Grievance Rep Report - West Allis Plant

by John Nalepinski

The Company has eliminated all quality analyst L.G. 15 inspectors at the West Allis Plant. Manufacturing will take over all inspection duties. The burden will fall mainly on the set-up and supervisors.

Important note for all machine operators in Dept. 552 Flywheels: If you do not sign up for a job that is being moved over to the Burleigh Plant, when all operations are done on the Model 28’s and V-twins and are moved down south, you will not have direct bumping rights to the new Department M-8. You will fall under the job elimination language of the Contract.

The Model 28 flywheels are ramping up in production so they can stockpile for the move down South. The zinc flywheels will be moved to Brill Cast by the end of August. We were informed that in the next 6 months, Model 9 and 13 flywheels, inserts, counter-weights and ring gears will be moved to the Burleigh Plant. The cam gear cells, manifold jobs and flywheel machining being moved to the Burleigh Plant will become one department now. It is now called M-8.

The machine operators in Dept. 551 are very angry. They were told that when the cam cells were up and running they would be moved over to the cam lines to run. Instead, now, five (5) people are being laid off. This is due to no orders and the amount of stock that is now stockpiled.

The morale at the West Allis Plant is low and there is a feeling of hopelessness and defeat. We are given information and then it changes and we are not informed.

I also have a dilemma. If I choose to sign up for a job being moved, I will no longer be the grievance rep. at West Allis. If I don’t move with the jobs and wait, I will have to take my chances under the job elimination language of the Contract. This is a very hard decision for me to make.

In closing, I would like to say thanks to the stewards for their support and for the great job they do representing our members.

In solidarity,

John Nalepinski