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.
Wow!!! I am impressed!!! Great work, guys!!! Absolutely innovative and a brilliant way to allow the plant workers to learn about the benefits of a union labor agreement and union representation without the fear of employer reprisal!!
ReplyDeleteHey Newt! Glad to hear from you.Im so glad that the Ibew is representing us at the table.Sam ,Steve,and John are doing a great job in helping us prepare for negotiations. They have been an inspiration to us all. We have hope becauase of the way they have told us the truth and have been up front and honest. The union has not tried to deceive us in anyway and has done the total opposite of what the company told us to expect when we went union. The union has been honest and open and does not try to put down the company. Sam has said it all along that its in our best interest for the company to be succesful yet be fair and balanced with its workforce.
ReplyDeleteAs an example of some of the issues that we are still trying to get in writing is just what the lead in spoke about. a policy to help both the employees and the employer during states of emergency. If you asked any employee or manager what the official policy of Metal container it would be amazing if two people could give you the same answer besides saying "I dont know". This is a major topic and issue at our plant when severe weather or civil emergencies arise.
Bargaining at the table with 363 at our side inspires me to make our plant to become the best in our industry. Knowing that we are creating something that will finally put things in writing and putting to rest concerns that have plagued our plant since the beginning.
Yes this blog is great. It has taken out any fear of reprisal and opened up topics people would be normally fearful to discuss at work.
Happy New year everyone!
Arep has just about said it all. We are quite happy we have joined the IBEW, local 363. Sam, Steve and John have been most helpful both as negotiators and as teachers to guide us through what is probably the first union experience for a lot of our team members. Creating this blog was the master stroke. We were able to voice our concerns, wants, needs and generally vent when needed. We all found out we share alot of common goals that go beyond just being in a union. It has taken a disjointed and fractured workforce and united them towards common goals, a contract, fairness in the workplace and a lot of other topics that were left unaddressed for fear of management reprisal. We are going to hold a rule book that is in writing, and is applied to all, equally.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Thank you President Jones for taking the time to comment on our site. I know you are very busy and it is much appreciated and a great suprise.
ReplyDeleteThis site allowed the people at the can plant to express their views, ask questions and comment without ever being in fear of being punished or picked out by the company as a union supporter.
That is always an issue in every organizing campaign. The company will find out who is involved and somehow make them pay.
This time we told the people that we had a better idea and to just let the union do everything. They in turn, could just continue to do their jobs.
They did their organizing, asking questions and talking about the union on their own time and in the privacy of their homes. It worked perfect.
Please come back and visit us again and help us spread the word about this site to your members and others in the labor movement.
The people who work in the can plant support the union and they are all good, hardworking people who just want a chance to continue to be in the middleclass.
We are going to help them do that.
Thank you again for commenting and come back soon.
Thank you to the IBEW from president jones all the way to Sam, Steve, And John. You are the answer to our problems. Ive been at metal container for ten years and could not understand why nobody from any union contacted us. It wasnt until we had enough that we realized that we had to ask for help. Im glad we did. Thank you. Now our voices are being heard.
ReplyDeleteThe union is great. Support our reps. Im proud to be in a union. Now we can have a contract in writing. Before the IBEW; AB was unfair. Treated the workers like shit. If we called in we got ritten up. That just not rite. Happy new yr
ReplyDeleteNew years eve always makes us reflect on the past. I always think on what has happened over the year, the people that we have lost, the events that have impacted our lives,the good things that we have been fortunate to experience. We at mcc Newburgh as hourly employees have gone through quite a bit this year. Its been a historic time. Many dont realize how important our decisions have been.Tony and management have portraid our decision to unionize as a poor choice. I on the other hand think that it was one of the best and important decisions we could have made.
ReplyDeleteNew years eve also makes me eager to see what good things the new year will bring. I anticipate with nervous optimism that we will reach an agreement with the company. The intentions that we bring into this agreement is to bring all the hard work that we at newburgh have done over the past 22.5 years,the experience and knowledge,the efficiency, the attention to detail,and yes im going to say it , the passion and commit to the future. Our profession is tied to a commodity. We make our commodity more demanded by being very good at what we do. All we want is to reach an agreement so that we are compensated appropriately and that we have a commitment by the company to us that reflects what we have given, and will give them in the future.
Together, the company and its employees have a chance to direct the way the U.S. can dominate an industry. Some fear this. The people in the U.S. shouldnt. Im hoping that we can help jump start something that the U.S. hasnt seen in years. Leadership in the world,an ideal for all to emulate. A benchmark to move us back to being the one to be like. I want the rest of the world to want to be like us again. Thats how important this is.This isnt just about a certain percentage pay raise or more so many days vacation. Its about getting our country back on track. We have to take the reigns and start this movement. So happy New Year, see you on the otherside.
I hear there is goig to be more staff reductions this year . anyone else hear that too?
ReplyDeleteHey 11:30 Are you kidding me? I just read all that positive before you and all you can come up with is an old question/rumor like that? Can I ask you where you heard that from? Was it management that told you that or are you management just trying to wind us up or break our momentum. If that's a legitimate statement tell us the root of it so we can go after it with our Union.
ReplyDeleteAsk the union they might have heard something along time ago.Im not kidding you.
ReplyDeleteI heard the same thing. Not just hourly, salary also.
ReplyDeleteMy hopes for MCC Newburgh and the IBEW for 2011 is that it's a healthy and happy year for all. May the coming year find all of us closer, working together, and being fulfilled and prosperous. Lets kick off the old shackles from 2010 and start working together, the workers, IBEW 363, an MCC managers. It's up to us, all of us.
ReplyDeleteI agree and I want to wish all a happy new year!
ReplyDeletethere will always be staffing reductions when people claim they have too much work. machines come in and do twice the work with no complaining. be happy we all have to work hard. please don't ever ask for less work to do. because they will actually grant this request. be careful what you ask for.
ReplyDeleteHAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL THE MCC TEAM MEMBERS & IBEW SO PROUD TO BE A UNION WORKER!
ReplyDeleteI hear they are not to happy with Sam and his f..k word in the meetings heard at a party that managers were at it was talked about.We love ya Sam Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteOk,ok, we get the point. Lets not fall into the trap. We need to rise above this stuff and move on towards our goals of a contract and getting this place back on track at start up.
ReplyDeleteHey 1:56 Did you say you heard this at a party that management was at? I'd rather hear that f%^^ word than to be lied to for years by MANAGEMENT
ReplyDeleteSo, Todd is now on his way to a sane future... and we are left to deal with those who either 1) have too much time in to leave and are looking for the finish line, or 2) don't have the skill set to move on to a company that is actually world class. Our pet idiot keeps insisting on more with less, accepting sub-standard work by contractors, and doing nothing as much as defending himself against allegations of his obvious incompetence.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that all we can do is raise our game and hope that eventually management will follow...at least the new sup's are good....
Happy, Safe and Healthy New Year to all!
for all the t,m that are putting in for crossover training.do you realize that the only thing you are doing is helping brito make more money? a 19 cent raise. every time you crossover you just saved the company ot money.no more o.t makes brito a happy man$$$$$$$$. think about it who will be happier in the end? i am all for saving the company money but this is to much. how come the front end always suffers when we have a call in. how about shutting that printer down for the shift instead of short staffing the front end.give us a break. lets just think about what they are doing and look at the big picture here. no matter what happens somebody suffers. STAFF THE PLANT.I SURE HOPE STAFFING THE PLANT COMES UP IN OUR CONTRACT.
ReplyDeleteUnity is the only way workers can get a fair shake with a Company , OR the IBEW , so stick together and focus on YOUR rights!
ReplyDeleteSad, but true, the #1 requirement the IBEW Constitution requires of your Bus Mger is to "maintain friendly relations with the employer" and collecting the dues! So he will have to avoid a big fight so long as your dues will keep flowing into the coffers.
GOOD LUCK!