Good Afternoon Members,
The Committee has been busy the last eight days working through the stacks of surveys, collective language and putting plans together to formalize the proposals this round of negotiations. It's a tremendous amount of work, as we have over 50 years of history that forms the back drop of the CBA. We were also joined by District 3 Director, Steve Hunt, again today. We had planned to meet with Vince Ready tomorrow, May 7th, as he was acting as a facilitator under Article 3.07, our contracting out language. Unfortunately, we have had to delay until May 26th/27th as Vince has personal issues to attend to. As a committee, we went over the long history of Article 3.07. For some, like Corey, Jeff and myself, it's been a major part of the challenges we have faced over the last 9-10 years. For the rest of the committee, it was a history lesson of what the language means, how it works and how it has paid off since 1989. The discussion led to some very good questions about process, reasoning and how we got here. Plainly put, the Company made us aware years ago that they "didn't like the language", that "it gives the Union to many rights" and "we are willing to deny every grievance and do what ever we want anyways." It seems this approach has finally caught up to them again. The first time, we won a $500,000 dollar settlement for the violation of 78 contracting out grievances, and prior to that, we had won every single contracting out arbitration since inception. All total, that's 88 / 0. Pretty good record, yet they still continued to violate continuously. It's one of, if not the most, important pieces that protects our jobs from contractors, protects our jobs during a layoff and creates more jobs if the language is applied properly. We have recaptured shovel bucket repairs, box liners, hydro vac, machined parts, and many more tasks, along with countless major projects. We have continued to build our own fleet of haul trucks and do major shutdowns in the mill and mines, all with our own employees. Not many places in industry does this happen, but here, it's due to the language we had fought for in 1989. It's the one big hiccup that has to be addressed on May 26th and 27th, or it's going to be a major issue at the bargaining table. If the Company is allowed to continue to abuse the language like they have for the last multitude of years, it will continue to plague us moving forward. We will see more contractors, less full time employees and less opportunities for advancement. As one high level arbitrator stated, Article 3.07 "gives the Union a substantive right". We have to protect it at all costs, as with it's down fall and failure, it would start a chain of events that would be extremely harmful long term. Contracting out is just one of the many issues that need to be addressed at the bargaining table this round. So much so, we have had to book extra days to continue through our list provide by everyone. The support for the committee has been outstanding. We appreciate the feedback and positive comments, so thank you. On a last note, it sounds like the Company is going to try to push the mandatory KN95/CN95 mask thing again. There are several reminders that are very important to know about. First and foremost, no one can force you into any unsafe work situation. If the Company is stating that only way to be safe while working in close proximity of another worker is to wear PPE, which should be the last line of defense at all times, then you have the Right to Refuse that work. Social distancing is the only true protective means you have to avoid getting sick, as a mask is NOT 100% effective. It's only a barrier that is there to add another level of protection above and beyond the 6 foot rule. No one can force you to work in close proximity. Second, we are not alone. USW 9346, representing Teck Elkview and Coal Mountain, are fighting back as well. They have several campaigns planned to push back against this latest Corporate agenda, which we have been informing key stewards and members about. Down to the brass tacks, they are afraid of the new rules, which would compromise their ability to make massive profits during record breaking copper numbers. Till the next update! In Solidarity, Your Local Union Bargaining Committee To the membership,
As we start the process of building bargaining proposals, it's good to see the committee collaborating and thinking outside the box. Little words like "may" and "shall" have big implications imposed in the right places. You may get vacation this year, or you shall get vacation this year. For certain groups, getting vacation is pretty difficult, as the Company continues to cut crews and vacation allotment, all while producing record profits! As reported by Teck, they saw a %247 increase in first-quarter adjusted profits in Q1. Copper has been hanging over $4.50 a pound, which is really good for them, so it should be equally good for us. It surprising to see the continued drive to cut costs and bypass critical repairs and shutdowns. Climbing the corporate ladder must be harder than we thought..... Speaking of that, the committee was quite surprised by the amount of staff who responded to the surveys! Over 40, with great commentary on some of the problems they are experiencing. Guess everything isn't all good on their side either. People have been asking for more details on the process of bargaining, so we would like to take some time to stop and explain. As much as we will, and want to, discuss everything we are doing, building or proposing, we have to be extremely careful on what we put out. The Company is tied into every network, Facebook and email system, and constantly remind us of that by gloating they got an email blast. By informing you, we will be informing them. So what will we communicate? Once we enact the plan we have in place, we will provide constant updates on dates we plan to meet with the Company, progress at the table, issues or hiccups, and all important information pertaining to bargaining. We will provide as much information as possible, without giving away our position(s). We also want to be able to communicate directly to you, so we will hold onsite meetings, give the CAT team information and launch strategic campaigns as we progress through the bargaining cycle. It's also a good reminder that information that you hear or rumors that are started are put to rest quickly. There is nothing better than a good rumor, but it can do a lot of harm before it does any good. Get your information from a reliable source! Thank you for everyone's support so far, keep up the solidarity and keep informed! In solidarity, USW 7619 Bargaining Committee PS - DID YOU KNOW? In 1999, as part of the Company's bargaining strategy, they laid off 19 of our brothers and sisters? We called them "the hostages", and the Company proposed getting rid of them in order to sign the contract. Obviously, our Union said no way, fought for 109 days to get them back to work and signed a deal which kept them all employed. That's where the "Remember 99" stickers came from. "We start together and we will end together" |
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August 2021
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