Folks,
Greetings from Baltimore, where I am doing some research for a book project that features Leon Day, a member of the Hall of Fame, who only played overseas and in the Negro Leagues and hails from Baltimore.
Leon Day: Normandy Combat Veteran, Negro Leaguer, & Hall of Famer
I wrote about Leon Day, a Normandy combat veteran, in my piece “The 1945 GI World Series in Hitler’s Nuremberg Stadium: Baseball’s ‘Double Victory’ Against Segregation at Home and Abroad.” I presented a research paper at the Baseball Hall of Fame and now am receiving some interest for a book project.
Read my 8,000 word article that heavily features Leon Day.
UAW Compliance Officer Resigns Amid Scandal
The Detroit Free Press today reported that Marni Schrader resigned as UAW Compliance Director. The resignation comes after UAW Federal Monitor Neil Barofsky accused Schrader of propping up false charges in retaliation against UAW Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock in a successful effort to demote her.
The retaliation against Mock came as she attempted to enforce provisions of a federal consent decree that required UAW to solicit three bids for each major contract awarded to outside contractors.
Schrader accused Mock of “weaponizing” the expenditure process. However, an analysis by the federal monitor found that Mock did not politicize the contract process and followed proper procedures for vetting contract proposals from outside contractors.
The federal monitor’s report describes in depth how Schroeder and others in 2024 arranged a “show trial” without due process of Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock. The “show trial” resulted in Mock being demoted from her position overseeing 11 departments within the union. The board also voted her out as one of the few Black women on the AFL-CIO’s 57-member executive board.
However, only the AFL-CIO Executive Council has the power to remove members between AFL-CIO conventions. The AFL-CIO Executive Council looked into the matter and so far has declined to remove Mock from the board.
The federal monitor found that Schroeder did not even give Mock a chance to know the charges against her and present a defense before Fain’s allies on the UAW Executive Board voted to remove her.
"Schroeder never contacted Mock or most of her staff during the preparation of the Report," the monitor wrote. "Instead, Schroeder relied primarily on information provided by individuals aligned with the President’s Office."
Schroeder did not comment publicly on why she decided to resign from the UAW.
For more on the scandal at the UAW, check out our story “UAW Prez Threatened to ‘Slit the Throats’ of Critics as He Pushed No-Bid Contracts with DC Firms.”
Korean Workers Released from ICE Custody
Yesterday, it was announced that the Korean government and the Trump Administration had reached a deal to return to Korea the over 300 detainees in custody.
The United States has said that they would allow the workers to remain in the United States. Hyundai says that the absence of the 300 workers will delay the startup of their battery plant in Savannah by at least 2-3 months.
However, the Korean Government wants workers to return home first before considering whether they want to stay in the United States.
“Our people are deeply shocked and exhausted, so it is best for them to first return home and then later come back to work in the United States,” Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in a statement.
For more, check out Korean JoongAng Daily.
Workers in Tennessee and Michigan Return to Korea
The raid has had a negative effect on other Korean migrants employed elsewhere in the United States.
At a Michigan battery plant, management asked Korean workers to stay home rather than risk another ICE raid. From The Tennessean:
That operation has impacted auto manufacturing operations in Tennessee. Located on the General Motors’ Spring Hill production site, Ultium Cells — a joint venture between the country’s largest automaker and LG Energy Solutions — has felt the ripple effect.
Korean equipment engineers are often sent to the U.S. to “help set up and fine-tune production equipment” and train local employees, the unnamed source told Reuters. They often spend months at the company’s U.S. factories helping ramp up production, according to the source.
LG Energy Solutions has asked its subcontractors to craft contingency plans to hire local workers as the move threatens to slow its U.S. investment plan.
For more, check out the Tennessean.
As Machinists Cross Picket Line, Boeing Union Leaders Urge Contract Approval
In St. Louis, more than 3,200 Boeing fighter jet workers have been on strike for nearly two months. After Boeing cut off health insurance to strikers, union leaders saw an uptick in people crossing the picket line.
Union leaders heavily pushed their members to vote for a five-year contract that includes a 24% wage increase.
“Our members in St. Louis have once again shown that they will not settle for Boeing’s half-measures,” IAM International President Brian Bryant said in a statement. “Boeing must start listening to its employees and come back to the table with a meaningful offer that respects the sacrifices and skill of these workers.”
For more, check out the Missouri Independent
ICE Officers Scale Fence at CIA Headquarters & Create Panic
This week, ICE officers stopped two cars that had immigrants on the George Washington Parkway, which sits outside of CIA headquarters, creating an incident at the spy headquarters. From The New York Times:
Originally some C.I.A. officials believed the incident began with a raid on a nearby construction site, according to people briefed on the matter.
Immigration officers did not notify the agency of any plans for enforcement actions near the agency, adding to the chaos of the situation, according to the people briefed on the incident. In the confusion that followed, the agency shut down access to the complex, stranding some intelligence officers in their cars on their way to and within the parking lot.
For more, check out The New York Times.
Links & headlines elsewhere
- University of Minnesota pickets continue after arrests
- Child care workers in D.C. go underground amid ICE crackdown
- North Carolina electrical workers gear up for jobsite ICE defense
- Darrin Kelly, fiery union leader, to step down from Western Pa. labor post
- Advanced practitioners at UPMC’s Magee-Womens Hospital vote to unionize
- Finally, House GOP has opened an investigation into the slow replacement of UAW strike funds
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, comments and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
