207 Back in Business

By Tom Kanitz

Last month we were faced with the possibility of losing the 207 assembly line. Visteon felt they could benefit by transferring the 207 to Utica where several seniority employees are laid off, receiving 95% of their pay from the company. Saline has many 90-day members that would be subject to a lay off without compensation from the company. This was obviously a business decision on Visteon's part. However we brought to the company's attention many issues that stopped this transfer.

I have received many thanks for this victory, however the credit belongs to the in-plant committee as a whole. They have been very supportive during this time. A single person does not win victories like this. They are won by many collectively working together and I thank them all.

UAW Negotiates New Equipment For The Tool Room

In the 1999 Local Contract Negotiations the Bargaining Committee successfully negotiated new equipment for the Tool Room. The bargaining team then turned to the Tool Room EI group for input on suggested equipment. Our thanks go out to the EI group for being an instrumental part of this process.

The new equipment:

* BridgePort mill with a Protrotrac control

* a Bed Mill with an NC control

* a Lathe with an NC control

This leading edge technology will allow us to be more competitive and more precise. With the high demand for quality we need to be more precise than ever before if we expect to compete for new work (and to keep the work we have today).