Category Archives: people

Drunk Driving – Tie One On for Safety Campaign

Tie One On for Safety is a campaign to remind everyone to stay safe and make the right choice to designate a driver this holiday season by placing a red ribbon on their car this holiday season. The M1 Concourse in Pontiac will host and sponsor the kickoff event on 16 November again this year. Continue reading

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The 1840 Census First Collected Data on Male Veterans

“Although it had been nearly 60 years since the American Revolution had ended, the compendium listed the surviving pensioners, including widows, of that war,” said Jonathan Vespa a demographer in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division. “In the 18 decades that followed, the data that the Census Bureau collected about veterans continually shifted and expanded, providing a historical record of just how much the definition of military service has been redefined over centuries. Who was counted as a veteran depended on when and where a man served in the U.S. armed forces. And, yes, for most of the nation’s history, only men were considered veterans.” Continue reading

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Unifor Stellantis Agreement Good for All Workers in Transition

“After a short strike throughout the night Unifor has reached now a tentative agreement with Stellantis. The deal came about around 7:00 AM this morning, after bargaining throughout the night. And yes, as you can tell all of those here are tired, but also very, very proud of the work that we’ve done for Canadian auto workers. ” said Unifor National President Lana Payne said late this afternoon at a hotel in Toronto. Continue reading

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UAW has Tentative Agreement With Stellantis

“Once again, we have achieved what just weeks ago we were told was impossible,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “At Stellantis in particular, we have not only secured a record contract, we have begun to turn the tide in the war on the American working class. Going into these negotiations, the company wanted to cut 5000 jobs across Stellantis. Our Stand Up Strike changed that equation. Not only did we not lose those 5000 jobs, we turned it all the way around. By the end of this agreement, Stellantis will be adding 5000 jobs. We truly are saving the American dream.” Continue reading

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Ford Reaches UAW Contract Agreement If Members Vote Yes

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the UAW covering our U.S. operations,” said Ford CEO and President Jim Farley at 8:43 pm tonight in a Dearborn issued statement.

The agreement, of course is subject is dependent on ratification by Ford’s UAW-represented employees. Continue reading

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GM Increases Contract Offer for UAW Members

General Motors said today that it has provided a comprehensive offer to the UAW yesterday with “substantial movement in all key areas in an effort to reach a final agreement with the UAW and get our people back to work.” Gerald Johnson, executive vice president manufacturing and global sustainability, in a video told GM UAW members “the offer on the table is the most significant that GM has ever proposed to the UAW and recognizes our team members for all their dedication and contributions. The majority of our workforce will make $40.39 per hour, or roughly $84,000 a year by the end of this agreement’s term. We also continue to provide world-class health care with no out-of-pocket premiums or deductibles for seniority team members.” Continue reading

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Bill Ford Asks UAW to Choose His View of the Right Path

“We can stop this now and I call on my great UAW colleagues, some of whom I’ve known for decades, many are close personal friends. We need to come together to bring an end to this acrimonious round of talks. I still believe in a bright future, one that we can build together. I still believe the automobile industry is a major force for good in our country and we will continue to be there when America needs us most. Continue reading

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UAW Shifts Tactics – No New Strike Actions Today

Shawn Fain in a Facebook Live broadcast this morning once again caught the Detroit Three Automakers napping when he said “We’re entering a new phase of this fight, and it demands a new approach. We’re not announcing expansion of our strike, but we are prepared at any time to call on more locals to stand up and walk out… So tomorrow, I’m calling all of our UAW members and our allies to head to a picket line,” in a show of support for all workers. Continue reading

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New Car Prices Up 34% in last Four Years. UAW Pay 6%

The video also shows that Big Three price gouging, not UAW pay, has been responsible for rising car prices in recent years. Average new car prices went up 34% over the last four years while pay for UAW members rose just 6%. The cost of labor for the Big Three is ~4-5% of total operations. The video notes that Ford, General Motors and Stellantis could double UAW wages, not raise car prices and still make billions of dollars. Continue reading

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Oh Canada! – GM Rejects Pattern Agreement – Unifor Strikes

“This strike is about General Motors stubbornly refusing to meet the pattern agreement. The company knows our members will never let GM break our pattern – not today – not ever,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “The company continues to fall short on our pension demands, income supports for retired workers, and meaningful steps to transition temporary workers into permanent, full-time jobs.” Continue reading

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SEC Sues Musk for Blatant Refusal of Subpoena

The filing in US Court for the Northern District of California concerns an ongoing investigation by the SEC regarding, among other things, potential violations of various provisions of the federal securities laws in connection with Musk’s 2022 purchases of Twitter stock, and Musk’s 2022 statements and SEC filings relating to Twitter. According to the filing, the SEC seeks Musk’s testimony to obtain information not already in the SEC’s possession that is relevant to its legitimate and lawful investigation. Continue reading

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One-Third of UK Motorists Name Their Car

One in three UK motorists have given a nickname to their car based on its registration plate, color, or the make and model; and 34% of nickname-givers say cars without a light-hearted epithet are “missing something.” This come from a Volkswagen survey released today on National Name Your Car Day in the UK. Among amusing car nicknames British motorists have adopted are The Beast, The Flying Banana – and Flo – because its plate started with FL0. The poll of 1500 motorists found 32% believe a car can have “a real personality.” Continue reading

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Bentley Motors Unveils the Belonging Bentayga

Bentley Motors today revealed the ‘Belonging Bentayga.’ This is  a hand painted Alpine Green Bentayga Hybrid with different skylines and well-known buildings from all across the world, such as New York, London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Venice, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Each side of the car depicts a different continent. The art piece that displays 29 different landmarks is drawn from memory by Stephen Wiltshire* MBE, a British architectural artist and autistic savant, who is known for his ability to draw a landscape after seeing it just once. Continue reading

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Canadian Unifor Workers Ratify Ford Contract

 “This contract will change lives in a profound way. It fundamentally transforms pension plans, provides protections during the EV transition and includes the highest wage increases in the history of Canadian auto bargaining,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. Continue reading

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UAW on Strike at Select Ford, GM, Stellantis Plants

At all of the US Big Three companies – as of now – their new or slightly revised offers when made public are so far short of the UAW requests that they might as well be non-existent. We will have to wait as things unfold. Big Three executives appear to have thought that business as usual would allow them to continue to do business. Well, not today,,,

Moreover there are signs that a resurgent labor movement in other sectors will support the UAW with selective strikes. Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said today “The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, including our members in the carhaul industry, stand in solidarity with the United Auto Workers to get the best contract possible from America’s biggest automakers. Just as the Teamsters saw at UPS, record profits at any company must result in record contracts for the workers who make those profits possible…. All UAW members deserve respect at work and dignity in retirement. They deserve strong wages in a new contract that rewards them for everything they do for the Big Three and to keep this country moving. You can be sure there is no division in America’s labor movement today. And you are urged to remember that Teamsters don’t cross picket lines.” Continue reading

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