By: Duane Ballard

Greetings Brothers and Sisters,

To start out, I want to congratulate all the winners from the past general election and district elections. Although we still have a few district elections to get done, I can guarantee they will all be done by June 14th. June 14th will be swear-in day for all elected members and they will take office that day.

I want to thank everyone who put their name out there to run for any office they signed up for. Member involvement is key for the UAW and Local 659. I know it has been said many of times, but the “U” in union means nothing without “You.”

The future is in every single member’s hands and that should not be taken lightly. Don’t lose that insight to stay involved. Attend your unit meetings and volunteer to do things with the Local. It is so important to not lose touch of what is going on in the UAW and stay focused on the future.

I want to thank the Election Committee for all the hard work and dedicated hours they have put into this election cycle. Of all of our standing committees, the Election Committee is the most thank less committee there is. They never get the glamour and glitz the other committees get. They work tirelessly and are dedicated to putting on an honest and fair election for all of our members to be proud of.

The day of the election, most worked over 20 hours to make sure that the election was ran fair for all. You can’t run elections for over 10 units and over 30 districts without a couple glitches, but this team worked through them and ran a fair election for all.

If you see one of these members, thank them for the hard work they do for you and this Local. Thank you!

I also want to thank all the retirees who stepped up to help with the elections. Although our GM plants did not allow retirees in the plants to help conduct the elections, our IPS facilities did allow them. I want to thank each and every one of them who worked in those plants and the ones who worked here at the hall. Even with the extended hours for our third shift members that were affected by the power outage, they were there to help out. Thank you!

The 2026 Election did not come without a hefty price, since GM did not allow retirees in to help conduct them. Since we could not use the retirees, we had to double up on the lost time inside the plants. I am still trying to figure out why GM allows retirees into the plants to use they gyms, but not conduct a vote.

I fear that down the road our elections will not even be allowed inside the units and will have to be at the hall. That will never be good for participation.

This general election, without the run-offs and districts, has cost the Local 659 membership over $60,000. I will have the final cost of all elections down the road.

Our 4th Annual Kits Day is set for June 6th. Vice President Davis and I, as well as the Sportsmen’s Alliance and Genesee County Parks, have been planning this year’s event since the beginning of the year. We ran into a few issues with the state with the permit for the dock we purchased, so that will not be in yet. With the help of Senator Cherry, that has been resolved and should be in by mid-July.

We will have the same great outdoor activities like fishing, bow shooting, kayaking, a BB gun trailer, and bird dogs. We are also adding some dock diving and a birds of prey exhibition. This is a great event to bring the kids to, as well as yourself, to enjoy the outdoors.

It seems like I’m spending a lot more time at grandkids’ games these days. The biggest difference from last year and this year is the weather. Is it ever going to warm up? On a good note, it doesn’t seem to bother my new puppies and the grandkids outside playing with them. No matter the weather, get a kid outdoors.