JUNE LABOR VIEWS


Service Awards to members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners for the month of June were presented to:
Ernie Mendonca 30 years
Michael Gentile 30 years
Robert Menghi 25 years
William Schmellk 20 years
Arnold Felicelli 20 years

Recently carpenter Gerard Hartman retired after thirty-eight years of service. We wish him a long and healthy period of retirement. 

Our department will be in need of more CON CON carpenters. Hopefully we’ll have members step forward to support this work, otherwise, we have been informed that the Company will find some other department to do this work. 

774 Boat: Recently I went on a tour of the 774 Boat with the Safety Department, and I was pleased to see the overall condition that it was in. I commend Management, the Ship Supers, Foremen, and our hourly Union brothers and sisters for the work they’ve done to maintain safe conditions for everyone on this boat.

We had been led to believe that the Company was willing to discuss early retirement incentives after they settled their contract with the MDA. Now that the contract has been agreed upon, chances are that we will not be offered an incentive since they were not. Hopefully, I’m wrong.

Our workload is declining for a number of reasons. One of those is that the Company decided to leave sections of the 778 Boat at Quonset Point longer than originally anticipated. That means that more of the work will be done there rather than in Groton. This could add to our problems as far as layoffs. Last month seven of our carpenters were let go because of clearance issues. This makes me wonder: How does Quonset continue to get more and more of our work, when most of those people aren’t required to have security clearances? Aren’t we told that the work we do deals with top-secret, confidential information? Why isn’t the shipyard in CT, which requires carpenters to pass security clearances, the one that is doing this work? Where are the members of Team Connecticut when we need them? When they asked for OUR support, we gave it to them! The requirement that we pass security screenings is a critical reason why this work should be done by our Union members in Groton.
One of the seven carpenters mentioned above who was let go is a current member of the CT National Guard. Obviously, it has been determined that he is qualified to defend our country and sacrifice his life if necessary, but he is too much of a risk to build a submarine? We need to continue to do what we can do to preserve jobs at EB, whether that’s fighting to keep subcontractors out, getting more road job work, or questioning Quonset Point and their lack of clearances. I feel that we have done a good job in the past increasing membership. Now our Union must fight to preserve the jobs of those members, and we will do everything possible to do just that.




1st Shift Stewards:
Mike Malone 425-2037
Steve St. Onge 425-2038
John Lamay 425-2709
Mel Moreau 425-2708
Geoff Palmer 425-2711
2nd Shift Stewards:
Paul Brie 425-2039
Charles Miner 425-2040
3rd Shift Steward:
Paul Cloutier 425-2009
Business Agent
Bob Tardif 425-2712
Office Phone (860) 449-0891

  Fraternally Yours,

Mike Malone, President

Carpenters' Local 1302