USAF Plant 42 Insourcing Jobs lost! - Page 4

NikDiesel · 03-13-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbemerick

Why is that interesting? does everyone that works at your job hire in only as a group?

Same hiring criteria...

Infrequent if any, ownership changes... as You all are apparently accustom to:

Quote:

Originally Posted by demerick

I don't know if you understand federal contracts but typically a company is awarded a contract in terms of 5 years maxing at 10 years. With a clause that the GOV can reevaluate on a yearly basis. So the IBT has been here over 30 years with three or four company's.

Basically said company's go but we stay and receive paychecks from the new company.

dbemerick · 03-20-2010

Well I was not in position during a change over but the guys that have 18+ years have told me that the incoming company would pick up the officers in Security Police, Firefighters and the maintenance workers (the union employees) and only the management team would be let go or sent to another job site etc.

I was looking forward to Aug 2010 when a new contractor was lined up to take the contract-DoD or should I say the AF ruined that!

The bad thing is that our union is not even talking about retraining any of us for other union jobs. So it goes without question I have little positive opinions regarding this band of brothers I was told we were apart of!

dbemerick · 06-06-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by NikDiesel

Same hiring criteria...

Infrequent if any, ownership changes... as You all are apparently accustom to:

Well D day is just around the corner and the IBT will lose 64 brothers and sisters here at plant 42. There has been no useful action preventing this insourcing from happening with the exceptions of a few phone calls, letters and Emails from the members. So after 50+years protecting the plant it's time to venture on.

Thanks for the chatter everyone!, I was really praying there would be a way to stop this madness. All we can do now is wait and see if things go bad for the DoD maybe they will be put into a position to put the jobs back out for bid and go the contractor route. The only problem with that would be the lack of faith in bringing back the union and pick up where we left it. I can honestly say I'm not sure I would vote union again either.
Sincerely, Donny

K_Williams82 · 06-11-2010

I agree with you Donny. Personally, I would NOT vote for another union, at least not the same one we are in now, because our Local 986 has not done a single thing to help us fight to keep our jobs. I'm thoroughly disgusted at the lack of representation that we have. All of us on the Security Police Force at Plant 42 have $66 a month taken out of our pay checks for Union Dues.....in my opinion we deserve every penny of it back. Our Union Rep has done nothing and our Stewards have done nothing! We were supposed to switch to a new Local and get a new union rep.....it's nice to know that our Stewards failed to mention that there is a vote or petition involved in that process....do you think any of the 3 Stewards we have mentioned anything about this? of course not...well at least not the Steward on my shift anyway. To the brothers like you Donny who have tried to make a difference and help fight I thank you, and I am proud to have you as a union brother along with the few others that have helped fight.

RollingCode · 06-11-2010

If I have learned anything after being in Local 986, it is that "Good things do not always come to those who wait." I have witnessed the union members in the Fire Department go to Washington and FIGHT for the jobs they deserve to keep. I am beginning to wonder if the loss of dues from the SIXTY-FOUR (64) union members that are the only Teamsters left on Plant 42 are just collateral/acceptable losses for IBT. This is so sad, mine and K Williams step father gave more than 20 years of his life to the IBT and Plant42 before his passing and the pension seemed to be worth it for him. It was supposed to be the same for K and I. We eveidently will never have the chance to know that relief during these tough economic times because through all the fighting and begging for assistance we have yet to hear "anything" and I am not refering to just that of "anything of substance, but a factual circumstance of NOTHING !!!.

dbemerick · 06-12-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_Williams82

I agree with you Donny.... All of us on the Security Police Force at Plant 42 have $66 a month taken out of our pay checks for Union Dues.....! We were supposed to switch to a new Local and get a new union rep...... To the brothers like you Donny who have tried to make a difference and help fight I thank you, and I am proud to have you as a union brother along with the few others that have helped fight.

Well Bro. I am also feeling completely unsupported by our "UNION" as well. It has seemed from the beginning by the language the managers used that its all about money, anytime I saw either of them it was only due to a contract negotiation. Never during firing of officer(s) or during harassment charges etc.

The money portion you refer to, I guess I'm writing off as payment for insurance/ mini-retirement, as personally I would have paid at least that much.

As far as the switch plan to the 166. I think that was truly a strategy by the Teamsters to be in a better tactful position for the incoming DoD jobs. They purposely wanted the switch to take place to win the minds of the incumbent union members so they can spread union tangibles to the DoD new hires and therefore have a fresh contract with the government. A contract that directly aligns with the current 166 trade contracts.

I don’t think it was ever a question about fighting for our jobs, but the realigning with current affairs which will better strengthen the union at the local level (both 986 & 166).
If you feel my beliefs are in line with reality please reply with a comment, and then spread this belief to others we work with as I cannot do it alone!
Again, thanks for the comments. Tis nice to see at least a couple people are willing to take the time to publicly state their feelings. Now we need to get others to comment and forward these to the people that are influential to this cause.

222lifer · 06-12-2010

I have heard these complaints many times regarding the lack of representation from a local. You are the Union. If your BA isn't cutting the mustard you have a legitimate grievance. Has anyone contacted the International in reference to these allegations?

dbemerick · 06-13-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by 222lifer

I have heard these complaints many times regarding the lack of representation from a local. You are the Union. If your BA isn't cutting the mustard you have a legitimate grievance. Has anyone contacted the International in reference to these allegations?

Thank you 222lifter for your reflection. However, in this stage of events a complaint about the BA's competency is irrelevant. If it were I would have made a formal complaint over the miss handling of our last contract negotiation. Especially the fact which he removed all of the shop-stewards from a meeting over the phone during arbitration talks. Or over his statement that he lacked the knowledge with government contracts. Again it is all waisted effort in this phase.

If it were possible to get all 60+ minds to think alike the grievance would still go unresolved. The true belief is these union managers had the ability and the support to fight for our jobs but didn't even have the courtesy to write a simple article in our own union paper. We were never mentioned officially by the union in any forum, their own or elsewhere. There has been no information from these managers (we have two now) on the efforts they have taken. This lack of professional obligation has made a undeniable rotting effect in the minds of all union brothers/sisters involved. I don’t know anyone here that is proud they became a IBT borther/sister and probably sour at the idea of continuing or ever re-connecting with them in the future, including myself.

We can speculate what could happen if we took this incompetency of our managers up the preverbal chain but there are still facts that don’t go away and linger like yesterday's fish tacos. The facts were given to our manager many months before the insourcing took place. ETC, ETC, ETC, I could go on and on and on. But then again the clock isn't a union clock.

Hindsight,- yes we should have made several grievances over the improper methods by our IBT BA’s and local managers but that will be the burden of future members.

222lifer · 06-13-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbemerick

Thank you 222lifter for your reflection. However, in this stage of events a complaint about the BA's competency is irrelevant. If it were I would have made a formal complaint over the miss handling of our last contract negotiation. Especially the fact which he removed all of the shop-stewards from a meeting over the phone during arbitration talks. Or over his statement that he lacked the knowledge with government contracts. Again it is all waisted effort in this phase.

If it were possible to get all 60+ minds to think alike the grievance would still go unresolved. The true belief is these union managers had the ability and the support to fight for our jobs but didn't even have the courtesy to write a simple article in our own union paper. We were never mentioned officially by the union in any forum, their own or elsewhere. There has been no information from these managers (we have two now) on the efforts they have taken. This lack of professional obligation has made a undeniable rotting effect in the minds of all union brothers/sisters involved. I don’t know anyone here that is proud they became a IBT borther/sister and probably sour at the idea of continuing or ever re-connecting with them in the future, including myself.

We can speculate what could happen if we took this incompetency of our managers up the preverbal chain but there are still facts that don’t go away and linger like yesterday's fish tacos. The facts were given to our manager many months before the insourcing took place. ETC, ETC, ETC, I could go on and on and on. But then again the clock isn't a union clock.

Hindsight,- yes we should have made several grievances over the improper methods by our IBT BA’s and local managers but that will be the burden of future members.

You are a credit to your brothers and sisters dbemerick. I know I am proud to call you brother.

RollingCode · 06-13-2010

In order for there to be assistance from the IBT, they would have to be interested enought to contact those that need to hear from them. We were told in no uncertain terms that there just wasn't time to make a difference... so rather than fight to the end we just were discarded. So much for the "Brotherhood approach". So this wonds up being the misgivings of Teamsters left to fend for themselves with no teeth to back up any barking we may be doing. An offer of trucking school in an area where the unemployment rate is at 17.5% doesn't help pay utilities or rent/motgages. If the IBT wanted to help they would have offered to pay a portion of the medical we will no longer have on 31 July. There is even the matter of the fact that our contract isn't actually over till the 31st of August and there is no mention thus far from the IBT about getting us the final one (01) month of pay from our employer. This being a time of economic struggle, the extra one month of pay would sure be welcomed.