“In a global economy, we cannot have a local approach to bargaining,” International vice president Jon Geenen told members of the GP union council in Pittsburgh on April 28. As part of the USW’s continuing efforts to share information on the working conditions at GP locations in other countries, Craig Foster, an assistant operator and union rep in a de-ink plant in Manchester, England spoke with GP local union leaders.
“We have the same problems in the United Kingdom (UK) as you have,” said Foster, a member of Unite the Union. “GP has 1,260 employees at four manufacturing sites in the UK.” After shutting down a part of one plant, the company is bringing paper into the UK from a GP mill in Spain, he reported.
Working 12-hour shifts, Unite members at GP sites work 1,776 hours a year, meaning that they are off work one-half of the year. Earnings average £27,000 ($54,000) a year but the cost-of-living keeps raising. While a gallon of gas is nearing $4 in the U.S.,it is cost the equivalent of $2.18 a liter or $8 a gallon in the UK.
During recent wage talks Foster said, “The company offered a zero wage increase. We told them we would strike.
“Then the company offered two percent,” he said. “We explained how prices were going up but we took the offer to the membership for a vote. It was rejected by 77 percent.
“Finally, the company came back with a three percent offer and we are recommending acceptance to our members,” Foster said.
Unite’s members vote on the offer on May 7.
The USW and Unite the Union of the UK and Ireland are in discussions to merge. If the merger succeeds, it will create the largest industrial union in the world.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Geenen reports and looks to future
Meeting with GP local union representatives in Pittsburgh prior to the USW Paper Bargaining Conference, International Vice President Jon Geenen gave an overview of bargaining and peered into the future.
“What happens at one local affects what happens in another local – no matter what union.”Geenen said.
“After 25 years of bargaining concessions,” he said, “We’ve made progress in paper. “We can’t simply look at bargaining as setting a date 60 days before contract expiration and scheduling a meeting,” he said. “That’s not how bargaining occurs. It is an exercise of building power.
He gave major credit to locations that were out in front in bargaining, with their memberships fully engaged and standing in Solidarity. “Building Power from the ranks below with full commitment of resources from the top is what it takes to achieve victory,” he said.
“We were losing the right to bargain collectively over health care,” he said. “Now we do not sign contracts where we do not have that right.
“In 2004 we had less than 50 successorship contracts and now we have 500.
“Where we had 75/25 on health care, we got employees backup to 80/20.
“Attacks on our defined benefit pensions have stopped.
“The frameworks (broad parameters of allowable agreements) are not the end game,” Geenen said. “As we develop the GP Council, it calls for rank & file leadership.
“Our biggest victory is that we’ve influenced the process,” he said. “We’ve changed the way GP bargains.”
Looking to the future, Geenen reiterated, “We will rebuild this council, coming out stronger. There’s enough leadership roles to go around for many rank & file members to get involved.”
“What happens at one local affects what happens in another local – no matter what union.”Geenen said.
“After 25 years of bargaining concessions,” he said, “We’ve made progress in paper. “We can’t simply look at bargaining as setting a date 60 days before contract expiration and scheduling a meeting,” he said. “That’s not how bargaining occurs. It is an exercise of building power.
He gave major credit to locations that were out in front in bargaining, with their memberships fully engaged and standing in Solidarity. “Building Power from the ranks below with full commitment of resources from the top is what it takes to achieve victory,” he said.
“We were losing the right to bargain collectively over health care,” he said. “Now we do not sign contracts where we do not have that right.
“In 2004 we had less than 50 successorship contracts and now we have 500.
“Where we had 75/25 on health care, we got employees backup to 80/20.
“Attacks on our defined benefit pensions have stopped.
“The frameworks (broad parameters of allowable agreements) are not the end game,” Geenen said. “As we develop the GP Council, it calls for rank & file leadership.
“Our biggest victory is that we’ve influenced the process,” he said. “We’ve changed the way GP bargains.”
Looking to the future, Geenen reiterated, “We will rebuild this council, coming out stronger. There’s enough leadership roles to go around for many rank & file members to get involved.”
GP Union Conference delegates discuss regional meetings, building local union strength
Union delegates from Georgia Pacific-owned facilities spent the first morning of the conference in Pittsburgh April 28-29 talking about issues raised at the regional GP meetings earlier in the year around the country to get a clearer understanding of issues facing hourly workers.
Reports back from these regional meetings talked about the most serious problems now facing workers at GP. Union workers also came up with a united plan to begin address these issues as a group. With assistance from USW Strategic Campaigns staff, breakout groups discussed various ways we are building stronger communications networks so no one is left in the dark about union-company relations at any facility.
Additional ways of building power were discussed. More details will be discussed in future issues of this publication.
Reports back from these regional meetings talked about the most serious problems now facing workers at GP. Union workers also came up with a united plan to begin address these issues as a group. With assistance from USW Strategic Campaigns staff, breakout groups discussed various ways we are building stronger communications networks so no one is left in the dark about union-company relations at any facility.
Additional ways of building power were discussed. More details will be discussed in future issues of this publication.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)