FEBRUARY LABOR VIEWS

Service awards to members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners for the months of January and February were presented to:

Kenneth Adams 30 years
Gerald Daros 30 years
Donovan Kniss 30 years
Ambrose Deveau 25 years
Robin Vuto 25 years
Burton Jacobs 25 years
John Peabody 25 years
Paul Brie 25 years
Mark Chappell 25 years
Bruce Hale 25 years
Robert Magro 25 years
Roland Morgan 25 years
Thomas Belisle 20 years
Judy Bragdon 20 years
James DeManche 20 years
Fayett Finney 20 years
Richard Molyneux 20 years

Congratulations!

SUBCONTRACTORS HAVE BECOME A PROBLEM AGAIN. Over Christmas shutdown, we weren’t given the opportunity to work. Employees of a company that EB hired to do our staging were working full time. We tried to prevent this from happening, but obviously our attempts were in vain. In the past we have tried to work with the Company, and we felt pressured to accept their practice of hiring subcontractors when we were unable to get the work done. These were times when our work force was offered work seven days a week, ten hours a day. We are no longer in that position. EB could easily allow us to complete that staging work on site. Does it make sense for an independent contractor to build that staging up river, then rent a barge, rent a tug boat, and rent a crane to deliver it to the shipyard? I remember years ago our superintendents took work that other trades didn’t want to do. That’s how our department has developed into such a diversified group. There was genuine loyalty to the department on the part of supervisors because they had come up through the ranks, and they wanted to protect the jobs of those who worked under them. Today, we don’t have that loyalty. 

We can assume that the Company has one big issue to worry about……getting government contracts. It seems that the employees of EB have two things to worry about……whether or not the Company gets those contracts, and when they do, will they allow their employees to do the labor or will the Company continue to sub out the work? Look at the carpenters listed above who have devoted 25 and 30 years of service to Electric Boat. Why are they not given the work? It’s certainly not for lack of experience. Doesn’t the Company owe them some return on the investment they’ve made in the Company? If there’s work available for subcontractors, there’s work available for the members of this Union. 

At January’s Union Meeting members John Peabody, Trisha Grimshaw, Steve Adams, Charlie Ward, and Katherine Marceau volunteered to serve on the salary Committee. Our by-laws state: “The salaries of all officers, stewards, and the Business Representative of the local recommended by a salary committee will be voted on individually at the February meeting in the election years.”

Hopefully 2006 will provide work for our members, and if we get that work, we need to complete it to the best of our abilities. Let’s prove that we can work safe, keep costs down, and stay on schedule so that the Company sees that we are more valuable than they seem to think we are.

I’d be interested to hear input from our members on this issue and any others related to the Union. You can email me at mmalone58@netzero.com. 

Members will have to start filing worker compensation forms for injuries. You will have one year from the date of your injury to file or the Company can wash their hands from any later claims. You should also seriously consider contacting an attorney when you are injured on the job. 

  Fraternally Yours,

Mike Malone, President

Carpenters' Local 1302