UAW Local 12 plans to raise awareness about possible layoffs

Local 12 President Bruce Baumhower speaks during a protest at UAW Local 12 against the proposed elimination of jobs at the Toledo Jeep transportation facility.

A couple of hundred members of the Toledo-based United Auto Workers Local 12 are heading to the North American International Auto Show on Sunday in hopes of raising awareness of what they see as an unfair move by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to outsource certain trucking duties, potentially costing 88 members their jobs. 

Bruce Baumhower, who is president of Local 12, said the union appreciated hearing Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne’s comments earlier this week on how good a workforce he has in Toledo, and they’re proud to see the Toledo-built Wrangler on display inside the show.

But the local union president also said he wants to push his case that the way the proposed outsourcing of the truck terminal was done fell outside the rules of their most recent contract.

“It's not a protest, it's not a picket against the auto show. We appreciate the stage they put them on, we're going to go in and see them,” Mr. Baumhower said. “We are going to thank Sergio publicly for his comments about our workforce and make our case they should be fully utilized, including our transport people."