By: Shaun Windels

Greetings Brothers and Sisters,

Ah, we made it to April. Hopefully, everyone had a fun and relaxing Easter weekend. We now enter another long stretch of work until Memorial Day weekend, so keep your heads up, relax, and we will get there together.

So, some of you, well maybe 3 of you, who normally read my article (Dad) noticed there was no article last month. Yup, you’re right. I missed that one, but will make it up with this one, so hold on tight and here we go.

Last month’s decision by Flint Truck Assembly to return to a 6-day operation caught us by surprise. That being said, the next day after receiving that news, the Shop Committee and I requested a meeting with the company to discuss plans and how we move forward.

Some of the things we talked about were obviously manpower, PTO planning, and work/life balance. The company agreed that we will need extra manpower to move forward and wanted to make sure that the membership was getting some relief and work/life balance. Shortly, you will be seeing some changes. We are currently working on some language to help with PTOs and working on accommodations, so you can have the time off.

The membership’s safety and well-being are at the top of the Shop Committee’s priority list, and we hope that we can help with that.

On to elections. Now, I’m going to get on my soap box a little here. I am a firm believer that involvement is 100 percent if you want to run for a position. If you feel like you can make a difference, then run.

I firmly believe in choices for the membership and letting them decide who is best for each position, so I wish all of you luck on your elections. I also hope the outcome is what you’re looking for. However, even if it doesn’t work out in your favor, there are still ways of getting involved, and I encourage you to explore those options and get involved.

In closing, we shall see if this is my last article or not? Maybe you’ll see one next month, maybe not? I guess that all depends on how my election goes. It has been an absolute pleasure serving the membership, and, as always, I’m up to the daily challenges. I have enjoyed this opportunity very much and I hope to continue to do so, as we have so much more to accomplish.

That’s it for now…