There was a REAL shop steward who carried more weight on his shoulders than anyone realized. Some say he was about to become the chief shop steward He was a really good steward and a good person who endured unimaginable loss. He turned the K&L bay around on all three shifts, and back then everyone knew it—people were disappointed and very very angry before he stepped in, and he fought every day to close the wage gap, improve health insurance, and push for better retirement. Fair and equal pay used to be the core of what the/a union stood for. Cell leaders back then would tell him GE will close the doors have to remain competitive and he would tell them no one would care look at the place plus who else makes the product we make.
But every contract, more was taken away. The D-rates were treated like gold while the T-rates were treated like third-class citizens for the first 4-5 years. With everything he was dealing with personally, it’s no surprise he acted the way he did. He said you only live once try to make it better like GE use to be. He masked the trauma very well members would ask him how he keeps going? But he still showed up and fought the fight 100% with those scars.
No one really knew what he was going through deep down. But everyone knew what happened in his life at that time even The not so HUMAN resources, personnel aka Nicole and Jason.
He didn’t take a sever-ties package. He just needed a break. He resigned with a full month’s notice. After seeing 200 people or so loose their jobs. Co workers the union brotherhood he fought everyday to make waves on split pay scale and T Rates getting treated like rubbish. Versus D rates getting treated like gold.
Fast forward-
When hiring picked back up again I told him to reapply. He got an interview a few years ago, but it sank immediately. He interviewed with Nicole from HR and he said she clearly wasn’t happy she stopped in her tracks when she asked him his name she was shocked he was even in the room—she just went through the interview motions. He knew right then he wasn’t getting back in.
I also spoke to HR—Nicole and Jason—before that interview. They told me directly that they would never let him back in. He was blackballed.
There is nothing “human” about a Human Resources department that treats people this way. They’ve always been against the union, and this is just one more example! So think twice! Don’t fight the fight! Be a puppet let the union leadership make back door deals.
He used to be a shop steward who was steady, calm, and genuinely committed to the job. Then his life was hit with two devastating tragedies: first his mother was ki-led, and not long after, his 15-year-old daughter was ki-led. Even through that grief, he continued to show up and fight for the members.
During the 2017–2018 layoffs, he finally resigned. He was dealing with overwhelming loss and felt stuck in a cycle he couldn’t break. His therapist suggested that stepping away for a while might help him move forward after the two tragedies that happened just a year and a half apart.
When hiring picked back up, he reapplied again late last year He interviewed with the bar shop cell leader, who was highly impressed with him and specifically needed someone with his experience and leadership in the bar shop. Despite that strong recommendation to HUMAN resources department Jason and his proven track record as a go‑getter who always went 100% for the union, HR (Jason) still blackballed him.
No second chance, no acknowledgment of what he had been through—just a closed door. No chance to show how he overcame tragedy and was resilient to overcome adversity. Only a strong person who brought the good fight for the cause to make things better.
He’s a very good man with a very good heart who endured unimaginable loss but yet still tried making things better for the split pay scale, no pension issue and better healthcare. And now he’s permanently shut out by Jason in HR. A real example of how even the strongest union supporters can be written off for reasons that have nothing to do with their work quality.
All the so called friends he had that he represented only a couple reaches out to see how he is doing. Only a few even say hi in public.
He was a steward of around 25 members. Managment did not mess with his crew to much. I’ve seen managers and cell leaders shake when he was around them. Ops leaders and cell leaders hardly came down when the legend was around. Now look at the place only if he could see it now and laugh at the union weakness.
Long live the legend who raised he-l and didn’t back down for the membership for the cause. We need the legend back!