Earlier this year, the Company proposed revisions to the Job Posting Procedure that would remove some of the obstacles they encountered during heavy volumes of hiring.

The Company’s initial proposal contained one nice feature that would speed up the time it takes to move to new jobs however, we found ourselves very far apart on many other points. After months of chipping away at those undesirable features, the Union was able to whittle the original proposal down to the language changes listed below in bold print. A summary of these changes appears at the end of this article

Section 1 Paragraph E - When an employee is offered and accepts a requested job, that employee is expected to move to the new job. However, at the time of job offer, the employee may reconsider and decline such placement with the understanding that he will not again be considered for upgrade under the procedure until a period of six months has elapsed from the date of refusal. This six-month penalty will not be imposed until the fourth job refusal within one rolling year.

Paragraph "F"- Employees will transfer to the accepted job within 3 weeks on jobs 14 code and below, 4 weeks on jobs 15 to 17 and 5 weeks on jobs 18 code and above.

Paragraph "H"- In the event an employee has been poorly placed in conjunction with an upgrade, said employee shall be placed on a mutually agreeable job opening. In the event agreement cannot be reached said employee shall be returned to the job held immediately prior to being upgraded. Employees, who have been upgraded and/or transferred to open positions as a result of the initial upgrade, shall in like manner be returned to their previously held positions.

Paragraph "B"- Openings which are to be filled under the provisions of this Procedure will be posted as follows:

Posted job openings will be displayed in convenient locations designated throughout the Plant to assure reasonable accessibilities to employees. The listing will identify the job openings by date, job request number, job title, job code classification, job description, pay class (R or I), number of openings, suggested minimum qualifications, location and shift and will remain posted for a period no less than forty-eight (48) hours.

Paragraph "D"- An employee will be notified electronically that an interview is available and the employee must arrange to be interviewed within 48 hours of such notification. Interviews will be conducted on first shift by the hiring Business Leader or his designee. Failure to arrange to be interviewed within 48 hours will be considered a job refusal.

Paragraph "E"- An employee’s position on the candidate slate will be posted and the employee may withdraw his bid prior to the posting deadline. Such withdrawal will not be considered a job refusal.

Summary of the proposed changes:

1.) When you bid on a job you will notice 3 suggested minimum qualifications, also the number of job openings on the request number will also be posted. You will also know exactly what job you are bidding on. (the machine, the station etc.)

2.) Once you submit a bid you will be able to see where you are in order of seniority on the candidate slate. The employee will be responsible to check the job referral screen (the PTA will no longer tell you if you have an interview).

3.) Once you have a referral, you have 48 hours to schedule an interview. All interviews will take place on first shift (first shift PTAs and BL’ s work 6:00AM - 5:00PM so they will be able to accommodate all shifts)

4.) If you are offered the job during your interview, you will be required to give your decision at that time. If you accept the job you must move. (Currently you can change your mind up to the point that your replacement is hired). You will be allowed 4 job refusals in a rolling year, after the 4^th refusal a 6-month penalty will be imposed.

5.) If an employee receives a poor placement they may still opt to go back to their previous job. Under the new proposal, (by mutual agreement) *the employee can opt to move to an open job in the same class and category as the job held previous to the upgrade (*anyone else impacted by the poor placement may also exercise this option.).

6.) The final change is the automatic starts, 3 weeks for jobs up to 14 code, 4 weeks on 15-17 code, 5 weeks for 18 code and above.

The UE Local 506 Constitution was amended in December 2002 to create an independent committee to oversee the General Elections and all Chief Steward, Delegate and Special Elections. An election is conducted every two years to select one representative from each of the nine Chief Steward’s Division. Election Committee Elections for the 2007/2008 term will be held in the shop on Thursday, January 25, 2007.

Nominations for Election Committee representatives must be made at the UE Local 506 Office, during regular business hours, during the first full week in January (January 8 to 12, 2007). Nominations will be closed at 4:00 P.M. on Friday, January 12, 2007. Any member in good standing can nominate a candidate for these offices or the candidates can nominate themselves. The member making the nomination will pick up an acceptance form and a questionnaire. These must be filled out by the candidate and returned to the Union Hall office no later than 4:00 P.M. on Tuesday, January 16, 2007. The individual making the nomination is responsible for delivering these forms to the candidate.

The names of all Candidates will be published in a special UE Local 506 bulletin, along with information on each Candidates attendance at Local Union Meetings, Union Offices held, and a brief statement of qualifications.

In each contested Division, two tellers per shift will be chosen, by mutual agreement of the candidates, to conduct elections. The Divisional Chief Steward will post the notice of the election in prominent locations at least three days before the election. The posting will list the candidates, the date and hours for the voting, and it will announce where and how the voting will be conducted. Newly elected Election Committee representatives will be sworn in at the first- shift membership meeting in February.

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ODDS AND ENDS

2007 Holiday Schedule approved. The schedule, as it was printed in the November NEWS, was approved by a vote during the November 16^th meetings. The schedule is also posted on the 506 website: www. uelocal506.org/

Additional Workers Compensation clarification – Last month, Frank wrote about your right to be treated during the first 90 days by any of the company-listed doctors for a shop injury or illness. You should also know that if you are not satisfied with the doctor you chose, you can choose another from the list within the 90-day period.

Members approved commissioning a plaque to honor former Business Agent Adam Fioravanti during the November meetings. Adam was chiefly responsible for our having the beautiful Hall we enjoy today.

Lean Rates Proposed - On November 3, 2006, the Union and Company met to discuss the dayrate Lean code for the Class II’s, III’s, and IV’s. We reported last month that the Company wanted to combine the Class III’s and IV’s into one code. Their initial proposal was an R14 for the Class III’s and IV’s, and an R16 for the Class II’s.

Those proposed rates posed a huge problem for us. The current contract language states "Employee hired after August 5, 1991, who have no record of prior GE service, may be hired at a minimum of 70% of job rate". This paragraph refers to the one-month progression schedule (R15 and below), with that in mind, there are 422 members who hold Class III and IV jobs. Those jobs would then be subject to the 70% progression schedule, which was unacceptable. After raising that argument, the Company came back with a proposal of an R16 for Class III and IV, and an R19 for Class II. After further review by the Executive Board, a recommendation will be made and a vote taken on the proposal early next year.

Farmouts - By now everyone has heard the Company plans to farmout work from certain areas of the plant to free up workers for busier areas. The Union’s position is clear on this, farmouts should not be used to move people from one area to another.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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