Monday, September 12, 2011

The Vote Is In - 82% Vote To Approve The Contract!

After three days of meetings and voting, the results are in. At 5pm today, all ballot envelopes were opened and the results were 96 for the contract and 20 against.

As was explained at the meetings, according to the company - even after this contract MCC Newburgh will be the highest paid can plant in their system. The company made it clear during every bargaining session that they had a hard time increasing that margin much further or higher.

We give the people much credit for realizing that no matter what - having that written contract was the most important subject.


We were glad that everyone recognized that it was the company that thought you were overpaid, not the union. We honestly felt that some of that opinion by the company was only to not appear to be rewarding you for joining a union with improvements. You guys picked it right out too.

Thank you to all of the people who came up afterwords and thanked your reps for the hard work they put in. Those guys and gals gave up a lot of their free time for the benefit of everyone at the plant. IBEW Local 363 thanks them too for being at the table and showing the true feelings of the people.

The message finally has been personally delivered by everyone at MCC Newburgh - working under a contract really is the best option.

Now we move forward into the future with a new company, some new management and a new contract. We have a new foundation on which to build and a voice that we can now call our own - IBEW Local Union 363.


The fact is that YOU - the people who work at MCC Newburgh - are IBEW Local 363 in that plant. YOU are the union - all of you.

Sometime soon, your reps will come to you with the paperwork you will need to complete for your union life insurance policy and IBEW and Local 363 membership. Please work along closely with your reps in regard to completing and returning them to him or her.

Welcome to the IBEW and to Local 363 and congratulations on having a written contract at MCC Newburgh.

Stay Strong, Stay Solid

23 comments:

  1. WAY TO STICK TOGETHER EVERYONE. WE WERE STRONG AND WE STAYED SOLID. WE HAVE A NICE LONG FUTURE TO MAKE NOW!!!!! FOR US AND THE REST THAT FOLLOW. WE ARE TAKING THE LEAD!

    THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYONE'S EFFORTS THAT FINALLY ALLOW US. WE THE PEOPLE TO HAVE A SAY AND A VOICE IN OUR FUTURE AS WORKERS.

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  2. YES , we were strong and finally united . WE , the team members and 363 , put up a strong united front.We could have wanted more ,but our reason for wanting a union wasn't all about dollars and cents. Our goal was to protect what we had as an American Iconic company against a an overseas conglomerant that cared nothing about any of us. // Now we can look to the future hopefully plan. //OUR thoughts should also relate to making and keeping MCC of Newburgh the leader in can making ,quality control and price control. Enough said , remember this BLOG is always going to be here , need to discuss issues , got questions , need help SPEAK UP__ BLOG UP. BE SAFE ,BE UNION ,BE RESPECTFUL OF EACH OTHER // THANK YOU ///// RESPECTFULLY DAKOTA

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  3. A grateful 363 newburgh Mcc memberSeptember 14, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    Congratulations everyone! We owe Sam, Steve, John and Frank and IBEW 363 a very well deserved THANK YOU! A Thank you to all those who believed in themselves and us. Its obvious that the people on the floor decided to step up and join together like never before. This is a great thing not only for ourselves, but also for this company and our plant and our customers.

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  4. Even though the company held back on us a little (for spite) we were smarter than that and saw the bigger picture. I am proud that over two thirds of our people saw through it all. I am so glad we are with IBEW 363 now. We have somebody who is on OUR side and that will look at things from OUR side. The times of being at the mercy of a manager who stretches the truth or getting the shaft are OVER. Thanks to 363 Sam and everyone who helped with this.
    Go 363

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  5. Keep it going like a freight train!

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  6. The burrito had landed a couple of years ago and so very much had changed. This is now just an ordinary beer company a company that instills fear in both the workers on the floor and right up to management. Now that we have a contract the workers can now focus on what we do best but just like management today we still carry that fear that the great burrito will take more away. I dot even bother bragging about who I work for as the response the last couple years is "oh you work for a Brazilian company". And those responses have me worried because Americans stick together and stay loyal to what is American so now we only have a liquid in a can or bottle that really doesn't mean much to the average American.
    Fortunately we make cans that are filled with soda and just not beer but we need something else. Is it possible since burrito really doesn't care how he makes his money maybe we could make some competitor cans like Coors and Miller and pabst is always a favorite.
    Lets all step up a little more and make this plant # 1 in america! We can do it for ourselves we are a gang now a tight group of workers!! Can we push spoilage down to exceptional levels and production back up to 6 mil.
    I hope Burrito is enjoying his stay in America.

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  7. Ive been talking to alot of people on the floor and I seem to be getting the same responses over and over. People arent pumped up over the raise,the pension or stoppage of , and hope that the medical doesnt go out of control in the future. The common feedback is that they understand where we are. They have given good feedback on most of the other articles.
    Thats better than where we were a month ago, a year ago. I think its in all our best interests to reflect on that. Ive had some good conversations with some of management and we all agree that we have problems that need to be addressed. We also agree that the people on the floor have alot of the answers. These problems are ALL our problems. I say that because we All sell our cans to our customers. If they dont want to buy them they dont need ANY of us.Hourly or salaried.
    However we got here, voluntarily or involuntary, we are still in this place. We need to move out of here and get moving forward. That means management has to manage and the production people have to produce.
    Management should never assume that hourlies know what is expected of them automatically.Thats not meant to put either side down. It means that coordination depends on communication.
    A perfect example of how poor communication can go in either direction occurred yesterday. An operator had management all around his line all morning and it was obvious that there was a defect was being produced.
    Managers were well intentioned and so were the operators. Everyone had the intention of finding the problem. The operator thought that managers were OK with running the line because they were there and they didnt shut it down. Poor communication. Both directions.
    We worked through a long year of communicating. Lets build on that. I would like to talk to management further about how to improve communications and move us forward out of this place.
    I will not throw stones in our glass house. We all should really think about where we are and is it a good idea to stay here. I dont think so. Im moving forward. Lets go together.

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  8. Well said 1104, the peddle is on the right! lets get back to making 6 mil. if for nothing else then to make sure we have work 10 yrs from now. the lowest cost per 1000 is the only way. i dont care anymore who owns us. the pride is gone and the only things left is the bills.

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  9. Sam,
    A lot of the guys are saying that you are filtering out the boo birds. Please let them vent. It won't change a thing and it won't make us look like we are trying to influence how the group should feel. It's ok for some to be unsatisfied. They weren't to begin with. The positives will outweigh the negative pay over time. Besides, it was more fun before. Let's make some cans!

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  10. we are soooooooooooooooo past that. not interested in hearing crap anymore.

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  11. Lets bring up issues and concerns,questions and answers, how to do and not to doos. Wrong doings by management. Good ideas for the future. Im tired of hearing things we already solved, things that are in the past. Lets show everybody what the right way is. Lets stand together and become stronger and stronger. Lets help the other ones who are struggling. We had help! Go 363. Go newburgh!

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  12. Well said Nell, Here are some thoughts and idea"s off the top. 1] Strong possibilties of major upgrades coming to Newburgh . Lets be in the forfront of planning and ask to be on preliminary committees and get this all right,straight out of chute. 2]Going to have various lines down mid oct. till New Years, We the owners of the process should be hands on making suggestios to improve the process and addressing concerns [[ productivity ,improvements and saftey]]. Even before 363 we were a Team of Sorts ,now our teamwork can propel us forward and make us stronger,more focused and safer.As a team we can only expect better things in OUR and MCC's future.I would like to address all of above comments with anyone whom is interested , this is our livlihood , our job ,my passion[[ to see all of us prosper ]] , MCC still amazes me in the Good and the Bad.If we could make the Bad go away And improve the Good ,we would have the perfect workplace. << Hoping to hear your comments>> BE UNITED //BE RESPECTFULL OF EACH OTHER //BE CONCERNED // BE SAFE //RESPECTFULLY DAKOTA

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  13. If I have started in january of 2000 and want to retire in may of 2012. what will my pension be per month, i am 65 yrs old.

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  14. As a basic calculation, take your years of service and multiply it by 58 dollars. That is what you will get per month after you qualify for retirement.

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  15. I haven't been on here much lately just humming along and going with the flow casting my "yes" votes for a better work place. I would really like to thank our reps on 'c" crew and the other 3 crews for their work in making this a smooth transition. You all did a great job and I appreciate it Thank you very much!
    Sam I also want to thank you and ask you a question. On our paperwork we had to sign off to the laws of the IBEW. I signed it but I am still looking for IBEW laws could you point me in the right direction. thank you and God Bless made in America!

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  16. Does that mean even partial years get counted or just full years. for example 12.4 or do you have to complete a full year for it to count?

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  17. Let's do this - contact your`steward and he`will help you get the answer. You should request your personal pension history from the human resources department to get an accurate accounting of your situation based on your years of employment.

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  18. As an employee at MCC your law is your contract. That is the document that would pertain to everyone working there. There is an IBEW Constitution that establishes the` rules for local unions. Rules for members in all cases are to promote brotherhood and to support each other and not harm each other. Ask your steward later for more details on this.

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  19. Hello Poster 6:46pm - Just to remind you all that there are 5 crews that were involved in that process. You people continuely forget the Day Shift people who are a big part of us.

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  20. SAM i still don"t understand why everything is a big secret with office decisions like the possible new tall can line that mite be coming in. i think if we are the operators of that line we should no about it from the start and salary should here are concerns. HOW CAN WE RUN A BUSINESS AS 1 WHEN THE EMPLOYEES ARE LEFT IN THE DARK? PLEASE STOP THE NONSENSE AND LETS WORK TOGETHER. LIKE TONY SAID WE NEED TO GET RID OF THAT WALL THAT SEPARATES SALARY AND HOURLY. TEAR DOWN THE WALL AND PLEASE GET US INVOLVED. THANK YOU SAM AND YOUR TEAM FOR ALL YOUR HELP/

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  21. Looking forward to the confirmation on expanding our plants business by installing a 16-24 ounce line. Investment in the plant is key to its longevity. I love the time off for holiday season but I'll feel better when we renegotiate our Coke and Pepsi contracts and sell more cans.

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