L CAL 167 NEWS

April 2012

Serving the Membership and Retirees of Amalgamated Local 167 from GM Holdings L.L.C, Bosch, and North America Fuel Systems Remanufacturing

Why We Should Send Barack Obama

Back For The 57th

Local 167 Executive Board

President - Dave Vandusen Vice President- Mike Huyser Recording Secretary - Colleen Ocker Financial Secretary - Deb Bolling Trustees John Pennell Mark Saur Steve Berg Sgt-At-Arms-Ben Conrad Guide- Dave Fout Bargaining Chairs Mark Monroe Denny Shrontz Richard Carter Retirees Representative- Joyce Dailey

ITS YOUR UNION

ATTEND THE UNION MEETINGS

UNION MEETING April 8th at 2:00 pm

President Report................page 3 Financial Report................page 3 Bargaining Chairs Report GM Holding.......................page 4 Bosch.................................page 4 Retirees Report..................page 5 Summer help for Bosch.....page 6 Good and Welfare..............page 6 Black Lake .......................page 7 If you really want to know why we should send Barack Obama back for anther term.........page 8-10 Will Durst..........................page 11 Calendar............................page 12

Inside this Issue

Grand Rapids, Michigan Published by UAW Local 167 in the interest of its membership, to further the aims and programs of Local 167, and to promote the policies and programs of the International Union UAW. The mission of Local 167 NEWS is to be a vehicle of information, communications, and voice of the Membership of UAW Local 167. UAW Local 167 is an amalgamated Local representing workers at GM HOlding L.L.C, Bosch, and North America Fuel Systems Remanufacturing. Jim Jenison...Editor......NAFSR A-Shift Fred Bivins...................Editor Emeritus DEADLINE for all news articles for the May2012, edition of Local 167 NEWS will be Friday, April 20th, at 4:00 p.m. at the Union Hall. All articles must be submitted to the Local 167 NEWS drop box at the Union Hall. Please print all names in your article. All articles must be signed. UAW Local 167 NEWS reserves the right to edit all articles.

UAW LOCAL 167 NEWS

Dennis Shrontz Bargaining Chairman 554-6506 UAW work center; 554-6725 Mary Johnston A-shift Committeeperson Sam Minasola A-shift Alt. Committeeperson Matt Braat B-shift Committeeperson Mike Minasola B-shift Alt. Committeeperson Jeff Fisher C-shift Committeeperson Robert Aguilar C-shift Alt. Committeeperson Dawn Grady Health Safety and Benefits 554-6959 Mike Owen Alt. H&S and Benefits representative

Bosch Numbers

Reuther Hall Phone Number

(616) 245-1129
GM holding L.L.CNumbers
Benefits 616-246-2195 GM Benefits 1-800-489-4646 Blue Cross Blue Shield 1-800-521-5995 Value Options 1-800-881-8434 Medco RX 1-800-464-4679 Northwood/NPN 1-800-936-9314 Davis Vision 1-888-672-8393 Delta Dental 1-800-524-0149 Social Security 1-800-772-1213 Medicare 1-800-633-4227 GM Parts 1-800-433-6961 Legal Services 616-531-7722 Vehicle Auth 1-800-235-4646 Bank of America 1-866-567-3993

Richard Carter Bargaining Chairman 541-1105

NAFSR Numbers

uawlocal167@sbcglobal.net
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Local 167 e-mail

President
Dave Van Dusen

tax cuts for the wealthy to expire this year and to support tax reform that ensures the wealthy and corporations pay there share. No millionaire should pay a lower tax rate than there secretary. He was in favor of a flat tax but not a flat tax as I know it a smaller percentage for the wealthy and a larger percentage for us. Next I went to Justin Amashs Office Congressman Amash has a 13% Voting Record with the UAW position He agrees with Congressman Huizenga and will not support either one of these bills. Neither of these congressmen are labor friendly in my opinion and next time they are up for election I would urge you to support candidates that are Labor friendly. I would like to tell you that we have a senate race this fall we have Debby Stabenow running she is a Democrat and has a 100% voting record with the UAW. She is working with us and for us the 99%. Remember if you or anyone that you know are not registered to vote please make sure that you get registered and get out and vote it is the only way that the middle class will survive. It was great to see Owen Bieber in Washington and hear him address the convention. It was also good to see UAW members seeking out Owen to talk to him or to get a picture with him. It makes me proud to be a Member UAW Local 167 same as Owen. Seeing Owen as much as I do I think that I take him for granted this man is a big deal and a great leader he is a global ambassador for workers and retirees. Owen received an Award Bob King President of the UAW for being a great leader and humanitarian Dave Van Dusen President UAW Local167

Financial Report
Hello Brothers and Sisters, Thank you for the opportunity to go to the Financial Officers Conference in Atlanta, GA. It was very informative and there was a chance to meet and mingle with other locals from around the country. There were some new locals from the gaming commission that were from New Jersey , they received a very warm welcome. Also in attendance was a local from the transplant car companies, whom have a union new to the conference as well. I also talked to members from Ind. in the newly right-to-work state, they are not happy with it. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO OUR STATE. Debra Bolling Fin. Sec.

Hi and welcome to spring cant complain to much about the winter that we had Next week we will be sending 7 members to Black Lake for Union Involvement training and the week after we will be sending another 5 members to Mobilizing training. It is good to see our Union dues spent on training our members. I am always glad to see them when they get back and here what they have learned while they were at Black Lake. I just came back from Washington DC where I attended the National C.A.P. convention. We were so lucky we had President Obama and Bill Clinton. Come and speak to us. We definitely need to support President Obama he stands with us and fights for us and all working middle class Americans. He fights for the 99% which is us the working class people that pay there fair share of taxes. Not the 1% that make over one Million dollars a year and pay a much smaller percentage of taxes. One day while in Washington we went to Capital hill to lobby our Congressmen. I was lucky I got to go and talk to 2 Congressmen Mine which is Bill Huizenga and Justin Amash. First Bill Huizenga who has a 0% vote with the UAW position what this means to me is he is not looking out for me and my best interest. My job was to ask him to support President Obamas American Jobs Act H.R.12 which is to invest in manufacturing and to make large scale investments to up grade the nations roads, rails, runways and other infrastructures and to fund a public jobs program targeting communities suffering from high levels of unemployment. Congressman Huizenga would not support this. He also said that he would not support the Buffet Rule H.R. 3903 to allow the Bush

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GMCH

reassured that no one will lose employment from it. RMPL and Injector Boss are being worked on near DEAC, these are important products, as they are for the future. These products are what are going to carry us into the long term future. As trial runs and debugging the process gets completed, it is my intention that these jobs be posted plant wide. This will most likely not happen until closer to the end of the year. I would also like to apologize to the retirees and active members for the confusion in last months newsletter. To clarify what I was trying to say is that, people that were hired under the Delphi Agreement between October of 2003 and the GM takeover; you were the individuals I was speaking to. I sincerely apologize for the confusion. If you are already drawing from the PBGC from Delphi bankruptcy, you are most likely ineligible. I also would like to thank the other plants leadership for their kind words about me last month. All of you help me do my job and I will always help you and your membership with any needs. Thank you once again!!! Current Grievances: 2 at second step 3 at Third step In Solidarity Mark Monroe

Bosch

Bargaining Chairman Mark Monroe

Dear Membership, Well as of this writing, it seems as though summer has come early. I hope everyone has enjoyed the unexpected warm temperatures and beautiful sunshine. It has been just as busy as ever here at the plant with callouts and issues, you would think after an agreement things would slow down, but not so. We are still working through the janitor issues, as most of you are aware that management has decided to temporarily outsource this to Century Cleaning. I will continue to fight this through Detroit, I have already filed a grievance on it, and just to make sure they understand I disagree. When this was first presented to me I was ready to take this fight all the way, in fact I even threatened a five day letter. Unfortunately after talking with Detroit, under Doc.57 of the National Agreement they can do this. I do feel however that it was not done in the proper fashion, which is what I want to continue to address. There will be more word on this as it progresses, I have been told and

Bargaining Chairman Denny Shrontz

Hello Brothers and Sisters, A funny thing happened on the way to the Martin Luther King Memorial. As I stood there with my brothers Dave and John, I looked to my left and who did I see standing there but none other than the governor of the fine state of Michigan, Mr. Snyder. As we identified ourselves to him and his daughter I thought I saw a little unease as he couldnt help but notice our UAW apparel. We made small talk for a moment and then Dave stated that we hoped that he would ignore any attempts to bring Right to Work for Less to Michigan. Mr. Snyders response was, It is not on my agenda. Is it just me our have we heard this response about 1000 times. By saying this is the governor saying that he does not want Right to Work for Less in Michigan, or is he saying that if the bill hits my desk I will sign it into law? This question came to mind again last night as I read the evening paper. I came upon an article that was titled Lawmakers approve school union dues bill. It went on to say that Gov. Rick Snyder plans to sign this bill that would prohibit public schools from automatically deducting union dues from the paychecks of teachers and other employees. I cant help but wonder, why? What is the reasoning other than making it just a little tougher to be a Union member? And because they can? And does this seem like the behavior of a governor who is not interested in, or maybe even chomping at the bit to sign a Right to Work for Less bill here in Michigan? As I am just back from the UAW CAP Conference in Washington DC, and as I recall the speeches of President Obama, past President Clinton and various US

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Congressman and Senators, I believe as they do and as the UAW does that we, as working Americans and Union members, are in the battle of our lives. At no time in my 37 years as a UAW member can I remember such bold talk and actions against the middle class workers of America. Havent we all heard Mr. Romneys opinion of the UAW? Can we even imagine where we would be if GM and Chrysler would of disappeared? Not only would thousands of auto workers jobs be gone, but thousands upon thousands of auto supplier jobs would have disappeared as well. If no other time, now is the time that when we go to the polls, we MUST support those who support us. We must support those who still believe in the working man and women. We must support those who believe in the right to organize and belong to a Union. It is not too late to turn things around but we cannot afford to wait. Thank you to the membership for the opportunity to attend the 2012 CAP Convention. We have had a great January and February, which typically are our slower months. We are in the process of hiring an ASMI. When this takes place that will make two new employees so far

for 2012. Based on the past 6 months of mandatory 9 hour days and three out of 4 Saturdays I am hopeful that we will have an opportunity to hire more. Also the Company has announced that they will be hiring up to 12 Temporary Summer Vacation Replacements. If you know someone who is interested have them send a resume to: Marva Casler, Human Resource Manager Robert Bosch Fuel Systems PO Box 888653 Kentwood Mi 49588-8653 Or fax to: 616-554-6675 For those retirees who now have to pay state income tax on your pensions, remember if you want monthly taxes taken out of your check you must call the Bosch Pension Center. If you do not have the taxes taken out monthly then you are responsible for the tax obligations at the end of the year. Please remember to keep the Company informed of your current address and phone number. If you have any questions or concerns please call me. Thank you, Dennis Shrontz UAW Local 167 Bargaining Chairman, Bosch Unit 616-554-6506

Retiree

Chairman Joyce Dailey

UAW Local 167 - Union Hall Retirees Meeting: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 Bingo: 10:15 - 11:15 AM - Lunch 11:30 AM Main Easter fixings provided - bring desserts or donate money. 12:30 PM: Retirees Meeting including Benefit & Insurance reps. At the conclusion of the meeting: # for free door ticket & 50/50 Save the date: More info to follow UAW Local 167 Picnic - John Ball Park Sunday, July 29 - 10 AM - 4 PM Contact: Mark Poplaski - (616) 299 6796 Dorothy Newman would appreciate a card sent to: Spectrum Health Rehab & Nursing Center Room #420 - Bed 1 4118 Kalamazoo Avenue, Grand Rapids, MI 49508 Listen to West Michigan Labor Speaks a 2 hour live call-in show dealing with workers and the challenges we face. Airs L-I-V-E Thursdays 10 AM to 12 Noon on both: Public Radio WPRR1680 AM and 95.3 PM Let YOUR voice be heard - ON air call in # 616 - 656 - 1680 Radio broadcasts are repeated on Saturday from 7 AM - 9 AM UAW Black Lake Conference Center 2000 Maxon Road, Onaway, MI 49765 Walter & May Reuther Family Education Center 2012 Campground Open: May 4 September 10 UAW members only Beautiful area- Check it out (Approximately 5 hours from Grand Rapids. BE Informed - STAY Informed - GET Involved (Quote by Pat Vander Weide) Respectfully Submitted Joyce Dailey - Retirees Chair

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Robert Bosch Fuel Systems, LLC 2012 Temporary Summer Vacation Replacement Positions
The Company plans to hire up to 12 Temporary Summer Production Vacation Replacements. We are now accepting resumes for these positions with anticipated start dates in May. First consideration is being given to current associates referrals before offering to the general public. Location: Phone: Fax: Robert Bosch Fuel Systems, LLC 4700 Broadmoor SE, Ste 100 Kentwood, MI 49512 (616) 554-6671 (616) 554-6675 Manufacturing (temporary full-time summer positions) Must be available for temporary summer employment (May August/September) Send resume and cover letter, including availability date, to: Marva Casler, Human Resources Manager Robert Bosch Fuel Systems, LLC PO Box 888653 Kentwood, MI 49588-8653 Or Fax to: (616) 554-6675 Or E-mail to: marva.casler@us.bosch.com Wage: $9.00/ hr 1st year, $10.00/hr 2nd year, $11.00/hr 3rd year plus applicable shift premium (5% for 2nd shift and 10% for 3rd shift) No benefits and will not gain seniority under Labor Agreement Variety of assembly, machining, etc. - no prior manufacturing experience needed, must be willing to work off shifts

Good and welfare

GET WELL CARDS Dorothy Newman Retiree-GM Winifred Geib Retiree-GM FAMILY MEMBERS CARDS: Helen Walsh Retiree-GM Sister passed away Paul Coomer Active- Bosch grandfather passed away BIBLES OR FLOWERS FOR MEMBERS: Carl Reed Retiree-GM passed away Willie Holmes Active-GM mother passed away Clara Kuklewski Retiree-GM passed away Rhoonda McKinney Active-NAFSR mother passed away Robert Royce Active-NAFSR wife passed away JoLynn Coutchie Active-GM Father passed away Dave Fouts Active-GM father passed away

Title of Position: Qualifications: Contact:

Duties:

Posted: March 14, 2012

uawlocal167@sbcglobal.net

Local 167 e-mail

6 Local 167 News

go back to those days, when we have unfair labor practices, where there was little pay for lots of work, and forced OT with no compensation. Intimidation and prejudice was common place back then, and unfortunately we still some of this today. When you walk the halls of the Walter & May Reuther UAW Family Education Center you are greeted not with just the beauty of this place but with smiles. Theyre not forced smiles like at work; These are genuine smiles coming from people that really care and it shows. These people have cares and concerns union members just like us; they want to have fair I saw my first real feeling of solidarity wages, good benefits, helping our for the first time this past week, at Black children have better futures, improving society by providing a safe environment. Lake. I dont see it at my plant. I see people fighting, I see people not caring for each other, talking about each other, treating each other with disrespect. Are you happy and satisfied with what you have? Are you proud of the contract you voted for? If youre not and want something better its not the time to complain and do nothing. Its the time to DO something.
Jennifer Tu, Alex Santana and LaShelle Greene Jennifer and LaShelle talking to other

contract time. Its then you will realize justice.

LaShelle is now packing her stuff away and is a well educated union sister now.

We know this company is doing well, they cant do it without the trained, skilled workers under its roof. A strong unified show is the only way well be effective-go to your union meetings; be active, and dont take the B.S. that your company wants you to believe.

My educators Alex Santana and Cathie Booher were knowledgeable as they led us through exercises that helped us see how the union helps us improve our work place by collective bargaining practices, improving density (growing our union) but also by showing us everyone is different and though we all want to be treated fairly we all come from different walks of life. We all desire to be happy, but it takes different choices to achieve this. Then comes the compromise. I was angered by the history before unions, for example Ford; going to the homes of the workers, that were immigrants, to make sure that the wives of the workers could properly make a bed, so securing their husbands jobs. UNEXCEPTABLE. We never want to

Jennifer Tu telling the class her life story.

I appreciate the opportunity to go to Black Lake this past week, and you can be sure that there will be more information to come on the upcoming issues and strength builders that will be introduced to the membership. In Solidarity, LaShelle Greene

Power equals justice. If you show a little power through a small amount of people youll get a little justice in the work place. If you show a little more power with a few more people youll get a little more justice in your work place but if we stand together, hand in hand, all of our union brothers and sisters we will see a lot of justice; not taking the first contract that comes along because that meager carrot is dangling in front of you-but stand together refusing to be intimidated by management and voting together, for our families at our next

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by Fred Bivins

If You Really Want to Know Why we should send Barack Obama back for another term...
signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. http://1.usa. gov/dUvbu5 Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money. http://n.pr/ hcgBn1 On his first full day, he froze White House salaries. http://on.msnbc.com/ewJUIx He appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to oversee federal IT spending. http://www.cio.gov He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems, and also signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting system. http://bit.ly/hOw1t1 http://bit.ly/fz8GAd Through an executive order, he created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. http://bit.ly/ hwKhKa Improving the Economy, Preventing Depression He pushed through and signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus package, despite the fact that not one Republican voted for that bill. In addition, he launched recovery.gov, so that taxpayers could track spending from the Act. http://1.usa.gov/ibiFSs http://1. usa.gov/e3BJMk In his first year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economy 3.5%. http://reut. rs/i46CEE He completed the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan, and recovered virtually all of its costs. http://1.usa.gov/eA5jVS http://bit.ly/e CNrD6 He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan. http://1.usa.gov/ goy6zl He oversaw the creation of more jobs in 2010 alone than Bush did in eight years. http://bit.ly/hrrnjY

While the Republicans keep trying to convince us that they are the party that should control all houses of our Government, they conveniently forget who it was that got us in the mess we still face. How can we forget those eight years of George Bush. The tax breaks for the wealthy that brought us to the lowest tax rates on Millionaires of our lives and that brings us to the point of why theres all the talk about taxes and how bad it will be if President Obama is reelected. The rich control the message of the Republican Party and they like making millions on their millions and letting the poor suffer and the middle class pay for everything. Since the Republicans have controlled the House of Representatives, they have done everything in their power to see that President Obama is not reelected. They have not been looking out for the good of the Nation, but can only see one path back tot eh White Housea path covered in lies and obfuscation. Just say NO is their mottono to Jobs, no to Justice for All, and No to anything that would possibly get Barack Obama re-elected. If youre wondering why you should want a second term for President Obama, here are a few of his accomplishments since he took office. I lifted this from the PCTC Blog web site. http://pleasecutthecrap. typepad.com/main/what-has-obamadone-since-january-20-2009.html A LONG List of President Obamas Accomplishments! With Citations! Legislative Prowess Despite the characterizations of some, Obamas success rate in winning congressional votes on issues was an unprecedented 96.7% for his first year in office. Though he is often cited as superior to Obama, President Lyndon Johnsons success rate in 1965 was only 93%. http://n.pr/i3d7cY Fiscal Responsibility Within days after taking office, he

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He oversaw a bailout of General Motors that saved at least 1.4 million jobs, and put pressure on the company to change its practices, resulting in GM returning to its place as the top car company in the world. http://lat.ms/zIJuQx He also doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership which is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency.http://bit.ly/e YD4nf He signed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system. It also created a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown. http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7 He signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which was designed to to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices. http://1.usa.gov/ gIaNcS He signed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, expanding on the Making Home Affordable Program to help millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures. The bill also provided $2.2 billion to help combat homelessness, and to stabilize the housing market. http://bit. ly/eEpLFn Through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery. http://bit.ly/dZgXXw http:// bit.ly/gORYfL He initiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses. http://1.usa.gov/eu0u0b He played a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis. http://nyti.ms/gHlgp5 He took steps to improve minority access to capital. http://bit.ly/f9xVE7 He implemented an auto industry rescue plan, and saved as many as 1 million jobs. http://bit.ly/ibhpxr Many

are of the opinion that he saved the entire auto industry, and even the economy of the entire Midwest. http://bit.ly/gj7mt5 Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he saved at least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors that would have otherwise been lost. http://1. usa.gov/ez30Dc He dismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby moveing forward to cut ties between energy companies and the government. http://nyti.ms/bw1MLu Provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during the recession. http://bit.ly/g0IKWR He used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. http://on.msnbc. com/i1i8eV Crafted an Executive order establishing the Presidents Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans. http://bit.ly/ eyqsNE Wall Street Reforms and Consumer Protection Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money. http://huff. to/eAi9Qq He pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression. http://bit.ly/h WCPg0 http://bit.ly/geHpcD Dodd-Frank also included the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau http://1.usa.gov/j5onG He made it so that banks could no longer use YOUR money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against their own customers interests. http://bit. ly/fnTayj He wholly endorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes. http://bit.ly/esOdfB http://bit.ly/eG4DPM He established a Consumer Protection Financial Bureau designed to protect consumers from financial sector

excesses. http://bit.ly/fnTayj He oversaw and then signed the most sweeping food safety legislation since the Great Depression. http://thedc.com/ gxkCtP Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination He advocated for and signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. http://bit.ly/gsMSJ7 He pushed through, signed and demanded the Pentagon enact a repeal of the discriminatory Dont Ask Dont Tell policy that forced soldiers to lie to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping. http://bit.ly/fdahuH http://bit.ly/mZV4Pz He appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. http://1.usa.gov/ fi5IY0 Helped Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act. http://bit.ly/ th0JC8 Hes appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history. http:// bit.ly/g1lA7D He established a White House Council on Women and Girls http://1.usa.gov/ rFfqMM He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. This was after the GOP blocked the bill in 2007. Only 5 Republican Senators voted for the bill. http://bit.ly/ fT3Cxg Wrote and signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies evaluate the effect of their policies and programs on women and families. http:// bit.ly/e1puTk He expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/ dSbI0x Under his watch, National Labor Relations Board has issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including websites and intranets,

beginning November 2011. http://1.usa. gov/qu2EhQ Fighting Poverty He provided a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps). http://nyti.ms/ gfLqyM He signed an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs. http://wapo.st/eWECA8 closed. http://bbc.in/h6N9ax He released the Bush torture memos. http://bit.ly/hWJ5z0 In response to the emerging Arab Spring, he created a Rapid Response fund, to assist emerging democracies with foreign aid, debt relief, technical assistance and investment packages in order to show that the United States stands with them. http://bit.ly/zfmGv9 Passed the Iran Sanctions Act, to prevent war, and to encourage Iran to give up their nuclear program. http://1.usa.gov/ wLtNjb Ended the Iraq War. http://tgr.ph/ru0tyS He authorized and oversaw a secret mission by SEAL Team Six to rescue two hostages held by Somali pirates. http:// bit.ly/y8c9Fz Better Approach to Defense Created a comprehensive new strategy for dealing with the international nuclear threat. http://1.usa.gov/gDX1nE He authorized a $1.4 billion reduction in Star Wars program in 2010. http://1.usa. gov/gLFZl2 He restarted nuclear nonproliferation talks and built up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols to where they had been before Bush. http://lat.ms/gkcl3i He signed and pushed to ratification a new SALT Treaty. http://bit.ly/f3JVtw Negotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will lst until at least 2021. http://1.usa.gov/cI1bC4 He developed the first comprehensive strategy with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to facilitate the defeat of al Qaeda and the withdrawal of most troops, as well as the rebuilding of Afghanistan. http://wapo.st/ee4Xcs He returned our focus to Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the

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process of withdrawing our troops from the country. http://bit.ly/lNXUna Fulfilled campaign promise and ended our involvement in Iraq, and will complete full troop withdrawal before Christmas 2011. http://onforb.es/ nTUk4Z He negotiated and signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with India. http://1.usa.gov/aHp0Cn He took decisive action to use NATO to limit the slaughter of innocents in Libya, so that the Libyan people could topple a despotic government and determine their own fate. http://aje.me/qAh4Sj Treating Soldiers and Veterans with Respect He made sure that families of fallen soldiers could be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB, by providing funding for it. He also ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers. http://nyti.ms/glqN66 http://bbc.in/gWSSkA He funded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans services. http://1.usa. gov/huhqfo He provided the troops with better body armor. http://bit.ly/hzSv2h Created the Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program for military personnel, in order to improve the quality of their medical care. http://1.usa. gov/f4yaxW He put an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date. (personal note: my son will be in harms way for six fewer months with Obama as president, so you know I love this one.) http://nyti.ms/e2YQ7Q He supported and signed the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which made more money available to enable better medical care for veterans. http://1.usa. gov/fN4ur1He ushered through the largest spending increase in 30 years for the Department of Veterans Affairs for improved medical facilities, and to assist states in acquiring or constructing state nursing homes and extended care facilities. http://1.usa.gov/gY8O3x

Education He has repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process. http://bit.ly/gYWd30 http:// bit.ly/e9c7Dr http://bit.ly/eEzTNq Completely reformed the student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate. http://nyti. ms/dMvHOt Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. http://1.usa.gov/gGRIAr This includes a major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide http://bit.ly/fNDcj3 , as well as an expansion in school construction. http://bit.ly/fYwNrV Also through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start. http://1.usa.gov/tzT2Rr He oversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low income students to go to college. http:// bit.ly/hI6tXz He passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds. http://1.usa.gov/dQvtUe Strengthening the Middle Class and Families He worked to provide affordable, highquality child care to working families. http://bit.ly/fNfidS He cracked down on companies that were previously denying sick pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent contractor. http://nyti.ms/ fOGLcj Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he cut taxes for 95% of Americas working families. http:// bit.ly/eSEI4F Under Obama, tax rates for average working families are the lowest theyve been since 1950. http://bit.ly/f74pD8 He extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years. http://bit.ly/eFeSdP He extended discounted COBRA health coverage for the unemployed from 9

months to 15 months, and hes extended unemployment benefits several times. http://aol.it/evtVxD http://nyti.ms/emrqKJ http://bit.ly/hOtIpg http://bit.ly/ fTT7kz Other Stuff He has expanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements such as NAFTA. http://bit. ly/etznpY He oversaw funding of the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. He protected the funding during the recent budget negotiations. http://on.fb.me/fD0EVO http://bit.ly/ ff5Luv Oversaw and passed increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. http://bit.ly/dFb8qF He nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the courts history, and the women represent only the third and fourth women to serve on the court, out of a total of 112 justices. http://huff.to/eOChg6 http://bit.ly/i02wgP He appointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president. http://bit. ly/dX6vNB He eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and he rescinded the global gag rule. http://bit.ly/ eCFAI1 http://bit.ly/f92drF He loosened the rules and allowed the 14 states that legalized medical marijuana to regulate themselves without federal interference. http://huff.to/eQfa7j His FDA banned the use of antibiotics in livestock production. http://bit.ly/jUjLzo Ushered through and signed national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program. http://bit.ly/idgQH5

Local 167 News 10

Will Durst
WERE ALL MUPPETS HERE.
Not easy being a Muppet. Referring to Greg Smith, formerly of Goldman Sachs, who wrote an op- ed in the New York Times about getting the hell out of Dodge, due to his companys relentlessly spiraling moral depravity. According to Smith, associates are encouraged to pursue profit above all else, and that includes ripping out the eyeballs of their own billion- dollar clients at the same time they mockingly scorn them as Muppets. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A complete shockerbig time brokerage firm with little or no conscience. My God. What next? High school prom parties where beer is served? Charley Sheen coming to, on the floor of a Vegas hotel after noon? Drive- through food that tastes like hot damp glued- together bar coasters? Mitt Romney making his own Robo- Calls? Romney loves to hype his history as a private equity investment banker, so its not difficult to imagine him as another of the sucking pods on a waving tentacle of the vampire squid. Wrapped so tightly in the Me First, and Success at any Cost culture that he squeaks money when he moves. A sound that surely acts as a predatory mating call. Were all Muppets to him. On a daily basis Mr. Bain Capital will say or do whatever he thinks might possibly help on the campaign trail. Pro- choice, I got your pro- choice. Oh wait, not pro- choice, well, then neither am I. What happens in the sanctity of ones own bedroom is nobodys business. Oh, Yes It Is! Surprised every time hes not photographed wearing one of those whiplash neck braces from the twisting and turning necessary to cover his wide panoply of paradoxical convictions. Recently, this shape shifter comically

sucked up to the South pretending to like cheesy grits. Mitt, nothing personal, but if ever there were a non- cheesy grits eating kind of a dude, its you. Even while referring to your NASCAR and NFL owner buddies, you still dont have a song in your heart. Probably consider them nothing more than slightly better constructed sock puppets. More realistic button eyes. Thats it, isnt it? Were all annoying obstacles to be overcome in order to better provide for your family. Who would be well advised not to get too comfortable, if there is anything to be learned from the fate of your valiant Irish Setter, Seamus. Is that going to be your solution to everything: hose us down? The Politicrats even have a name for our particular kind of Muppetism, They call us Low Information Voters. People not paying too close attention. The ones that pretty much believe every ounce of slop our leaders shovel at us while greedy fingers fiddle at our orbital sockets. Consider the 50% of Republicans in Mississippi and 45% in Alabama who still believe President Obama is a Muslim. While the hard of hearing think hes muslin, a loosely woven cotton fabric. Maybe thats the ultimate goal of Republican Kingmakers like the Koch Brothers. Get rid of the messy unpredictable human element and create their own Muppet mouthpiece. Fold a spool of muslin into a head shaped ball, stick a hand up it and have it say exactly what they think we Low Information Voters, LIVers, want to hear. Or did they already do that and call it Rush Limbaugh. 2012 Will Durst

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Event Calendar 2012

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Union Meeting all units 2:00 pm

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Retirees Meeting Reg 1-D

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