Our union has been meeting with management for several months to bargain our first union contract. While progress has been slower than many of us had hoped when we first organized, we are making steady progress towards reaching a tentative agreement that union members will have an opportunity to review, discuss, and vote on.
Taking the Time to Get It Right
At the bargaining table we’re negotiating a legally binding contract that will address virtually every aspect of our working lives—and we’re starting from scratch. Because the agreement is legally binding and will be ultimately interpreted by a neutral arbitrator every single word matters. This contract will become the starting point for all of our future contracts so it’s essential that we take the time to make sure that we get the best agreement possible.
We’ve already made major progress on many key issues and each time we sit down with the company we make more progress. Stay strong, continue to support your bargaining committee and together we will win our first union contract.
Here are some of the key issues that have already been resolved:
Grievance and Arbitration Procedure—This is the backbone of our contract because it’s the tool we can use to enforce the commitments the company makes in our contract. If a union member thinks their rights under the contract have been violated, they have the right to file a grievance. The union and management will discuss the problem to try to resolve the issue. If we still can’t agree on a resolution, we have the option of appealing the grievance to a neutral arbitrator who would have final say on interpreting the contract.
Just Cause—Management cannot discipline or fire an employee without just cause. Arbitrators have interpreted “Just Cause” to mean that the offense with which you have been accused must be proven and the penalty you receive must be reasonable. As one arbitrator writes, “just cause” assures that an employee must be given “a fair shake.” Without a “Just Cause” provision the company may be able to discipline or fire an employee for no good reason at all – just because they want to.
Safety and Health—Establishes a joint union-management committee that investigates and addresses safety issues and hazards in our facility. With safety and health language we can prioritize fixing hazards, rather assessing blame.
Interim Wax Schedule—Before we had a union, the company could make up whatever schedules they wanted. Now that we have a union the company is required to bargain with our union before making any changes to our terms and conditions of employment. When management wanted to make changes to shift schedules in the wax department, your elected bargaining committee met with management to hear their plans and ask questions. We discussed potential issues, proposed modifications to the company’s original plan and eventually reached an agreement that was acceptable to both sides.
We have also reached tentative agreements on some basic contract language that allows union representatives access to our facility, grant the union bulletin boards, give our elected representatives the ability to take time off to take care of union business, and define what work is covered by our contract.
Your bargaining committee has presented the company with proposals regarding vacations and holidays, overtime, job bidding, shift premiums, contracting out, and what happens in the event of a layoff. We’re looking forward to discussing these issues with management when we return to the bargaining table.
Once we’ve resolved our contract language issues we can move onto discussing economic issues like pay, health insurance, and retirement.
Having a Voice
Our plant is going through a lot of changes as we adjust to being a part of a newly formed company. Many of these changes could negatively affect our lives both in the plant and at home. Fortunately, as members of the United Steelworkers, we have a voice in these changes and can work to do what’s best for all of us.
In solidarity,
Kirmett “KC” Jimmerson, Cissy Glover, Vanessa King, Shirley Campbell, Sederick Wilson