http://theunionnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/uaw-squanders-dues-on-golf-r...

You thought it was just the executives.  Nope.  the Union are as bad
if not worse than even the financial crooks.,

"United Auto Workers' golf course losing millions

Down a lonely country road far from the interstate hangs a banner at
the UAW's golf course: "Public welcome." But a review of the golf
course and adjacent education center's financial statements indicate
that not enough people have been visiting.

The UAW International's golf course and education center operations on
1,000 acres near Onaway have together lost $23 million over the past
five years, independent audits obtained by the Free Press show. Both
are run as for-profit corporations, according to paperwork filed with
the U.S. Department of Labor, and the UAW has been propping them up
with loans.

"There's a lot of debate over what to do," said Arthur Wheaton, a
union expert from Cornell University. "They've been having trouble
there trying to get enough people to go through there to justify the
expense," he added.

The facilities are reminders of another time when the autoworkers'
union was flush with dues-paying members. But now the U.S. auto
industry is losing money, the UAW is losing members and some people
are questioning the need to keep the money-losing operations.

The UAW and others defend the properties as important assets and point
out that President Ron Gettelfinger has been aggressive about cutting
costs to protect the union's financial health.

While the UAW International has a huge reserve of money, the union
filed financial records with the federal government stating that it
spent about $2.7 million more than it took in during 2007 -- the third
time over the past five years that the union spending exceeded
receipts, records show.

"All you have to do is look at the membership trends and realize that
there was a golden age when they could easily support the education
center," said Hal Stack, director of the Labor Studies Center at Wayne
State University.

"It could be that either things turn around or they sell it," he
added.

From a peak of 1.5 million members in the 1970s, the UAW ranks have
dropped to just 465,000 regular members, according to its most recent
federal filings.

In 2007 the UAW had receipts -- union dues, fees and other income --
of $327.6 million and it spent $330.3 million. While losing members,
the UAW International, since at least 2000, has been able to hold
fairly steady in the amount of money it brings in and spends,
according to federal records. It has $1.2 billion in net assets.

Gregg Shotwell, a UAW activist, is not troubled to learn that the
education center is losing money. "When you are educating and training
union members, that's the business of the union. That's never a loss,"
Shotwell said.

But the golf course is a different story to Shotwell. "We should be
running a union -- not a country club," he said.

The education center, which opened in the 1970s, was legendary UAW
President Walter Reuther's dream -- a place where workers could
"gather and learn and work together to build a community and
solidarity that would help build a strong unity as part of the
educational activity," said Roger Kerson, a UAW spokesman. "That
vision has certainly succeeded."

Walter Reuther's vision

The Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center, or Black Lake, as
it is often called, clearly holds a special place in UAW history.

"UAW members -- if you've never been to the UAW Family Education
Center at Black Lake, it's worth begging your local union president
for an opportunity to attend a conference here," Dona Jean Gillespie,
of UAW Local 602 in Lansing, wrote on her blog, Blue Collar Heart,
last month. "There's a peace here at Black Lake," as though Walter
Reuther's spirit were present.

Last year, 9,000 members attended classes at the education center and
13,000 rounds of golf were played, including 1,000 donated for charity
events and such, Kerson said. UAW members played 4,000 of the rounds,
he said.

"The UAW family education center is an integral part of our union. It
provides very important training and education activities for our
members," Kerson said. He declined to talk about specific operation
numbers or plans for the future.

The UAW Web site says the Black Lake facilities are funded from
interest on the union's strike fund. "No union anywhere in the world
offers an education center of this magnitude to its members. With its
stunning design, beautiful location and warm, open atmosphere it is
the envy of labor educators."

Course cost $6 million

The UAW opened the adjacent Rees Jones-designed golf course, which
reportedly cost at least $6 million, in 2000, before Gettelfinger
became the union's president. The UAW said that it has won several
honors, including rankings by Golf Digest and Golf for Women
magazines.

UAW members and retirees get a 20% and 30% discount, respectively, on
greens fees, according to the course's Web site. Golf with a cart on a
summer weekend costs $85 for 18 holes. The course offers five tees on
nearly every hole to reflect a golfer's skill. The par 72 course can
play from 5,058 yards to 7,030 yards.

"Our objective is to make it a state-of-the-art facility that
continues to provide the best possible education for our members,
while also giving the center the potential to be used during off times
as a conference center for outside groups," the golf course's Web site
quotes Gettelfinger saying.

Wheaton, the union expert from Cornell University, estimates that he
has taught training courses at the Black Lake education center around
40 times over as many as 10 years. "We were part of doing training
programs for the UAW and Ford several years ago, and they started to
say instead of teaching in other places we want to do many more of our
programs at Black Lake, specifically to help utilize the facilities,"
Wheaton said.

Wheaton said the UAW opened the golf course with the hope of
attracting more people to the facility, even going so far as to invite
the public.

Stack, the Wayne State labor expert, said the education center "has
been losing money for some time."

"In the old days, they had a percentage of the per capita that
supported the education center. Obviously when they had a million-and-
a-half members, that was no problem," Stack said. "As they have
declined in membership and dues income, their budget available to
support the education center has subsequently declined."

Stack added: "Given what's going on in the economy, they don't have as
many members to go up there as used to be going up there all of the
time."

When the Detroit automakers hire workers at a second-tier wage allowed
under the new labor contract, Stack said he could see an immediate
need for the education center to help train new members. "One could
argue that the educational effort becomes even more critical," he
said.
Loans keep center afloat

Both the resort and golf course are held by a UAW-controlled holding
corporation called the Union Building Corp, which is a not-for-profit
organization that holds real estate for the union, records show.

The golf course is operated by a for-profit corporation called UBG
Inc., which was set up for just that purpose, Labor Department records
say. The education center, which reportedly has rooms to sleep 400
people, is operated by the for-profit UBE Inc. The union values the
center at $27.3 million.

UBE's management of the education center has generated revenue of
about $30 million over the past five years -- and net losses of $20.5
million. The operations were hit hard last year by a $5.9-million
payment to an employee pension fund. And from 2003 to 2007, revenue at
the education center dropped by 18%.

Over the same five years, revenue at the golf course dropped about
14%. Over five years, UBG has generated a net loss of $2.6 million.
Records indicate that since opening in 2000 the golf course has never
turned a profit.

Audits of both UBE and UBG by Clarence Johnson, a certified public
accountant from Royal Oak, said UBE had a negative retained earning of
$20.6 million and UBG had a $4.2-million negative retained earning at
the end of 2007. The two entities had loans payable to the UAW
International worth a total of $24 million.

Aside from the loans, UAW International's financial statements show
expenses to the UBE for several conferences and other activities. In
2007 alone, the UAW International paid UBE $3.3 million for services.

Also, the union's executive board is authorized to transfer money to
UBE "to help supplement the cost of education activities at the Family
Education Center," a past financial statement to members said.

The losses at Black Lake are small compared with the UAW
International's overall budget, said Sean McAlinden, an economist and
labor expert from the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor.
"That's not going to bother them for a while, but I bet it's something
that they're working at."

"

What does this have to do with the "excecutives or finacial crooks"?
This is a business venture by the UAW that isn't doing as well as they
planned and they will have to see what they can do to fix it or sell
it. Either way, what does this have to do with the price of lettuce in
China? The UAW didn't ask for or recieve any Tarp funds or other
bailout money. Yet you compare them to AIG, who treated their
executives to spa's after they recieved billions in TARP funds? Get a
clue.

I've been there and its not some posh resort like the AIG elite went
to. Its a rustic setting, open to the rank and file membership during
the best months (summer in Michigan) of the year. Any UAW member needs
only apply for the Family Summer Scholarship. We met like-mind people,
UAW brothers/sisters, and fostered lifetime friendships. No one told
us what to think and we never ever felt any pressure whatsoever.

It stand to reason that there are folks out there that wish the UAW,
who created the largest middle class ever, be punished for the
transgressions of the sub prime lenders. This is a pathetic attempt to
stir up discontent, to state the obvious. Remember, first that union
wages drive the prevailing wage rate at any location. Thereby even non
union folks enjoy a higher standard of living. Then real people fought
and suffered for what we take for granted today. It would be
disrespectful to belittle their efforts. Lastly, envy isn't going to
get us anywhere. However, together we can do as those prior to us did
and change the world.

Why does the UAW and or union have a negative co-notation? The
corporate control media created a  stereotypical fat lazy slob and
labeled them. The UAW and unions were considered a good thing from the
onset as they fought for labor. Orwell wrote about how language would
be manipulated to reduce the ability to ever speak the truth. This
lexicon is ever so present in this day in age. As the masses learned
to read and think for themselves. Public Relations was invented to
confuse the common man. Hence, they tell you that you don't need time
and a half for anything over forty hours. They label it Comp Time and
its a good family value for an employee to be with their family. Tell
it like it is and spare us the mind games.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for
light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter." -Isaiah 5:20-

Its about time that the compassionate conservative to come clean and
take personal responsibility for the deregulation, which caused the
financial melt down. I'm beyond mad and willing to forgive. However,
don't insult my intelligence by suggesting/scapegoating/changing the
subject, we voted our mind in 06 and again last year. The UAW is here
to stay and its rebirth/growth is assured by abuses of the past years.