What the union does for you
Hello, fellow UAW 4911 brothers and sisters, I hope you all had a safe winter and have a safe and blessed spring and summer.
I would like to talk to you about the importance of having a Union and what it means to each of you.
The phrases I hear most are “What has the Union done for me?” or “What good is the Union?”
To answer the first question, the Union has done several things: increased wages, no increase in healthcare premium for three years, job security, and a retirement plan.
You may not feel what the Union is doing for you every day, but the representation is a continuous process.
The second question has a clear
answer. The Union gives you a voice in the workplace regarding wages, health care and all of the examples given.
Businesses and corporations don’t give these things out of the goodness of their hearts, we have to fight and struggle for everything we receive.
If the Union were not here we would have a marked increase in health care premiums, lower wages, less vacation time, and little or no job security—meaning you would be an at-will employee (fired for any reason!).
And, of course, no union dues are used for any political purposes. The UAW uses V-CAP voluntary contributions to fund all of our efforts to improve people’s lives through the political process.
We are a hard-working group that only wants dignity and respect for a hard day’s work.
We work hard every day to improve work conditions to make your jobs easier.
All of the legislation that has been pushed through over the last few months does nothing to help save our voice in the workplace. We would be left to accept what is given to us from management!

Spring greetings
We can finally see the telltale signs of spring – flowers are blooming, birds are singing, the grass is getting green and there are signs of life in the garden plot! The neighborhoods are coming alive again with people walking and children playing. I love this time of year as it rejuvenates everyone into motion after a sleepy winter.
The office has been busy with the regular tax season requirements which we are required to report. Two huge areas of responsibility for all Financial Secretaries of local unions are the LM2 report required by the Department of Labor and the 990 report mandated by the Internal Revenue Service. These reports help the IRS and Department of Labor enforce the many laws that govern the nonprofit organizations, thus making our funds more transparent.
I truly love the challenges of accounting as well as diligently watching over our local union funds to ensure they are kept safe at all times. I also thoroughly enjoy helping many of our members who call me for assistance, guidance, or simply as a friend to talk to when the work day is challenging and you are unsure where to turn. Thank you all for your lively conversations and many wonderful ideas and stories you have shared with me.
I’m happy to report that this year’s bowling event in February was a huge success. We changed bowling alleys this year and the event was held at Spare Time in Frandor. We had many positive comments regarding the facility and
the wonderful pizza. I took pictures
of those who wished to be on our
photo stream of our website. If you have not seen the pictures, go to www.uawlocal4911.org. to view them – they are wonderful.
Our Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox game event is coming up Sunday, June 23 at Comerica Park. We have had an overwhelming response for this event compared to last year, which is awesome. We encourage you to take advantage of these wonderful family opportunities and events which we are offering to our members.
If there is anything I can do to assist any of our Sparrow Hospital UAW members, please feel free to give me a call at (517) 272-5865. I will be happy to help you or guide you to the appropriate person. Please also feel free to call with ideas or suggestions of activities, educational opportunities, etc. Your input is valuable and always appreciated.
Take the time each and every day to enjoy this wonderful spring season Mother Nature is giving us!