NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 2010 LABORS’ VIEWS 

Service awards to members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America for the months of November and December was presented to:

            David Comery                        30 years

            Eliathin Rivera                       30 years 

Congratulations! 

To date, out of 119 carpenters who were laid off, forty-one have been recalled.  Because some carpenters refused and some did not respond, the Company actually had to go beyond the first forty-one carpenters to get the forty-one they needed.  All of the other carpenters who were laid off had the opportunity to come back and support either road work or work in the shipyard under the MOA.  Any carpenter who didn’t return, chose not to return.  The work we have been given from other shipyards have helped the 119 carpenters who had been laid off.  In the month of October, there were ninety-four carpenters supporting road work.  In November, there were sixty-two, and this month, we should have approximately fifty-two carpenters on the road.   As far as road work for our department is concerned for 2011, we will have forty carpenters in January, February, and March working in Portsmouth.  There is a request for forty carpenters to go to Hawaii for the months of January and February.  In Puget, there also is a request for twelve carpenters.  As I write this article, there is only a request for Hawaii and Puget, and no contract has been signed yet.  The Company has been working hard to get more road work in the future.  Two individuals who have put a lot of time and effort into getting us road work are Jim Condon from EB and Congressman Joe Courtney.  I would like to personally thank both of them for their efforts on our behalf. 

Bonus:  We are on track to receive the $400 safety award and also the $500 performance bonus.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we will receive the stretch goal or the lost time goal of $100. 

The road job list was updated and posted on all area bulletin boards.  Some of our members who have returned to work in the shipyard have asked to be put back on the road job list.  If they were not recalled, I cannot put them back on the list.  These carpenters can only support road work by the Memorandum of Agreement that is in place.  If needed to support road work, they will be chosen by seniority.  If they get recalled, then they can be added to our road job list. 

Reminder:   For those members who have not used your shoe voucher for this year, it expires at the end of the year.  I recommend that we all take advantage of this negotiated benefit.  The shoe voucher is worth $90.00.  If you do not remember if you used your voucher, ask your area steward.  He has a list of people who have not used the voucher this year. 

Floaters:  If you have any floaters saved, you need to make sure you use them before the end of the year, or you will lose them. 

Effective January 16, 2011, we will receive a general wage increase of 3.5%.  This is year three of our five year contract.  The next wage increase will be year four effective February 19, 2012.  That raise will be 4%.  In year five (the final year of our contract) effective March 17, 2013, we will receive 4% raises.  As we look back on the negotiations which we went through to settle this contract, we should consider ourselves very fortunate.  What a great job our union negotiators did in getting these raises for all of us.  I read the newspapers regularly to see what increases other companies are granting their employees.  It is common to see 0% or very small wage increases.  With conditions in the economy as poor as they are, we are very fortunate to have jobs and to receive an increase in our pay of 3.5% in the next year. 

Christmas Shutdown:   We are being told that there won’t be much work this year during the shutdown.  For those individuals who want to work, they will need to make sure that they poll “yes.”  Anyone who is chosen to work will have been chosen by seniority by shift.  This year (like last year) employees will not have to cover their time with vacation or sick time.  They will be excused.

In the past I have collected turkey vouchers from anyone who is willing to donate their turkey.  I have donated those turkeys to Friends of Assisi Food Pantry in Danielson, CT.

If anyone has a voucher and has no need for the turkey, I would appreciate receiving your voucher on or before the date that the turkeys are distributed so that I can donate your turkey to a family in need.