MARCH LABORS’ VIEWS 

SICK TIME PAY:  On June 27, 2008, people who have accrued sick leave pay, will receive that money in their pay checks.  The Union is trying to negotiate with the Company to allow this money to be rolled over into the employee’s SSIP if people choose this option.  Rolling this money over has distinct tax advantages especially if it involves a large amount.  As far as sick leave time is concerned, that will be lost if it is not used by November 8, 2008.   These issues arise now because this is the last year of our negotiated contract, and the current contract states that sick leave money will be paid and any unused time will be lost as of November 8.    At the end of the last few contracts, the Company has permitted us to roll over both sick leave time and pay, but this year it will not. 

It is very discouraging to realize that we appear to have won the battle, but lost the war.  We were granted the contract to build a second submarine each year, however so much work is being done at Quonsett Point, the Company is laying off Groton employees.  Although Congressman Joe Courtney fought hard for the legislation that approved more work, that work is not necessarily being done by Connecticut employees.  It may be a good idea for members to contact Joe Courtney and inform him that our workers are being laid off while Quonsett Point is hiring.    Not only is Newport News our competition, but so is our own Company when they have the power to choose who does the work – Groton or Quonsett.  One of the sections of the boat could be brought over from Rhode Island earlier than scheduled so that our local workers can do the work. We are a better skilled work force than the employees in Rhode Island, and this plan would save the jobs of our Union brothers and sisters in Connecticut.  While skilled workers are laid off in Groton, unskilled workers are being hired in Rhode Island.  It is upsetting to realize that some relatively new employees left other jobs to join us at EB thinking that the work was stable, and that their employment was almost guaranteed.  They may have left decent jobs with more potential for stability than they are receiving here.  How unfortunate to be laying off people who may now have nowhere to turn.  Congressman Joe Courtney may be reached at  the website courtney.house.gov or at the following addresses:  215 Cannon House Office Building,  Washington, DC  20515, or  101 Water Street, Suite 301, Norwich, CT  06360.  The Norwich phone number is (860) 886-0139. 

ROAD JOBS:   Road work could save employment for a number of our brothers and sisters.  It is nice to know that, anytime the Company has requested carpenters to travel on the road, we have fulfilled the request.  This could play a major role in keeping our Union members employed in the coming months. The Union has put pressure on the Company to go out and get more road work, and let us worry about supporting it.  We haven’t disappointed them yet!  

Recently we had ten carpenters supporting a road job in Portsmouth.  The supervisor on that job was so pleased with the work of EB carpenters, that he wrote a letter complimenting them.   Erik Pearson wrote that, “I hope to see EB carpenters and PNS shipwrights working together in the near future.”  Pete Willette, Jose Afanador, Ronald Hundt,  Danny Madore , Robert Rogers, Edward Albino, John McIver,  Jeffrey Lallo, Glen Dyson, and Donald Rivers are the carpenters who were cited for outstanding work.

 I believe that the workmanship of these carpenters has influenced PNS to request that ten more EB carpenters help support some of their work.  This work is scheduled for Feb. 25 to March 28, 2008.  We also have carpenters supporting work in Norfolk, VA, and in Puget.  It is important that the Company does what it needs to do in order to find more work for our members at this critical time. 

OVERTIME:  Overtime has slowed down, and the Company expects it to get worse in the coming months.  I need to remind people to poll if they want to work on the weekends.  If the title isn’t exhausted, and you didn’t poll, you won’t be permitted to work.  It is also important to check “no show” hours on Monday if you cancelled on Friday.  Don’t wait until the end of your shift on Friday to cancel if you know you are not going to work because it may be too late to contact someone else, and they may miss the opportunity to make that extra money.  For those individuals who DO have the opportunity to work overtime, I encourage you to watch for other tradesmen and bosses doing our work when the title is not exhausted.  That is a violation of our contract, and it needs to be reported to your area steward.  While another tradesmen or member of management is doing our work, one of our Union brothers or sisters is home not having the opportunity to earn that overtime pay.