TSUNAMI
UAW members dig deep for those who need help
The tsunami disaster that devastated southern Asia in late December was mind numbing in its destruction. The death toll numbers grow alarmingly on a daily basis. But the number that means the most to UAW Local 1853 member Gail Bonaire is one — her brother. It was two days before Bonaire found out that her brother in Thailand, Pong Paripurana, was alive and safe.
But Paripurana lost his home and his business. Although he didn’t own the property, he ran a four-room guesthouse, a restaurant and an Internet cafe.
Bonaire, a 21-year UAW member, enlisted the help of her union family. She arranged a gate collection, a 50/50 raffle and called on local Thai restaurants, which donated food for a benefit lunch at the Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tenn. When it was all done, Local 1853 raised about $1,000 to help get Bonaire’s brother back on his feet.
“Everybody wants to go home and start their life again,” says Bonaire
of the Thai survivors.
That was personal, but the UAW responded to the disaster in many ways. The International
Executive Board made a donation of $500,000 on behalf of active and retired membership
to Oxfam, a hunger and poverty relief organization.
And members from locals across the country showed how much they cared by giving what they could. Twenty members of Local 249 in Kansas City stood in 15-degree weather to collect donations during an ice storm that knocked out power for thousands. Other locals that held collections or made donations included Local 549 in Mansfield, Ohio; Local 1892 in Toledo, Ohio; Local 600 in Dearborn, Mich.; Local 2177 in Bensalem, Pa.; Local 387 in Woodhaven, Mich.; Local 2200 in Detroit, and Local 686 Unit 18 in Akron, N.Y. And those are just the locals we heard from.
Members from Locals 2500 in Detroit, 1781 in Southfield, Mich., and 863 in Cincinnati contributed to collections sponsored by the companies they work for.
With member donations, International Union contributions and company matches, UAW members generously raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for tsunami relief. Contributions went to Oxfam, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. The bottom line is that when someone is in need, no matter where, there are UAW members ready to help.
