A View From The Line: By Dave Schoenecker
"There's a place on the Far South Side of Chicago that's gone through some very hard times and some rather good times.It's pulled through when so many other places have passed into history.
I'm talking about the plant that Henry Ford built.
It wasn't always a place that the United Auto Workers represented, but it has become a bright symbol of organized labor for not only this city but the nation. The first contract was signed in 1946. The base hourly rate agreed on was $1.40 per hour.
Through the years we have seen many benefits added to the contracts. Thanks to negotiations we have received everything from higher base hourly rates to good insurance coverage. Also, we've earned many benefits for our family members." Download entire opinion article by Dave Schoenecker, a UAW member and Ford employee for more than 30 years, all spent at the Chicago Assembly Plant. He's also a former UAW secretary-treasurer and an International UAW Constitutional Convention Delegate.
