Today we held two special meetings to bring everyone up to date on the company proposal as well as covering the Powell River agreement. The results of the referendum vote for the Wage Delegates to try to negotiate an agreement in return for enhanced severance packages were 84% yes and 16%no. Now with the approval of the membership in our pocket we will approach our management to begin talks. Thanks to all of you who came out. If we can come to some sort of agreement we will call for more special meetings to inform and vote.
Pete Rayburn
President Local 592
i would like to ask the pres and negotiating members to ask the company what the cost saving is for the company to want to get rid of dept seniority for laid off workers.example - theres about 12 laid off members in the ctmp - peroxide plant with alot of training (years)and what savings would it be to take away there dept seniority and fill those positions with people who need alot of training - is this just a convienience for the schedualer. we all earned the right to be in our dept in our line of progression and touching on taking away dept seniority will eventually open up a can of worms wich has happened with other issues in the mill.laid off workers have rights and recall too !!! i'd like to refer to our main wage item on page 39 ARTICLE XX1 SENIORITY section 1 : principles b).... i dont think this should be on the table
ReplyDeleteThe same could be said for the laid off guys in the Shipping Dept. as another example for discussion when negotiating cost saving measures? Thanks for the Blog, what a great idea for keeping members up to date and informed. Good Luck with the talks.
ReplyDeleteThese 2 comments are really very sad.
ReplyDeleteHow much more do you want the senior members of this local to give up?
We voted for the shorter work week to give the junior members an opportunity to work!!
There are only so many jobs available. Do you suggest that another crew 88 should be formed so you can continue to work in your job like nothing is going on!! Perhaps senior employees should be granted temporary postings so they can rent your job and wait until you come back and bump back into your rightfully line of progression department seniority job or what ever the heck it is.
The brothers you are talking about have 30+ years of service with this company working in the same department!! Are you suggestion they should be waiting by their telephone for the scheduler to call them with their weekly schedule while you leverage your less than 20 years seniority. Something sounds seriously wrong with that Article XX1.
Of course you don't think it should be on the table because it favors you over a senior employee!!
Where do you suggest the senior employees work? How about with the contractors. Would that be alright?
i agree that the 2 comments are sad indeed! just where would you like the guys with 30+ years to go? its not like we wanted to lose our jobs in other departments and end up pushing you out of your job! i for one dont want your job! in circumstances like these its just the way it goes.yes you earned the right to to be in your department but we earned the right to retain a job in a major layoff situation such as this.its not fun being laid off..weve all been there at one time or another too but its also not fun being trained on a new job by a member with half our seniority that resents us for taking "their" job away.
ReplyDeleteSome junior guys have faced reality and moved on while some others seem content to sit around and hope for a miracle. It aint gonna happen guys. Why would anyone worry about keeping their dept seniority in shipping? With the cuts coming there by the end of summer (checkers, allocators, dip guys and labour pool) there will be nothing left other than a few of the very senior guys.
ReplyDeletethe only point that matters if it is a main wage item it cannot be discussed or negotiated and it doesn't matter what the members think it is already highlighted by the caucus that if its main wage its not to be discussed,period.seems some senior people should be thinking of possibly leaving instead of bickering on here.your seniority depending on where it is gives u the right to go to work and some sort of job security not the right to just pick what you want to do.keep fighting amongst ourselves and with the company and maybe just shut the whole place down and then think what comming in the gate to do any sort of job would have been like instead of unemployment at all our ages ...lots of mills are shutting down dont think ours wont
ReplyDelete"seems some senior people should be thinking of possibly leaving instead of bickering on here.your seniority depending on where it is gives u the right to go to work and some sort of job security not the right to just pick what you want to do."
ReplyDeleteNot sure I understand this comment? Are you trying to say that senior brothers should go look for another job. Forfeit their employment to you because you happen to work in an particular area not effected? People can learn a new job if they want to.
These little department dynasties that have been created over the years have come back to haunt us!!
Please correct me if I am wrong!!
what i ment is if your eligible for a buyout and there is some offered maybe its something to consider.by leaving i ment why not retire if you have 30 plus years and are eligible alot of members retire with alot less years of service and seem to be happy instead of comming to work for this company that has put us in this position not your junior or senior members ..give your whining a rest because like it was said if dept seniority and seniority in general is main wage its still goin to be there ..
ReplyDeletecould the negotiating team please give us an up-date on whats going on with reguards to talks with the company? even if its just a one line statement to let us know if u are meeting ,if any progress has been made ,and if and when u will meet again.any info would help.
ReplyDeletethanks.
give your whining a rest because like it was said if dept seniority and seniority in general is main wage its still going to be there ..
ReplyDeleteWhining? where do you see the whining? Just because someone states an opinion that you might not like it is called whining? It is a harsh reality that this union must deal with!
Just because someone has worked 30 years in this mill doesn't mean that they are financially able to retire.
the only whining going on here is obviously coming from a few junior people that are miffed at being put out of "their" department(s)give your heads a shake and look at the gravity of this situation! do you really think you'll ever be back in "your" departments? now that there's the possibility of "enhanced" severance packages in the air you want to push the senior guys out? like someone said not everyone with 30 years service is financially able to go, or for that matter wants to go. in the end it will be their choice and don't count on there being enough leaving to save "your" jobs.
ReplyDelete