Posted Jan. 25, 2010
Hello all. It has been a little while since I wrote and I wanted to take some time today to give an update on Convent. I hope everyone had a good holiday and that the new year is treating you right.
We had a brother member lose everything including two pets in a house fire. We have taken collections for he and his family at the Union meetings and a fund was set up at the credit union. I have spoken to the brother and want to pass on that he is very thankful for all that was done. We wish he and his family well.
Consolidations are starting to pick up steam here in Convent. The last of the communications is being done this week in the PUL department and we have received notice that in March the company will begin the consolidations starting in H-4. Notice I said PUL and H-4 as this is what is recognized legally in the Contract. It is no secret that the company is planning to move work from one seniority group to another and combine some work out in the field. Field labs are coming which will cut the lab 3 positions and ops will be losing 9 total. We are still trying to figure out how you can cut postions and add work. The answer we are getting from seinor management is that the hourly folks will just have to learn to do more with less. This is the actual answer that we were given. Folks, please make sure that you take your time and go over your job. Please do not rush and if you are getting hounded for taking your time, let the Committee know so that we can push back. Your safety is what is most important to this Committee as is making sure that everyone stays employed. Maintenance, there has been no talk of cutting as of yet and we do not anticipate any in the near future.
We have put the company on notice that moving work from one seniority group to another is crossing seniority lines. The company says it is not, it is simply moving work. We told the company that the east a/b west a/b lui structure is a violation of seniority lines as per exhibit A in the Contract and they say it is rearranging the business. In my talks with senior leadership, I was informed that it is only my opinion that the company is in violation of anything and that a third party will have to decide. So we are going to arbitration over this and will update as soon as we have any information.
The relationship between USW and the company seems to be getting better. It will never be perfect but it has to get better than what it was the last 6 months. There are some changes in personnel that are playing a factor and the Committee is doing what we can to make sure the membership is treated in a fair and decent manner. Now this doesn't mean that it is fixed by any means, but it is a much better place today than it was yesterday. There is still much work to do and we are a long way from where we need to be but it appears to be progress in the way we engage one another.
If anyone is thinking of running for Union Office, elections will be held in May. The elections will be for President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Recording Secretary, Secretary of Treasury, and stewards. Everyone that has a good address will receive information in the mail about the elections.
For the stewards or future stewards that are reading, there will be some training coming up in which you will engage with front line leadership. This training was asked for by USW and the purpose is to help stewards by going through the process of dealing with issues that come up. You will get a chance to bring up issues that you are having trying to settle grievances and such.
Thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you at the meeting on the first Tuesday every month. There is much that is discussed and we do our best to answer any questions you may have.
In Solidarity,
Darrell J. Heltz
We had a brother member lose everything including two pets in a house fire. We have taken collections for he and his family at the Union meetings and a fund was set up at the credit union. I have spoken to the brother and want to pass on that he is very thankful for all that was done. We wish he and his family well.
Consolidations are starting to pick up steam here in Convent. The last of the communications is being done this week in the PUL department and we have received notice that in March the company will begin the consolidations starting in H-4. Notice I said PUL and H-4 as this is what is recognized legally in the Contract. It is no secret that the company is planning to move work from one seniority group to another and combine some work out in the field. Field labs are coming which will cut the lab 3 positions and ops will be losing 9 total. We are still trying to figure out how you can cut postions and add work. The answer we are getting from seinor management is that the hourly folks will just have to learn to do more with less. This is the actual answer that we were given. Folks, please make sure that you take your time and go over your job. Please do not rush and if you are getting hounded for taking your time, let the Committee know so that we can push back. Your safety is what is most important to this Committee as is making sure that everyone stays employed. Maintenance, there has been no talk of cutting as of yet and we do not anticipate any in the near future.
We have put the company on notice that moving work from one seniority group to another is crossing seniority lines. The company says it is not, it is simply moving work. We told the company that the east a/b west a/b lui structure is a violation of seniority lines as per exhibit A in the Contract and they say it is rearranging the business. In my talks with senior leadership, I was informed that it is only my opinion that the company is in violation of anything and that a third party will have to decide. So we are going to arbitration over this and will update as soon as we have any information.
The relationship between USW and the company seems to be getting better. It will never be perfect but it has to get better than what it was the last 6 months. There are some changes in personnel that are playing a factor and the Committee is doing what we can to make sure the membership is treated in a fair and decent manner. Now this doesn't mean that it is fixed by any means, but it is a much better place today than it was yesterday. There is still much work to do and we are a long way from where we need to be but it appears to be progress in the way we engage one another.
If anyone is thinking of running for Union Office, elections will be held in May. The elections will be for President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Recording Secretary, Secretary of Treasury, and stewards. Everyone that has a good address will receive information in the mail about the elections.
For the stewards or future stewards that are reading, there will be some training coming up in which you will engage with front line leadership. This training was asked for by USW and the purpose is to help stewards by going through the process of dealing with issues that come up. You will get a chance to bring up issues that you are having trying to settle grievances and such.
Thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you at the meeting on the first Tuesday every month. There is much that is discussed and we do our best to answer any questions you may have.
In Solidarity,
Darrell J. Heltz
Posted Oct. 29, 2009
On Monday, 11-16-09, the Committee will meet with the company to bargain on several issues. The issues are pool operators, substance abuse policy changes, and the effects of the proposed cuts. These are in no set order as far as what will be first. All of this will take place next week from Monday - Thursday and Friday if need be. The Committee will continue to do all that is possible to make the company understand that a mistake is being made. We know that two of the positions that were originally talked about as being cut are now being reconsidered. We are also aware of the answer to the question asked from the H-Oil group to company reps last week dealing with this subject in which it was stated that if the positions don't go from there, they will be taken from somewhere else. The bottom line is that David and company have been mandated to get down to a number and that is what he will do, no questions asked.
The company informed the Committee that they will now start counting hours that we meet toward the 600 hour cap that is in the Contract. This is legal and will yet again change the way business is done. This is being enforced in Convent, Norco, and Deer Park. We have been informed that Port Arthur and Martinez are not having this rule enforced. It was made clear that local management will not stand up to upper management. I was one who didn't think things could get much worse but boy, was I wrong. If you take a step back and look at what is happening, ask yourself what has changed. All of us have been here for some time and some of us have been doing the same work in the same manner for some time. We are the constant in the equation. Management, on the other hand, has turned over tremendously and there is little direction at best. The new structure is making things worse as now there are more layers and still there is little work that is getting done. The FCCU had to go down due to a pump issue in which the spare was out and the main was reported in the m&cc meeting for 4 weeks or better. We asked the question about how this was overlooked and have received several different answers.
You need to know that if you ask a question to a manager that is high in the line, you will most likely get a text book answer. We have asked repeatedly for this to stop but it hasn't and we have been informed that it most likely will not stop. So we will continue to file grievances and board charges and we will arbitrate where necessary. We will send out another update as the negotiations progress.
Some feed back that I have received on a personal note from members and from the company is that I need to be more careful what I write in these. I just want everyone to know that I only write what is believed to be the truth by the entire Committee at that time. I do not want to offend anyone in any way but the truth is what I have always written and what I will continue to write. Some notes seem more aggressive than others and it will depend on the situation. All I ask is that if anyone has a question, come see one of the Committee. Don't pass judgement until you know what is going on. We discuss isolated incidents here and at the meetings but you have to look at the entire picture. Nobody got up and thought of this yesterday. It is sad to say but most of the upper management, rlt/elt, are very untrustworthy and will intimidate folks into doing things that they do not want to do. Every practice that we have in Convent, whether you think they are good or bad, is coming under fire and the company wants to change them. And the ones the company wants to change will have an effect on everyone.
Thanks to all who were able to attend the last meeting. We want to remind everyone that the holidays are here and to please be safe. Take your time when doing your task and watch out for your brother/sister as we tend to have alot on our minds this time of year.
In Solidarity,
Darrell J. Heltz
The company informed the Committee that they will now start counting hours that we meet toward the 600 hour cap that is in the Contract. This is legal and will yet again change the way business is done. This is being enforced in Convent, Norco, and Deer Park. We have been informed that Port Arthur and Martinez are not having this rule enforced. It was made clear that local management will not stand up to upper management. I was one who didn't think things could get much worse but boy, was I wrong. If you take a step back and look at what is happening, ask yourself what has changed. All of us have been here for some time and some of us have been doing the same work in the same manner for some time. We are the constant in the equation. Management, on the other hand, has turned over tremendously and there is little direction at best. The new structure is making things worse as now there are more layers and still there is little work that is getting done. The FCCU had to go down due to a pump issue in which the spare was out and the main was reported in the m&cc meeting for 4 weeks or better. We asked the question about how this was overlooked and have received several different answers.
You need to know that if you ask a question to a manager that is high in the line, you will most likely get a text book answer. We have asked repeatedly for this to stop but it hasn't and we have been informed that it most likely will not stop. So we will continue to file grievances and board charges and we will arbitrate where necessary. We will send out another update as the negotiations progress.
Some feed back that I have received on a personal note from members and from the company is that I need to be more careful what I write in these. I just want everyone to know that I only write what is believed to be the truth by the entire Committee at that time. I do not want to offend anyone in any way but the truth is what I have always written and what I will continue to write. Some notes seem more aggressive than others and it will depend on the situation. All I ask is that if anyone has a question, come see one of the Committee. Don't pass judgement until you know what is going on. We discuss isolated incidents here and at the meetings but you have to look at the entire picture. Nobody got up and thought of this yesterday. It is sad to say but most of the upper management, rlt/elt, are very untrustworthy and will intimidate folks into doing things that they do not want to do. Every practice that we have in Convent, whether you think they are good or bad, is coming under fire and the company wants to change them. And the ones the company wants to change will have an effect on everyone.
Thanks to all who were able to attend the last meeting. We want to remind everyone that the holidays are here and to please be safe. Take your time when doing your task and watch out for your brother/sister as we tend to have alot on our minds this time of year.
In Solidarity,
Darrell J. Heltz
