Tuesday, February 8, 2011

It's Not How You Start - It's How You Finish.

Negotiations are still going as well as you could expect at this point in the process. With that said, there may be some people who might be wondering about the amount of time it takes or is taking to negotiate the contract.

I am sure that everyone can understand the sensitivity of publicly and specifically discussing subjects that are or will be on the bargaining table. It would be like telling the car salesman's brotherinlaw that you are willing to spend $34 Thousand on a new car - it doesn't make any sense.

I can tell you that we are covering everything from attendance policies and hours of work to call-in procedures and every other subject that pertains to your life at work. Every issue is being disected and analyzed by both sides of the table. Most of the subjects, particular ideas and concerns came from the people we represent - YOU.

We are exchanging those proposals back and forth and each exchange creates another and another. That is what happens in bargaining. It takes a great amount of time to develop THE LANGUAGE for each and every subject in any FIRST CONTRACT.

We negotiate for only one week each month. The company attorneys fly in for the week from St. Louis. All of the time that we meet is used wisely. We are going over everything that pertains to your job and work. There is almost unlimited subject matter. There are hours spent on each subject during each session. Most are revisited and rewritten many times.

Keep in mind, none of your reps are being paid to represent you and they are all there on their own time.


IBEW Local 363 will spend as MUCH time as it takes to get this contract RIGHT. We are not stingy with time.


So far, we are making progress this week - just as we have in the previous weeks.

In regard to something as important as your own contract I offer you this advice someone once told me:

.....it is not how you start it's how you finish.

49 comments:

  1. I am one of the reps who attends as many meetings as possible. I can attest to what Sam has said about the detail and precision that we move at. It does not make sense to rush through something and then have to come back and do it over again. Our efforts are representing what people on the floor have asked for. union members concerns are being addressed at every meeting. Even recent things that have brought to our attention at the last minute are being discussed and addressed.
    I do appreciate the questions that we have been asked and how interested everyone is in the process. The support has been coming from all over. Internal and external.
    As far as today the company representatives have been very professional and sincere. It is difficult to get together as much as we would like, but One week a month and them traveling to and from St.Louis make our negotiating time difficult to be expediant.
    A time will come when we can say that our work is done but not today.I want to thank everyone of my brothers and sisters for your support. Its a great feeling knowing that we are helping all of us and that we have people who we work with everyday that are so intelligent and devoted in helping us get things done correctly.
    Keep looking forward to tomorrow because it is being molded by great effort and guidance today. Go Newburgh 363!

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  2. I just read your story in the February issue of The Electrical Worker. I commend the unique idea of the online campaign as well as the nature of coming together in unity for your cause. I would encourage you to remain patient, positive and unified during this process. The benefits of collective bargaining as well as the representation of the IBEW will hopefully reflect in a better quality of life for you and your family. We wish you the best.
    Member IBEW #124, Kansas City, MO.

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  3. Thank you to the brother or Sister from IBEW Local 124 for taking the time to stop in and support our effort. We appreciate your thoughts.

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  4. Make it happen reps, we are counting on you!

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  5. God Bless Sam and the crew reps! I know you guys are going to fight for the best interests of the crew. You guys know how important wages and pension is the crews. We are all counting on you guys to fight for the best contract we can get. We are counting our blessings that we have the IBEW on our side. Support Sam and the crew reps, I know they will not let us down.

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  6. Hello Newburgh, Oklahoma City Metal Container has joined the meeting. After reading many posts here I am thankfull for the staff we have here in OKC. Your negotiations could effect us if we ever go union. Best of luck to you & stay positive. CARL

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  7. Thanks for joining in Carl. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to hang around.

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  8. If you think running a production line for 12 hours is arduous - try developing a viable contract that will be fair to employees and company alike.

    Every word matters. The understanding of the intent of the words matter. The thinking through of all the possible implications of the words - matters. The clearer our words in the contract, the less trouble we will have in the future.

    As I said before - this is our first contract - it took us 20 years to get to this point.

    Please be patient and give us the time required to get our contract as precise and as evenhanded as possible.

    Diane Merrill
    B crew Rep

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  9. Diane, you will never know how much I appreciate that you are part of the process.

    Thank you for your sacrifices.

    My thanks to all the reps.

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  10. Congratulations to MCC Newburgh. We lost a big fight to cynicism and lies years ago. I have been a proud member of Local 363 for over ten years. Know this -- if Sam Fratto tells you something you can take it to the bank. His word is gold.

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  11. Hi larry,
    Glad to hear from you. I Hope is all is well. Thank you for the input about the Ibew.Your right about Sam. He has been right so far on everything he has told us would happen.I trust him and have confidence in him and the rest of the union staff.Good man to have at 363.

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  12. I just want to say we have just finished off another week of negotiations. Things are going very well and many thanks to Sam, Steve and Mike and Eric from corporate for all their help and time in helping us acheive our first contract. I just want to say I am proud to represent C crew through the negotiations and spending my time to make sure all the wording and articles are properly done. Once again if anyone has any questions or would like some answers please contact your reps or email Sam. We are here to continue to keep this the number one can plant in the world.
    And I would just like to say a big hi to Larry Birney out there. Hope your doing well its been a long time since we saw you.

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  13. Imagine crew to crew consistency. Imagine not wondering what the attendance policy is. Imagine knowing what your wages will be in the future. The cost of your medical benefits. Just Imagine. Imagine knowing whether or not your going to have a pension. Picture having a real way to fix a disagreement with management. Imagine someone at your side when your in that room all alone being interrogated. Imagine not fearing what a manager could do to you if you disagree with them. Imagine knowing what is right under the law or what is wrong, and having a way to get it fixed. Imagine the day when we can come to work and actually know that whatever the day brings, we have eachother, the union to have our backs.Imagine because soon it will be a reality.Imagine you have a real voice that will not be denied or blown off as insignificant. Imagine we have a contract that does all these thingss. Imagine. Soon you wont have to. Support eachother support the reps and the union. Lets get it right.Lets get it done.

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  14. I am and have been a proud member of Local 363 for 10 years. For the last 6 years I have been the shop steward of GFC Lighting. Myself and the other proud members of Local 363 look foward to welcoming the Newburgh Can Plant to our Local and the IBEW. Do not back down and stand united as we do with you all.As they say there is no I in TEAM. I can speak from experience that Local 363 is there for us all. Vote yes and your voices will be heard. Think of the future before there is none.To Bobby U and all the others involved in making this happen keep up the good work.

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  15. Thank you Larry and Guy for taking the time to comment and for your kind words about me and our IBEW Local 363. It really is great to have others support you and that is what the union is all about - us supporting each other. Thanks for chiming in.

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  16. I heard that jacksonville and arnold just signed a contract is that true?

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  17. I dont know. I hope they got at least 4 % a year and 4 in the pension. I wonderhow much the medical is costing them now?

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  18. When is the last time we got that kind of a raise and boost in our pension 11:13? Maybe I wasn't here for that.

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  19. Thanks Dennis for the support. It has been a long road we have traveled and we know that the end destination is going to be worth the trip. We are strong and united and looking forward to tomorrow.

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  20. They didn't get 4%, or even 3%, or even 2%. they got 1-1.5%. Basically offsets dues. They have something like 3-4% gainshare. Get a copy of them posted on the blog please. We need to be able to see it to be informed about what we think is realistic. I don't think it is 4% a year. Who are we kidding?

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  21. Sam, are these good numbers for Arnold and Jacksonville? Or is this a no vote messing with our heads? What are the facts?

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  22. MCC Mira is waiting in the wings. Is MCC Newburgh still getting Gainsharing, Pension and 401K through all of this?

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  23. yes we just got are bonus check last weak 8% and all else is still good at this time

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  24. But will you still have that when contract is done? Heard the gainshare gets cut?

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  25. Glad to hear that! Hopefully Gainsharing won't change during your contract negotiations. We keep hearing talk about our pension going away, probably within the next 2 years. Everybody is very concerned about that here in Mira Loma. Any scuttlebutt about that in Newburgh?

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  26. During our past Union drives in Mira Loma, the company made statements that the MCC Union Can plants didn't have gainsharing.

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  27. SAM thank you for posting archives. people will be able to catchup on our fight to remain #1. also they will be able to see how working together we are able to fight against corporate AMERICA . god i love this country and the ability to voice my opinion without fear for telling the truth. if any of you no votes still exist.STOP THINK REALIZE WHAT IS HAPPENING ///WE< THE COMMON WORKERS AND 363 WILL SHOW THE WORLD THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER PROTECT EACH OTHER AND MAKE OUR COMPANY PROUD OF WHAT WE DO. // BE SAFE BE PROUD BE 363 PROTECT EACH OTHER RESPECTFULLY

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  28. Good job Dakota. You are right. We must together show the company that we are professional,skillful,devoted to all the priorities that they have set.I dont know that fight is the right term though. I think that after showing or teaching the company that results oriented workers need to be compensated more than just above median compensation of the industry.We set standards for others to follow here in Newburgh.We are willing to go and have been leaders at all that we do.If our company wants to be the leader in our industry then we must follow the great traditions set by years of investments in its people that got it where was at its best.Benchmarking. Does that ring a bell? We have set the benchmark in the past and we can in the future IF the company wants to make those investments that made us great.
    Keep strong and devoted to the company and to eachother. Keep the ideas coming to our reps. We can use our work ethics,talents,tenacity and knowledge for can making to stand behind us as proof that we are worth the investment.
    Go 363 Go Newburgh!

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  29. I heard pension wants to be changed to a defined contribution like management but less in 2012.

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  30. What is a defined contribution plan? How is it different than a IRA or 401k plan? Do we have more control over the funds in a defined contribution plan rather than a pension fund? What happens to the funds that are in our pension now? Thank you in advance for any helpful information.

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  31. A defined-contribution plan is a plan in which an employee’s benefits during retirement depend on the contributions made to and the investment performance of the assets in his or her account, rather than on the employee’s years of service or earnings history. Like a typical savings account, a defined-contribution account contains a specific balance at any given time, which is equal to the market value of the assets accumulated in the account. Unlike with a defined-benefit plan, employees have substantial control over how the contributions to their plan are invested and may generally choose from an assortment of stocks (often including company stock), bonds, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles. Examples of defined-contribution plans include 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and 457 plans, all of which share similar characteristics.

    * The proportion of employees participating in defined-contribution plans has gradually increased over the past several decades, and today stands at about half of all workers nationwide. However, within the defined-contribution universe, savings and thrift-type plans have grown in popularity at the expense of profit-sharing plans.
    * Compared with defined-benefit plans, which offer employees an annuity at retirement, defined-contribution plans are riskier for employees, because the employee bears the risk of underperforming assets and extended longevity. This risk can be muted if employees use the assets in their defined-contribution plan to purchase annuities at retirement.
    * Contributions to defined-contribution plans are tax-deferred, meaning that neither the employer nor the employee pays tax on the initial contributions or accumulated earnings. However, the employee does pay tax when funds are withdrawn. Exceptions to this rule are Roth 401(k) plans, which tax contributions when they are made rather than when the contributions are withdrawn.
    * Withdrawals from defined-contribution accounts are generally not permitted before age 59 except in certain circumstances, such as the purchase of a first home or the payment of certain educational or medical expenses. In these circumstances, tax penalties may reduce the value of the account.

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  32. Very informative comment from Anonymous said...
    When broken down to it's lowest common denominator
    and interpreted the way MCC does, it means simply this. In the very near future MCC hourly employees that currently enjoy a Pension benefit AND a 401K will no longer have both. Just the 401K....The part that is causing great concern for MCC hourly employees is just how MCC plans to terminate the Pension benefit.

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  33. Well Bandito the nice part about us being a union is that we can sit across a table and talk about it.Not just being told the way its going to be. In negotiations we discuss the impacts that proposals pose for both sides. We dont expect that everyone can see everything all the time.Concerns on both sides come out on everything we talk about.
    The one common denominator for both sides here is that we want the company to do well, however we do not want that at the expense of its employees. Im sure that most of the salaried staff feels the same way but just cant talk about it because of fear of reprisal. I bet if they had a way to protect their benefits and wages and the things that they value they would join a union too.

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  34. Bandito,I hope you all watched what they did to management at ABInbev.Metal container is an after thought. They realize that we are good for the company now. Now they want to suck everything they can from us. Look what they did in belgium to their own people and look what the union had to do there to get them to talk.

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  35. I am a no vote and I don't see why we can't just trust the company to take care of us for the rest of our lives without a contract. We can trust that they won't do anything bad, change any rules to be not in our favor without explaining it to us all first or take anything we have away from us and I bet the raises woulkd be 4% minimum and pension will probably be increased by $4 dollars too.

    Why do we need a contract when they are just willing to give it all away to us????

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  36. No Voter, please take a look at what we've lost already.

    I don't know how long you've worked here, but over the years we've lost steadily.

    Also know the only reason our health benefit costs did not go up as planned this year is because our Union was voted in.

    Sit back, think about it, and I think you'll come to the conclusion that without our Union, very bad times would be ahead for hourly workers.

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  37. wow good run last night frontenders, backenders and general techs.I hope everybody swiped in.

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  38. History is a great teacher. Now everyone knows that the labor movement did not diminish the strength of the nation but enlarged it. By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole nation to undreamed of levels of production. Those who attack labor forget these simple truths, but history remembers them

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  39. I would like to know how no vote came to the conclusion that the company was going to GIVE us anything. 4% $4 in pension! What planet are you living on? I trust the company, As far as I can throw them!!!!

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  40. to the no voter they have taken alot away from us and you will see your pension disappear to. They will raise our contributions on health care sky high also. The reason we stayed at 28% for our contribution is because we are in negotiations with the company. Trust me this is the right way to go. Remember we are owned by a foreign company who wants to just take it all from us. THESE PEOPLE CAN'T BE TRUSTED believe me. Thats why tony bhalla didn't try harder to help us because he knows this to be true also. Local 363 and Sam is the only way, trust me when I say that!!! And for your Info no voter the other non union plants went to 35% contribution. That would have been us so we have made out with the union already. Don't drink the kool-aid that these people are handing out. STAY PRO UNION!! there is safety in numbers. Want more info talk to Sam he will explain that. Everyone stay UNION strong!!!!!

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  41. I have talked to some of our management here in Mira Loma and yes...they are getting the royal shaft, and without any recourse. I agree that without a contract the hourly workers are at the mercy of Inbev. Right now Inbev is saying that we are at the 90th percentile in pay and benefits in the work force as compared to other workers in our area, and they want us down to the 50th percentile. For that to happen, we will never get another raise! We need a contract also! I know some other Mira Loma workers are reading this too, so c'mon people lets get something going for us as well!

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  42. sam a few years back, we were all issued a statement by the company that apparently is law in the company. it states that if you are caught by law enforcement for dui, or dwi etc. we are to tell H R and that we probably would be terminated. BUT !!! if you fail a drug test, you can actually fail it 2 times before termination, maybe even 3 times.....what kind of rules are these anyway......please HELP

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  43. what if you get a drug test when you get a dwi?

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  44. How about this dont drink and drive. its against the law.At the same time its a privacy matter. Does the company have the right to know any of your matters outside of work just as long as you show up for work?

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  45. Where is the limit of privacy matters for the individual? As far as I feel Anything that happens off company property and does not interfere with your duties or performance is none of ANYONE elses business.

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  46. Is the company going to want to know if I get a citation for having a tail light out next?Isnt it funny that we had an employee who was a rat named the "bug" or "Yoda" who worked while he was in jail for DWI and was on a work release program! So much for their setting presidence.That crap was in place years before he even went to jail. The only reason he was spared was he had to inform on other people then they let him go. Great role model this company can be huh!

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  47. How about managers who worked here that were known to use cocaine? Plant manager knew they had problems and nothing was ever done.One was even promoted to a plant manager at another plant. Theres alot more dirt on them than us.

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  48. Just stay clean and dont drive when you drink. Its the right thing to do anyway.Let management have fun dealing with their drug and alcohol problems not ours.

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  49. Thank God we have a dam union here now PERIOD.

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