The Guild and company met April 24 and 25 for negotiations for the Portland unit contract. Besides the areas that were agreed to (see previous post), the talks focused on Article X, grievance procedure; Article XVI, promotions, job changes and transfers; Article XVII, layoffs and dismissals; Article XIX, holidays and personal day; Article XX, jury duty; Article XXI, health and safety; and ground rules, pay for union bargaining representatives.
The Guild and company have agreed to nine more bargaining dates between now and June 1. the dates are May 8, 9, 15, 16, 21, 22, 30, 31 and June 1. All dates start at 10 a.m. except May 21, which begins at noon. All dates, except for May 9, are at the Abromson Center at the University of Southern Maine. Members are encourage to come and obserive if they have an opportunity. The location for the May 9th date has not been determined yet.
Here is a more in-depth look at discussions hels during the April 24 and 25 sessions:
The company has made a counterproposal on the issue of paying Guild bargaining representatives. The proposal is to pay for one half of meeting space after June 1 and to pay for half of the committee members straight-time pay for meetings through June 30, provided there are a minimum of three bargaining dates during the month.
Article X, the company has proposed reducing the discovery period to file a grievance from 90 to 30 days. Other proposals from the company are: all grievances must be either hand delivered or sent certified mail; expedited arbitration process, including a panel of arbitrators for the sides to choose from; and no sympathy strikes for the term of this agreement. In this section, the Guild has proposed extending the notice to four weeks from two on grievances involving dismissed employees and a "status quo" provision that would mean conditions before a grievances would be maintained until after the grievances was resolved.
Article XVI, the company has proposed that it may transfer employees for legitimate business reasons. Currently, transfers must be by mutual agreement. The company has also proposed eliminating language that makes the South Portland plant the main inserting operation. The Guild has proposed that present employees are given first opportunity to tryout for vacancies in higher classifications or to make lateral transfers. As well, seniority would be the deciding factor between employees capable of performing a job in a promotion or transfer. Full explanation from the Publisher would be given if promotions or transfers were denied. The Guild has also proposed putting the job descriptions in the contract itself and tuition reimbursement for further education in related fields.
Article XVII, the company has proposed the following: "There shall be no dismissals of employees who as of May 31, 2007, had at least eighteen (18) months seniority with the Publisher as the result of introduction of new or modified processes or equipment." This replaces a provision that covers any employee who has been employed for 18 months from losing their job as the result of new or modified processes or equipment. The company has also proposed freezing anyone who is transferred to a lower rate of pay at their then current rate of pay until their new classification equals their former rate of pay. In seeing the company's proposal on this Article, the Guild made a counterproposal from its original position. The counterproposal includes: no derogatory personnel records will have effect after one year; and employees with 24 months seniority (up from 18 months now) will be protected from losing their jobs due to new or modified processes or equipment.
Article XIX, the company's lone proposal in this section reads: "An employee whose regular day off falls on a holiday shall be given an additional straight-time paid day off, to be scheduled by mutual agreement between the department head and the employee and to be taken within thirty (30) days after the actual holiday. An employee required to work on a holiday (or the day celebrated as such in that department) shall receive holiday premium pay at the rate of time and one-half in addition to the employee's regular straight time hourly rate for all time actually worked on the holiday." The Guild has proposed adding Martin Luther King's birthday to the holiday list and that any employee assigned to work on a holiday will be paid for a minimum of a full day. The Guild has also proposed double time for hours worked on the holiday and two-week's notice of who is scheduled on a holiday.
Article XX, the company has proposed eliminating pay for jury duty for temporary employees and employees who have not met their probationary period. The Guild has proposed adding time spent to testify at a court or administrative proceeding as time covered under this section.
Article XXI, the company has proposed the following standard for eye examinations as employees "who regularly and frequently (are) assigned to work on a computer or work with digital equipment or technology." The company has also proposed that employees must be employed 90 days before qualifying for this provision and that the company will pay the "reasonable cost" of lenses. The company proposed adding "in a similar employment role" to the standard for an employee not to perform an assigned task if there is apprehension of death or serious injury. The Guild has proposed vision care for all employees. The Guild has also proposed that contact lenses would be covered and an increase to $200 allowance for frames.
If you have any questions, concerns, want to see the proposals or attend a negotiating session, please contact a bargaining team member or the Guild office at cbetit@local128.org or 772-1202.
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