Skilled trades workers can compete for more ‘exited’ work

1,300 displaced skilled trades workers to be offered positions

Your elected skilled trades bargaining team entered negotiations with many goals. At the top of their list was bringing more work for the trades back into the plant and getting positions for the 1,300 displaced skilled trades members. The UAW succeeded in winning both of these goals and other important victories for UAW-represented skilled trades workers at GM.

Skilled trades can win back previously exited work

(See contract pages 516-530.)
Skilled trades won the opportunity to bid for work normally done by outside contractors since 2007 (Document 159). Your negotiators were successful in convincing the company to re-open the skilled trades section of this document so our skilled trades project teams, again, have the opportunity to show we can perform the work faster, safer and more cost effectively than outside contractors.

Displaced workers to be offered skilled trades positions

(See contract page 538.)
The 1,300 skilled trades workers who are either laid off or working in production assignments will be offereda one-time opportunity to rejoin thetrades as openings occur under a new program. These opportunities will begin following the special attrition program.

1,300 apprentices to be added

(See contract page 299.)
The UAW recognized that our future skilled trades workers will be only as effective as our apprenticeship programs. We gained language that called for 1,300 apprentices to be added over the term of the new agreement. If ratified, the first 50 apprentices will begin training this year.

Apprentice tool allowance increased

(See contract page 31.)
Apprentices will now receive $1,400 to be used for tools, books and supplies, an increase of $200, over the term of their apprenticeship.

Apprentice safety enhanced

Apprentices will now require safety supervision by a journeyperson.

Best practice teams under joint direction

(See contract pages 361 and 541)
Skilled trades best practice teams will now be under the direction of the UAW-GM National Skilled Trades and Apprentice Committee. New language expands the scope of the teams’ work into implementing best practices on maintenance work.

Subcontracting checklist now mandatory

(See contract pages 325 and 537)
The company will be required to  use a checklist when determining if a subcontractor should be used. Customer care and after sales facilities were added as locations where subcontracting must go through the checklist procedure, which is designed to give our skilled trades teams complete information on the work being considered for subcontracting.

Warranty notification reinforced

(see contract page 536)
Your committee won language that reinforces the procedure to notify the union of any warranties on equipment and requires our skilled trades workers to service equipment after an initial 90-day period.

Retraining requires new term

(See contract page 41)
Extensive re-training brought on by changes in the core trade structure led negotiators to bargain for new terminology, “Journeypersons in Training” ( JIT).  Core trades are protected, and the welder classification will be studied.

Your negotiators at GM were successful in resisting company attempts to further reduce classification and won a commitment to study the possibility of a straight welder classification.