IBEW Local 363 Members At MCC: Solid And Together!

Thank you to everybody for your emails, phone calls and suggestions. It is really nice to hear from those who took a while to see that the UNION is here for the workers. When those who once hesitated, now come on board, it shows that what the IBEW has said from the beginning makes perfect sense:

You are better off IN THE UNION with a collective voice, coupled with the ability to sit at the table with your employer, express your concerns and bargain for fair changes in your working conditions.

In fact, the heavy snow storm this week brought back memories of the confusion that prevails when a State of Emergency is declared. Do we go in or stay home? Will I get in trouble?? Will I get written up?

That storm enlightened some people to the fact that there is a way RIGHT NOW to get that issue resolved and it is at the negotiation table. From what we heard, there are some pretty bad horror stories in regard to driving during state of emergencies and then getting occurrences to boot.

So which side are you on?

If you are on the workers side - then you are on the IBEW side.

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year From IBEW Local 363

IBEW Local 363 would like to wish everyone - hourlies, management, yes votes, no votes a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! We hope we are able to help you have a better 2011 and beyond!

Wow! 85,000 Hits And Two Negotiation Weeks Under Our Belts! Whodathunkit?

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwww! 85,000 hits on a site made for 164 people! That's not too bad! Somebody is interested in this subject of the rights of American Workers to bargain for a contract for sure!

.....and an interesting subject it is. We are having some really GREAT discussions at the negotiating table. When you spend time on a subject you find that there are many facets of that subject that need to be considered.

Your Reps are doing a GREAT JOB at all of the above! They are also representing the ATTITUDE and the COMPASSION and the DEDICATION that ALL OF YOU HAVE.

The company reps from St. Louis will surely be bringing back a positive report on what kind of people are employed in the Newburgh Plant. They see that you have class, are very intelligent and you are deeply concerned about your job and your families.

That says it all.

The IBEW Local 363 is very proud to represent a group of working people like all of you. This is what makes our job - helping good people- worth doing .

We made some pretty good progress in our meetings this week. Every issue is painfully disected and discussed over and over during the process. Your interests are being met every day we meet.

Stay Strong, Stay Solid.............support your reps.

Negotiations Start Back Up: Get Ready!

Negotiations begin again Monday December 13, 2010 at 10 am. and end on Friday December 17, 2010. This week we will revisit the subjects we discussed during the first week but in greater depth. We expect to make some progress this week.

People probably wonder how the negotiatons go throughout the week and how it feels to do the negotiating from inside of the room. I'm sure everyone has their own idea of what it looks like in there.

If you watched the video above you have your answer. That is the same feeling you would get in the negotiating room. You are at your best and ready for anything coming from any direction.

Looking forward to working with your crew reps and stewards this week. You have a great bunch of people discussing your issues!

Stay strong, stay solid give your reps the support they need!

Week One: Negotiations Completed

What a week! We started Monday morning and went straight through to Friday - about 9 hours each day. You can ALL be REAL PROUD of the people that you sent to that table. I believe that the ABINBEV reps see that we have sensible, knowledgeable and fair minded people representing you. Bargaining has been very polite, upfront, candid.

We have discussed many issues already but there is much more work to do.

Some of the subjects discussed so far have been disciplinary procedures, warnings, warning system, write ups, life of write ups and how you challenge a write up, grievance procedure, holidays, vacations, overtime, lunch and break periods, hours, supervisors, safety, tools, medical leaves absence, military leave of absence, return to work rules, company doctors, hours of work, vacations, shutdowns, medical emergencies and attendance policies.

Other discussions were about policies concerning days off, occurrences and what counts as one and procedures that are not clear.

Many times this week it was said at the table that it was a shame that EVERYONE can't be at the table and see the process work. It is truly an amazing thing to be a part of and observe. It works best with all people contributing and discussing their thoughts and the feelings of their co-workers about the subjects at hand.

That is exactly what is happening - you are extremely well represented!

Now we go home and study too. We have one week off and then we start up again for another week straight. We will be revisiting most if not all of these subjects. Every time they make it to the table they are further refined.

So we are moving forward and this negotiation has our full attention. Talk to your reps - keep telling them what is on your mind.

To the few who still resist the effort to give the workers a fair contract - some even within our own ranks - I say this New York Style: fagedaboudit!

The outcome of any contract is so much better than continuing to have no say. Everyone knows that if you are AGAINST that then you are against workers as a whole. We believe most people are not against themselves, their co-workers or their own interests.

Next negotiations: December 13 - December 17

Stay solid, stay strong