GE Workers United

Hooksett GE employees want a new voice for workers

2007-03-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

From Hooksett WAGE Committee, March 26, 2007

Time for a Seat at the Table…
Hooksett GE employees gathered on March 14 to begin building a new Working At GE (WAGE) Committee here. WAGE committees can represent employees with legitimate grievances, work with management to fix on-the-job problems and be a voice for our interests as workers. WAGE is an association, not a union.

Frustrated by deteriorating conditions, the idea for a Hooksett WAGE Committee emerged after several employees met with Local 201's Ric Casilli on Feb. 25. Casilli is on the IUE-CWA – GE National Negotiating Committee and is a veteran of three previous national contract negotiations with GE.

Possible role in national contract talks?In past years, other WAGE committees have sent representatives to attend national negotiations in New York. One outcome of forming a local WAGE committee could be a similar opportunity for us. Contract talks are set to begin on May 21.

To our co-workers at Hooksett:
Are you sick and tired of what management is getting away with here at Hooksett?
It won't change unless we change it.

Please join us on Wed., March 28 to work together for more dignity and respect. Second shift: 2:00 – 3:00 PM. First Shift: 3:30 – 4:30 PM. Third shift may attend either meeting.

The meeting will be held at the Plumbers Hall, 161 Londonderry Turnpike in Hooksett. All are invited!

Participation in WAGE is protected by federal labor law!

A New Voice at Work…
Fairness and respect for all employees are top concerns of Hooksett WAGE Committee!
When Hooksett workers met on March 14, we had a wide ranging discussion about some of our major on-the-job concerns.

While everyone has their own gripes and pet peeves, the most important concern was a sense that local management is too focused on the "needs of the business." It needs to be balanced with making Hooksett a good place to work where everyone is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Some of the top issues that united all of us were:
• Hooksett absentee policy. Local interpretation of the policy is unreasonable. For example, if we miss three days in a row, it's three "occurrences." Like other locations, it should only be one "occurrence" for each absent period.

• Personnel policies. Our rules and procedures should be spelled out and adhered to. Instead, we have a "chalkboard" employee handbook that can be changed any time. It is applied as management sees fit, with too many hidden, unwritten rules.

• Production quotas. The policy of posting our names and production output is divisive. It leads to poor quality and is an incentive to mis-voucher.

• Job combinations. If we are asked to do more, then our skills should be rewarded at higher rates.

• Training opportunities. We should be offered more training so we can upgrade to better jobs.

• "Needs of the business." Why is it constantly used to justify why no one can upgrade?

• Health and safety. When someone is injured management shouldn't "blame the victim." And we shouldn't have to complain five times to get a problem fixed!

Top union negotiator rallies IUE-CWA Local 201 members to oppose cuts in health care benefits

2007-01-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

UE national rep. separates fact from fiction on GE's real health care costs

Lynn, MA – With less than four months before the start of national GE contract negotiations, a top union negotiator told almost 300 GE's River Works union members and retirees that there is no good economic reason for GE to shift its medical costs to employees.

Speaking at Lynn's Connery Post 6 on January 23, United Electrical Worker's Stephen Tormey said, "GE's insurance cost increases have actually been below national averages. More importantly, as a percent of both the company's total revenue and profits, its costs have remained essentially unchanged."

Tormey is the Secretary of the UE-GE Conference Board and one of eight top leaders of the Coordinated Bargaining Committee that involves than 14 international unions.

"Despite continuing record profits, GE is trying to create an atmosphere of inevitability about the need for savings on its medical costs for both active and retired employees," said Tormey after directly quoting several senior GE managers. "It's especially ironic given that in just the last month the company had the cash to spend almost $15 billion on acquiring three new companies!"

GE announced on January 19 that its full-year earnings from continuing operations were a record $20.7 billion, up 11 percent from 2005. National contract negotiations with GE are expected to begin in early May. The current GE national union agreements covering about 20,000 workers expires on June 17, 2007. It also indirectly impacts tens of thousands of retirees, non-union workers and lower level managers.

"Everyone – current members, pre-age 65 retirees, and post-age 65 retirees – should be prepared for an attack," added Tormey. "It's imperative that we educate our fellow members about the company's faulty assumptions. But we won't win by being right or having the best argument. The only way to fight back with GE is to get more members involved in the contract campaign and united behind our union leaders at the bargaining table."

Support from the community will also be essential for a successful contract campaign. "If we let large corporations like GE get away with passing on their costs to employees or cutting benefits to "save" money, then they lose their incentive to work for meaningful reforms that are needed to hold down costs and improve access to high quality care for everyone," said Leslie Greenberg who chairs the Lynn Health Task Force. "By resisting GE's health care concessions, GE workers and your union are making an important contribution to the reform movement. And by taking a stand, you are forcing GE to be part of the solution!"

The meeting was also attended by representatives from Jobs with Justice, a coalition of labor and community groups that has often helped unions oppose insurance concessions.

"Over the years, our members have made sacrifices in wages and other contract areas to maintain decent medical benefits," said Local 201 Business Agent Ric Casilli. "Even so, our costs have steadily been rising. Currently the average member with a family of four pays an estimated $1,100 annually for medical coverage and $360 for prescriptions. Post-65 age retirees and their spouses are burdened with average costs of $4,632 annually – a huge hardship because there is no cost of living increase in their monthly pensions." Casilli is also a member of the IUE-CWA National Bargaining Committee.

In January 2005, GE changed its medical plan for managers, making all newly hired managers pay for all of their pre-age 65 insurance coverage once they retire and ending its post-age 65 Medicare supplemental insurance completely.

A recent survey of GE union members showed that preserving medical coverage was members' number one priority. Members walked out nationwide for two-days in January 2003 to stop GE from raising premiums.

IUE-CWA Local 201 unites more than 2,400 manufacturing and other workers on the North Shore for the good jobs that our communities need.

Learn more about how IUE-CWA Local 201 unites manufacturing and other workers for the good jobs that our communities at: http://www.local201iuecwa.org

Additional pictures from the January 23 membership meeting may be viewed at: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AZM2Thu0atFEw0

Unions and community groups show solidarity with Gillette workers

2006-06-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

From the June 27, 2006 IUE-CWA Local 201 Electrical Union News, By Rand Wilson, Local 201 Organizing Director

Gillette recently announced that in October it is closing part of its razorblade packaging center affecting more than a hundred jobs. The decision is the latest in a series of job cuts by Gillette's new owner, the giant multi-national conglomerate Procter & Gamble based in Cincinnati, OH.

The labor-backed Merrimack Valley Project (MVP) sponsored a march and rally on June 17 demanding that Gillette provide a fair severance for workers and compensation to the community for the economic and social costs of the plant closure. There was an impressive showing of support for the workers from many local unions including IUE-CWA, SEIU, Teachers', UNITE-HERE and the Merrimack Valley Labor Council. MVP is a regional organization of religious congregations, labor unions and community groups.

The Gillette "pack center" is located at Devens Industrial Park (on the grounds of the old Army base near Ayer). Devens is managed by a quasi-public agency, MassDevelopment, which aggressively pursues companies to locate business in the park using a mix of development subsidies, tax breaks and streamlined permitting.

Gillette took advantage of these deals to set up its razorblade packaging center. Many other companies including General Electric, American Superconductor, Netstal Machinery, Nichols Aircraft, UPS and Xinetics have also set up facilities at Devens.

Gillette has also not renewed its lease on the larger remaining pack center operation employing 350 full-time and as many as 700 temp employees. A social impact study showed that if Gillette closes both plants, it could affect as many as 1,825 jobs in the area and cost taxpayers at least $26 million.

MVP has been organizing workers at the packaging center for several years to pressure Gillette to create more permanent full time jobs and stop discrimination against the largely immigrant work force hired by its subcontractors.

Although Gillette has more than 3,000 employees at its South Boston, Andover and Devens facilities, none are united in a union. Now that it's owned by P&G, local Gillette workers have no voice in decisions about their future that are being made by managers in Cincinnati.

A survey of P&G's operations shows that many of its 110,000 workers in the U.S. and around the world are members of unions. Thousands of P&G's employees at its Clairol, Folgers, Sundor and pharmaceutical subsidiaries are union members. So are hundreds of Gillette workers in St. Paul, MN and Janesville, WI. If Gillette workers in Massachusetts are ready to stand up and fight back, they can count on help from Local 201 and the support of other unions to gain a voice with this giant company.

For a copy of MVP's Economic Impact Analysis and an overview of unions at P&G, contact Rand Wilson at the union hall (781) 598-2760 or by email at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org.

Hooksett and Lynn GE workers urge Rep. Bradley to maintain funding for good full time jobs

2006-06-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

From the June 6, 2006 IUE-CWA Local 201 Electrical Union News

GE workers from the Hooksett and Lynn plants who live in southern New Hampshire met with Representative Jeb Bradley seeking his support to "dual source" the contract for the advanced Joint Strike Fighter aircraft engine. Bradley serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is a member of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. The Bush Administration has opposed dual sourcing the JSF, cutting out the GE/Rolls JSF engine.

"We make high quality aircraft engine parts," said Beverly Murdough who helped spearhead a petition drive supporting the "dual source" contract in the Hooksett plant. "We're proud of what we do and hope Congress will allow us to keep doing the work."

After listening carefully to brief presentation from the lobbying group, Bradley indicated his strong support for continuing GE's role in the Joint Strike Fighter. He said he would closely monitor the pending Defense Authorization and Defense Appropriations bills to make sure the provisions for dual sourcing are maintained. Congress is expected to send the final bills to Pres. Bush for his signature sometime this summer.

Working together for a more secure future
The delegation to Rep. Bradley also sought his support for a new "Strategic Materials Protection Board" that is included in the House version of the FY '07 Defense Authorization bill. The proposed board is charged with drawing up a list of materials critical to national security and then requires the Pentagon to buy only U.S. made items from the list. This provision, and similar "build America" measures are generally opposed by the Bush Administration.

"The Strategic Materials Protection Board and Build America programs are good for national security and common sense for the economy," said Local 201 Bldg. 40 Steward Randy Hodson. "I hope Congress and the President do the right thing."

Employee Free Choice Act
Local 201 President Jeff Crosby concluded the meeting with a presentation to Bradley about the importance of reforming America's labor laws so that more people can unite at work for the good jobs that America's communities need.
"Recently, many Hooksett GE workers have contacted us about forming a new WAGE chapter for a stronger voice in their future," said Crosby. "They should be allowed to do that free from management intimidation or retaliation."

The proposed Employee Free Choice Act would allow faster certification when a majority of employees sign up to authorize a union. The bill would also establish stronger penalties for employers that violate U.S. labor laws. The legislation (S. 842 and H.R. 1696) currently has 215 co-sponsors in the House and 42 in Senate. Rep. Bradley said he would get more information about the bill and consider it.

Together we get results
When GE workers are united in IUE-CWA, it gives employees added strength in the community and with our elected officials. That's why GE managers in Lynn have actively sought union assistance in the campaign to secure duel source funding for the Joint Strike Fighter. And it shows how effectively GE management and its unions can work together towards common goals.

Yet, the Hooksett "employee handbook" clearly spells out management's views on employees having a united voice at work. "Hooksett employees have chosen to operate without union representation. We have been very successful operating Hooksett this way…we should never have the need for a union."
What the handbook doesn't say is that the decision about unions and a voice at work isn't up to Hooksett management. By law, only the employees can make that decision.

The meeting with Bradley was an example of how Local 201 members can work cooperatively with Hooksett GE workers on our common issues and concerns. Much more cooperation is needed to break down old stereotypes about "Lynn union people" and provide opportunities for people from both plants to get to know one another better. An excellent opportunity for joint activity is on the horizon when bargaining begins for a new national contract next year.

For additional information about Build America, the Employee Free Choice Act and WAGE, please contact me at (781) 598-2760 or by email at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org.

(Photo caption)
Political Action
Hooksett's Bev Murdough gives Rep. Bradley copies of petitions for President Bush signed by over 70 workers from the Hooksett plant. Many other workers from Hooksett also contacted Bradley individually. Nearly 1,000 Local 201 members from Lynn signed similar petitions that were sent to Pres. Bush on May 11.

(Photo caption for front page)
New Hampshire GE workers lobby for Joint Strike Fighter
Pictured above with Rep. Jeb Bradley are (l-r) Hooksett's William Doucette and Beverly Murdough who were joined by Local 201 members Randy Hodson (steward in Building 40) and Steve Gauthier (Health and Safety Committee, Gear Plant). The group met with Bradley on May 30 at his office in Manchester, NH to talk about the JSF and securing good jobs for the future at both Lynn and Hooksett. Also attending the meeting were Legislative Committee member Fuzzy Herrick (Bldg. 74) and Local 201 President Jeff Crosby.

GE workers urge Rep. Bradley to maintain funding for good full time jobs

2006-06-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

Workers from GE’s facilities in Hooksett, NH and Lynn, MA met with Representative Jeb Bradley in Manchester seeking his support to reverse the Pentagon’s decision to “single source” its next contract for the advanced Joint Strike Fighter aircraft engine. The single source decision backed by President Bush and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld would kill the engine made by a partnership between GE and British-based Rolls Royce.

The Bush Administration has asserted that a single contract from Pratt and Whitney for the Joint Strike Fighter could save $1.8 billion next year. However, over the long term, dual sourcing of the jet fighter aircraft engines could save taxpayers as much as $12 billion.

At the May 30 meeting, the GE workers who live in southern New Hampshire gave Rep. Bradley petitions to President George Bush signed by over 70 workers from the Hooksett plant. Bradley serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is a member of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.

“We make high quality aircraft engine parts,” said Beverly Murdough, a GE employee from Alton, NH who spearheaded the petition drive in the Hooksett plant. “We’re proud of what we do and hope Congress will allow us to keep doing the work.”

Nearly 1,000 workers from Lynn have signed similar petitions to Pres. Bush. The defense contract could represent about 10 percent of future employment at the Hooksett and Lynn aircraft engine plants.

Rep. Bradley indicated his strong support for continuing GE’s role in the Joint Strike Fighter. He said he would closely monitor the pending Defense Authorization and Defense Appropriations bills to make sure the provisions for duel sourcing are maintained. Congress is expected to send the final bills to Pres. Bush for his signature sometime this summer.

GE workers also pressed Rep. Bradley to support funding for a new "Strategic Materials Protection Board" that is included in the House version of the FY07 Defense Authorization bill. The proposed board is charged with drawing up a list of materials critical to national security and then requires the Pentagon to buy only U.S. made items from the list. This provision, and similar “build America” measures are strongly opposed by the Bush Administration.

“The Strategic Materials Protection Board and Build America programs are good for national security and common sense for the economy,” said Randy Hodson, who lives in Derry and works for GE in Lynn. “I hope Congress and the President do the right thing.”

After a freewheeling discussion about the significance of the defense industry to maintaining high skill, good quality jobs in the New England region, the meeting concluded with a presentation to Rep. Bradley about the importance of reforming America’s labor laws so that more workers can unite at work for the good jobs that America’s communities need.

“Many of the workers at Hooksett GE have expressed an interest in forming a union for a stronger voice in their future,” said IUE-CWA Local 201 president Jeff Crosby. “They should be allowed to do that free from management intimidation or retaliation.”

Crosby outlined the provisions of the proposed Employee Free Choice Act that would allow faster certification of unions when a majority of employees sign for its authorization. The bill would also establish stronger penalties for employers that violate U.S. labor laws. It currently has 215 co-sponsors in the House and 42 in Senate. Rep. Bradley said he would get more information about the bill and consider it.

Additional information about the meeting with Bradley, Build America and Employee Free Choice Act can be obtained from Local 201 by contacting Rand Wilson at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org.

GE workers mobilizing to maintain funding for good full time jobs in Lynn, MA and in Hooksett, NH

2006-05-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Lynn, MA - Leaders of IUE-CWA Local 201 sent petitions on May 11 signed by over 1,000 workers to President George Bush demanding an immediate reconsideration of the Pentagon's decision to single source it's next advanced Joint Strike Fighter aircraft engine from one company.

The petitions reflect work by union stewards and committee members during two month-long membership education and political action campaign to build grassroots pressure on Congress to reverse the Pentagon decision.

In a letter to President Bush accompanying the petitions, Local 201 union president Jeff Crosby wrote, "The GE-Rolls Royce alternative engine for the Joint Strike Fighter makes sense from a public policy and employment point of view. It seems that the Iraq war and the Bush budget deficit is distorting even military procurement decisions for long-term planning. We lost jobs here in Lynn in the 1980s when the Defense Department dual-sourced a GE fighter engine to save money through competition. The same logic should apply now."

A U.S. Senate Armed Forces subcommittee voted on May 4 to join a House of Representatives subcommittee in calling for restoration of funding for a backup engine made by a partnership between British-based Rolls Royce and GE. The Bush-Rumsfeld proposal to kill the GE-Roll project is facing growing opposition in Congress.

The defense contract could mean 800 jobs at GE's Aviation plant in Evendale, Ohio and 300 jobs for the company's River Works aircraft engine manufacturing plant in Lynn, Massachusetts when it goes into final production in 2009. It also represents 10 percent of future employment at the Hooksett, NH GE plant.

The next hurdle is to make sure that the funding is maintained in the Defense Authorization and Defense Appropriations bills that Congress is expected to send to President Bush for his signature sometime this summer. The House and Senate Armed Forces subcommittees voted to approve the contract funding last week. The full House of Representatives is expected to vote on it today. The timetable for a vote in the Senate is still not known.

The Massachusetts Congressional delegation, especially Senator Kennedy and Congressmen John Tierney and Marty Meehan, have played an active role to defend the GE-Rolls project.

Senator Kennedy has called the Local 201 union hall twice to keep union leaders up to date on the bill's progress.

President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have opposed the contract because they believe they could save $1.8 billion next year. However, the union say that duel sourcing of the jet fighter aircraft engines would save taxpayers as much as $12 billion over the long run.

In addition to the River Works plant in Lynn, signatures for the petitions were gathered at Wilmington's Ametek Aerospace and over a half dozen North Shore GE vendors that depend on contracts from GE. Workers at GE's Hooksett, NH plant also made a significant showing of support by collecting signatures. The Hooksett plant supplies engine parts for assembly in Lynn.

A meeting of GE workers who live in southern New Hampshire to discuss the importance of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft program with Representative Jeb Bradley is set for May 15 in Manchester. Rep. Bradley serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is a member of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.

For a copy of the letter to President Bush, contact Rand Wilson at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org

Auburn WAGE Bulletin, April 28, 2006

2006-05-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

Auburn WAGE hosts meeting with member of GE union’s National Negotiating Committee
Our WAGE Committee gathered on April 23 to hear from Ric Casilli, a leader of IUE-CWA Local 201 in Lynn, Mass. Casilli - a veteran of three previous national contract negotiations with GE - will again be a negotiator at talks with top management expected to begin in May 2007.

Casilli came to Auburn to give a preview of some of the anticipated bargaining issues and the timing of nationally coordinated membership activities to spotlight employees' top concerns.

The existing agreement with GE, covering approximately 10,000 members, expires June 18, 2007. Another 10,000 plus union members in 13 different unions will also be impacted as part of coordinated bargaining.

GE has traditionally used the wage and benefit package negotiated with its union members to set the pattern for what it gives to its nonunion workers. Benefits for tens of thousands of retirees are likely to be affected as well.

"Most people know what big business wants these days," said Casilli. "Just about every corporation - even very profitable ones like GE - is seeking to roll back the gains that workers have made in their health care and pension benefits."

The number of workers united in unions at GE has declined from about 35 percent in 1980 to less than 15 percent today.

"We've held off GE in past years, but as union membership declines, it's getting harder and harder," said Casilli. "The only way we can defend GE workers wages and benefits is by uniting all GE workers behind the unions' national negotiating committee."

"That means our campaign has to educate and involve many more workers from non-union plants. WAGE committees like the one here in Auburn are really leading the way," Casilli concluded.

"Everyone at GE should pay very close attention to these national negotiations. Whether you support unions or not, our fate is closely tied to the outcome of these talks." -- Jill Starbird

WAGE members discussed participating in a national survey to help the Negotiating Committee determine members' top priorities for contract negotiations. We also talked about raising funds to send members from Auburn to contract rallies, union meetings and national negotiating sessions.

-- text box

Auburn WAGE voted to join Maine’s Fair Trade Campaign. The campaign is organizing a public hearing on trade issues Thursday, May 11 at 6:00 PM at Andover College, 475 Lisbon St., in Lewiston. Everyone is urged to attend.

The job you save could be your own!

Auburn WAGE Bulletin, April 3, 2006

2006-04-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Kudos to Auburn management!
Jill Starbird, VMC set-up

On behalf of the Auburn WAGE committee I would like to thank our management for some recent positive developments. After mandating mandatory Saturdays, beginning with a Holiday weekend, our MSO and manager of customer service called our department in for a meeting. This meeting was to THANK us for giving the extra effort needed to provide customer service.

I for one was most surprised and flattered. What a good feeling that simple gesture provided.

Management then took back the mandatory vacation/shutdown days acknowledging that it didn't work. And they re-instituted the employee "birthday" meetings!

Some of our co-workers have said that WAGE is always too negative about GE and our local management. But now it appears that better communication between workers and management is beginning to emerge. It is a step in the right direction and the WAGE committee is more than happy to give our thanks for listening.

Handbook committee shows management is more level headed than we thought!
Tom Casey, Type A setup & operate

Over the past few months, I served on the company handbook re-write committee. Initially I was apprehensive about it. But to my surprise, my fears were unfounded and management showed that it could be both a good listener and patient.

We met eight to ten times and I felt that all of the employees on the committee were listened to -- and respected -- at each meeting.

We went through the old handbook line by line. Everybody had a chance to suggest changes. Of course the challenge for all of us was to balance the legitimate needs of the business with our needs. We always were looking for a middle ground. As a result the end product was not perfect, but we did make some improvements.

On one occasion, by trying to fix one problem, the committee created a bigger one. Fortunately, we were allowed time to show a draft to everyone in the shop, were we got feedback on the mistake and were able to correct it.

As pleased as I was with this process, it really solidified my support for WAGE and for eventually having a collective bargaining rights here at Auburn. It showed me just how a union negotiation could work here -- with give and take on both sides toward a common goal.

If we were united for our common interests in a union, the big difference would be the support and backing we would receive from the national union.

We would have access to independent research showing us how people in other GE locations are dealing with similar problems and with the solidarity of the many other unionized GE locations, we would have more clout to achieve our goals.

Just as importantly, if we were united with the rest of the union manufacturing plants, we would add badly needed "strength in numbers" for the upcoming national negotiations to protect our medical benefits, pension plan, and wages.

The new handbook is a real improvement. But it is not legally enforceable and GE can change it at any time. And just like any document of this nature, it is only as good as the people who administer it. Nevertheless, by sticking together in WAGE, we can use the grievance procedure to keep management on its toes and make sure they live up to it.

GE: go BIG
(From page 7 of GE's 2005 Annual Report)

Note 7, Pension Benefits
"We sponsor a number of pension plans. Principal pension plans, together with affiliate and certain other pension plans (other pension plans), detailed in this note represent about 99% of our total pension assets.

"PRINCIPAL PENSION PLANS are the GE Pension Plan and the GE Supplementary Pension Plan.

"The GE Pension Plan provides benefits to certain U.S. employees based on the greater of a formula recognizing career earnings or a formula recognizing length of service and final average earnings.

"Certain benefit provisions are subject to collective bargaining."

We all have a BIG stake in upcoming negotiations with GE concerning our health care and pension benefits!
Get up-to-date information by email.
Auburn WAGE Committee members have forms to provide your e-mail address to WAGE or you can sign up just by emailing wage@local201iuecwa.org.

E-mail addresses will be kept confidential.

How labor's fight for "health care for all" can help build new strength for all GE workers!

2006-03-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

On February 20, 3,600 aerospace workers at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT went on strike because management wants to shift the burden of skyrocketing health care costs to its employees. A month later, they are still on strike.

Local 201 members (and all WAGE supporters) cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. If management succeeds at Sikorsky, it will only embolden GE to seek similar concessions in contract talks with our union negotiators next year.

Why fight for health care for all?GE workers must prepare now to rise to the challenge of defending their health care and retirement benefits in an environment where affordable employer-based coverage is rapidly disappearing. How long will the increasingly small number of workers who have good plans (like at GE) be able to hold on to what we've got?

That's why it's essential to link our union's campaign to preserve health care and retirement benefits for GE workers to much broader reforms that would benefit everyone. Failure to do so divides us from the majority of working people who now already pay a large share of their health care costs, or worse, have no insurance at all. That makes it all too easy for the company to paint members' resistance as just stubborn selfishness.

What's the link to organizing?The struggle over "who pays" is also our best opportunity to demonstrate to the non-union majority of workers at GE -- and elsewhere -- that our ultimate goal is not just hanging on to what we've got, but using our power to win real reforms that benefit everyone.

A look back at history shows that when the labor movement fights for broad benefits like Social Security and Medicare that help everyone, it creates an environment that stimulates more workers to organize.

In Massachusetts, more than 35 unions -- including the North Shore Labor Council and CWA District One -- have joined a movement to amend the state constitution to make health care a right for everyone. It's an ambitious plan, and undoubtedly opposition from big corporations and special interest groups will be fierce. But this campaign offers an immediate opportunity for union members to take a stand for real reform so that all workers see our union in a struggle for 'justice,' not 'just us.'

Learn more about the campaign at www.healthcareformass.org.

Text box
Support the Sikorsky Strikers! Contributions to support the Sikorsky strikers and their families should be made payable to: Teamsters Local 1150 Strike and Relief Fund, 150 Garfield Ave., Stratford, CT 06615.

Auburn WAGE Bulletin, Feb 6, 2006

2006-02-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

Working @ GE by the Auburn WAGE Committee, IUE-CWA, Feb 6, 2006

Mandatory overtime at GE Auburn: "Not a good thing!"
By Ray Dargie, A60 Utility, second shift, Auburn WAGE Committee

Federal and state laws do not place limits on the number of hours an adult employee over 16 years old can be required to work. However, limitations on compulsory overtime are often established by collective bargaining agreements reached between management and labor.

Since management at GE Auburn is not bound by any union contract, it has the right to impose mandatory overtime. For most of us, mandatory overtime has been kept to a minimum - and that's a good thing!

For those individuals directly impacted by mandatory overtime, the benefit of a fatter paycheck is often overshadowed by statements from management like, "If you don't work, I'll have to write you up."

Threats like that, or similar ones, serve no purpose other than to create animosity between labor and management - and that's a bad thing!

Forcing people to work overtime under any circumstances does much more harm than good. Compulsory overtime attacks the very core of what makes GE Auburn a good place to work. It lowers morale and produces an air of negativity throughout the plant. In the end, quality, quantity, and customer service suffer - and that's a bad thing!

Mandatory overtime hurts the local economy because it lets GE get away with not creating the good full-time jobs that our community needs. And by taking people away from their family and civic responsibilities, it also hurts the community - and that's another bad thing!

Mandatory overtime speaks volumes about how a company manages its business. GE Auburn is capable of doing better. Compulsory overtime (even when imposed legally) is a black eye for the company - a black eye we don't need!

While mandatory overtime has never been imposed on me, I have seen its affect on others. Hopefully someday compulsory overtime will be a thing of the past at GE Auburn -- and that would be a very good thing!

Plant shutdown gamble
Tom Casey, Type A setup & operate

George Santayana said, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Why do I say this? Because the Auburn plant is about to repeat history as our next forced shutdown day approaches. Forced shutdowns haven't worked well in the past, so I'm always surprised that management continues to use it.

Before writing this article, I asked around for opinions about why people liked shutdown days.

It appears that some individuals who work in traditionally high production areas gamble on the fact they will be asked to work when the shutdown day comes around. Then, as a reward, management allows them to take a vacation day whenever they like, which ignores seniority and the company's own policy regarding the 10/20 percent rule.

So let's see if I have this right. If I am asked to work but choose to take the shutdown as planned, that's bad for customer service. So I'm a "bad employee." But if I "cooperate" by working the day as asked, then I can take a day off during the summer. Now I'm a "good employee." Brilliant!

The only problem is that now an even greater number of employees are out, which potentially harms customer service even more!

This policy is blatantly unfair to non-production workers, who seldom get asked to work the shutdown days. And it also creates a culture where some crafty employees can use the system to their own advantage.

The remedy should be clear, either drop the shutdown day practice or shutdown when you say you will. Since I can't believe management really thinks this policy is a good one, it appears to just be an "us against them" tactic.

Management is trying to save face and should admit this failed policy is wrong. In the mean-time, without a real voice in our affairs, we can only sit back and watch as history repeats itself.

Round table discussions: Much to do about nothing!
Chris Hartwell and Jill Starbird, VMC set-up

Recently Tom Lavalle came to Auburn for a "round table discussion" with employees. We can take some credit for raising issues in our "Working@GE" bulletins here at Auburn that prodded corporate to do an employee survey and send Mr. Lavalle.

We also had good representation of WAGE Committee members in attendance at the meetings. It was great to see so many employees who had never spoken out before bring up very specific complaints.

Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a roundtable discussion turned into a one-sided meeting. Lavalle had a slide show with the questions and answers from the survey. He told us the results and sometimes asked what our take was on some of the questions. If he didn't want to discuss a question, he would conveniently just move on to the next slide.

Our issues were generally not about wages, health care or other benefits that GE has to offer. We had questions about employee morale and the future of our jobs. Fairness, consistency, integrity, you know, all the issues we have a problem with here at Auburn.

As far as we're concerned it was yet another smoke screen to have us believe that management is responsive to our concerns. The end result...much to do about NOTHING!

It's a good thing that we have WAGE here. United in WAGE, we have a much better chance to have a real impact on these very issues.

(Excerpted from The Spirit and The Letter…)
Fair Employment Practices
Fair employment practices do more than keep GE in compliance with applicable labor and employment laws. They contribute to a culture of respect. GE is committed to complying with all laws pertaining to freedom of association, privacy, collective bargaining, immigration, working time, wages and hours, as well as laws prohibiting forced, compulsory and child labor and employment discrimination.

Get up-to-date information about developments concerning your GE health care and pension!
Auburn WAGE Committee members have forms to provide your e-mail address to WAGE or you can sign up just by emailing wage@local201iuecwa.org. E-mail addresses will be kept confidential.

WAGE victory at GE plant shows need for labor law overhaul

2005-12-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

Workers at the GE-owned Johnson Technology aircraft engine plant won an important victory on August 27 when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) upheld an earlier regional decision that the company violated federal labor law.

The NLRB ruled that management illegally:· Stopped workers from posting union literature on employee bulletin boards;· Threatened workers with discipline because of their support for forming a union;· Attempted to limit the free speech of workers about the union only to breaks, lunch and after work while permitting other non-work related discussions to go on at any time;· Interrogated employees regarding their views about unions and about their work-related grievances with a promise to remedy them.

This is the second time that Johnson Technology was the found guilty of violating its workers' rights at the plant in Muskegon Michigan. The entire decision (Case 7-CA-43375) is on the NLRB's website at: www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/shared_files/decisions/345/345-47.pdf or contact me at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org for a copy.

A slap on the wrist
Because of the company's frivolous appeals and delaying tactics, it took nearly five years from the time the labor law violations occurred in 2000 for the NLRB to reach a decision.

Then, after all the harm that management's illegal interference did to weaken workers' efforts to unite in IUE-CWA, Johnson Technology was only required to post a short notice on its bulletin boards saying that it wouldn't do it again!

Let's see: the company flagrantly attempts to smash the workers' organizing efforts and then five years later it's required to post a notice! Where is the justice in that?

That's why thousands of people marched in Boston and across the country during International Human Rights Week to protest massive violations of workers' freedom to form unions and the weak labor laws that allow companies like GE to get away with it.

What can be done about it? We need to build a movement to win the Employee Free Choice Act that would require employers to recognize a union after a majority of workers join it, provide tougher penalties for labor law violations and allow mediation and arbitration of first-contract disputes.

Because that law is not likely to pass soon, many unions are working in coalition with groups like Jobs with Justice to rally community support for workers seeking to form unions. That strategy is already making a difference. Visit www.massjwj.net to find out how.

Why do non-union GE plants treat temporary workers like second-class citizens?

2005-11-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

I recently met with the WAGE Committee in Auburn. Members there told me how GE is using too many temporary workers in the plant.

It's a story that I have heard all too often at GE. Somebody retires or quits, and instead of posting the job, GE fills it with a temp worker from an agency like Manpower, Inc. or Labor Ready.

GE (and many other employers), promise the temps that if they work hard and show their dedication to the job, they will be made permanent. In effect, it means workers are required to go through two probationary periods.

In Auburn, GE told one temp worker that if he worked a year, he would be made permanent. After eleven and a half months, management laid him off. Just imagine how he felt.

About a month later, still looking for work, he took another temp job at GE. Upon returning, the first thing he asked was if he worked two more weeks would he qualify for a permanent job? Guess what GE told him? "Sorry, you have to work another year." Shortly after that he quit.

When employers use lower wage temp workers, it may save money in the short run; but it eventually undermines productivity. And while there may be the occasional legitimate need for temp employees, GE is clearly abusing it.

Our nation fought a bloody civil war in order to give truth to the words, "Freedom and Equality." While temps aren't slaves, they are being treated like second-class citizens.

When companies owned slaves, it dragged down the living standards for all workers. Today, the shift by large corporations to hiring more temps with low pay rates and no benefits is once again affecting all of our living standards. And by further dividing people at work, it makes building unity on the job that much harder to achieve.

Over a hundred years ago, slavery left so called "free" workers feeling "lucky to be free." The widespread abuse of temps today has the same effect. It leaves those of us who still have a full-time job feeling "lucky to have a job."

Do you know someone who is trapped in a part-time, temporary or dead-end job? Call Rand Wilson at (781) 598-2760 ext 25 or email me at rwilson@local201iuecwa.org.

In text box
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 2.6 million people employed at temporary help agencies and another 3.8 million people employed in the broader category of "employment services." which includes "leased" workers and other non-standard arrangements. [Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Major Economic Indicators, Employment Situation, Table B-1.]

Celebration honors nine workers retiring from GE Somersworth (WAGE Bulletin)

2005-11-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

Over 50 General Electric employees, family and friends attended a special party at the Gateway Restaurant on Thursday, October 27 to celebrate the retirement of nine workers from the Somersworth GE plant. The party was sponsored by the Somersworth WAGE ("Workers at GE") Committee.

Long-time WAGE leader and 36 year GE employee Jack Quinn from Rochester received a special plaque recognizing "His outstanding service on behalf of his co-workers and his tireless support for workers' rights at General Electric."

Quinn and the other eight retirees are leaving the company on a special union-negotiated program that allows workers with high seniority to take early retirement without reductions in pension, supplements, and medical benefits. The program, known as the Special Early Retirement Option (SERO), also mandates that the company replace each vacant position, creating upgrade opportunities for existing employees and new job openings for younger workers in the community.

Upon receiving the award, Quinn told the gathering, "We should all be grateful to the union members who won the SERO for us in their contract negotiations with GE. In my case, it means that I could get out four years early."

Quinn closed the festivities with an appeal to his co-workers, "People at the plant often need somebody to stick up for them, and that's what our WAGE committee is all about. Don't ever give up. Join WAGE so that we can keep our managers on their toes."

Why does GE treat temps like second-class citizens, and why should we care?

2005-11-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

by the Auburn WAGE Committee
GE is using a lot of temporary workers at Auburn. Somebody retires or quits, and instead of posting the job, GE fills it with a temp worker from Manpower.

GE promises the temps that if they work hard and show their dedication to the job, they will be made permanent.

Auburn GE told one temp worker that if he worked a year, he would be made permanent. After eleven and a half months, management laid him off. Just imagine how he felt.

When GE uses lower wage temp workers, it may save money in the short run; but it eventually undermines our plant's productivity. And while there may be an occasional need for temp employees, Auburn management is clearly abusing it.

Another example was the temp who worked with us for about 8 months. Although wherever she worked in the plant she was praised for her skill and work ethic, she was overlooked for a permanent job in favor of another temp who had been here for less time.

When the HR manager was asked why, he said, "It looks like she slipped through the cracks." That's little consolation to the temp, who was then told to "hang in there." It raises a question about the process used to decide who is hired.

Our nation fought a war in order to give truth to the words "free and equal" and to end slavery. We aren't slaves at GE and neither are the "Manpower" workers who help us.

But the temps ARE treated like second-class citizens. They don't get the same pay for the same work. Although they don't have the benefits that we enjoy, there is no real difference between us. It's just the luck of the draw.

As employees know we are expendable to GE. We can be replaced at the drop of a hat. And just as easy as not, we could be like the Manpower workers: On the outside looking in.

There is no moral justification for any worker to be treated like a second-class citizen in this country.

Hiring more temps with low pay rates and no benefits drags down the living standards for all of us. By further dividing people at work, it makes building unity on the job that much harder to achieve. Over a hundred years ago, slavery left free workers feeling "lucky to be free." The abuse of temps leaves those of us who still have a full-time job feeling "just lucky to have a job."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 2.6 million people employed at temporary help agencies and another 3.8 million people employed in the broader category of "employment services." which includes "leased" workers and other non-standard arrangements. [Source: http://bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t14.htm table B-1.]

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

2005-10-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

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.

# # #

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

2005-10-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

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