By: Jack Terrill

Holiday Greetings from NAETC!

We’ll wrap things up for the year with a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from the Shop Committee.

We live in a diverse world where there are many different beliefs and ways to celebrate each one. Our plant is a great example, where we have people coming in from all over the state. We’ve hired several people over the course of the year and we’re just getting to know them.

Some might celebrate the Holiday period, and some may not. At the end of the day, we need to be respectful of each other and their beliefs. Some may not agree, but we’re all here to earn a great living, with great benefits, so that we may prosper in our workplace and support our families and what’s important to us outside the shop. Inside the shop we need to put our differences aside and make this the greatest tool and die shop in North America.

We’re just getting through an extremely tense period that saw many of us at odds with the direction of the salaried leadership in the facility. It brought us to a place where morale and self-worth were at the lowest level I have seen in the 30 years I’ve been in Flint.

I believe we have turned that corner and we’re heading back in a positive direction. This plant is filled with an extremely high level of talented people. It’s imperative that we not lose sight of the fact that it’s our jobs and our livelihood that are at risk in these situations.

Together, we are the ones who will drive the work, succeed in building high-quality tools and dies in a timely fashion, and make this a viable workplace for years to come. We have the knowledge and experience that will drive the plant to the top,

We must understand that we have a Salaried Leadership team, a Union Leadership team, and we have 225 team members who are as talented as any workforce out there. We will not always agree on direction or contractual issues. The bottom line is that we stay focused on the task at hand and stay engaged so ensure we succeed.

The hourly workforce is the most vital part to this equation and we have the most to lose. Our voice must be heard. If something looks amiss, ask a question. Communication is key. We must all understand the direction of the business.

We are halfway through the second sign-up period of the 2023-negotiated SAP program. Over half of our 225 team members are eligible to take advantage of this retirement program. Many will leave. We have req.’s in place to hire Team Members through the area hire and from the street. We’ve filled several and will continue to exhaust all possibilities.

One of the best opportunities comes through the apprenticeship program. Shockingly, there are zero applicants and with their first choice as Die Maker. This has been an issue recently.

I encourage everyone that has children, family members, or acquaintances with mechanical backgrounds to get the word out about the Stark program and the great opportunity so start a Die Maker Apprenticeship in Flint. Even if they’re not currently employed in General Motors, for $1,500, they will have the chance at a six-figure job with a great benefit package.

That’s it for this month. The shop will be closed for the Holiday period and due to the Christmas Holiday falling on Wednesday, we will take advantage of a twelve-day, negotiated break on behalf of the UAW and GM.

Enjoy your time off, enjoy your friends and families, rest up and get ready for 2025. Again, on behalf of the Shop Committee, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!