United Automobile Worker

Linwood Smith Reports 80% Increase

SAGINAW. -- UAW-CIO membership in the Bay City, Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Muskegon area has increased 80% in the last four months.

With three new locals chartered during February, every local in the region making steady membership gains, an NLRB election coming up in the Grand Rapids Stamping plant of GM, and several new plants in the process of organization, Regional Director Linwood Smith expects that February per-capita payments will more than double those of September.

Immediately after the NLRB ordered the Dow Metal Corporation's company union disbanded, workers in the Bay City Foundry plant voted to join the UAW-CIO. They are working on wheels and wing parts for the aircraft industry, and at the time they applied for a charter under the aircraft division of the UAW-CIO the trailer shop was organized 100% and 300 out of 800 people in the shop had signed UAW designation cards.

Meanwhile membership gains were being made in the Bay City Auto Lite plant after an excellent new contract had been ratified and negotiations were progressing at the Kuhlman electric plant Local 778.

GRAND RAPIDS POLL DUE

All of the GM locals in Bay City and Saginaw have made tremendous membership gains in the past few months, Director Smith reports; and three small shops in Saginaw are in the process of organization, including Saginaw Stamping and Tool which employs about 300 people.

The MacInerny Spring and Wire Co. plant, put out of commission last year by a fire, is now back on schedule with more than 1500 employees on the payroll. A new contract was negotiated a month ago which brought many new gains to the steadily increasing membership there.

NEW NASH CONTRACT

The two largest locals in the western part of Region ID, Nash Kelvinator in Grand Rapids and Continental Motors in Muskegon have more than done their part to make that 80% increase in the region possible, Smith reports.

Motor Specialties Local 87, Muskegon, has achieved virtually 100 per cent membership and is giving valuable aid in bringing the rest of the city's automotive plants into the UAW-CIO column.