By: Jeff Wesley

Greetings Brothers & Sisters,

Welcome back to all that was on temporary layoff affected by the GM Flint Assembly shut down. I hope everyone enjoyed the time off and had a wonderful New Year, as we continue to try to stay warm, safe and healthy through this cold, brutal winter we’re experiencing this season.

Normal production resumed for our unit on January 26, 2026, starting with our third shift crew. The pace was a little slower than normal, and yet we had a smooth transition to kick off our first work week of 2026.

We have a lot of expectations to meet with new business scheduled to launch within this first quarter of the year, re-bidding jobs, retraining, and so much more. By now, everyone has heard about and probably see the Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR). They were set to launch within this first quarter.

I will continue to do my best to pass on information pertaining to all business, especially new business within our unit. Of course, new business sometimes produce more jobs, so we’re expecting to see our workforce/membership numbers climb.

Let us all continue to stay focus and remember we’re all in this together, in solidarity, with the same contractual common goals. We want to continue to have a safe and prosperous year, while we deliver quality work with excellence, and uphold high standards in our effort to sustain job security and maximizing contract value.

2026 is a big election year, with General Elections. Please remember to always take the time to check your resources for information. Whether you get your info from your Unit’s UAW information billboard, Searchlight newspaper, or UAW website, this info can be and is vital.

Members are also always welcome to attend 659 monthly unit membership meetings and joint council meetings.

Thank you for your time. Please stay safe, warm and focused and prepare for another challenging year.

SOLIDARITY FOREVER.