We Are Family
They’re singing “We Are Family” at UAW Locals 1250 and 420 these days.
Some 10,000 UAW hourly workers, retirees, spouses and children — plus salaried workers — in the Cleveland area can now proudly boast of having their own brand-new 30,000 square-foot UAW/ Ford Family Service and Learning Center.
The Middleburg Heights, Ohio, FSLC officially opened July 27. Unofficially, it was operating months before. “We couldn’t wait to get going so we had what we called our Programs Without Walls. One of the things we did was pack boxes of school supplies for underprivileged children,” said Mike Gammella, UAW coordinator of the Family Council.
The Middleburg Heights center will help improve the quality of life for UAW members, retirees and families of Locals 1250 and 420, which represent workers at the Cleveland Engine Plants 1 and 2, Cleveland Casting Plant and Walton Hills Stamping Plant.
“I’m glad UAW Ford workers in the Cleveland area now have their own Family Service and Learning Center like UAW members at other Ford and Visteon facilities in Nashville, Dearborn, Mich., Ypsilanti, Mich., and Louisville. Our goal is to assist every UAW Ford and Visteon worker in balancing their work and family responsibilities,” said Gerald Bantom, UAW vice president.
