APRIL ’06 LABOR VIEWS 

Service awards to members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners for the month of April were presented to:
Thomas Quaine 55 yrs.
Paul Gluck 30 yrs.
Charles Pescetello 30 yrs.

Congratulations!

I extend my apologies to James White who has 27 years of service in the Carpenters’ Union. He should have received his 25 year pin two years ago in February. It was recently brought to my attention, and I am sorry for the oversight. If anyone feels that they should have been awarded a service pin from the union, not the Company, please let me know.

Joe Oakes, a member of our Union recently retired from EB with 30 years of service. We wish Joe good luck and good health in his retirement.

I extend a thank-you to Mark Makoid who supplied a water cooler for our members who eat in the Carpenters’ trailer in the Graving Dock. I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and I appreciate Mark Markoid’s efforts on our behalf. 

Unfortunately for us, we have gotten some bad press about harassment and racial remarks in a case at the sub base. It is important that I remind members that harassment and racial slurs will not be tolerated. The Union does not condone this type of behavior. Members need to be aware that even though you may have been joking with a co-worker for months, and you assume that your words are not offensive, sometimes your co-worker may decide that they are. A seemingly innocent exchange could turn into a claim of harassment. Even though we are in a shipyard environment, we still need to be respectful of others and act professionally.

Tax season is the perfect time to think about your retirement planning. I’m sure you know that GD stock is splitting two for one with a 15% dividend. The Company matches dollar for dollar when you invest 100% in GD stock. I strongly encourage members who are not taking advantage of this investment to buy into it. For example, for every $48 you put in GD stock each week, the Company buys you another $48 worth of shares. How can you beat that? In addition, this money is deducted from your paycheck before taxes so you don’t even pay income tax on the $48 that you invest.

Bosses should have polled their people who might be interested in running the multi-cam. The reason why people were being polled is because the Union argued that our senior members should have the opportunity to take advantage of this shop job.

As I write this article, carpenters have the opportunity to work ten hour days and eight hours on the weekends. I continue to see the names of members on the “No Show” list who polled to work the overtime and then neglected to show up for work. It is important for each of us to earn what we can while it’s available because we never know what the future will bring. We are one of the few departments who are still offered overtime. Some departments are starving to work overtime, and our members who don’t show up for work just throw it away. Perhaps some carpenters need to be reminded how fortunate we are. 

We have had a number of complaints from members collecting workman’s compensation. This isn’t the first time I have written about this issue in Labor Views. Members are encouraged to contact a lawyer to represent them when they have problems collecting pay, insurance reimbursement, approval to see a doctor, or other comp related issues. The Union should not have to make this recommendation especially since some of these issues are minor; however, the Company leaves us no other choice. Another concern is how disrespectful and rude our comp rep has been to some members. Ken Delacruz is planning to meet with the Company to address this. Years ago our compensation cases were handled by National Employees out of New London, and there were few complaints. The Company decided to take over compensation claims, and we’ve had nothing but complaints. The situation seems to be getting worse instead of better. Please keep me informed if you have any problems so that we can try to straighten them out. 

One of our members was recently terminated for using an unauthorized mixing device. Members need to know that they should always follow proper procedures when doing their jobs. This individual was led to believe that what he was doing was an acceptable practice. In reality it was not, and it cost him his job. Now the Union has to fight to get him back on the payroll, and hopefully, we will succeed. I can’t stress enough how important it is to follow proper procedure even if your boss is telling you not to. If this happens, contact a steward immediately.

Visit our website at www.local1302.com.

Our next meeting will take place on April 13, 2006, at 2:45 in the Union Hall at 171 Thames Street in Groton.

  Fraternally Yours,

Mike Malone, President

Carpenters' Local 1302