Jun 1, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Brothers and Sisters,
Apparently, the Company hasn’t recovered from their concussion and decided to take a stab at Article 18, Compensated Time Off.
The trauma inflicted was FAR MORE SEVERE than first assessed.
Below is what they want:
C70, S18, Y02, and H18 all will fall under these provisions applicable to Compensated Time Off.
1) Use any of your CTO up to 80 HRS at your discretion.
2) Any CTO used in excess of 80 HRS must be scheduled and approved in advance through an annual schedule in January.
3) All CTO requests will be on a seniority basis.
4) CTO in excess of 80 HRS that was not requested and/or granted in the annual scheduling process may be taken at the Company’s discretion.
So, remember, if you’re a new mechanic in theses Departments with 80 HRS of CTO or less you have full discretion to leave when you want.
Article 44, Manning/Demanning
The Company wants to assign between any facility. Consideration will still be given to volunteers. Employees with a seniority date prior to January 1st, 2016 will be grandfathered at the facility you are currently assigned. So even if your name is on the volunteer list to go to another facility the Company doesn’t have to go to the volunteer list. They want the ability to temporarily assign anyone they want wherever they want.
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Negotiating Committee
Jun 1, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Brothers and Sisters,
Apparently, common sense will remain absent during this process from the Company. It grows increasingly clear why most of all managers who have recently retired didn’t do so to enjoy their golden years, many of them are continuing to work in other shipyards. They saw the direction BIW was heading when Fred Harris came in. When he left there was a glimmer of optimism that faded and burnt out quickly. The lack of actual production knowledge is severe, starting from Dirk Lesko, working its way down. All the management that Dirk has a great deal of confidence in are the very people that have never built a ship. Change is clear and it needs to start with Lesko. He made several promises and wrote checks to GD with no funds in the account.
THIS IS OUR SHIPYARD AND IT PISSES US OFF THAT THEY ARE TRYING TAKE AWAY OUR FUTURE!!!
Article 7 Classifications “Conceptual Proposal”
Here are a few mentionable “LOW LIGHTS” of what transpired this morning from the Company:
- The Company wants the ability to choose any mechanic for a long-term loan.
- They will consider seniority where business needs can accommodate.
- The Company will provide the option to take a voluntary layoff in lieu of being placed on a long-duration loan.
- No loans across shifts.
- The Company may use loans out of classifications that are hiring, or that have loans into the classification.
So basically, the Company will select you and have the ability to put you on loan for the length of the contract and if you don’t like it you can choose to take a voluntary layoff, BUT THE KICKER IS, you won’t be able to collect unemployment. They desperately need skilled mechanics but will allow you to take a voluntary layoff, that’s the mentality we are dealing with.
Article 11 Overtime
The Company gave us a “formal proposal” replacing the “conceptual proposal” we received Friday which reflects exactly the same information we already provided the membership Friday.
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Negotiating Committee
May 29, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Here we go Brothers and Sisters!
The Company passed a few articles, one of the worst so far was “CONCEPTUAL PROPOSAL ON ARTICLE 11, OVERTIME” The Local Lodge President fired back upon receiving this garbage calling it a kick in the balls to our members and a union-busting tactic that won’t be tolerated. Going on to say that we will share this shit with our members and with the Company’s flagrant mismanagement of Article 3, Responsibilities, and all the flexibility and efficiencies how can we possibly be further behind.
Excuses, excuses, excuses, is the only noise that came out of the Company’s mouth, don’t worry, we hit the mute button.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT, the Negotiating Committee is putting out an alert today on other information based on more wants from Company proposals that will make you sick.
This process is so painful, we caught BIW’s General Council struggling to keep his eyes open. One time, a member of our committee timed him for 21 seconds.
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.
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Negotiating Committee.
May 28, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Reporting on contract negotiations day 3. Our Negotiating Committee spent the morning finalizing the remainder of their first proposals. They have been working diligently to make sure they stay on track.
Doing so, the Company responded to the Union today with 1 conceptual proposal, that’s right, conceptual! This is based on a negotiating style called “Interest Based Bargaining”. The Company proposes questions so the Union can provide answers so they now know how to formulate their formal proposal and spin it like they used the Unions ideas to create it. The committee will absolutely not participate in this process. Typical move by the Company where their abilities to manage consistently falls short but desire more control with free answers from the union. NOT HAPPENING!
Our Negotiations Committee is now in a position where the Company owes them counter proposals on 15 different articles but has yet to provide them. Our committee owes the Company NONE! They are trying to hold us hostage on all economic proposals and refusing to give us any work.
One could surmise that they want to hold out because they’re planning on jamming it up are ass and try to steal our seniority in the final days. When the Company finally passes the Union some of its proposals, the committee will share the information as it comes in. They will continue to stand up, stand strong, and stand united to negotiate a fair contract. More updates will come tomorrow….
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Leadership
May 27, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Day 2 of Contract Negotiation
The start of day 2 was approached with some obvious apprehension as day 1 was uneventful. The Company again wanted to show there predictable and regurgitated presentations of doom and gloom. Legally, the Company has the right to present what they want as do we and to delay the process would eventually lead to an unfair labor practice against the Local. So, the Negotiating Committee went back to the table, and when the Company’s presentation started our entire local S6 Negotiations Committee and District Lodge 4 rotated 180 degrees turning their backs to the Company. The Committee had to be present but nothing said they had to watch. After that distraction was over much needed progress was made. 23 no change articles were agreed on as well as the passing of multiple first proposals from both sides. A long day but our Negotiations Committee is there to work. They will continue to stand up, stand strong, and stand united to negotiate a fair contract. More updates will come tomorrow ….
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Leadership
May 26, 2020 | LL S6 Leadership Alerts, Negotiations
Reporting on the first day of negotiations, the first day customarily starts with both parties opening statements, run rules, and desired outcomes. Before starting the Company wanted to establish some ground rules.
Their conversation began with discussions of PowerPoint presentations of where we are and where they think we need to be.
Local Lodge President Chris Wiers stated “We’re not interested in any presentations and it was an insult to think that the negotiation committee doesn’t know where BIW is positioned competitively as well as in the eyes of our customer”.
The Union Negotiations committee is prepared and ready to go wishing to start immediately with no sideline distractions provided by the Company through the way of fruitless presentations.
If the Company still desired to show these presentations the committee would collectively stand up and walk out…. and that’s exactly what happened.
A member of senior management wanted to start with a lengthy presentation and was immediately stopped by our Local Lodge President standing up, united with the entire negotiation committee, three members of IAM District Lodge 4, and 1 IAM Grand Lodge representative, who proceeded to walk out.
We will stand up, we will stand strong, and we will stand united to negotiate a fair contract. We will not be persuaded by doom and gloom presentations and sniveling claims that BIW lacks flexibility.
Our membership swallowed that nonsense in 2015 and we have no tolerance for another serving.
In Solidarity, Local Lodge S6 Leadership
