By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org
On any given work day, Willie Holmes’ car would be one of about two in the parking lot of the UAW Local 167 office located at 1320 Burton St. SW.
However, this being day 19 of a nationwide UAW strike against GM, the 42-space parking lot is packed with vehicles as strikers head to their assigned posts and retirees come in to help prepare food and work on the organization’s newsletter.
“I’m a little tired,” said Holmes, who serves as the president of UAW Local 167, which represents employees at the GM-Components Holdings LLC, located at the corner of Burlingame and Burton in Wyoming.
Holmes does not look or act tired. He moves effortlessly through the hall, answering questions and talking to members and retirees.
“Actually things are going quite well,” Holmes said. “I think many of us didn’t expect the strike to happen so there was a little bit of chaos in the beginning as this is the first strike for many of us, but we got our groove going now.”
The last GM/UAW strike was in 2007 with about 73,000 employees striking for two days. The longest and largest GM/UAW strike was in 1970, which was 67 days and had about 343,000 GM employees striking in both the U.S. and Canada.
On Sept. 15, 46,000 GM workers went on strike, of which 650 employees are from the GM-Components Holdings in Wyoming. According to Holmes, there is about 137 employees still working at the plant as they support the Toyota line.
What many people do not understand is that the plant in Wyoming is a subsidiary to GM, Holmes said.
“Many have lumped us in with the traditional GM plants, saying that we make a $1,000 a week,” Holmes said. “I don’t make a $1,000 a week.”
Wages are one of the issues the UAW wants addressed as currently there is a three-tier system. For those at GM Components, a general employee who has been at the plant for 13 years makes about $22 per hour or $45,760 gross per year. The starting wage at a traditional GM plant, like the Lansing plant, is around $29 per hour. Temporary employees make $15.62 per hour.
“So for many of these temporary workers, they are working 10- to 12-hour shifts to make any money,” Holmes said. The union also wants a clear pathway for full-time employment for temporary employees. Currently there is none, according to Holmes.
“They are working one, two, three years,” Holmes said. “There is one temporary worker in Lansing who has been working for five years. That is five years of no profit sharing, no vacation days.”
While there are some places that temporary employees work well, the auto industry is not one of them, he said.
“That is another misconception in that it is grungy, basic work that anyone off the street can do,” Holmes said. “There is a lot of technology involved in auto manufacturing. You can’t just come in and push a button, you have to know why are you are pushing that button.”
From an Oct. 1 letter from UAW Vice President and Director Terry Dittes, other issues centered on health care costs, skilled trades and job security. A GM spokesperson said “We continue to negotiate and exchange proposals, and it remains our goal to reach an agreement that builds a stronger future for our employees and our company.” For more information, visit the ompany’s website, buildingastrongerfuture.gm.com.
“This is going to be historical,” Holmes said, adding that the negotiations will set a tone as to how employees in the auto industry and other places are treated. “It has been like a movement. I believe people are just tired of the greed. They are tried of being taking advantage of.”
There has been community support with three large sheets of paper on the walls filled with individuals and businesses who have donating food and supplies in support of the union and its members.
The ripple effect of the strike also is being felt. Along with the Wyoming GM-Components Holdings, the UAW Local 167 also represents employees at Robert Bosch Fuel Systems, Challenge Manufacturing, Caravan, and North American Fuel Systems Remanufacturing. Holmes said work has slowed down with lay-offs happening at some of the businesses.
As to when the strike will end, Holmes could not predict, but the local is looking to extend services to its members and their families by offering a food pantry, a diaper drive and other resources such as financial planning. Recently, members started receiving $250 a week in strike pay, which is only a portion of an employee’s paycheck — temporary or permanent.
“We have worked to help members get deferred rent payments, deferred car payments,” Holmes said. “We are bringing people in to talk to members about spending and how to budget on a modified income.”
