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SEPTEMBER LABOR VIEWS

Service awards to members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners for the month of September were presented to:
John Benoit 30 yrs.
Gerard Manville 30 yrs.
David Sanchez 20 yrs.

Robert Baton retired with more than thirty-three years of service. Stephen Snow retired after 25 years. They are each wished a long and healthy retirement.

At the September 14 meeting, a by-law committee will be selected to address any by-law changes necessary for the coming year. Anyone who is interested in volunteering should plan on attending the meeting.

The Company has addressed going to back to an eight and a half hour work day with the Union. Hopefully, that’s all this is is talk. It was the Company’s idea to go to an eight hour work day to stop people from leaving the shipyard for lunch. Now that they’ve gotten their wish, it has been decided that this is NOT a good idea, and the Company is proposing that we go back to the old schedule. I believe that when we had an eight hour work day, there were more injuries in the shipyard after lunch. Considering the importance of increased security nowadays, why would the Company want more people going in and out of the gates on a regular basis? Changing our work schedule would create a hardship for many employees who have arranged day care, school transportation, and other family issues. I hope that the Company gives serious consideration to these factors.

I’m sure everyone has heard by now that the Company will ban smoking in the shipyard by July 1, 2007. Assistance will be provided to smokers who want to quit, and, as a former smoker myself, I urge everyone to support our co-workers in their attempts to break this habit. I also urge all smokers to take advantage of the assistance that the Company offers since these are valuable resources that aren’t often made available. Good luck to those of you who make an attempt to quit.

Supporting future road work is critical because, it could save jobs for our members here at EB. The Company and the Union are trying to come up with a way to allow our least senior people who have been laid off to man the road jobs since many of our senior employees would rather not go on the road. Hopefully, we’ll come up an arrangement that keeps everyone employed even if they have to travel to keep their jobs.

Reminder: For Union members affected in the second wave of layoffs, you need to use your $80 safety shoe voucher. Take advantage of vision and dental services offered to you and your family before the lay off is in effect. Seek assistance for any medical problems you have before you are laid off and file the LS-201 form for any work-related injuries you may have suffered. Information on training with the UBC was mailed out to our members who were involved in the first round of lay offs. Anyone who may be affected in the second wave of lay offs will receive the same information in the mail. If you have any questions, a committee was set up to answer them. Committee members are Steve Adams (433-1998), John Algiere (433-7561), Joe Guerra (433-2895), and Frank Tagliatela. After members are laid off, they can contact me with problems or concerns. My phone number is (860) 235-7611, and my email address if mmalone58@netzero.com. I will assist in any way that I can. I encourage laid off Union members to log onto our Union website (www.local1302.com) regularly to keep up with current information on the links and in the Labor Views articles which are printed there.

Check out our website at: www.local1302.com.

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