Fight for KCAP future goes on with new urgency

By Jeff Wright , President UAW Local 249

There’s no doubt about it, our local suffered a serious blow when the Manufacturing Jobs Act died in the Missouri Legislature last month.

The Jobs Act would allow qualified suppliers and manufacturers, such as Ford, that create or retain jobs in the state to keep a portion of withheld state income taxes. That could have saved Ford as much as $15 million.

Passage of the incentive package is important to Local 249 members because Ford is moving production of the Escape to Louisville , Kentucky next year. We need a new product to replace it.

Bringing a new product to KCAP will require Ford to invest millions in our plant. Ford promised us a new vehicle when our local voted for contract concessions, but with the current state of the economy and continued weakness in the auto market, nothing is a sure thing.

The governors and legislatures in both Illinois and Kentucky understand the importance of good auto assembly jobs to the economy and tax base of their states. Illinois provided millions in incentives to Ford to move the Explorer there. Likewise, Kentucky put together a multi-million dollar incentive package to lure production of the Escape to their state.

Only in Missouri , it seems, is the value of auto manufacturing lost on state legislators. Missouri was once the second leading auto manufacturing state in the union – second only to Michigan .

However, when Republicans captured the governor’s office under Matt Blunt and took over the state assembly, our state lost its coveted position – and the good union jobs that go with it.

As many of our members know only too well, the Ford Hazelwood plant closed. The Chrysler plants in Fenton, on the eastern side of the state, closed too. The only other remaining assembly plant in Missouri , besides our own, the GM plant in Wentzville is down to one shift.

In 2004, auto manufacturing provided nearly 40,000 jobs in our state. By the fall of 2008, there were just 26,000 auto jobs left in the state. That’s a decline of 35 percent in just four years.

Matt Bartle, who represents many of our members who live in his Independence district, thinks that providing incentives to keep Ford in Kansas City is nothing short of highway robbery. He was joined by many of his Republican colleagues in killing the bill.

The bill may have died in the legislature, but we haven’t stopped fighting to keep the Kansas City Assembly plant open. We’re working with Gov. Nixon – who understands just how important our plant is to the state’s overall economy – to see what incentives the governor can authorize on his own initiative. We have been in constant contact with Gov. Nixon, and his office is talking to Ford and to Bob King, director of the UAW’s Ford Dept. We hope to hear an announcement from Gov. Nixon soon.

The legislature may have failed in its job, but our members haven’t. The Kansas City Assembly Plant is among the most productive of all auto assembly plants in North America . We build the best quality, too. Even if Republicans in the state assembly won’t do their job, the good work our members do day in and day out still puts us in a good position to bring a new product to KCAP.

What we do on the job is only part of the picture. Our members have to be ready to take political action to provide Ford with every incentive possible to keep our plant open.

I will be sending out e-mail alerts to members to let them know how they can help. If you are interested in receiving informational e-mails please stop by the union hall and sign up. Union members can’t be bystanders in the fight to bring a new product to KCAP. We have to be informed, aware, and ready to take action.