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MAIN INDEX Doc No. 41 COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: The UAW and GM have worked together for many years _to understand and Promote diversity in the workplace, a goal we absolutely agree on and are fully committed to. The ,parties have long recognized that diversity is the _collective mixture of our similarities and differences. Both organizations recognize that diversity includes race and gender as well as broader dimensions such as family status religion sexual orientation, education. abilities disabilities military status union, non-union, language and many others. Diversity is a Positive asset to an organization because only by leveraging our diversity will we be able to achieve the kind of relationship that we know is necessary if General Motors is to prosper and provide good jobs that allow employees both union-represented and salaried to be secure in today's complicated world Our vision is to have a workplace that naturally enables the people of UAW-GM to fully contribute and achieve personal fulfillment The UAW and GM continue to support and integrate the many voices of diversity, increasing our appreciation of cultural differences beliefs values, abilities, disabilities and sexual orientation The UAW and GM work together at the national and local levels to develop and deliver diversity training. The principles that guide UAW-GM Diversity Initiatives include: - creating a learning organization; - seeking diverse input and involvement; - leading the cultural change process: and - pursuing continuous improvement in diversity actions and programs. The National Equal Application Committee works with local Plants to provide educational materials to the UAW-GM workforce regarding diversity and equal employment opportunities. They also identify community agencies involved in civil rights and diversity activities and work with community leaders to discuss and work towards solutions to mutual problems regarding discrimination. Action plans can be developed to include such activities as: - utilizing plant communication methods to celebrate cultural diversity and share the UAWGM joint commitment to diversity; - seeking input from identifiable diverse employee groups and individuals; - identifying opportunities to celebrate diversity with educational awareness events and exhibits; - communicating how diverse employee groups can participate in plant and community projects; and - recognizing activities that are inclusive of diverse employee groups. Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations Doc. No. 42 PARAGRAPH 64(e) EXTENSION GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: Re: Paragraph 64(e) Extension This will confirm the parties' understanding that on a one-time basis during the life of the current GM-UAW National Agreement the provisions of Paragraph 64(e) notwithstanding, employees on indefinite layoff who had recall or rehire rights as of October 1, 1990 and who thereafter broke seniority or lost rehire rights pursuant to the provisions of Paragraph 64(e) shall have a rehire right to their plant through the term of the current GM-UAW National Agreement. Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations Doc. No. 43 CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: The UAW and General Motors recognize the need for a focused career development process for active and dislocated employees as a key element in competitiveness and employment security. The career development process must address both internal career needs of individual employees and critical skill needs of the company. A focused approach beginning early in each employee's career and continuing throughout their career could provide the employee with the skills and knowledge required by changing business conditions. The parties have, therefore, agreed to continue to refine the pilot program containing the following principal elements: 1. Voluntary individual employee assessments to determine interests, abilities and career development needs which may be met internally through a broader variety of on-the-job training, classroom technical training, training in basic computational skills and reading and writing, classroom training leading to a special certification, associate or baccalaureate degree. 2. A career development process for hourly employees which may provide for broad job experience. 3. Cooperation with community college, college, university and other educational and training facilities in the community in the development of career focused classroom and cooperative training programs for active and dislocated GM workers. 4. Exploration of the development of career focused classroom and cooperative work programs for dislocated workers which would lead to comparable employment. The parties agree that the evaluation of the initial pilot location resulted in recommendations for several changes in the program. The recommended changes, deemed to be appropriate by the parties, will be made to the program. The revised program will then be offered at an additional location(s) and the parties will continue to evaluate its success. Thereafter, an implementation strategy will be developed and presented to the UAW-GM Joint Skill Development and Training Committee for their approval. The above program will be supported by a combination of national, local and plant training funds and will be jointly administered by the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources and the Local Joint Activities Committee(s). Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations Doc. No. 44 EXPEDITIOUS GRIEVANCE HANDLING - GM TO UAW GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: During the course of these negotiations, General Motors and the International Union, UAW agreed that the letter of November 22, 1976 regarding expeditious grievance handling would again be published. During these negotiations, the Union cited various examples of situations where continuing liability cases were not processed in a timely manner. In this regard, the parties emphasized that full implementation of this document would result in the timely processing of continuing liability cases. Accordingly, the parties re-emphasize the following: "During 1976 negotiations, General Motors and the International Union again discussed at length problems encountered in the administration of the Grievance Procedure at some locations. The parties reaffirmed their mutual determination that the purpose of the Agreement as stated in Paragraph (5) is 'to provide orderly collective bargaining relations between the Corporation and the Union, to secure a prompt and fair disposition of grievances, to eliminate interruptions of work and interference with the efficient operation of the Corporation's business.' In addition, the Union and the Corporation agreed that the delaying or holding of grievances at any step of the Grievance Procedure was contrary to the best interests of the employes and the parties. "The parties reaffirmed their mutual desire and intention to assure that grievances will not be allowed to accumulate at any step or steps in the Grievance Procedure in any plant. "The Corporation asserted that Paragraph (34) together with the other relevant provisions of the Grievance Procedure if closely administered make it impossible for committeemen unilaterally to stall any grievance from consideration or decision at the next step of the Grievance Procedure and to delay the processing of grievances in the procedure. The Corporation stated further that the current language provides Management with the right after a lapse of a reasonable time to initiate answers to grievances in order to prevent them from being delayed at any step in the Grievance Procedure." Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations [See Par. (19), (19d), (79)] [See Doc. 45, 48, 95] Doc. No. 45 EXPEDITIOUS GRIEVANCE HANDLING - UAW - GM UAW INTERNATIONAL UNION, UNITED AUTOMOBILE, AEROSPACE & AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT WORKERS OF AMERICA September 28, 1999 Mr. Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations General Motors Corporation General Motors Building Detroit, Michigan 48202 Dear Mr. Cowger: During these negotiations, the Union re-emphasized their commitment to resolve grievances in an expeditious manner. To that end, the International Union, UAW, informed the General Motors Corporation that Leonard Woodcock's letter of December 14, 1967 regarding expeditious grievance handling was again being published as a position of the International Union, UAW. The text of that letter is as follows: "December 14, 1967 "General Motors Corporation General Motors Building Detroit, Michigan 48202 "Attention: Mr. Louis G. Seaton Vice President "Gentlemen: "During 1967 negotiations, General Motors complained that at certain locations some Committeemen made little or no effort to resolve grievances they have written or to process them from one step of the procedure to the next in an expeditious manner. The Union pointed out to the Corporation that the same basic grievance processes existed at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler and that no comparable problems occur at the latter two companies; that grievances accumulate under the circumstances complained of in some instances because the Local Managements take no independent action to answer grievances or to move them from one step of the procedure to the next. "The International Union advised the Corporation that it fully subscribes to the principle set forth in Paragraph (19) that '...the prompt adjustment of grievances is desirable in the interest of sound relations between the employes and the Management.' "Grievances should not be unduly delayed at any step of the procedure, whether such delay is occasioned by a Committeeman or his supervisor refusing or failing to meet his responsibility. Very truly yours, /S/ LEONARD WOODCOCK Vice President Director General Motors Department" Sincerely, Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department [See Par. (5), (34), (79)] [See Doc. 44, 48, 95] Doc. No. 46 JOINT PROGRAM REPRESENTATIVES GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: During these negotiations the parties discussed at length the need to focus our current joint program representatives on specific programs designed to assist our employees and the management in implementation of an improved working environment. Over the years, we have agreed to a number of different joint program representatives appointed by the Vice President and Director of the GM Department, UAW, and, in some cases, by the local management and union leadership at the direction of the Co-Chairman, Executive Board - Joint Activities to carry out and administer certain negotiated agreement programs in the following functions: · Health and Safety · Joint Activities · Accommodating DisAbled People in Transition (ADAPT) · Work Family Program · Human Resource Development · Joint Training · Quality Network Each plant in General Motors, depending on employee population, may have employees assigned to the above functions. Each time new programs have been negotiated, people were assigned to perform the tasks associated with each program to the extent that we now have several well-trained experts in those fields. The parties recognize that over the years priorities have shifted and, as a result, there is a need to carefully analyze the programs that currently require increased emphasis, such as, employee assistance, health and safety, etc. As a result, the parties have concluded that these well-trained resources can now be deployed or reassigned to programs requiring special attention. It is recognized that each plant location has its own unique culture and needs; therefore, the local joint leadership group (Plant Manager, Personnel Director, Local Union President and Chairperson of the Shop Committee) will determine where their current full time representatives will be allocated to best serve the employees of the organization. It is recognized that at some locations additional representatives may be required to perform tasks associated with the newly determined local focus and at others less. In any event, the total number of new and current full time joint program representatives shall not exceed the number provided for below:
In the case of bargaining units between 1,001 to 5,000 and 5,001 and above, the number of representatives in a given bargaining unit will be determined by the number of represented employees (active, temporary layoff and Protected) divided by the appropriate ratio number. Where the fraction of the result is .5 and above, the number will be rounded up to the next highest whole number and where the fraction is less than .5, rounded down to the whole number. Nothing in this agreement limits or is intended to interfere with any local mutually agreed upon projects or initiatives falling outside the scope of this document that may provide additional staff resources to meet the specific objectives of the local parties. Each plant has submitted a plan for deployment of these resources in accordance with specific guidelines issued by the National parties. All such representatives will be appointed by the Vice President and Director of the GM Department, UAW. Such plan will include the names and assignments for each of the local representatives assigned to Joint Programs and will be forwarded to the National parties for approval prior to implementation. Likewise, as individual plant needs and priorities change, the local parties are afforded the flexibility to submit revised plans for National approval. When plant population changes occur which would increase or decrease the number of representatives, such population changes must be in effect for a period of six consecutive months before such adjustment is made in the number of representatives, in which case such adjustment will be made at the conclusion of the six month period. In the event such population change results from the discontinuance or addition of a shift, the opening of a plant, or the cessation of a plant's operations, the adjustment in the number of representatives will be made within the first twenty working days following the first day such population change occurs. Other situations involving a sudden significant change in the number of employees at a location may be discussed by the Corporation and the GM Department of the International Union. When a reduction or increase in plant population calls for a change in the number of representatives, the local parties will be required to submit a revised deployment of resources plan for approval. All representatives in either case will also be appointed by the Vice President and Director of the GM Department, UAW. It is understood that the Representatives re-deployed in these locally determined areas of special focus and attention may require additional training. It is agreed that such training will be provided through the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources subject to the approval of the Executive Board - Joint Activities. It is agreed that such representatives shall function in accordance with governing provisions of the GM-UAW National Agreement germane to their area of focus. During overtime hours, joint program representatives in the areas of Joint Activities, Accommodating DisAbled People in Transition (ADAPT), Human Resource Development, Work Family, and Joint Training will be scheduled to perform joint program-related activities if they would otherwise have work available in their equalization group. Joint Program Representatives are eligible for promotion to higher rated jobs on their shift in accordance with Paragraphs (63) (a) (1) and (63) (a) (2) of this Agreement provided they are the most senior applicant and they are capable of doing the job. Longer range, the Executive - Board Joint Activities will establish a joint process aimed at effectively consolidating, simplifying, integrating, focusing and achieving better utilization of joint programs at the plant level. The spirit and intent of this document is to provide increased focus on joint employee programs and to more fully utilize the experience and talents of the representatives assigned to joint programs. The parties are committed to working together in a spirit of cooperation to improve our relationship and the effectiveness of our joint programs. The result of such cooperation will improve the working environment in our plants for all GM employees. Any problems relating to the implementation of this document may be raised by either party and it is understood that any necessary modifications may be made by mutual agreement between the Corporation and the International Union. Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations [See Par. (19e), (23)] [See Memo-Joint Activities] [See Memo-Training; Memo-Attendance] [See Memo-Human Resource Development] [See Doc. 7, 39, 40, 105] Doc. No. 47 PARAGRAPH 76 - TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: During current negotiations, the parties reaffirmed their intent to continue the interpretation regarding Paragraph (76) expressed in the Louis G. Seaton letter addressed to Personnel Directors dated February 13, 1969. The text of this letter is as follows: "As a result of a series of discussions between the International Union, UAW, and the Corporation, it has been agreed that the provisions of Paragraph (76) of the 1967 GM-UAW National Agreement will be applicable to temporary employes with more than thirty (30) days' of employment who are released or discharged. This provision, of course, is not applicable to any employe laid off due to fluctuations in manpower requirements. "The parties also agreed that this interpretation is not retroactive. Accordingly, cases currently in the procedure involving temporary employees should be processed on their merits without regard to the procedural requirements of Paragraph (76)." The provisions of Paragraph 76 will apply to employees hired pursuant to Appendix A as of the date of hire. Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations Doc. No. 48 ARBITRATION LETTER GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: During the course of the current negotiations, the parties reviewed the Grievance Procedure provisions of the National Agreement for the purpose of identifying certain problems that have been encountered under those provisions in processing grievances to arbitration. Generally, it was recognized that the procedure, as currently constituted, has worked well. At the outset of the 1979 negotiations, the number of open cases on appeal to arbitration was at the lowest level in many years despite the fact there had been an increase in the number of grievances filed. However, the Union stated that some instances have occurred wherein grievances protesting an employee's loss of seniority, discharge or a series of disciplinary layoffs leading to a discharge, have met with delay in the procedure following their consideration at the Third Step and their resolution at the Umpire Step. In view of the above, the Corporation agreed to provide the Union with a monthly summary of appeal cases open on the Umpire's docket protesting the loss of seniority, the discharge of employees and also those protesting progressive disciplinary actions which involve an employee whose discharge is also under protest in an open appeal case. This information will enable both the International Union and Corporation Umpire Staffs to monitor the number of such cases on appeal to the Umpire at any given time and to take remedial action on any particular cases which may be subject to undue delay. In addition, the parties agreed to schedule regular meetings between the respective Umpire Staffs to establish future scheduling, to explore alternatives that could increase the frequency with which plant appeal cases are addressed and to review other problems of mutual concern. Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations [See Par. (5), (19), (43)] [See Doc. 44, 45] Doc. No. 49 MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATIVES IN DISCIPLINARY INTERVIEW GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: During the current negotiations, the parties discussed the Union's contention that, at some plant locations, an excessive number of Management representatives are present during some disciplinary interviews. The Union recognized that there are times when more than the customary number of Management representatives may be required because of their knowledge of the matter under discussion. The Union stated, however, that their concern was directed at other Management representatives who attended interviews solely as witnesses to the interview itself. As a result of these discussions, the Corporation advised the Union that, as a matter of policy, Management personnel beyond those referred to above would not attend such interviews solely for the purpose of serving as potential witnesses to the interview itself. Additionally, should Management representatives in excess of the customary number be present in the interview, the district committeeperson may request, during that period of time, the presence of the zone committeeperson for that zone, or in the event that the zone committeeperson is absent or no at-large committeeperson is assigned to that zone, another member of the shop committee present in the plant, provided the request would not result in undue delay of the disciplinary interview. Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations [See Par. (76a)] Doc. No. 50 HOLIDAY PAY AND DISCIPLINARY LAYOFFS GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION September 28, 1999 Mr. Richard Shoemaker Vice President and Director General Motors Department International Union, UAW 8000 East Jefferson Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48214 Dear Mr. Shoemaker: During the current negotiations, the parties discussed the situation where the duration of an impending disciplinary layoff would encompass or abut a specified holiday. It was mutually recognized that a wide variety of local practices exist on whether loss of holiday pay is appropriately included in the layoff penalty. To insure uniformity between plant locations in the administration of discipline in such situations, the Corporation advised the Union that, as a matter of policy as of the effective date of the 1979 National Agreement, loss of holiday pay will not be included as part of the disciplinary penalty assessed. Very truly yours, Gary L. Cowger Group Vice President - Labor Relations [See Par. (76), (203)]
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