IUE-CWA LOCAL 717 APRIL 2023

April • 2023

News of IUE-CWA Local 717

2950 Sferra Ave Warren, Ohio 44483

Office: (330) 392-1591 • Fax: (330) 395-4875

www.iue-cwalocal717.com

Published by the IUE-CWA Local 717 in the interest of its membership, to further the aims and programs of Local 717 and to promote the policies of the International Union of Electrical Workers. “Local 717 Union News” is printed with pride by the members of the Meadville Graphic Communications Workers Local 338 C

Michael Kish President

Joseph Ferradino Vice President

Brian Lutz Shop Chairman

Gary Tillman Financial Secretary

Michael Martin Treasurer

Veronica Dawkins Recording Secretary

Jeff Cleer................................................Floor Guard

ExECUtIvE BOARd

Troy Butcher

Bill Eaton

Mark Graczyk

Clinton Plott

Ed Ringer

Dennis Thompson

Heidi Mindek

tRUStEES

Jennifer Daniszewski

Kim Rock

Sonya Brown

SkILLEd tRAdES CHAIRMAN

J J Scarmuzzi

BENEFItS AdMINIStRAtOR

Melany Kish

EdItORIAL dEpARtMENt

Michael Kish Editor-in-Chief

Our Editorial policy

This paper is the voice of your Local and International Union, it provides information and opinions relative to the policy and programs of the International as well as the views and actions of our Local’s leaders and committees

Local 717 Union News welcomes articles from the members of Local 717 All articles should be constructive and contribute positively to the welfare of the entire membership.

The views and opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not reflect the opinions, views or policy of the editorial Staff of IUE-CWA Local 717

Local 717 Union News reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication and to reject any article deemed not in the best interest of Local 717.

All Advertisements that appear in IUE-CWA

Local 717 Union News do not signify and endorsement of Local 717.

President’s Report

By Mike Kish

It seems I’ve written this too many times in the past two and a half years

We have lost another officer of Local 717. Dennis Thompson, who served as District 4 Alternate Committeeman and as an Executive Board MemberAt-Large, passed away March 31 at his home Dennis was a Tool & Die maker in Plant 47 PM shift and has been a member of Local 717 since 1985 and served the local in numerous ways over the years. He was a proud member of Local 717 and was someone who always had the best interest of the Union at heart. Dennis will be missed dearly by the officers of the local and by all who knew him.

Elections

April signals a new election cycle for Zone, District, and Alternate Committeepersons. In order to run for these positions, our Local Constitution lays out specific criteria I have included the specific language below Good luck to all who make the decision to run for one of these positions and serve the membership. If you have any questions, please call my office at (330) 399-2881

ARtICLE vI StRUCtURE OF tHE COMMIttEEpERSON SYStEM

Section A.

This Local shall have the following Committeeperson: Skilled Trades Chairperson, Zone, Committeeperson and Alternate Committeeperson.

Section B.

ZONE COMMIttEEpERSON

The number and areas of Zone Committeeperson shall be determined by agreement with Employer

Section C.

The duties of the Zone Committeeperson within their respective areas shall be:

(1) Perform duties as established by agreement with Employer

(2) Meet with the Employer concerning grievances as provided by agreement with Employer.

(3) See that the contract(s) are enforced

(4) Assist District and Alternate Committeeperson in situations that may arise in accordance with agreement with Employer.

(5) Direct the activities of District and Alternate Committeeperson within their respective areas.

(6) Be responsible for the maintenance of the grievance records at their level of the grievance procedure

(7) Turn over all closed grievances within 14 calendar days of closure and, upon demand other grievances to the Chairperson of the Shop Committee. (09/05)

(8) Zone Committeepersons are not Officers and agents of the Local and their representation of the Local is solely with respect to their grievance functions.

(9) Be accountable to and perform such other duties as may be designated by the Chairperson of the Shop Committee.

(10) Turn over all grievances and Local 717 property to the Chairperson of the Shop Committee within 5 calendar days of the expiration of term of office. (09/05)

dIStRICt ANd ALtERNAtE COMMIttEEpERSON

Section d.

The number and areas of representation shall be determined by agreement with the Employer Section E.

The duties of District and Alternate Committeeperson within their respective areas shall be:

(1) Perform duties as established by the agreement with the Employer.

(2) Meet with the Employer concerning grievances as provided by agreement with the Employer

(3) See that the contract(s) are enforced.

(4) Be responsible for the maintenance of grievance records at their level of the grievance procedure

(5) Turn over all closed grievances within 14 calendar days of closure and, upon demand other grievances to the Chairperson of the Shop Committee. (09/05)

(6) District and Alternate Committeepersons are not Officers or agents of the Local and their representation of the Local is solely with respect to their grievance functions

(7) Be accountable to and perform such other duties as may be designated by the Chairperson of the Shop Committee.

(8) Alternate Committeepersons shall act in the absence of the District Committeepersons, assist him/her in the performance of their duties and succeed, if willing, to the position of District Committeeperson in the event that position becomes vacant

(9) Turn over all grievances and Local 717 property to the Chairperson of the Shop Committee within 5 calendar days of the expiration of term of office.

(10) Turn over all grievances and Local 717 property to the Chairperson of the Shop Committee within 5 calendar days of the expiration of term of office. (09/05)

ARtICLE xI

NOMINAtION ANd ELECtION OF NON-OFFICERS

Section A. Zone, district and Alternate Committeeperson (04/98)

(1) Zone, District and Alternate Committeeperson shall serve until an election is held in their district. Nominations must be made in writing at the April Membership Meeting between opening and close of the meeting; or on the following workday between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm at the President’s office. The President shall verify the signatures. The candidate and the nominator must be employed in the Zone or District for which the nomination is made (3/96) The candidate being nominated has the sole responsibility to guarantee they are nominated for the correct Zone or District for which he or she is nominated for.

(2) A member may accept nomination for only one (1) position

(3) Nomination may be accepted during nomination days, but no later than two (2) working days immediately following nomination day starting at 8:00 am until 5:00 pm Nominees must accept the nomination in person, or in writing, or they will be declared ineligible. (3/96). Nominees may have their name removed from the ballot, provided the ballots have not been printed

(4) The President’s office shall insure that a list of all eligible candidates will be posted, within five (5) business days of nomination. (By district and/or zone ) President’s Report continued on page 4

President’s Report continued from page 3

(5) A member who is involuntarily moved from the zone or district in which the member was nominated shall have the right to be a candidate in the zone or district in which he/she was working on the day of nomination

(6) The President’s office will ensure that a notice of the date of election is posted at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the election.

(7) The President’s office will determine the times and location of the elections to suit the plant’s population, shift patterns or crew hours, when held in the plant. No plant locations, crew or shift regardless of population, will have less than two (2) hours to vote

All rotating shifts, continuous run, and vertical represented shifts will have their election held under the direction and discretion of the President of the Local Union

When traveling Ballot boxes are deemed necessary by the Election committee, it will be held under the direction and discretion of the President of the Local Union

When elections are held at the Union Hall they will have a minimum of six (6) hours voting. Hours will be at the discretion of the President of the Local Union. All elections to be completed by June 1

(8) The provisions of Article X, Section C-(4) shall apply, except for the preservation of election material.

(9) There will be no re-districting or re-zoning during the months of April, May and June.

(10) When ballots are to be counted in the plant, either the candidate or one (1) observer will be allowed to be present for the counting of their ballots

The candidate must notify the Election Committee one (1) hour prior to the close of the election polls who the observer will be for the candidates’ election Observers shall be permitted in the polling area 10 minutes before close of the election for instructions. (6/95)

There will be a 10-minute grace period before ballots are counted to allow candidates or observers to be present (6/95)

Any candidate or observer disrupting the election process will be asked to leave. Failing to do that, the ballot box will be locked and transported to the Union Hall for a total count (6/95)

When ballots are to be counted at the Union Hall the candidate plus one observer may be present when their ballots are being counted. Ballots will be

counted in order of plants (6/95)

(11) In the event nominations have been submitted for election for Zone, District and Alternate Committeeperson, or any combination thereof in a particular Zone, the election will be held on the same day

(12) To be eligible to be nominated for Zone, District or Alternate Committeeperson, a member must have attended fifty (50) percent of the regular membership meetings held in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the month in which nominations are held

(13) Members on official Union business or approved sick leave of absence, as defined by agreement with Employer, or working in the plants during the regular membership meeting hours, must submit a written excuse within fifteen (15) calendar days to the President to be considered as having attended such membership meeting

Members recalled to active duty will be considered as having attended the membership meetings.

(14) In the event no nominees for Zone, District or Alternate Committeeperson positions are eligible because of non-attendance at regular membership meetings, any member in good standing of that Zone and/or District may be a candidate

(15) Any Zone, District or Alternate Committeeperson elected to fill a vacancy the month prior to or the month in which nominations are being held, shall not be subject to the nomination procedure until the following year

(16) When a vacancy, newly created or deleted Zone or District occurs, the Chairperson of the Shop Committee shall fill such vacancy by temporary appointment and an election held within two (2) weeks from the date the President is notified; unless there is just cause to hold it at a later date, within a maximum of four (4) calendar weeks.

(17) When a vacancy occurs, the election shall be held no later than seven (7) working days following nominations

(18) Zone, District and Alternate Committeepersons objecting to an election must submit in writing their objections within five (5) days from the election for such position by bona fide candidate The President shall rule on such objections, subject to appeal within three (3) working days to the Executive Board

(19) Any candidate can appoint an observer to watch ballot boxes while being stored overnight at the candidate’s expense.

Shop Chairman’s Report

By Brian Lutz

I hope all is well with all Local 717’s members and their families April is here and with it brings the Springtime wind and rain and boy have we had some wind lately. Another thing that happens every April is our yearly nomination of Zone, Committeeperson and Alternate Committeepersons Those wishing to be nominated can make sure to do so at the monthly membership meeting, which has been moved to the 3rd Sunday this year due to the Easter Holiday period While I am on this subject we have just received awful news that one of Local 717’s Executive Board members and also District 4 Alternate Committeeperson, Dennis Thompson has passed away. Dennis was a wonderful Union Brother and a friend of mine as well and he will be greatly missed Just a couple of years ago Dennis was the District 4 Committeeperson as he stepped up for the members in that District when Committeeperson Elaine Valerio passed away due to a sudden illness Dennis, who was and had been dealing with a long term illness for quite some time, chose to step up at that time even though he was dealing with this illness. He wanted to stay on and run for the Committeeperson position last year but instead chose to stay as Alternate so he could help the newly elected Committeeperson I have had the pleasure of representing Dennis for the entirety of my time as an elected representative of Local 717 and I always thanked him for helping to educate me way back when I was just a newly elected I will surely miss him and all the times we have spent together. Rest in peace my friend!!

According to our latest edition of THE BOLT the IUE Organizing staff has been very busy growing the IUE By the way, THE BOLT is the IUE/CWA’ International Newspaper, that should be delivered to each and every Local 717 member ’s address of record They send this to the address listed on the checkoff card that each and every one of us have filled out prior to beginning work here at APTIV. If you do not receive this quarterly publication please let your committeeperson know what your current address is and they can get it to me or Mike so that you can also be added to the mailing list Anyways, the

organizing staff has won elections at New Flyer Corporation in Kentucky with 283 new members there This is the second New Flyer location to be organized by the IUE with the Jamestown, New York location organized last year and the Organizers are headed to the biggest New Flyer plant which is located in Alabama, to try to organize them as well, and soon They won an election to represent the workers at the Plymouth Meeting, PA Visionworks Retail store and these members are now part of the already 1000 workers of Visionworks to become part of the IUE/CWA The Organizers also have been forming the SCA, which stands for Service Contract Alliance and what this is, is the civilian workers who are contracted at the many military bases around the United States I have been watching this for some time and it is really starting to grow

As was stated in the BOLT, “SCA employees are civilian employees of government contractors who fall under the provisions of the McNamara O’Hara Service Contract Act They are essential to the US Military and Coast Guard and they deserve to have Union representation” I am glad we have a fully functioning organizing staff in the IUE and it is doing exactly what Unions are supposed to do, and that is GROW its membership President Kennebrew has definitely kept his promise to grow the IUE/CWA and I look forward to see what else this Great Union man will come up with

Fact of the Month: “nearly 80,000 Federal employees joined a union from September of 2021 through September of 2022.” This was reported by the White House When President Biden took office, he promised to be the most “Union Friendly President” of all time Since then, he has appointed the former General Counsel to the CWA as the head of the NLRB, Jennifer Abbruzzo has been at this position for about 2 years now and I look forward to her taking care of some of the shortcomings which have gone on in this government agency for quite some time. I believe that the working men and women will now have an actual representative to protect our interests instead of allowing only Corporate interests to be taken into account, which is what it has been going on for a very long time. I don’t like to get too political in this article so I will stop there but I will be looking for favorable decisions from the NLRB in the future

I hope to have the first quarter ’s performance numbers for the Profit Sharing EBITDA% Attainment at the membership meeting as it was not available when this article was due at the printer See you at the meeting!! In

Unity!!

Brian

Recording Secretary’s Report

By Veronica Dawkins

Membership Meeting • Sunday, March 12, 2023

President Mike Kish called the meeting to Order

He asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance

He reminded everyone to sign the registration book and to please silence their cell phones.

Reading of the minutes of the February Membership meeting.

Motion to Accept Minutes as printed by Ron Bagaglia 2nd: kim Rock M/p

Recommendations of the Executive Board - None

Financial Report

Financial report for February given by Gary Tillman

Motion to Accept Financial Report by troy Butcher 2nd: Mark Graczyk

M/p

Committee Reports

Shop Committee - Brian Lutz

• Schedules in Plant 47 are low, as it is the slow point of the year. We are currently at 31 million pieces per week with 600,000 pieces past due April and May schedule should be at 36 million pieces per week. Mangement informed us that o/e (up time) for the plant is at 78%, which is historically low for a molding facility in warren, Ohio The low numbers are due to multiple issues including line 4 which continues to be down. Management proclains it should be up and running in two weeks. The plant currently has requisitions for 4 additional production employees, 2 mold setters, 1 utility, and 1 molder. The plant has received some additional volumes from the CIN-TEC plant in Mexico.

• Schedules in Plant 7 have made all revenue targets for February, with March schedules at 3.6 million pounds. Currently the plant has about 4 million pounds of inventory and they have resorted to storing some over in plant 10 Management is also trying to accomplish all material transfers to cornbins at North River Rd., as to alleciate the need for Plant 47 to do this on their dock.

• Schedules in Plant 10 are ratjer unstable The rest of March has an average of 4 million feet per week with April expected to increase to about 7 million feet per week. They intend to upgrade the MECCA E-BEAM, their plan is to install new take-ups and payoffs in addition to new drives to be completed by summer. The plant is dealing with a unique situation, several internal (other APTIV plants) quality complaints that are not being experienced by our external customers for the exact same cable The CTC is currently examining the complaints

• Schedules in Plant 11 are at 59 million pieces per week thru March, and April looks to be around 60-65 million pieces per week. The plant has had zero customer complaints this year There will be press movement as they intend to move some older but still operational presses to take the place of a few they plan to scrap out. Mitsubishi sent one of their engineers to train our Die-Makers on running the new tool room machinery for both 926 and 4752 toolrooms Management plans to hire one pipefitter and one electrician

• The Apprentisceship testing is now complete. For those who score high enough to move on the interview phase, I wish you good luck I wish everyone and their families a very happy Easter

No other Committees reported

Motion to Accept Committee Reports as presented By: Ron Bagaglia

2nd: Melany kish M/p

Unfinished Business - None

New Business

Nominations for Zone, district, and Alternate Committeepersons will be held at April’s Membership meeting and the following Monday in the president’s office.

Good and Welfare

Veterans Committee is holding a TV Raffle. Look for postings in the plant on where to purchase tickets Drawing to be held at April Membership meeting Roll Call of Officers and Elected Officials

president Mike kish p

vice-president Joe Ferradino p

Shop Chairman Brian Lutz p

Skilled trades Chairman JJ Scarmuzzi p

Financial Secretary Gary tillman p

treasurer Mike Martin p

Recording Secretary veronica dawkins p

Floor Guard

Jeff Cleer p

Executive Board troy Butcher p

Bill Eaton p Mark Graczyk p

Clinton plott p

dennis thompson E

Ed Ringer E

Heidi Mindek E

trustees Jennifer daniszewski A

kim Rock p

Sonya Brown p

Benefit Administator Melany kish p

Alternate Julianne Mazerek p

EAp Monica dobbs Faulkner p

Alternate dave McBride A

Alternate Heidi Mindek **

Health & Safety JJ Scarmuzzi **

trainer Rick Mercer A

Zone Committeeman Mark Graczyk **

Committeman dist 1 April Reitz p

Alternate Leigh timko p

Committeeman dist 2 daniel Heath A

Alternate William Eaton **

Committeeman dist 3 Gary tillman **

Alternate veronica dawkins **

Committeeman dist 4 Heather perez p

Alternate dennis thompson **

Committeeman dist 5 Jeff Cleer **

Alternate Ron Bagaglia p

Election Committee Julianne Mazarek ** kim Swain A

Women’s Committee Andrea daniels A

Co-Chair Angela Sheppard A

political Action Joe Ferradino **

Social Action Gary tillman **

veterans Committee Bernardo Rivera A

Constiution

Lord’s prayer dedicated to Dennis Thompson, Lindsey Frazier, Todd Viars, Jerry Boderick, family of James Taylor

Motion to Adjourn: By: John Lewis 2nd: Jeff Cleer M/p

Veterans Report

By Bernardo Rivera

Spring is finally here!

The Veterans Committee raffle will be drawn at April 16th’s Union meeting, so get your tickets before then. I will be taking a short break from doing any raffles after this one so I can start planning the second Annual golf outing, the "Salute Open" This year I would like to contribute some of the profits to a very well-respected organization. TUNNELS TO TOWERS. Not only do they help military veterans, they also help first responders

The last few weeks are a sad one for the military community We lost 9 service members in a training accident in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. My deepest condolences to the families of the victims

In the military we not only have war time casualties and injuries, we also have them in training. A long-time motto for the military is "we train like we fight, and we fight like we train!" This means we are always at the ready for whatever comes our way!

What is a veteran? A veteran – whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve – is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including his or her life.”

"Any questions or concerns rivera.bernardo@aol.com"

In Solidarity

Bernardo Rivera