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Post by Canal--007 on Jun 16, 2009 8:41:10 GMT -7
Who are our watchmen? Senior or trades
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Post by USW Guy on Jun 16, 2009 9:30:55 GMT -7
 I know at Elko we have to junior electricians and two millwrights - they're not junior and would be working anyway - but the two electricians are displacing two senior workers with 40 and 33 years. Apparently they can do it because of a hole in the agreement you can drive a truck through. 
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Post by canal469 on Jun 16, 2009 16:41:14 GMT -7
they have to use the tradesmen. if they dont they will lose all that they have!!
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Post by USW Guy on Jun 17, 2009 8:01:20 GMT -7
Then it's an intriguing argument; sacrificing seniority for the sake of our future.
So where then, does it stop?
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Post by Canal--007 on Jun 23, 2009 6:22:25 GMT -7
It doesn't stop! We let them get away with to much already. Not the plant committees, but the local union office. It all started with working Friday day shift instead of working our Monday shift. We GOT SHAFTED and it ain't STOPPING!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by canal469 on Jun 23, 2009 6:36:34 GMT -7
Good call 007!!!! Seniority was the last thing we had left as a union. Now it appers we have lost that too!!! What will be next? Staff doing watch?? Maybe some surveillance cameras will be set up and contractors will do our work!!!
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Post by USW Guy on Jun 23, 2009 9:05:45 GMT -7
I'm assuming you mean when the mill starts back up from a layoff - dayshift switches that week to Tues-Fri, ten-hours instead of Mon-Thurs, Ten-hours? If so, the local doesn't make that call. It's agreed to by the Plant Committee or at least, not grieved by the committee. They asked at Elko and we didn't see it as a big deal and didn't get a lot of feedback otherwise. It's just the one week so we're trying to be flexible. As to the seniority/watchmen issue, that's a reflection of a contract that's got some big holes that need to be closed. July 1 and going forward is a chance to do that. As a membership we also have to wonder where the line in the sand is. Do we walk (strike) over such an issue? The Local doesn't control that issue as it's negotiated on an interior-wide basis (Southern Interior with Kelowna and Kamloops). It does speak to a bigger issue though. Bargaining as a group instead of a local or particular mill as there's many different issues that affect different mills that doesn't affect the membership as a whole and thus doesn't get dealt with.
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Post by canal469 on Jun 23, 2009 14:08:01 GMT -7
Our plant committee has had no say in it!!! We were told that the local said it was ok as a one shot deal!!!!
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Post by USW Guy on Jun 23, 2009 22:25:00 GMT -7
It's been awhile since I looked at the alternate shift agreement but I'd bet that the company cannot unilaterally change the schedule, even if it's for just a week/start-up.
It would have to be agreed to by the committee or at least the committee should grieve it as such if they haven't been consulted.
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Post by Canal--007 on Jun 24, 2009 7:06:11 GMT -7
The Local Union Did make the Call!! They told us, That we can't come to us over every little thing and get a vote on it. So our plant committee couldn't do anything as it was agreed to from the Local Office. Everybody who worked on the Friday's should get paid time and a half. The Union made that call so they should be paying the people the lost pay for their f%#k up!
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Post by USW Guy on Jun 24, 2009 7:52:16 GMT -7
The agreement is pretty clear: this alternate shift schedule can be amended by mutal agreement.
Somebody - it should've been your plant committee - agreed to switch it.
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Post by Tom on Jun 25, 2009 8:01:23 GMT -7
On the watchmen issue, it is the understanding in Cranbrook that the company is putting in cameras that will be remotely monitored by a security company. When I heard that it sound like that would be done in all mills. I also heard that the union had been informed of the tech change already. This is all second hand information but it sounds for sure like the company is looking to get rid of the watchmen.
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Post by USW Guy on Jun 25, 2009 8:14:15 GMT -7
I would think that would help the case that the plant is permanently shut-down, hopefully getting those workers their severance.
One can hope.
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I know at Elko we have to junior electricians and two millwrights - they're not junior and would be working anyway - but the two electricians are displacing two senior workers with 40 and 33 years.
