We have been receiving questions on the Warren notice that was sent out by mail.

Everyone should have received the Warren notice if not you should see it soon. It is for the possibility of an upcoming Holliday Vacation shutdown during the slow times at the end of they year. This is business as usual during the 4th quarter and the company is required by law to give notice in advance to any possible lay offs of more than 50 people.

Any questions please contact Ben Salazar at [email protected]

We have signed a contract extension tell Dec 31.

USS & POSCO are under pressure to have a signed supply agreement by their lenders. Until that is finalized both sides have agreed to wait on finalizing the contract talks. According to the USW the parent companies are talking about what the agreement will be, but are confident they will reach an agreement in the near future.

Any questions please contact Ben Salazar at [email protected]

Late last month, Kenny Lewis (X33) was nearly finished with his list of calls to make to shipyard workers who had not joined USW Local 8888. In spite of his friendly approach over the phone, that afternoon the young 8888 organizer had come up empty, unable to persuade any non-member to become a dues-paying Steelworker.

Then Kenny hit the jackpot. Jamaree Good (X32) answered one of his last calls. Kenny, who has been on the local’s Organizing Committee for seven months, was ready to deliver his smooth union pitch. But to his surprise, it didn’t take much persuasion to win Jamaree over. He was ready. He had been in the yard for six years and was searching to be part of something bigger than his own daily work routine. He decided to join Local 8888 because, he said, “I felt like I could be part of the change in the shipyard.”

Kenny and Jamaree’s connection goes to the heart of the union’s eye-popping organizing success in 2019. One-on-one contact, genuine conversations and constant visibility combined to add nearly 1,300 new members to the union’s rolls since January.

Local 8888 President Charles Spivey has made organizing and training the next generation of union activists two of his top priorities. “Folks are really engaged now,” he said. “We’re approaching people at the gates, over the phone, and during home visits. We’ve revamped our message and approach in company orientation for new hires and apprentices. Now, we’re signing up 90-95 percent of them.

President Spivey, who chaired the Organizing Committee before he successfully won election in 2018, said attention to organizing had fallen into “a neglectful state,” jeopardizing the union’s strength and weakening its leverage at the bargaining table. “We had to address that area head-on,” he said. With the company on a hiring binge since 2012-13, the union was representing thousands of employees who did not pay union dues, which was a burden but yet an opportunity, too.

When he put Kenneth “Chan” Lewis (X33) in charge of the Organizing Committee, things started to percolate. Chan, a past 8888 Vice President, brought his vision, his wisdom and his passion for organizing, and he put together teams of organizers who followed his open, direct approach to folks in the yard.

Kenny Lewis (Chan’s son) said his father just told him one day to come with him to the union hall. Kenny, who has been in the union since he came into the yard six years ago, said, “It just all fell into place. It was like it was meant to be for me to be part of this [organizing] that my dad loves so much.”

...

Your pay check this month will be fatter – by 3% -- thanks to union negotiators who brought back a contract in 2017 that over 52 months will add about $15,000 to your paycheck and bank account. But this guaranteed pay raise means a lot more, because it carries the scars and victories of past battles this union has come through. In particular, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the 1999 strike that John Kitchens (X18) calls “a turning point” in the yard and in the union.

He should know. Kitchens walked picket lines in the ’99 strike, and he remembers the hardships well. “Back then, we were getting contracts with bonuses but not real raises to our base pay. Sometimes, no pay increases or even concessions,” he said. “It was rough.”

Kitchens, who has been a Steelworker since 1982, said retirement pay was pathetic in 1999. “A guy with 44-45 years of service could end up getting a pension check of only $335 per month. Some folks couldn’t even afford burial insurance,” he said, shaking his head.

He said the ’99 strike tested the heart and solidarity of Local 8888. “But we came through it with a better contract that had pay rate increases, specialist rates, and the pension nearly doubled from $500 to $900.” Kitchens held up his pay stub and said, “We’ve come a long way:  still going.” He has served on the past two negotiations committees. And he wants newer members to appreciate their 3% raise, because it was “negotiated not given” by the company.

Local 8888 President Charles Spivey echoed the same message. “Frederick Douglas had it right when he said, ‘Power concedes nothing without a demand.’ We won’t backslide when the company is prospering and shareholders are pleased with their take. We, too, have bills to pay, emergencies to manage, and dreams to chase.”

That’s what the 3% really means.