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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
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
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
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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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kokomoperspective.com/Salute to Labor
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
by Patrick Munseystaff writer
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kokomoperspective.com/Salute to Labor
Kokomo Perspective Oct. 20, 2010
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
by Patrick Munseystaff writer
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
Cory Stanley
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kokomoperspective.com/Salute to Labor
Oct. 20, 2010 Kokomo Perspective
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
8/8/2019 Labor Section D
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Kokomo Perspective Oct. 20, 2010
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
8/8/2019 Labor Section D
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kokomoperspective.com/Salute to Labor
Oct. 20, 2010 Kokomo Perspective
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
8/8/2019 Labor Section D
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
toeveryjob.
OUR WORK IS G
UARANTEED . . .
WORKMANSHIPAN
DMATERIALSAREG
UARANTEEDBYEAC
HELECTRICALCON
TRACTOR.
WE NEVER STRI
KE . . .
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
8/8/2019 Labor Section D
9/10
kokomoperspective.com/Salute to Labor
Oct. 20, 2010 Kokomo Perspective
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.
8/8/2019 Labor Section D
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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!