Kitchen’s Kabinet April 2004
April 2004 UE 506 NEWS
APRIL MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTICE
Agenda: Delegates will report on the April 2nd UE-GE Conference Board meeting, Chief Plant Steward Dave Kitchen will report on recent Step II and Step III Grievance meetings. The Legislative Action Committee will give details on an April 24th meeting with Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich.
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MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS AND TIMES ARE: |
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Thursday, April 15, 2004 (All meetings) |
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7:20 a.m. (3rd Shift) |
1:00 p.m. (2nd Shift) |
3:20 p.m. (1st Shift) |
FRANKLY SPEAKING
Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich will be visiting Erie on Saturday April 24, 2004. The visit, which is being hosted by UE, will include a 9:00 A.M. breakfast meeting at the 506 Hall with members from all UE Locals in the Erie area.
Candidate Kucinich is a Democratic Congressman from Ohio; he also served as Cleveland’s Mayor in the late seventies. Kucinich was a guest speaker at the UE National Convention in August 2003. He said the reasons for his candidacy were, "To stand up and to speak out on behalf of those who have built this country and who want to rebuild this country, to raise up the rights of working people. Workers’ rights are the key to protecting our democracy." Kucinich also said he wanted to restore the dignity of the American worker. "We have a right to a job, decent wages and benefits, the hope of owning a home and sending our children to a decent college." Moments after the Congressman left the convention hall, delegate John Thompson, Local 690, rose to move the convention adopt a statement of support for the Kucinich candidacy. The motion was seconded and carried.
Social Security- Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan urged Congress last month to deal with the country’s escalating budget deficit by cutting the benefits for future retirees. The prospect of the 77 million baby boomers approaching retirement would radically change the mix of people working and paying into the Social Security fund and those drawing benefits from the fund. This will likely be the first business of Congress AFTER the election. On a side note, Mr. Greenspan recently turned 78 years of age, so in addition to his salary he has been collecting Social Security for at least 8 years.
New Manufacturing Jobs? -Yes, it is true, America may soon create a large number of manufacturing jobs. The Census Bureau defines Manufacturing as work involving employees who are "engaged in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components into new products. By virtue of that description the current administration has determined that fast food burger restaurants, may very well become classified as manufacturing jobs. This could help make up for 2.7 million American-manufacturing jobs lost since January 2000. Just a thought, would this be what George Sr. referred to as Voodoo Economics?
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Kitchen’s Kabinet April 2004 |
The Union has filed 18 grievances so far this year. Last year at this time we had filed 47 grievances. The difference we suspect is the busier year the business is having.
On the 25th of March we held a Step 2 Grievance meeting with 60 cases on the agenda. This was our wrap up meeting for all the remaining 2003 cases as well as the first 14 for 2004. As a result of the meeting the Union closed 42 grievances either because a settlement was reached or the Union had taken the case as far as it could. Thirteen cases were placed on hold for further discussion. On at least seven of those cases, we are waiting for a final settlement offer from the company. We requested letters from the company on five cases, which means they will be scheduled for the next Step 3 Grievance meeting.
The last Step 3 meeting was held in Pittsburgh on the 30th of March. We discussed 6 cases, actually 5 cases because one grievance was settled before the meeting was held. That case involved the company charging $5.00 for spousal badges, a practice they have agreed to stop.
We discussed a discharge case during that meeting, but we were not able to reverse the company’s position. Another Step III case concerned a grievance submitted last year over the company taking back money credited to employees who had formally paid insurance premiums while they were on modified duty. According to the GE Benefit Plan, if you are on medical leave and are returned to work either on modified duty or performing work which pays less than you were making during a normal forty hours, you are not required to pay premiums for some benefit plans. It appears more investigation is needed to determine which employees were wrongly required to make this repayment.
The Union argued a grievance from Plant Services regarding PAR projects and lack of notification when using outside contractors to perform construction work in the plant. Certain company bosses still insist on saying that there was an agreement in 1995 which allows the company to farmout new construction type work without the required Article 23 provisions being adhered to. The Union has been emphatic on the issue that, "There is no such agreement". The company assured us they are willing to work on the problems of notification on all trades work and they believe, with the new management group they have, progress can be made.
The Union had an initial meeting with the company on our proposed changes to the local layoff and recall supplement. The Union has asked the company to consider changing the provisions that prohibit recall to a job when employees have not reached full rate (daywork) or off break-in (incentive). We will certainly keep the membership posted on these discussions as they proceed.
The union has requested information from the company on the amount of overtime being worked and the amount of temporary lack of works being taken. We requested this information based on past experiences where we saw excessive overtime while TLOWs were on going. We strongly feel that the company should schedule production more evenly to avoid these situations. It is not in our best interest to work overtime on the weekends and have lack of works during the following week.
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Service (Whole Years) |
0 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
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# of Employees (UE 506) |
257 |
27 |
76 |
8 |
38 |
40 |
6 |
7 |
41 |
7 |
14 |
30 |
73 |
82 |
110 |
17 |
14 |
15 |
22 |
22 |
24 |
|
Service (Whole Years) |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
30 |
31 |
32 |
33 |
34 |
35 |
36 |
37 |
38 |
39 |
40 |
41 |
42 |
|
# of Employees (UE 506) |
38 |
62 |
67 |
100 |
97 |
55 |
89 |
265 |
424 |
169 |
133 |
265 |
159 |
83 |
51 |
22 |
17 |
11 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
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506 MEMBERS ATTEND 2nd VAMC RALLY |
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Local 506 Members joined hundreds of other concerned
citizens in a rally outside the Erie County Courthouse on March 19th while
Senator Arlen Spector convened a hearing over the proposed elimination of
some vital services currently offered at the Veterans Administration Medical
Center. In an address to the rally participants after the hearing, Spector
declared that the cuts were, "outrageous" and he pledged to make sure they
didn’t happen.
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ODDS AND ENDS
By now I’m sure everyone has received their new "Value Card" from GE stating the Company’s philosophies. When we first heard it was a value card, we thought it was good for discounts somewhere. But no, instead we found out it’s just another piece of plastic stating things like, We (GE) put imagination to work," and "We are a "meritocracy that leads through learning." Here all along we thought they were a plutocracy.
Concerning the 2004 Holiday schedule, apparently there’s some confusion over the 2005 New Year Holiday. Per the Contract, any Holiday falling on a Saturday will be paid on Friday therefore with New Years Day falling on a Saturday, we will be off Friday, December 31, 2004 – giving us 12 days in 2004 and 10 in 2005.
An issue that was still up in the air when the March NEWS went out has been cleared up – The Company has told us that our crews will be performing the maintenance on Wind Generation equipment.
Orders for the new style "The Members Run This Union," T-shirts were heavier than we originally expected, but more are on the way, so please don’t get on your stewards and chief stewards, they have enough problems to be concerned with. An order for embossed jackets and T’s has also been sent in, we’ll contact you as soon as they arrive. Thanks for your patience.
Upcoming events of importance include: The next Jobs with Justice meeting will be held at our Hall on Sunday, April 18th at 7 p.m.; On April 24th, Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich will speak to members attending a 9 a.m. meeting at our Hall; The Worker Memorial Service will be held at the Perry Square Gazebo, at 7 p.m. on April 28 remembering workers who were injured or lost their lives on the job over the past year; and last but not least, don’t forget to vote in the primary elections on Tuesday, April 27th.
The demographics on the top of this page reveals one important fact. We are top loaded with high service members, which is reflected in the makeup of the 506 representative body. Although we have some young leaders in our ranks, more will be needed to ensure a full compliment of experienced leaders in the future. We encourage you to get involved. - P.R.
PENSION SERVICE EXPLAINED
By popular request, the NEWS has reprinted excerpts from a January 2001 article
What's the difference between PBS and PQS? When do I lose service pension credits? What happens if I work less than 1000 hours in a year? Can I receive more than a one credit in a calendar year? These are all commonly asked that all too often receive wrong answers. Hopefully, the following information will help you better understand pension service, how credits are accrued and when they are lost or suspended.
PENSION QUALIFICATION SERVICE (PQS) is used to determine "eligibility" for certain optional pensions and pension benefits. For example: In the event of a permanent job loss, you need at least 25 years of PQS and be age 55 to 59 to be eligible for a Regular SERO. Or, to be eligible for SERO 30, you need at least 30 years of PQS, be under age 55, and you have to be directly impacted by a permanent lack of work with no opportunities for placement or displacement.
You receive one year of PQS each year that you work at least 1000 hours, however, as explained below, some time away from the job counts toward the 1000 hours.
PENSION BENEFIT SERVICE (PBS) is used to calculate the "amount" of some of your pension benefits. In simplified terms, it is equivalent to your full and partial years of service while you participate in the GE Pension Plan.
Q: Do I lose PBS and PQS credits when I’m laid off or on leave due to illness or an accident?
A: No, PQS and PBS continues during periods of absence due to sick leave and lack of work as long as you do not break service (*Usually after one year).
Q: How about military leave? A: PBS and PQS are credited for military time if you promptly reported back to the company.
Q: Can I gain more Pension Qualification Service, PQS by working overtime?
A: No, working overtime may help you reach the 1000 hours quicker and increase your monthly Pension Benefit, but in no case will you be credited with any more than one year PQS in a given calendar year.
Q: When won’t I receive PQS or PBS?
A: Here are some ways you can or may have lost PBS and PQS:
1. No credit is applied to employees while not a participant in plan.
2. Some strikes (no credits were applied during the 1969 strike)
3. Employees were offered, but did not buy back PBS, lost service for that period.
Prior to 1991, if you were absent for over two weeks before you had 12 months of service (Continuity of Service) credits were not applied for that period of absence.
- Submitted By CSF Chairman Tom Vereb
UE 506 Members have a rich history of giving back to the community. Over the next couple of months, there are a number of ways for you to give your time and talent to help the local community:
WQLN Auction, April 23, 5:30 till 9:00 PM, 35 volunteers are wanted to answer phones and other related duties at the WQLN Studios. Contact Tom Vereb x3212
Day of Caring, April 24, 200 volunteers are needed for 2 building projects, painting, landscaping, and general cleaning at the Boys & Girls Club, Wesleyville ball fields, Central H.S, Roosevelt M.S., Wilson M.S., B.T.W. Center, and the International Institute. Morning or afternoon shifts are available. Contact Kerry Craig x6505
WalkAmerica, April 25, 12:30 PM This 6-mile walk on Presque Isle starts at Rainbow Gardens and supports the March of Dimes. The CSF will pledge $10 for each CSF member that participates. Check the Kiosk for building contacts or call Libby Smith x6588.
Student Safety Fair – Bike Rodeo, May 22, 10:00 AM till 2:00PM, the CSF Bike Rodeo will move to Lawrence Park Elementary School in a collaborative effort to encourage children to use safe habits in there lives. Contact Tom Vereb x3212
VA 5K Race, June 6, 8:30 AM, 125 road marshals are needed to keep the participants safe. Contact Karen Rubay x5304 days, and Matt McCracken x6839 evenings
CSF Board, Immediate, We are currently looking for an administrator from 18C, Contact Tom Vereb x3212
2004 UE LOBBY DAYS REPORT
By Dennis McLaughlin
On Sunday, March 7th, 2004, eight delegates from your Local traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the UE Lobby Days. Our primary goal was to try and persuade our Senators and Congressmen to see our point of view on several important issues we face. Those issues included National Health Care Bill (HR 676), the repeal of the overtime bill (HR 1119) (S319), the right to organize (HR 3619) (S1925) as well as voicing our opposition to free trade and the war in Iraq.
On Sunday night we all met at the hotel’s conference rooms and found almost every UE Local across the US represented. Those included Locals from California to New England, Iowa, Wisconsin, the Carolinas, Illinois, New York, etc. We then set our itinerary for the next couple of days.
On Monday, the whole delegation of about eighty people formed a picket line in front of the AAHP-HIAA headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue. These are the insurance industries two major lobby groups. They are the organization who lobbied heavily for the badly flawed Medicare Prescription plan adopted last year. We were there to tell this lobby group that we demand a single payer health care plan, because health care should be a human right not a commodity.
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Pictured (L) to (R) are: Dave Jackman (Bldg. 7), "Sarge" Bishop (Local 683), Sue Falk, (Local 697) Roger Zaczyk (E-Bd. at Large), Mike Benedict (Bldg. 7, Mark Pierson (E Bd. at Large), Sue Smock (Bldg. 2), Charlie Tangle (Local 683), Denny McLaughlin (Fin. Sec.), Vicky Hoover (Local 683), Dennis Crawford (Bld.12 Chief Stew.), Sean Lynch (Bldg. 12) |
After the rally, we split up the delegation in order to try and get to see all of our representatives. This was more easily said than done but we were very determined to see and persuade our elected officials and to show them that, " they can run but can’t hide from us", and our issues.
Our first visit was with Senator Santorum (R). Three of our delegates were able to confront him in the basement of the Senate building. Senator Santorum, who has voted against everything we stand for (see voting record in Feb. 04 UE National News.), believes that national healthcare run by the government would be the wrong path. He brought up the troubles that Canada has had administrating this type of plan. In fact, he thinks that there is "no crises" in the US and believes that no one has ever left the States to seek Medical care, and anyone who needs it will receive it. It might be wise for him ask the 75 million who are uninsured or the 50 million who are under insured, regarding their opinion on this important issue!
Representative English was not so accessible, for some reason he feels he is not obligated to meet with the constituents from his district. In most other cases, a representative’s aide would at least meet with us, but in this case, English’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Holstein, refused to speak to us. Members of his staff did tell one delegates, Sue Falk from Local 697, that they would meet with her in the future, if she wasn’t accompanied by any member of UE 506. We voters need to remember this lack of response in the voting booth.
Our session with Senator Arlen Specter was more productive. He was at least willing to sit and listen to our ideas on health care, overtime, labor unions, etc. We also brought up to him that we consider it a travesty that the CARES commission would even consider the closing of the Veterans Hospital’s acute bed care facility here in Erie.
In conclusion, we extend our deepest thanks to our National officers for bringing this very important opportunity for political action to the forefront .We also need to extend a very special thanks to the one guy who continues to be our junkyard political watchdog in Washington, Chris Townsend. Without his tireless fortitude in setting up the meetings and speakers for this the 9th Political Action Lobby Days, it just would not have happened. And finally, from the eight members who traveled to DC, we want to thank the members for allowing us to represent you and the UE.
