Election Sign Up Reminder

The final day to accept your nomination for candidacy in the upcoming elections is this Monday March 22nd. Nominations will be accepted by the election committee between 6am and 5pm. The Deadline is 5 pm without exception. There are 3 categories of openings. The Constitutional Convention, Local Executive Board, and two (2) District Committee and two (2) Alternate Committee persons will be elected.

If interested in becoming a candidate for any of the current vacancies or a delegate position, you should come to the Union Hall and file the paperwork to accept your nomination. There is also an option to mail in your acceptance of nomination if you are unable to come to the Union Hall in person. This would have to be done within the time limits and procedures as established in our local union bylaws.

There are are several open positions that are being filled in this election to be held on April 6th, 2010. I will list these positions as well as who is eligible.
Conventional Delegate to the 35th Constitutional Convention to be held in Detroit Michigan From June 14th Through June 17th, 2010.

There will be an election held for six (6) Delegates and one (1) Alternate Delegate from the GM Spring Hill Manufacturing Unit and one (1) Delegate from the combined Premier and AFV units to the 35th Constitutional Convention of the International Union UAW to be held June 14 through June 17th, 2010 in Detroit Michigan. Details are as follows:

Who Is Eligible To Run For These Convention Delegate Positions?

All members of Local 1853 - Active Members , Laid Off Members, Retirees, Premier and American Food and Vending Members who are in good standing in accordance with the Constitution are hereby DECLARED nominated as candidates for Delegates to the 35th Constitutional Convention of the International Union UAW.

All candidates wishing to file acceptances shall do so by delivering their acceptances in writing at the following times and place or in accordance with Local 1853 By-laws, Article XIII, Section 12. The deadline for acceptance is March 22, 2010 at 5pm.

Acceptance Location and Times:
Place: Local Union Hall
Date and Time: Monday March 22, 2010, 6am to 5pm

After the closure of nomination acceptances, the Election Committee will draw ballot positions.
Place: Local Union Hall
Date: March 26, 2010

PHOTO ID REQUIRED

Election Locations and Times:
Date: Tuesday April 6, 2010
Banquet Hall 6am to 11pm
PT 8am to 12pm and 6pm to 11pm
BS 8am to 12pm and 6pm to 11pm

Executive Board Positions
Who is eligible to Run for these positions? Active Members, Laid off Members and Retired Members. Eligibility is determined as follows:

All Members of Local 1853 in good standing for one (1) continuous year stand nominated for the following Local Union Offices in accordance with the UAW Constitution and Local 1853 By-laws. (Elected by majority vote)

Positions that are being filled:

Recording Secretary
One (1) Trustee
One (1) Guide
Two (2) Executive Board Members at Large
Nomination acceptances must be received in writing at Local 1853 Union Hall between the hours of 6:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday March 22, 2010, in accordance with the provisions of Article 38 of the UAW Constitution and Local 1853 Bylaws, Article XIII, Section 12. *These positions are to finish the current term.
All candidates wishing to file acceptances shall do so by delivering their acceptances in writing at the following times and place or in accordance with Local 1853 By-laws, Article XIII, Section 12. The deadline for acceptance is March 22, 2010 at 5pm.
Acceptance Location and Times:
Place: Local Union Hall
Date and Time: Monday March 22, 2010, 6am to 5pm

After the closure of nomination acceptances, the Election Committee will draw ballot positions:
Place: Local Union Hall
Date: March 26, 2010

Retired members of UAW Local 1853 are eligible to run for all Executive Board positions with the exception of President and Vice President.
The Election to fill vacancies will be held on Tuesday April 6, 2010.
Election Locations and Times:
Banquet Hall 6am to 11pm
PT 8am to 12pm and 6pm to 11pm
BS 8am to 12pm and 6pm to 11pm

If needed, all run-offs for Local Union Officers requiring majority point will be held at the same locations and times posted, on April 13, 2010.
Members in CUC should vote in BS at the posted time and place. Retirees will vote at the Union Hall at the posted dates and times.

Two (2) District Committee persons and Two (2) Alternate District Committee persons
The Redistricting has resulted in the need to elect two (2) District Committee persons and two (2) Alternate District Committee persons for the same districts. The National Agreement governs the number of elected duty of fair representation officials that Local 1853 may have. The severe reduction in our active membership due to the loss of the Traverse caused a significant reduction of elected officials.

The redistricting Plan calls for an election for Production District Committee Person on Days covering the entire plant and an alternate Committee person for the same district on days.

The second opening for District Committee Person Election will be for a district that combines 2nd shift production and 3rd shift production as well as the 3rd shift trades members. The Alternate position is for the same district.

Who is eligible? Only those active members that are in the districts in question. Any active members that are in these districts and are in good standing and meet the requirements of eligibility contained in the bylaws shall be eligible to run for these positions.
Acceptance Location and Times:
Place: Local Union Hall
Date and Time: Monday March 22, 2010, 6am to 5pm
Election Locations and Times:
Banquet Hall 6am to 11pm
PT 8am to 12pm and 6pm to 11pm
BS 8am to 12pm and 6pm to 11pm

In Solidarity,
Mike Herron
Chairman Local 1853
www.1853chairman.com

Rally at Beaman Toyota Automotive on Monday March 8th

Our Local has received a request from UAW Region 8 Director Gary Casteel for participants to attend a rally that will occur on Monday March 8th from 1pm to 4pm in Nashville. The purpose of this rally is to bring to light the recent decision by Toyota to close the NUMMI Plant in Fremont California. This facility was a joint venture between GM and Toyota and was one of two plants that were touted in the 90's as being cutting edge and employing flexible manufacturing practices based on the Toyota Production System. Saturn was the other Plant that was featured as a facility that had a competitive culture and world class operations.

The Japanese Owned Toyota has now announced their decision to close NUMMI and abandon the joint venture. This move has left several thousand American UAW Members in California without a job and no lifeline back to General Motors. This is one more example of Toyota really not caring what Americans think!

The purpose of this campaign is to educate the American Citizens about the importance of keeping good paying American UAW jobs in this country!

This Campaign will be held at Beaman Toyota located at 1525 Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee from 1-4 pm. Thanks for your support.
In Solidarity,
Mike Herron
Chairman Local 1853
www.1853chairman.com

Spring Hill Retiree Shirley Jones Passes Away

I am sad to inform you that Spring Hill Retiree Shirley Jones passed away on February 15th . Shirley lost the battle after a courageous five year fight with cancer. Shirley was well known in our plant as she served two terms as an elected UAW Alternate Committee Person. Most team members will remember Shirley by her tenacious spirit, her British accent and her unrelenting belief in unions. She was a proud UAW Member and was not ashamed to let anyone know it.

Shirley spent most of her career while at Spring Hill in Powertrain. She worked in the Indirect Material Crib initially and then was a member of the Block Machining Area. In her last year of work prior to retirement, Shirley worked on the 600 Line in General Assembly. She loved people and was an outstanding union representative for our members.
Shirley was also very proud of her English heritage. She loved the Rolling Stones, and closely followed the Manchester United Soccer Team or Football as they called it in England.
We will all miss Shirley as she was an inspiration to us all. On behalf of the UAW, our thoughts and prayers go out to her entire family during this time of great sorrow and pain. I have enclosed the funeral arrangements in this email so that our members wishing to attend her funeral will have the relevant details.


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Shirley Ann Donegan JONES
Visit/Sign Online Guest Book
JONES, Mrs. Shirley Ann DoneganAge 64 of College Grove, February 15, 2010. Born in Manchester, England to the late Frank & Emily Johnston Donegan. Retired from Saturn; attended St. Philip Catholic Church. Preceded in death by husband, David Jones and sister, Rita Parker. Survived by daughters, Colleen (Ira) Dunn of Pennsylvania & Jacqueline Jones of College Grove, TN; sister, Joan Donegan of Canada; grandson, Jackson Dunn; several nieces & nephews. Memorial Service will be conducted 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home, Father John Kirk celebrant. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Memorials may be made to Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Gift Processing VU Station B# 357727 2301 Vanderbilt Place Nashville, TN 37235-7727. WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, (615) 794-2289.


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Regards,
Mike Herron
Chairman Local 1853
www.1853chairman.com

Funeral Notice For UAW Member Katy Deanna Goodspeed Deaver

I am saddened to have to notify our members of the passing of Spring Hill UAW Member Katy Deanna Goodspeed Deaver, also fondly known as "Little Diane" who passed away on Sunday February 14, 2010. Katy, as her friends knew her, was loved and admired by everyone she worked with. Katy was a hard worker who was respected by her teammates. Katy always jumped in and did what had to be done. She was a good worker, good team member and good friend. She will be truly missed.



Service:
Saturday, February 20, 2010
1:00 PM
Oakes & Nichols Chapel
320 West Seventh Street
Columbia, TN 38401
Katy Deanna Goodspeed Deaver, 50, operations technician at General Motors and resident of Denning Lane in Spring Hill, died Sunday, February 14, 2010 at Williamson Medical Center.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1:00 P.M. Saturday at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home with Richard Duggar officiating. Burial will follow in Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends Friday from 4:00- 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Notes of sympathy may be sent the family at www.oakesandnichols.com.

A native of Montague County, Texas, she was the daughter of Annie Lee Young Walker of Spring Hill and the late Lyle Hayden Goodspeed.

In addition to her mother, she is survived by her husband, Lawrence "Larry" Phillip Pigg of Spring Hill; one daughter, Amberly Dawn (Jeremy) Underwood Daniels of Columbia; three sons, David Wayne Underwood and Jason Warren Underwood, both of Texas; Rodney (Laura) Underwood of Shelbyville; and ten grandchildren.

Regards,
Mike Herron
Chairman Local 1853
www.1853chairman.com

Union Meeting Update

With the bad weather that forced the cancelation of the January Union Meeting, President Mike O'Rourke and myself, along with the Local 1853 Executive Board decided to combine the January meeting with February's Union Meeting. This decision is due in part to the feedback around the meeting being re-scheduled for Valentines Day. Our next Union Meeting will be February 28, 2010 at 2pm. Reminder: all elected and appointed officials are required to attend 2 out of 3 meetings. I look forward to seeing you there.

Classes at Northfield

The Northfield Training Facility has really ramped up the training opportunities being offered. There are some great classes that have been set up by the Transition Center located in Northfield for members and their spouses who have been effected by the idling of Spring Hill Manufacturing. We have a limited number of open seats for some of the hottest classes being offered. Upcoming classes that are spawning a high degree of interest are Automotive Technology, Medical Coding, Health Information Technology, Tennessee Teaching License for those who already have a B/A Degree, Industrial Maintenance and many more. If you are interested in any of these courses, you should call the Transition Center as soon as possible at 931-486-6554 or 931-486-6556 to get your name and number on a list of interested candidates.
As more interest is generated for these classes, there will be more college programs available for our members. A major part of the programs being taught are based on interest and participation. If you have a subject that you have an interest in and would like to see it offered at Northfield , please let the transition team know. This is a great program that enables people to get diplomas, certifications and even college degrees at no cost. Education is the best investment that you can make in yourself ! I would like to thank both the State of Tennessee and Local 1853's Transition Team for doing a world class job in setting up and administering what has turned out to be a great program offering outstanding free training for our members. Visit my website at www.1853chairman.com for the latest class offerings and a link to the Transition Centers website.

SUB PAY FILING INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEMBERS TRANSFERRING TO LDT:
For all those Team Members who are transferring to the LDT Facility or have already transferred to LDT and are experiencing problems in filing for your last SUB payment, this is the process that you need to follow to ensure that you get your last SUB payment.

The problem that caused this issue with doing an online filing, is related to a TRANSFER Coding Issue in the GM Systems. The sending plant has to code you as transferred to Lansing Delta Township and code you as working. This causes the system to kick out your online application. Therefore, many of you have not received your last Sub Check prior to arriving at the Lansing Delta Township Plant.

To resolve this issue, you must file a MULTI WEEK APPLICATION. Please write R-12 on top of the Application Form. This will expedite your application and help facilitate correct payment.
Go to www.layoffbenefits.com to print the application that you need to fill out. You MUST FILL OUT A PAPER application form. You will also need proof of your LAST WEEK UC Benefit Stub. You will need to FAX your filled out MULTI WEEK APPLICATION Form and the Copy of your LAST WEEK UC Benefit STUB to 313-230-7492. Make the FAX Attention to: Sandy.

By following this process, you will receive your last SUB Benefit Payment. If you have any further questions or issues, please contact your UAW Benefit Reps from Lansing Delta Township. You may also contact the Spring Hill UAW Benefits Reps who will be glad to assist you if you are unable to get your Multi Week Application filled out. Their phone numbers are as follows: Body Systems - 931-489-4693 / Vehicle Systems 931-486-5706 / Powertrain 931- 489-4734 / UAW Hall
931-489-3160.


In Solidarity,
Mike Herron
Chairman Local 1853
www.1853chairman.com