Jeep

Grand Cherokee and with significant im-

provements across the Jeep vehicle lineup.

With the greatest range of SUVs underone brand, the Jeep vehicle portfolio con-

sists of:

Compass: A compact SUV with a mod-

ern, urban design that delivers unsurpassed

4x4 fuel economy, freedom, utility, and

Jeep 4x4 cachet and capability, all at a ter-

rific value. Compass will receive signifi-

cant improvements (to be announced) for

2011

Grand Cherokee: The most capable

and luxurious Grand Cherokee ever, bal-

ancing legendary Jeep capability with so-

phistication to deliver a premium driving

experience for all adventures

Liberty: The mid-size SUV from Jeep

that offers Jeep Trail Rated 4x4 capability

combined with on-road refinement and nu-

merous innovative features, including the

industry-exclusive full-length Sky Slider

open canvas roofPatriot: A compact SUV delivering the

fun, capability, adventure and value only

Jeep can offer, with unsurpassed 4x4 fuel

economy. Patriot will receive significant

improvements (to be announced) for 2011

Wrangler: The icon of the Jeep brand,

it remains true to its heritage as the original

fun-and-freedom machine. For 2011, it

boasts an all-new interior, and a premium

body color hardtop for Sahara models

Wrangler Unlimited: The only four-

door convertible SUV on the market with

room for five adult passengers, Wrangler

Unlimited receives an all-new interior for

2011, and a premium body color hardtop

for Sahara models

Jeep lovers haveplenty of options

RAMcontinued from page D7

standards of strength, util-

ity and drivability, building

on Ram Truck's leadership

in the heavy-duty pickupsegment. Rams new

crew of commercial-grade

work trucks is built on

proven frames and chassis,

and engineered for maxi-

mum uptime, low cost of

ownership, optimum per-

formance and enhanced

commercial capability.

Equipped with a choice

of engines, including the

legendary 5.7-liter HEMI

V-8 engine or the powerful

6.7-liter Cummins Turbo

Diesel, Ram Trucks offerthe best powertrains in the

industry and are known for

their reliability. The 5.7-

liter HEMI engine offers an

amazing combination of

power and fuel economy

with 390 horsepower and

20 mpg highway. The

Cummins Turbo Diesel-

equipped Ram pickup, withmajor overhaul intervals of

350,000 miles, is the only

heavy-duty pickup to meet

2011 EPA compliance

rules, without the need for

a Selective Catalytic Re-

duction (SCR) and Diesel

Exhaust Fluid (DEF).

A partnership that ex-

tends back more than 20

years, Ram Truck and

Cummins have delivered

billions of miles of cus-

tomer reliability. Cummins-

equipped Ram trucks with

more than 300,000 miles

are common, while others

have surpassed one millionhard-working miles. All

Ram Truck engines, trans-

missions and axles are cov-

ered by a segment-leading

five-year, 100,000-mile

powertrain warranty.

The Ram Truck brand

has the most innovative

lineup of full-size trucks on

the market. Ram Truck has

emerged as a full-size truck

leader by investing substan-

tially in new products, in-

fusing them with great

looks, refined interiors,durable engines and fea-

tures that further enhance

their capabilities. Ram

trucks now boast these seg-

ment exclusives: coil spring

rear suspension on Ram

1500 for best-in-class ride

and handling, available

RamBox lockable and

lighted bedside storage, in-

floor storage on all Ram

crew cabs and the largest

cab in the market Ram

HD Mega Cab.

Also returning for 2011is the award-winning Ram

Power Wagon. The Ram

Power Wagon is the most

capable factory-equipped

off-road-ready pickup truck

on the road. Its equipped

with electric-locking front

and rear differentials, an

electronic disconnecting

sway bar, Bilstein shocks,

33-inch BFGoodrich off-

road tires, underbody skidplate protection, a 4.56 axle

ratio for hill climbing and a

custom-built Warn 12,000-

lb. winch cleverly hidden

behind the front bumper.

Truck customers from

half-ton to commercial

have a demanding range of

needs and require their ve-

hicles to provide high lev-

els of capability. The Ram

1500, 2500, 3500 pickups

and chassis cabs are de-

signed to deliver a total

package.Between the end of this

year and early next, the

brand will fill dealer show-

rooms with a vast array of

new or updated Dodge

products. The all-new

Dodge Durango will lead

the charge, followed by the

all-new Dodge Charger and

significantly redesigned

Grand Caravan, Journey,

Avenger and Challenger

with two new powertrains.

These products will join

Dodge Nitro and DodgeCaliber in dealer show-

rooms.


10/10

Page D10 Kokomo Perspective Oct. 20, 2010

STRENGTH & SOLIDARITYMore Important Than Ever...

Boldly Displaying

Our Support For All

Local Laborers Who

Take Pride In Making

Our Community AGreat Place To

Live And Work!

Labor Section D

Documents

Transcript of Labor Section D