October 2010 Labors’ Views 

Service awards to members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America for the month of October were presented to: 

Charles Molkenthin                   30 yrs.

Marc Trudeau                          30 yrs. 

In the month of October employees have the opportunity to opt in or opt out of medical insurance, and any changes to your insurance should be made at this time for 2011.  

Our Labor Views publications are never out before the 11^th of the month, and so I’m taking this early opportunity to acknowledge Veteran’s Day which falls on Nov. 11.

I would like to thank all of our veterans for their service to our country, and I would like to thank them and their families for the many sacrifices they make to preserve our freedoms.  At this time, I would like to notify all carpenters that November’s Union meeting will be cancelled because it falls on Veteran’s Day (which is a paid holiday at Electric Boat). 

Fifteen carpenters were recalled in September.  As of now, it looks like our work load will decrease so they may only be back until early 2011.  It is hoped that we get more work so that this doesn’t happen.  With all of the road work that we have, several of the carpenters who were laid off had the opportunity to come back and support road work with the Memo of Agreement that is in place.  Some of them replaced carpenters in the shipyard who went on the road.   Unfortunately, their employment will only last until that road work is ended. 

Carpenters who were laid off need to make sure that their dues are paid even for the period during which they are laid off.  If you do not keep current by paying your dues, you go into arrears, and when you get called back to work, it takes months for those individuals to pay current union dues as well as the dues which are back owed.  Individuals who are laid off continue to receive Union representation even while they are laid off.  We are fighting to get them back to work even when we have not received dues from them during their period of layoff.  Most importantly, it’s the Union’s responsibility to make sure that they get called back by seniority.  That is just one of the duties that the Union is charged with. 

Reminder:  If you have not gotten your safety boots for this year, do so before the calendar year ends.  This is a negotiated benefit which you should take advantage of.