OPEN LETTER

TO THE RANK & FILE MEMBERSHIP OF UNITED AUTO WORKERS (UAW) LOCAL UNION NO. 862: You may be wondering why trailers with messages from Teamsters Local No. 89 directed at both your UAW leadership and Ford Motor Company have been parked across from Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant (“LAP”), where you are employed. I intend to explain the purpose behind those trailers in a moment, but first I need to tell you the story of Scott Goldsmith.

Scott Goldsmith was raised in a blue-collar family here in the Louisville area. Living paycheck to paycheck was normative, as it still is for most of the working classes of our society. Scott’s family was not immune from the hardships of financial instability. His single mother worked as a laborer holding down jobs in a number of industries as she strived to provide the best that she could for her children. From an early age, Scott had “blue-collar dreams” as he called them: the hopes of one day achieving a good paying job, marriage, buying a home, and raising a family with little more than his high school education. He did not need much in life. Material things were not a big issue for someone like him. All he wanted to do was raise a family and provide for them so that one day his wife and kids could have opportunities that he did not have despite his mother’s tireless efforts.

Scott’s dreams began to materialize in 1990 when he was hired at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant. He was hired to work for a carhaul company that contracted with Ford to move the vehicles from the production line to the yard where they would be transferred to rail cars or trucks and delivered to dealerships. By this time, Scott was only 22 years of age and had bounced around from job to job searching for financial stability, the catalyst to his blue-collar dream. But no previous work was as promising as the job at LAP. In fact, his new job at LAP was all that he could have ever hoped for. The fruits of his labor would ultimately provide a good hourly wage, health benefits, pension benefits, and, most of all, a sense of pride and hope for his future.

Scott immediately went to work in August of 1990 as a young, motivated employee. He joined the ranks of Teamsters Local No. 89. Scott worked hard at his craft and took great pride in his efforts. Day or night, rain or shine, Scott worked. As soon as he saved up some money, Scott purchased his first automobile, a Ford F-150, thanks to the wages that he earned from his job at LAP. For Scott, this was the way it had to be. Yes, he could have bought another competitor’s vehicle. Nonetheless, Scott was raised to show gratitude to those who supported him. Because Scott believed that the Ford plant had given him an opportunity to make a good living, he wanted to repay Ford in his own little way by purchasing one of their trucks. It was a small gesture in relative terms, but Scott took great pride in that truck and the FORD logo attached to it.

In 1997, Scott met Cindy. Cindy was a young working-class native of Louisville, just like Scott. At the time they met, she was working as a waitress in the service industry. After a yearlong courtship, Scott asked Cindy to be his wife. In 1998 phase two of Scott’s blue-collar dream was realized as they took their vows and said “I do” in front of family and friends. Phase three was achieved a year later in 1999 when Scott and Cindy bought their first home. Due in large part to his stable, consistent employment at LAP, the bank gave them a loan to purchase their home. It was a modest home. Sure, it probably wasn’t their “dream” home, but it was still “their” home, and they were proud of that accomplishment. Both Scott and Cindy were living the dream with one tiny exception: they wanted to hear the pitter-patter of tiny little feet running across the floors of their new abode. Nothing made Scott prouder than the idea of raising a family. That is why he considered it an integral part of his own blue-collar dream. To their delight, in 2000, Scott and Cindy were blessed with a handsome little boy.

This fourth phase of Scott’s blue-collar dream could have been a financial nightmare had he not still maintained his job at LAP. However, by 2000, Scott was a seasoned 10-year veteran of the carhaul industry at LAP. His wages were stable and sufficient to provide for his new family. His health insurance benefits were ample to pay the lion’s share of the costs associated with their newborn. So, needless to say, Scott had a huge smile on his face the day he walked into his home and told his wife that because of his job, benefits and their savings, she would be able to stay home on maternity leave as long as she needed to. In turn, Cindy was able to stay at home and care for their newborn the entire first year of his life.

But Cindy didn’t just stay at home and take care of their son. She also enrolled in college in an effort to get a degree. Scott never had the chance to get a college education. The financial resources and support often necessary to achieve higher education were simply not there for him. So, like many of us, Scott went immediately into the workforce after high school. Scott recognized that because of his stable job and income, he could now support the three of them while Cindy advanced her education. Years of frugal living and saving had culminated into this special opportunity to lift his family up in the world. This was a great opportunity for her to obtain a college degree, and he was proud to help her achieve it. The same would be true someday for his children.

During her second year of school, Cindy gave birth to her second child, a beautiful baby girl. Scott labored long hours at LAP to provide for the four of them. While Scott was at work, Cindy labored at home caring for the two children, sometimes only finding time during the late hours of the night to study. Scott spent his time away from work relieving Cindy of the childcare duties so that she could focus on her education. They both made numer- ous sacrifices to facilitate the betterment of their family. Life was a struggle in those years, but those were happy times because the family had a modest life with the hopes of a bright future. The struggles and sacrifices paid off in 2007 when Cindy graduated college with a degree in the medical field. She would be the first person in her family to achieve this goal of a higher education. Scott could not have been any more proud of his wife for her accomplishment. Cindy could not have been any more proud of Scott for the sacrifices that he made in order to make her education become a reality.

Seventeen years after starting his job at LAP, it appeared that Scott was on the verge of achieving his “blue-collar dream”. He had worked hard every day earning a fair wage and benefits. He had bought his first car. Then he married the girl of his dreams and together they purchased their first home. He was later blessed with two wonderful children. Both he and his wife were raising their children and providing for them. They hoped that through her education and their joint efforts, they were building a stable foundation from which they would someday send their own children to college. But most importantly, they were able to achieve all of these things, directly and indirectly, through his consistent and stable employment at LAP. I submit to you that although he calls it his “blue-collar dreams”, what he was really trying to achieve was a place in the middle class of our society. Instead of calling it a blue-collar dream, perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a “middle-class dream”.

It is fair to say that up until February of this year (20+ years after Scott first began at LAP), Scott and his family believed that they had not only achieved their blue-collar/middle-class dream, but also that their dream was secured because of the apparent strength and longevity of Ford Motor Company at LAP. Little did they know, that was not going to be the case.

Around February 13, 2012, Scott Goldsmith and 166 co-workers lost their jobs at LAP. Just like that! One day they woke up to find that they had no jobs, no wages, no benefits, no security, nothing. Despite his 20+ years of service at LAP, Scott Goldsmith found his world turned upside down. The same can be said for his co-workers and his co-workers’ families. That’s right, Scott Goldsmith was not alone. In fact, Scott’s story is merely represen- tative of the countless other stories of employees whose families were left in the wake of this tragic event. I submit to you that in today’s economy, discharges and layoffs are not an unusual event. Union and non-union employ- ees lose their jobs every day. Nevertheless, what is unusual about this particular event is that another union, a so-called ally to the Teamsters in the labor movement, is at the heart of and an active participant in the taking of these jobs.

This brings me back to the trailers I referenced at the outset of this letter.

The events that led to Scott Goldsmith and the 166 other employees losing their jobs at LAP in February could have been avoided if your UAW Local 862 leadership would have done the right thing. Instead, your UAW Local No. 862 leadership (primarily LAP Building Chair, Steve Stone) turned its back upon a simple, fundamental principal of unionism. Instead of protecting and fostering the middle-class dream, your UAW leadership actively stripped those dreams away from the families of innocent, hardworking union brothers and sisters.

To better understand how this tragedy occurred, you will need a little historical perspective on the matter. What you may already know is that Ford Motor Company has directly impacted the lives of thousands of Teamster members and UAW members in the Louisville area since the early 1950’s. What you may not already know is that when Ford Motor Company first opened its doors for production at LAP, members of the International Broth- erhood of Teamsters were employed to assist in the carhaul operations of Ford’s distribution system. For over 60 years, the Teamster members proudly maintained this operation with dignity and integrity, which is characteris- tic of the same pride and integrity your UAW membership exhibits through its quality craftsmanship. For decades Autoworkers and Teamsters have worked together, side by side, to produce and deliver Ford’s products. This is an undeniable fact.

However, recently Ford awarded a portion of the carhaul work to a company called Voith Industrial Services. You have probably heard of that company because they now do the janitorial work at LAP (the same work that used to belong to your UAW members). Voith bid on the carhaul work and Ford awarded the bid to Voith. Notably, Voith has never done any part of the carhaul operation in Louisville. But, that didn’t seem to matter to Ford. As soon as Voith took control of the operation, it fired every employee who had been working in those jobs prior to Voith, including Scott Goldsmith. Just so we are clear on this point: Voith terminated the entire workforce (around 166 skilled employees) on its first day of operation. Voith then proceeded to hire unskilled employees at substantially reduced wages and benefits. Despite the significant reduction in wages and benefits, countless terminated employees applied for the jobs. They wanted…THEY NEEDED their jobs during these tough economic times. Sadly, instead of hiring all of the terminated “skilled” employees who had applied for the Voith jobs, Voith hired only 10 of the skilled employees. As you can see, Voith did not want the skilled workers who were willing to work. Voith wanted a new, unskilled workforce. This does not make good business sense, so why would Voith do this?

The answer to this question can be found in a recent Complaint filed on June 19, 2012 against Voith and the UAW leadership by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). I implore you to read the Complaint for yourself at http://www.teamsters89.com but I will briefly summarize it for you. In the eyes of the NLRB, Voith actions appear to be part of a grand plan orchestrated between Voith and your UAW leadership. Essentially, Voith did not want to pay a fair wage or provide reasonable benefits to its employees once it was awarded the work from Ford. Voith knew Local 89 would settle for nothing but fair wages and reasonable benefits. So Voith fired nearly all of the Teamsters and hired a complement of employees unaffiliated with any union. Your UAW leadership was immediately involved in this process by assisting in the application process for Voith (receiving and submitting applications directly to Voith). Then your UAW leadership went to the Voith facility and solicited union cards from Voith employees. Your UAW leadership then submitted the cards to Voith and requested that Voith recognize UAW Local No. 862 as the bargaining representative for the Voith employees in those carhaul positions. Voith immediately accepted the request and acknowledged UAW Local No. 862 as the recognized bargaining agent. All of this was taking place while Local 89 was reaching out to your UAW leadership, asking for the UAW to stop raiding our jobs. At the same time, Local 89 was reaching out to Voith and asking Voith to hire all of those employ- ees it had terminated, as well as to recognize that Local 89 has (for decades) represented the employees in those jobs. Your UAW leadership elected to ignore our pleas and to this day still believes that it is the “recognized bar- gaining agent” for the Voith employees doing certain aspects of the carhaul operations at LAP. Your UAW leadership is now using your dues money to hire attorneys in order to fight the NLRB charges brought against the UAW.

Local 89 and its members have long supported the UAW. Local 89 and its members have the utmost respect for the rank and file membership of UAW Local No. 862. We always have. We always will. Local 89 and its mem- bers have long stood by the side of the UAW and its rank and file members to protect the interests of the UAW. Collectively we are all brothers and sisters of the labor movement and we must protect the interests of labor, as a whole. In fact, on a local level, Local 89 has worked closely with UAW leadership (specifically, Todd Dunn & Scott Eskridge) in Louisville and in Bowling Green (Eldon Renaud) on issues that affect both the UAW and Team- sters. For instance, Local 89 carhaul drivers have refused to cross UAW picket lines at the Bowling Green Corvette Plant. On a national level, Local 89 members stood on informational pickets at Toyota dealerships throughout Kentucky when Toyota threatened to close the Nummi Toyota Plant in Freemont, California. As well, while I was the Carhaul Division Director for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, I personally traveled to Tokyo with UAW President Bob King in effort to meet with Toyota Executives to save the Nummi Plant and all of those UAW jobs. It is an undeniable fact that Local 89 has always had your back.

But Local 89 cannot condone the recent actions of your UAW leadership and we must notify the community about these egregious acts. The trailers are one of the many ways by which Local 89 has set out to educate the com- munity about our fight to protect our jobs. The core message we are trying to send to the community via those trailers is clear: the UAW leadership has wronged the Teamsters, undermined its longstanding relationship with the Teamsters, deprived Teamster members of their livelihoods, and brought shame upon the legacy of the UAW.

Local 89 and its members are being betrayed by your UAW leadership. It is your UAW leadership that turned Scott Goldsmith’s world upside down, as well as many others just like him. Today, Scott Goldsmith remains unemployed and his wife, Cindy, is working three jobs to cover their family’s bills and expenses. They have exhausted their savings and are on the verge of financial collapse. One day they were living the middle-class dream and the next day they were faced with the harsh reality that the middle-class dream can be snatched away in a moment’s notice if the so-called allies within the labor movement do not work together to protect the interests of the entire labor movement.

If you want to see how many other families have been adversely affected by the actions of Voith and your UAW leadership, you simply need to look on the next page. Why is it important to look at those names on the next page? Because those names should stand as a stark reminder of how quickly the middle-class dream can be stripped away from so many unsuspecting laborers (whether they be from Local 89 or even Local 862) when unions don’t stick together. In fact, it was UAW International President Bob King who said it best:

“The only thing that ever built a middle class is unions and the institution of collective bargaining. So we have to stand together and fight together … The Teamsters and the UAW, together we built the middle class by having big dreams.”

-Bob King, UAW International President Wednesday, June 29, 2011 Las Vegas, Nevada Speech to the 28th International Convention International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America.

I humbly ask for all rank and file members of UAW Local No. 862 to stand and fight with us now! Tell your UAW leadership that it is time to do the right thing. Tell them it is time to stop undermining other unions. Tell them it is time to live up to the words of your International President Bob King. But do not stop there. Tell your friends, families, and political leaders to stand with you in your efforts to restore the middle class dream for Scott Goldsmith and the other 166 affected families. Fraternally,

Fred Zuckerman, President Teamsters Local Union 89 Robert Ruzanka & family Vivian McGee & family Tammy Murphy & family Frank Lehman & family Anthony Goldsmith & family

Christopher Smith & family Andre Kelley & family Rasheed Rasool & family Rickey Ragland & family

Darrick Wordlow & family Walter Helm & family Bronson Fields & family Jason Norbury & family Tiffany Byers & family

Wayne Grether & family Roy Moon & family Sandra Rhodes & family Michael Johnson & family

Tim McCrory & family Joedy Bell & family Russell Fluhr & family Dathan Poland & family Michael Murphy, Jr. & family

Patti J. Murphy & family Arlene Quinenes & family Forrest Walker & family Kelly Stein & family

Susie Fenwick & family Marcus Pope & family Johnny Davis & family Mark Burton & family Greg Johnson & family

Johnny Bell & family Brenda Helm & family Emily Wiesemann & family Michael Murphy, Sr & family

Donald Shaw & family Teresa Schott & family Anthony Luther & family June Downs & family Helen Doss & family

Mickey Walker & family Alicheha Stephenson & family Brenda Swift & family Jamie Waddle & family

Mike Rankin & family Terry Powers & family Kathy Schofield & family Paul Bridges & family Roy Bridges & family

Wade Neff & family Judy Spencer & family Michael Burden & family Donna Scott & family

Jewell Clark & family Ralph Miller & family

Aaron Schott & family Eric Sawyers & family

Maranda Burkhart & family Angie Smith & family

Tammy Lockard & family Jason Bernard & family

Tyrone Womack & family Mike Steinemann & family

Senethia King & family Damon Goodrich & family

Steve Ader & family Sharon Truax & family

Gary Scott & family Bill Holland & family

Kelly Whitley & family Nathan Thomas & family

Brandon Simpson & family Cassandra Pinkard & family Travis Fenwick & family Stephen Hawkins & family Gary Kinnaird & family

James Flanagan & family Tanitra Morris & family

Adam Faulkner & family Louis Flemming & family

Edward Galloway & family Cindy Wallace & family

Scott Neel & family Zach Laroussi & family

Gayle Miller & family Mike McCray & family

John Proctor & family Desiree Gaddis & family

Jason Byers & family Ed Stewart & family Terri Strong & family Rick Gilkey & family

Mike Shaw & family Shane Harper & family Shawn Blandford & family Chris Downs & family

Casey Hoskins & family John Miller & family Jermaine Lowery & family Susan Durbin & family Anthony Strong & family

Bernard Tweedy & family Mitchell Parrott & family Charlene Danks & family Kenneth Willis & family

Sam Burnett & family Patsey Bowman-Miles & family Faith Sadler & family Barbara Dejean & family

Terron Babbage & family Arthur Peters & family Candice Schott & family Susan Cheatham & family

Angela Shelburne & family Brenda Devore & family Reggie Shafer & family Kim Lewter & family Hollie Rhodes & family

Aaron Vines & family Daniel Hatfield & family Angela Bassett & family Wayne Girdley & family

Brenda Underwood & family Marvin Page & family Adam Filburn & family Allison Downs & family Roger Mitchell & family

Tonya Rhodes & family Rebecca Warren & family Lisa George & family Richard Burton & family

Bronda Kelley & family Barbara Kosko & family Donna Bowlin & family John Cowden & family Brad Jones & family

Alessandra Adams & family Daniel Cox & family Micheala Hines & family James Thomas & family

Charles Danks & family Marcus Helm & family Brian Sturgill & family Emilean Tindle & family Ashley Helm & family

Christi LaFever & family Edward Cowen & family Schandra Churchill & family Joseph Dudeck, Jr. & family

Dennis Brummett & family Lonnie Brooks & family Danny Goldsmith & family Jennifer Dehart & family James Smallwood & family

Tanitra Snardon & family Rick Collett & family Mike Sullivan & family Debra Cress & family