Our Local 724 Brothers and Sisters at Alliance Interiors ratified their first contract by 96% Thursday morning (5/1/08) and will be returning to work soon.
American Axle negotiations reported “movement” today, as well.
As LDT’s days supply of our hot-selling Buick Enclave dwindle, negotiations there are starting to pick up.
Hopefully, the strikes will end soon and we’ll all be back to work for the prosperity of the oil and pharmaceutical companies.
Now, if GM would build a vehicle that burns cash, instead of gas, we could just roll up our paychecks, shove them in the gas tanks and skip all that middle-man stuff.
Speaking of GM, I got my notice of the annual GM stockholders meeting earlier this week.
I still own 6 shares of Class E Common Stock from back in the ’80s when shares were part of our compensation. Four times a year, GM sends me a check, usually for $1.50, although years ago, I got a couple checks for $3.
Normally I just file the reports and proxy card away as reference material, just in case GM ever makes enough money to balance out the postage on all the crap they send me. This year, for whatever reason (probably nothing to do with the fact that we are on strike), I was checking out the stockholder proposals on the proxy/voting card, and noticed the Board of Directors recommends voting against items 3-10, which are 3) Disclosure of Political Contributions, 4) More disclosure of Political Contributions, 5) Health Care Reform Principles, 6) Stockholder Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation, 7) Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 8)Cumulative Voting, 9) special stockholder meetings and 10) Performance-Based Equity Compensation.
Of course, GM gives reasons for voting against these proposals. For example, on the Health Care Principles, GM states “…adoption of these health care principles will not advance the legislative debate for facilitate the enactment of federal legislation that would benefit the Corporation, its stockholders or the country.”
Hmmm. It’s called taking a stand for the common good, General Motors. Some might even call it lobbying. Say the words outloud, already: Universal Health Care. Sign your name on the damned petition, OK?
OK, so a few Board Members may object–those who hail from the pharaceutical and insurance industries, for example. But GM already publicly conceded defeat on health care costs and handed the lion’s share of the burden over to the UAW. GM is contractually committed to a National Institute on Health Care Reform along with the UAW, Chrysler LLC and Ford.
Let me help: “Hello. My name is General Motors, and I have a health care crisis…”
djg
