April 2025

Greetings, I hope this article finds you all safe and healthy. I’ve decided to take a break from the doom and gloom and political topics for this article. Even though we, as unionists and Americans, must work tirelessly to keep our place at the table, I feel this edition of the Labor News may have enough of that to read. This article will be a goodwill story, one of accomplishment and an ending many of you enjoy and many more of us hope to achieve someday.

This story spans many years, starting and ending at UAW Local 652. We will begin near the end and jump back to the beginning. Many of you who call the Local have noticed we have changed our phone system, and the options are no longer the same. We have updated the options to direct the retirees and active members to the contacts you are trying to reach rather than just pushing zero and waiting for the front desk to answer. Many of you who have grown accustomed to pushing zero and getting Jeff or Sandy have spoken to me and my fellow officers and asked why we would do such a thing as taking away the zero. When we answer, many haven’t believed it and don’t want to believe it.

What is that answer do you ask? Our long-time “Jeff” of all trades has decided to retire and join the ranks of those who spend their days doing as they please after a twenty-five-year-long adventure. Jeff Auvenshine will be retired at about the time this edition hits our mailboxes, and we will begin the post-Jeff era here at the local level. Jeff started his career here in early 2000. Initially, Jeff was hired to be one of our janitors. It was the recession of 2008 that pushed Jeff up to the front desk in 2009. That is when those who called the Local began their introduction to Jeff and when he started becoming the information fountain he became for all those who called. Over the years, he just became more and more knowledgeable about all of our amalgamated units, and he was invaluable to the GM Unit retirees and Benefit Representatives when it came to figuring out the best route for them to take. On top of being an impeccable information cipher, Jeff was also the hall setup guru. Jeff has set the hall up and worked with former United States Presidents, the Secret Service and many other political leaders, including the Governor, multiple mayors, U.S. Senators, U.S. House Representatives, and too many Michigan congressional leaders to count. All of this was done while still taking the time to make sure our retiree chapter has their setup ready when they arrive, including refreshments and our vintage bingo system. As if this isn’t enough, Jeff was our only Janitor and maintenance man for the last fifteen years. I could go on even further about what Jeff Auvenshine has meant to UAW Local 652, but he is a guy who doesn’t need all of the noise; he did all of these things because it was the proper thing to do. Though I only worked directly with Jeff for the past decade, I know he has left a lasting memory here at Local 652 with our retirees and active members. When I started this article, I told you it was a goodwill article, which is what I will close with. I want to wish my friend and newest OPEIU Local 42 retiree, Jeff Auvenshine, all the best with many years of enjoying family and friends. If you can reach out with a call, or if you see him in the wild, please wish him well on his newest adventure! Thanks for everything, Jeff, and don’t be a stranger!

Ben