UAW sets new deadline for Big 3
Also, Tuesday@TheTech focuses on IT programs Sept. 26
This article is brought to you by Bob Stephenson for City Council District 2. As a UAW Local 292 Kokomo Indiana retiree, I am ready to STAND UP shoulder to shoulder with the UAW! Now is the time for our community to rally with the UAW! This fight for fair compensation will benefit everyone in Kokomo! And I am ready to work for you on the Kokomo Common Council, representing District 2!
United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain announced late Monday night via YouTube that the Big Three auto manufacturers have until noon Friday, Sept. 22, or else more UAW locals will be called on to walk out.
Fain praised the locals that had been called to walk out last Friday. GM’s Wentzville, Mo., assembly plant, Stellantis’ Toledo assembly plant, and Ford’s Michigan Assembly all walked out last Friday at midnight while the rest of the unions approximately 150,000 members continued working at their various locals nationwide.
Ford also has furloughed 600 workers from Michigan Assembly due to the effects of the strike. Since then, General Motors is pondering a layoff of 2,000 from its Kansas City assembly plant in reaction to the Wentzville strike.
In Fain’s statement, he chided the automakers for their pace of negotiations with the union.
“We (the union) have been available 24/7 to bargain a deal…still the Big 3 failed to get down to business,” said Fain. “We are not going to wait around forever for them to drag this out. I’m going to be crystal clear again right now, if we don’t make serious progress by noon on Friday, Sept. 22, more locals will asked to stand up and strike.”
No responses have come as of yet from the three automakers’ executives to this new deadline.
On a related note, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) also had a strike deadline against Ford at midnight Monday, Sept. 18.
Stellantis’ Kokomo Operations employs approximately 4,500 hourly union workers. GM Holdings Kokomo Operations, at the former Delphi Electronics Corp. complex, is down to fewer than 145 union workers with plans for assembly work there ending in October of this year.
These locals are still at work amidst the strike at this time.
‘Tuesday@TheTech’ to focus on IT programs Sept. 26
Ivy Tech Kokomo’s next Tuesday@TheTech will focus on the College’s information Technology programs that will prepare them for exciting careers in the areas of cybersecurity, information technology support and software development.
The open house for prospective students is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, on the Kokomo Campus at 1815 E. Morgan St.
“This event is an opportunity to learn about the important jobs available in this growing sector of our economy … and how you can get the skills and certifications you need to be successful, right here at Ivy Tech,” said Tara Kaser, chair of the IT department for the Ivy Tech Kokomo Service Area.
Perhaps you’re interested in cybersecurity/information assurance jobs that work to secure computers, networks, and critical infrastructure. Perhaps the information technology support sector piques your curiosity with jobs building and maintaining computing systems and technology,
Kaser continued. “Perhaps you’d like to learn about software, gaining a foundation in programming, web development and creating apps. Ivy Tech offers the certifications, certificates, and degrees that will qualify you for these jobs.”
Kaser noted average salaries in these industries can range from more than $60,000 to more than $80,000 a year. Students who qualify for Indiana’s Next Level Jobs program may be eligible to have all tuition and mandatory fees paid through the program.
Tuesday@TheTech is a series of monthly events aimed at sharing Ivy Tech’s high-tech facilities and broad range of programming in the Kokomo Service Area, which includes Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Pulaski and Tipton counties.
For more information about how to register for this Tuesday@TheTech, go to ivytech.edu/tuesdays or email Kokomo-enrollment@ivytech.edu . Walk-ins are welcome.