IUE-CWA Local 201 members ratify agreement with GE that will upgrade nearly 300 jobs and help bring new work to Lynn’s River Works

Lynn, MA – Union members ratified a new agreement that creates new opportunities for workers in GE’s Assembly and Test departments to upgrade their skills and improve their pay. The agreement was approved by a 79 percent majority vote at meetings held on October 25 and 26.

When GE seeks to make major changes in the production process that effect skills, pay or working conditions, it must negotiate those changes with the affected union members. In this case, GE sought to combine several existing job classifications – rotor assembly, balance, general assembly, test, and inspection – with the Advanced Aircraft Engine Mechanic position.

As a result of negotiations with the union, members gained new training opportunities on company time and a higher rate of pay for the five groups. The agreement protects members’ seniority and bumping rights. It also makes it easier for union members from other parts of the plant to gain access to these higher paid positions in the future.

The agreement also rewards members with higher pay when they are helping the company with special training, and establishes a “Training Review Committee” to monitor any problems that arise. Four elected union stewards will serve on the committee.

“This agreement won the support of our members because it will bring more jobs to the River Works, especially commercial aircraft engine upgrades and development work,” said union business agent and chief negotiator Ric Casilli. “During five months of hard bargaining, the company knew that Local 201 members were solidly behind our negotiating committee so that these changes would be good for them.”

“This process of negotiation – while at times contentious and difficult – is the best feature of democracy at work. It means workers have a seat at the table and a real voice in their future. That’s good for our members and good for the company. And good for our community too,” said Jeff Crosby, president of IUE-CWA Local 201. “After carefully reviewing the details of the agreement, the overwhelming vote shows that our members believe it is in their best interests.”

The Local 201 Stewards Council reviewed the proposed changes and voted to unanimously recommend the tentative agreement on October 21. The membership directly affected by the agreement met and voted 155 to 50 to approve the agreement on October 25. The rest of the Local 201 membership met on October 26 and voted overwhelmingly to accept the agreement.

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Organizing Update, Electrical Union News, IUE-CWA Local 201

Oct. 18, 2005
Could you be a union organizer?
By Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director

Steve Tucker, who is a long-time machinist with experience in both union and nonunion workplaces, recently joined the Local 201 organizing committee. Steve said that what motivated him to volunteer some of his spare time to organizing was concern about his future pension.

"If we don't get more GE people together in the union, we'll be a lot weaker when it comes to getting the retirement benefits we deserve," he told me one night after his shift.

Since then, he has already begun reaching out to several GE workers whom he knows that work in "not-yet-union" GE facilities.

Norm Hirschfeld, who has been on the organizing committee since 2003, took time off to accompany me on a trip to meet with the WAGE Committee in Somersworth. Having Norm at the meeting allowed GE workers' to get their questions answered quickly because Norm knows a lot about our union, the contract, and GE.

These are just two ways that members have contributed to helping to unite workers. But unless more members begin following their example and talking with other workers, family and friends about the benefits of being united in a union, the labor movement will get weaker.

Believe it or not, being a union organizer is something that everyone can do. It only requires acting on a commitment to build more power for working people. Got commitment?

WAGE
Speaking of WAGE, Somersworth WAGE members report that the company has rehired everyone on the recall list at Grade 2 and is even willing to take people who's eligibility has expired, but still want to work. Sometimes the most obvious thing to do is also the right thing to do. Way to go GE! Now about that mandatory overtime in Auburn...

JWJ meeting
The national Jobs with Justice coalition recently hosted a special conference of groups similar to WAGE that are uniting workers in innovative ways to gain power with their employers.

Representatives from a Wal-Mart workers' association in Florida, a Cummins Engine factory in North Carolina, a sporting goods warehouse near Pittsburgh, a "main street" standards campaign in Brooklyn, and several community-based "workers centers" attended the meeting. CWA organizing director Ed Sabol helped kick it off with a good overview of our union's experience and strategy.

Want to learn more about the Local 201 organizing committee, WAGE, or some of the innovative strategies that groups are using to build power for working people? Contact me at (781) 598-2760 ext. 25 or rwilson@local201iuecwa.org.

Organizing Update, Electrical Union News, IUE-CWA Local 201

Oct. 4, 2005
GE Auburn WAGE members speak out after management scapegoats employees for failure to meet production quotas
By Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director

GE's Auburn electrical components facility did not make its production quota in the third quarter. So management issued a memo reminding everyone about how important it is to keep their breaks short, be at the workstation on time, not linger in the bathroom, etc. They called it getting "back to basics."

Essentially, the "back to basics" mentality shows how management tries to blame employees for the consequences of decisions and practices that workers had no say in. Sound familiar? Several WAGE members in Auburn spoke out about the fallacy of management's thinking in a recent newsletter.

"Every summer it is the same story: increased orders, decreased personnel, and the "have it your way, right away" sales pitch to customers," said Jill Starbird, who does set-up in the VMC dept.

"This summer though, we did not have our Lead to direct us in the most efficient use of personnel and equipment, or coordination with other departments," Starbird continued.

"Customer service warranted that we run a few parts of an order, tear down the setup and run a few parts on another order, and so it would go. We spend more time setting up a job than producing parts."

"Instead of the normal run over three shifts to make 30,000 pieces and then change over, it's 'Run 20 pieces of this' which requires a one-hour change over," said Steve Bean, a welder on the second shift. "Then they tell us run 35 pieces of something else, requiring another hour change over, and then 50 pieces of another part."

WAGE unity works!
In response to WAGE organizing, top management is finally showing some concern at both the Auburn and Somersworth plants.

Somersworth WAGE members passed out a bulletin in early September demanding that the company hire from the recall list. A few days later, a top manager from GE in Atlanta flew up to Somersworth meet with the local managers. Soon afterwards the company rehired everyone on the list at Grade 2.

In Auburn, employees were recently given surveys from Corporate to measure workers' satisfaction with wages and benefits and gauge their morale. Could it be that top management senses that the natives are getting restless?

Organizing Update, Electrical Union News, IUE-CWA Local 201

Sept 20, 2005
WAGE members at GE Somersworth ask management to recall eligible employees instead of hiring temps
By Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director

GE in Somersworth, NH is now hiring as many as 17 people to meet demand for its new I-210 Meter. Management decided to fill these positions with temps. Meanwhile, there are laid off workers with as many as 15 to 24 years of service who are on GE's recall list.

In Lynn, those positions would be filled by workers eligible for recall under the terms of our agreement with GE. But at Somersworth, GE workers aren't covered by a contract.

Instead, the company gives employees' a "handbook" with provisions that are very similar to the national union agreement. The big difference is that workers have no way to make the company follow the handbook's policy. The handbook even has a disclaimer that says, "GE reserves the right to change, correct, modify or revoke this handbook or any of its terms, at any time."

Over the years, Somersworth GE workers have tried to form unions several times. Each time they were frustrated because of aggressive interference by management in their efforts to build the majority support needed to win an NLRB election.

That's why Somersworth employees are using a different approach. Since 2002, they have united in WAGE (Workers at GE) to build unity in the plant and pressure management to make on-the-job improvements.

On September 7, WAGE members passed out a leaflet in the plant calling attention to the injustice of hiring temps while long-time employees are on the recall eligibility list.

According to WAGE member Jack Quinn, the leaflet provoked a strong reaction from management. He said that "all the bosses disappeared for several hours behind closed doors, while workers were happy to see the unfairness exposed. Now we're hoping management changes its mind and fills those jobs from the recall list."

Lynn and Somersworth have a strong historical connection. The meter work in Somersworth was originally done here in Lynn. According to the GE handbook, "Labor trouble in Lynn was a primary driver for the move to Somersworth." It moved half of its business to Somersworth in 1945 and a lot more in 1952. By 1961, all phases of the work were transferred from Lynn.

Local 201 members who are interested in supporting the Somersworth WAGE Committee or who would like a copy of the Somersworth leaflet, should contact me at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org or call (781) 598-2760, Ext 25.

Organizing Update, Electrical Union News, IUE-CWA Local 201

August 30, 2005
Auburn GE workers air concerns about impact of trade laws on Maine jobs with Rep. Michaud
By Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director

Leaders of the Auburn WAGE (Working At GE) Committee met with Congressman Michael Michaud on August 21 to discuss their concerns about the impact of U.S. and international trade deals on the good paying jobs that remain in Maine.

Like many other manufacturing workers, the Auburn WAGE Committee is alarmed that GE and other multinational corporations have exploited trade deals like NAFTA and the WTO to export good paying jobs to lower wage countries where workers have fewer rights and more lenient environmental laws.

GE has already shifted some jobs from Auburn to lower wage countries. For example, some 36 different parts that were made in Auburn and three assembly machines have gone to a GE plant in Mexico.

After hearing about the situation at GE, Rep. Michaud pledged to contact the company and explore ways to preserve good jobs at the Auburn plant.

“Unless something is done soon, the good jobs our community needs are at risk,” said WAGE Committee member Tom Casey, an 18-year machinist at GE and resident of Auburn, ME. “The recent passage of CAFTA (the Central America Free Trade Agreement) will only encourage more job losses. We’ve got to stop the government and big companies from using these trade laws to pit workers against each other. It only results in a race to the bottom that workers can’t win.”

CAFTA will eliminate tariffs from the United States, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua while giving new protections to U.S. multinational companies for operating outside our country. It will extend to Central America the disastrous job loss and environmental damage caused by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

A recent report by Human Rights Watch highlighted how workers in Central America and the Dominican Republic are often denied the right to form unions and bargain collectively. The Bush administration refused to include workers' rights in CAFTA.

“We thanked Congressman Michaud for standing up for good jobs and opposing CAFTA,” added Casey. “But now that CAFTA has passed, we need to work with him on new legislation and other measures to stop the further erosion of good jobs from Auburn.”

Local 201 members who are interested in supporting the Auburn WAGE Committee, should contact me at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org or call (781) 598-2760, Ext 25.

Organizing Update, Electrical Union News, IUE-CWA Local 201

August 16, 2005
Organizing Committee considers new approaches to unite GE and other manufacturing workers with Local 201 members
Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director

Five members of Local 201's organizing committee and President Jeff Crosby met on August 4 to review past efforts by GE workers to organize and to consider different approaches to help them unite.

The committee looked at data showing the history of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) supervised elections and campaigns where GE workers sought to form a union. GE workers successfully built majority support and won elections in six out of twenty-one elections at GE facilities since 1990. In twelve other cases, workers withdrew their petition for an election either because of lack of support or unfair practices by GE.

We decided to get an intern or college student to look into what factors led to workers winning or losing their election.

We looked at a comprehensive list of GE facilities in Massachusetts and the rest of New England. In addition to its transportation division here in Lynn, GE has a major presence in Massachusetts with facilities in Ayer, Billerica, Foxboro, Framingham, Ludlow, Medford, North Billerica, Pittsfield, Townsend, Watertown, Westborough and Wilmington. There are about 30 other GE locations in the rest of New England.

Except for Medford and Pittsfield, workers at the other Massachusetts facilities are not organized.

We reviewed the current status of WAGE (Workers at GE) committees in New England. Volunteers from the organizing committee will be meeting with WAGE members in Auburn, Bangor and Somersworth during August. We discussed the interchange of parts and personnel between GE plants in Hooksett, NH and Rutland, VT with the Riverworks.

The WAGE committee in Auburn is seeking a meeting with Congressman Michaud (Maine) to discuss job loses from the plant to Mexico and other low wage countries.

The organizing committee had a lengthy discussion about outside vendors that provide parts for aircraft engines made in Lynn. Except for AMETEK, all of the workers are "not-yet-union." That means they do very similar work, but without the superior wages, benefits and working conditions that Local 201 members have. It was agreed that we need to better understand the contracting relationship between GE and these firms.

Outside of GE, manufacturing workers are united in IUE-CWA at nine other plants in Massachusetts and Connecticut. There are also about 20 plants where manufacturing workers belong to other unions in the North Shore region. The committee agreed that we need to do a better job sharing the gains and achievements that GE and other union manufacturing workers have enjoyed with workers who aren't yet united.

Members who have family, relatives or friends who might benefit from a union, should contact me at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org or call (781) 598-2760, Ext 25.

Organizing Update, IUE-CWA Local 201 News

Uniting at GE (and other companies) for a Better Future
Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director

The standard of living for most US workers has been in a steady decline since the late 1970s. It's no coincidence that at about the same time, membership in unions also began to sharply decline. Now fewer than eight percent of private sector workers are united in unions. That means that a very small number of union members are trying to set standards for everyone else.

The same trend is true at GE as well. IUE-CWA membership within GE has fallen from 68,600 in 1979 to just 13,500 in 2003. The other unions of the Coordinated Bargaining Committee at GE have fared no better. We are now the proverbial "tail," trying to wag the "GE dog."

Just imagine how this trend will affect the strength of your union at contract negotiations in 2007! That's why CWA is encouraging all IUE-CWA GE unions to do more organizing! Here at Local 201, our organizing program has three priorities:
· Help other GE workers in New England to build "Workers@GE." WAGE committees give GE workers a stronger voice on the job even though they haven't yet convinced a majority of their co-workers about the benefits of uniting at work. Some workers in GE's Auburn, Bangor, Hooksett, Somersworth, and Rutland plants already belong to WAGE. The challenge now is to help them strengthen their chapters.
· Reach out to employees at GE's vendors and subcontractors who often do very similar work as Local 201 members but receive lower pay and far fewer benefits.
· Use Local 201's reputation as a strong and democratic union in Lynn to encourage more workers in any industry on the North Shore to unite with us for a better future.

The days when union organizing could be left to the union officers or a paid professional are long gone. Today, success at uniting workers requires membership participation in a more aggressive "worker-to-worker" approach. After all, who could be more credible about the benefits of union membership with GE workers (or other manufacturing employees) than Local 201 members?

Members who are interested in receiving a report about GE's facilities in New England, a list of GE's vendors in Massachusetts, or a summary of past attempts by GE workers to organize, should contact me at wage@local201iuecwa.org or call (781) 598-2760, Ext 25.

Auburn WAGE Press Release

Press Release
For immediate release: Monday, August 22, 2005
For more information contact: Tom Casey

Auburn GE workers air concerns about impact of trade laws on Maine jobs with Congressman Michaud

Auburn – Leaders of the Auburn WAGE (Working At GE) Committee met with Congressman Michael Michaud on August 21 to discuss their concerns about the impact of U.S. and international trade deals on the good paying jobs that remain in Maine.

The Auburn WAGE Committee is alarmed that GE and other multinational corporations have exploited trade deals like NAFTA and the WTO to export good paying jobs to lower wage countries where workers have fewer rights and more lenient environmental laws.

GE has already shifted some jobs from Auburn to lower wage countries. For example, some 36 different parts that were made in Auburn and three assembly machines have gone to a GE plant in Mexico.

After hearing about the situation at GE, Rep. Michaud pledged to contact the company and explore ways to preserve good jobs at the Auburn plant.

“Unless something is done soon, the good jobs our community needs are at risk,” said Tom Casey, an 18-year machinist at GE and resident of Auburn. “The recent passage of CAFTA (the Central America Free Trade Agreement) will only encourage more job losses. We’ve got to stop the government and big companies from using these trade laws to pit workers against each other. It only results in a race to the bottom that workers can’t win.”

CAFTA will eliminate tariffs from the United States, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua while giving new protections to U.S. multinational companies for operating outside our country. It will extend to Central America the disastrous job loss and environmental damage caused by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

A recent report by Human Rights Watch highlighted how workers in Central America and the Dominican Republic are often denied the right to form unions and bargain collectively. The Bush administration refused to include workers' rights in CAFTA.

“We thanked Congressman Michaud for standing up for good jobs and opposing CAFTA,” added Casey. “But now that CAFTA has passed, we need to work with him on new legislation and other measures to stop the further erosion of good jobs from Auburn.”

Auburn WAGE is a group of GE employees who are working together to improve their wages and working conditions. Pictures from the meeting and additional background about GE are available from IUE-CWA organizer Rand Wilson at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org

Somersworth WAGE Bulletin

Working @ GE
Somersworth WAGE Committee, IUE-CWA
P.O. Box 134, Somersworth, NH 03878-0134
Sept. 6 , 2005

Time to respect our work…
Will GE Somersworth give the people on its recall list a chance?
GE Somersworth has new opportunities for people to work on the fourth floor. That's because our new I-210 Meter - thanks to all of our hard work - is a very profitable product.

Management says they need as many as 17 people to meet demand for the meters.

Management's solution
Local management has decided to fill these positions with temps. Meanwhile, there are qualified people who are eligible for the jobs on GE's recall list.

That's an insult to the people who have work-ed as many as 15 to 24 years at GE Somers-worth. And it's bad for everyone's morale here too.

Because GE doesn't offer regular benefits and premium pay for night shift to temps, manage-ment is having trouble getting the people they need.

Now they are offering us a bounty for every worker we help recruit who takes a job with the temp agency! Not too many people want those $25 gift certificates for Home Depot while our co-workers are waiting on the recall list!

To save a few cents and preserve "flexibility," we are falling way behind in production of the I-210 meters. That's just old-fashioned bad management!

At the August meeting in the cafeteria with Plant Manager Mike Trembley and Human Resource Director Nat Hammond, we asked "Why not give the people on recall a chance?" But management wouldn't seriously discuss it.

A Better Approach
The open jobs are Grade 2 positions. The people on layoff are Grade 1. Management should offer the people on the recall list the work opportunity and allow them to upgrade to Grade 2. It's only a few cents difference!

When we called the HR office in Atlanta to complain, they said: "Somersworth management wrote the policy, they can change it."

This is just like the five-year wage freeze. A local management prerogative.
Obviously, management will keep sticking it to us until we speak up. So how much are people willing to put up with?

Talk to your managers and the local HR staff.
Tell them that it's time to bring back people who are qualified and motivated.

Tell management that making GE a good place to work should be its highest priority.

Remember: The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

Auburn WAGE bulletin

Working @ GE
Auburn WAGE Committee, IUE-CWA Sept. 28, 2005
P.O. Box 1144, Auburn, ME 04211

Management scapegoats employees for its mistakes by telling us to get…“Back to Basics”
GE Auburn did not make its production quota in the third quarter. So management recently issued a memo reminding everyone about how important it is to keep breaks short, be at your workstation on time, not linger in the bathroom, etc. They called it “back to basics.”

Several WAGE members comment below on the fallacy of management’s thinking.

A short fable
Once upon a time there was a farmer who needed money to pay his mortgage. He hitched up his wagon and loaded it with fresh produce and headed out to the market. Along the way he decided to take a shortcut because he had heard it was faster that way.

However the road was treacherous and filled with potholes. As a result, much of his produce either bounced out or was damaged. Since the route was unfamiliar to him, the farmer got lost and wandered around aimlessly.

By the time the farmer finally arrived at the market, he didn’t have much produce left and didn’t earn enough money to meet the mortgage payment.

"How could this happen," the farmer cried. "I've always made enough money in the past!"

After some thought the farmer exclaimed, "I know who's to blame!"

Then the farmer whipped his horses!! "There," he said, "that will teach you to pull my wagon too slowly!"

The moral of this story is: "If you own the farm, you can blame anybody you want!"

One worker’s viewpoint
Jill Starbird, VMC set-up

The VMC dept. lost its Lead person to a temporary assignment. The setup people were to assume the scheduling duties and make commitments to customer service. But unfortunately, most had no prior training.

We were told that the tools would be in place to facilitate this transition. However, the arrival of tools was slow or nonexistent.

The dept. did manage to keep above water until the third quarter -- with its usual increase in orders. Every summer it is the same story: increased orders, decreased personnel, and the "have it your way, right away" sales pitch to customers.

This summer though, we did not have our Lead to direct us in the most efficient use of personnel and equipment, or coordination with other depts.

Customer service warranted that we run a few parts of an order, tear down the setup and run a few parts on another order, and so it would go. More time spent setting up a job than producing parts.

Eventually the Lead was returned to the dept. (perhaps to bail out a sinking ship?). Then lo and behold, the Auburn team did not "make their numbers" in the third quarter. An all employee meeting was held and "the team" was spanked.

Now we’re told it’s necessary to “get back to basics.” Start and stop times, break times. Too many conversations going on, no leaving work area outside of breaks without notifying the Lead. The message was loud and clear. The team missed its numbers -- not because of management's poor decisions -- but because the employees were the slacking off. Once again, management finds their scapegoat.

Another worker’s viewpoint
Steve Bean, second shift weld braze

Second shifters haven’t had too much to say about management -- until recently. But they aren’t happy now about being blamed for low output.

Management is jumping through hoops to meet production criteria in Saltillo.

Instead of the normal run over three shifts to make 30,000 pieces and then change over, it’s “Run 20 pieces of this.” That requires a one-hour change over. “Then run 35 pieces of that,” requiring another hour change over. “Now run 50 pieces of this.”
In May we were doing ok. But when June came around, the plant manager went to Saltillo and many managers went bye bye.

Most of our black eyes are dead load or lack of material due to the fact that while the top brass is away, management fails to obtain material we need to fill orders.

Common sense and hard work built GE. But management’s form of entitlement program will destroy it all.

Maine labor law fails to safeguard workers from management abuse of mandatory overtime…
Here is the current language of Maine’s laws regulating mandatory overtime.

§603. Limits on mandatory overtime
2. Limits on mandatory overtime. An employer may not require an employee to work more than 80 hours of overtime in any consecutive 2-week period. [1999, c. 750, §1 (new).]
Source: http://janus.state.me.us/legis/statutes

But the national union contract does!
Under the National Agreement, employees are expected to work a reasonable amount of overtime. The meaning of “reasonable” varies from shop to shop, but is subject to local union negotiations and the grievance procedure.

Contact WAGE at wage@local201iuecwa.org to obtain a copy of the General Electric - IUE-CWA National Agreement, Article V – Section 8, “Division of Overtime.”

Introduction

This is a blog where information can be easily posted about workers uniting at GE to improve wages and working conditions.