Jun 5, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Brothers and Sisters, I want you to know these very important negotiations for you, are front and center for our entire union.
Please know that you have the solidarity of myself, the entire IAM Executive Council and 600,000 Fighting Machinists from across North America.
I want to especially thank your IAM Local S6 Negotiating Committee, District 4 and Eastern Territory staff for all of the hard work you have done and will continue to do during these negotiations.
You have my commitment that the full resources at every level of our union will be available to you in order to get the best possible contract for our membership.
In these extraordinary times, it is imperative that we stay united.
Now more than ever, our solidarity is our greatest strength.
This union has persevered and emerged stronger through wars, depressions and pandemics because we have spoken with one voice.
You are the best in the world as your craft—building of state-of-the-art ships for our men and women in the US Navy.
Each and every day, you are living proof of your motto—“Bath built – best built.”
Together, we will emerge from these negotiations stronger and more resilient in our fight for your seniority rights, and economic and job security for all our members
God bless and God speed, Brothers and Sisters.
Jun 3, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Brothers and Sisters,
Be prepared for the latest “Conceptual Proposal” on Schedule B.
If you thought traffic was bad before, wait until the start of 2021!
All facilities will have the same hours of production.
That’s ALL facilities will be working 7:00 am – 3:30 pm for day shift. 2nd shift will be from 4:00 pm – 12:00 am, and third shift will be from 11:00 pm – 7:00 am.
Article 30, Subcontracting
Well, folks here it is, the Company needs a way to supplement the workforce!!!
1) ALL capital work will be subcontracted without negotiating with the Union.
2) Eliminating the joint agreement process when supplementing the workforce with subcontractors or temps in response to a lack of mechanics, equipment, and/or facilities. With this massive pile of shit, the Company would not have to hire, they could just create a supplemental workforce.
Remember all those times the Navy came to BIW and highly praised the men and women who build the best warships in the US Naval Fleet. How many times has BIW sung the praises of the legacy of Bath Built is Best Built? Well, brothers and sisters, those days will be long gone, becoming a fading memory of what once was if this arrogant, insulting, incompetent management team gets their way.
These proposals are absolutely atrocious and BIW is truly showing you what they think of you. Again, they thought they needed all that versatility in 2015 and did nothing with it. Now they want more with no ability to prove their wants will work. This is just another failed experiment with our futures in the balance. This will cripple the city of Bath and the entire state of Maine. IF YOU’RE NOT PISSED OFF BY NOW YOU SHOULD BE, WE MUST STAND UNITED AND FIGHT BACK TOGETHER!.
These updates will continue to be posted on the Local S6 Facebook page as well.
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Negotiating Committee.
Jun 3, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Brothers and Sisters,
This is a friendly update to some of our senior members. We currently have roughly 1269 members who would be eligible to apply for your Union Pension without a reduction in benefits prior to December of 2021. Many of our members would probably prefer to work to full retirement in lieu of leaving before 2021. As we are halfway through negotiations, your elected negotiating committee believes that each member of this group should reassess their future plans to make an informed decision that best suits you and your family. 7 out of 8 members of this committee happen to fall into this category. We all have a new perspective on our future. The Company will not survive with their plans for the future. We have continued to fail as a Shipyard as a result of decisions made by disconnected engineers. We do not want members to plan for a future at BIW that will not exist. If this group waits beyond 2021 and something happens at BIW prior to their full retirement age they will take a significant financial loss. All 8 committee members are concerned with BIWs future. Fortunately, 7 of us can reassess and make an informed decision prior to 2021. We will all certainly do that based on what the Company has proposed. Please take the opportunity to reassess your future. We suggest that you complete your retirement paperwork to assure you are protected. Remember, if something changes after your paperwork has been submitted you can withdraw that paperwork up until your actual retirement date. Don’t allow managements horrendous decisions to financially impact you and your family.
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Negotiating Committee
Chris Wiers Rock Grenier Ray Gauthier Rob Jacobs
Bill Barrows Marc Bubar Andy James Doug Hall
Jun 3, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
YOUR SENIORITY IS UNDER ATTACK!!!
- Code 10 MOA- 8/28/2002
- Article 3 – Hardships; Company picks and chooses who gets one and who doesn’t
- Article 7- Loans; Company wants to select who goes on loan and who doesn’t regardless.
- Article 8- Apprentice two-year program; lower seniority by two years
- Article 10- Shift changes = move to off shifts/new hires
- Article 11- Pick who they want after crew
- Article 18- CTO Company can regulate
- Article 32- picking who goes up to 50 people
- Article 38- Transfer; Company can prevent you from going to a different trade regardless of seniority
- Article 44- Manning/Demanning; Company can move you between facilities as they wish
SENIORITY IS THE UNIONS SACRED COW. PLEASE PRESERVE IT!
Jun 2, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Brothers and Sisters,
The Company passed across Article 7; Classifications, in conjunction with the Classifications Task List.
The conception of this nightmare was drafted up by BIW’s Director of Trades Evan Gilman. The evident lack of true production knowledge presented itself as soon as we opened the packet. How this man still possesses employment at BIW after having access to arguably the most versatile contract in recent memory is staggering.
The Company is now wanting to increase the list of flexibility, stealing from almost every trade, all in an effort to reduce management responsibility.
Clearly, from the Unions perspective, there should be a job opening for the Director of Trades in the near future for lending a helping hand to Dirk and his band of engineers to cripple this shipyard.
Remember, Dirk Lesko is trying to follow in his father Newland Lesko’s footsteps who was involved in forcing the Union out of International Paper. Apparently, he’s trying to keep the family tradition alive. International Paper went on strike in 1987 and the rest is history.
We don’t want to be part of history; we want to be part of the future.
Company Proposed Article 7 Changes
- Long term loans are picked by management and will prefer senior qualified volunteers where business needs can accommodate (management decides)
- Loans longer than four weeks: non-volunteers may take a voluntary layoff in place of a loan (no unemployment)
- Notification can be sent to Local S6 up to one day late
- Loans may be between facilities
- No loans into a classification on involuntary layoff (voluntary no longer counts)
- The Company can loan into a classification with employees loaned out
- The Company can have long term loans out of a classification that is hiring
- Long term loans can begin on any day of the week
- Employees on loan are now eligible to be loaned
- Versatility is now for your entire trade not just for your job
- No limit on short term loans
All these updates that have been written and will continue to be written are by the committee and posted on our LS6 Facebook page. We appreciate all the members sharing and supporting us. More updates will come tomorrow….
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Negotiating Committee
Jun 2, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Brothers and Sisters,
Please find below “Highlights” from the Negotiating Committee on proposals that have been presented to the Company.
- Addressing merit raises
- Addressing hiring issues
- Reestablishing recognition programs
- Recognizing three additional Union committees- Womens, Veterans, and Education
- Separating classifications back to how it was prior to 2015
- I02, P16, S14, M06, M08, M10, M12, M14, etc
- Eliminating all 22 versatility tasks
- Eliminating short term loans
- Double time on holidays
- Double time after 12 consecutive hours
- 10 Holidays
- Christmas shutdown regular workweek with the option of code 14s
- Vacation usage without restriction
- Proposed a significant general wage increase for all Local S6 employees.
- Proposed 3-year contract
- Proposed significant ratification bonus (in addition to general wage increases)
- Raises for M03s
- Pension increase of 10 cents per year
- Return to a two-step grievance procedure
- Additional, two hours of pay per week for delayed grievance payouts
- Increased personal business time
- All discipline goes away with a new contract
- Excluding Marijuana for under the influence in Article 50 (discipline)
- New severance package/article proposed
All these updates that have been written and will continue to be written are by the committee and posted on our LS6 Facebook page. We appreciate all the members sharing and supporting us. More updates will come tomorrow….
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Negotiating Committee
