|
Post by ScottR@KTP on Jun 20, 2011 7:33:58 GMT -5
"The four-year job packages provide gains in wages, pension and job & income security." Quote from GE's union regarding agreement...show me the raises Ford...especially in an hourly rate increase and a pension increase.
|
|
|
Post by ScottR@KTP on Jun 20, 2011 7:36:06 GMT -5
- Moving union workers to the Health Choice insurance plan that already applies to nonunion employees. The Health Choice plan would replace a $15 co-pay with a higher-deductible plan that would require employees to cover a certain percentage of health-care costs once those deductibles were met.
Wayne Burnett, business agent for Local 506 in Erie, said he didn't need any more information on the program.
"I don't need any more schooling on benefits that are detrimental to me and our members."
Susan Bishop, the company's lead spokeswoman, would not comment directly on the negotiations. She did say, however, that the company's health-care costs have been increasing at twice the rate of inflation.
"That's not sustainable," she said.
- Excluding newly hired employees from the company's defined benefits pension plan. Union negotiators rejected the proposal, which would have increased company contributions to a retirement savings program.
- Eliminating a $15,000 life insurance policy for retirees.
- Improvements to short- and long-term disability benefits and its emergency aid plan and adoption assistance.
- Increasing the amount retirees pay for their prescriptions.
- There's even been some debate about wages.
The UE said the company has proposed a pay package that would provide a lump-sum payment in the first year of the agreement, followed by pay increases for the next three years of the contract.
The UE called those increases, "small, bite-sized amounts that it is unlikely to cover the gas bill for driving back and forth to work."
What the proposals don't appear to include is the establishment of a different wage scale for new employees.
There has been considerable talk in recent months about the need for the company to be able to pay what it called competitive, market-based wages. GE Transportation offered frequent reminders that its workers in Erie earned about twice as much as those at Caterpillar Inc., its main competitor in the locomotive business.
The UE website makes no report that those issues have been raised since negotiations began May 23.
Bishop said that in each of the past five contracts, the company has provided double-digit wage increases over the life of the contract.
It could be argued, however, that GE Transportation already has gone a long way toward addressing the issue of competitive wages.
The company announced in May that it intends to build a new $96 million locomotive plant in Fort Worth, Texas, creating more than 500 jobs in a largely nonunion environment.
The plant, expected to be building locomotives by the end of 2012, has been described as an alternative location that could handle overflow production.
While GE Transportation has added nearly 1,000 workers in recent months, including most of those laid off in 2009, it seems fair to predict that some future expansions might be shifted to lower-wage workers in Texas.
Roger Zaczyk, president of Local 506 of the United Electrical Radio & Machine Workers in Lawrence Park, said by e-mail Saturday afternoon that, "The negotiations have been slow. GE is trying to use the tactic that 'everyone else is taking concessions' and 'the volatile economic climate.'"
Zaczyk said there was nothing printable he could say about those claims, but he did suggest that he remains optimistic.
"Today and Sunday, the nuts and bolts of this agreement will be resolved, hopefully," he said Saturday. "Our conference board will meet on Monday and Tuesday to determine the direction this local will take, accept or reject."
Bishop said she expected talks to continue late Saturday and into the day today.
"We are making progress every day," she said. "We are coming close to the end and we are still hoping to have an agreement (today)."
But a report on the UE website said Friday that the issues of pension participation and changes in health care were not close to being resolved.
"We are not going backwards," Burnett said. "I know that our people in Erie are ready to do whatever we have to do to get a fair contract."
|
|
|
Post by ScottR@KTP on Jun 20, 2011 7:37:10 GMT -5
Sounds like the raises may be 2% or so the last 3 yrs of contract.
|
|
|
Post by pmooret on Jun 20, 2011 7:49:56 GMT -5
When it's contract time for GE you never hear any media hype. When it's Ford contract time they are in the media almost daily acting like a bunch of "DRAMA QUEENS" crying "THE SKY IS FALLING".
When we give up wages/benefits they just turn around and give it to Mulally and then gloat in the media. I'm not giving them a damn thing, my vaseline supply is too low.
|
|
|
Post by lap65 on Jun 20, 2011 9:14:13 GMT -5
If they go to that health coverage plan from $15 co pay then they aren't getting anything unless they never go to the doctor, those deductables will more than eat up any 2% raise.
|
|
|
Post by ScottR@KTP on Jun 20, 2011 11:11:08 GMT -5
Considering we have given up the chance to make $33.34/hour right now...I will take my chances with annual raises and increases in pension to pay a little more for healthcare. I go to the doctor on the average of once a year...I'm not costing them much on the health care end.
|
|
bill
Amateur
Posts: 106
|
Post by bill on Jun 20, 2011 16:10:58 GMT -5
GE union leaders meeting Wednesday to discuss deal for membership....includes $5,000 signing bonus, raises between 2.5-3% in yrs 2,3,4....$1.18 cola increase over life of contract...negative side...paying more for healthcare.
|
|
|
Post by Ktp1989 on Jun 21, 2011 13:04:14 GMT -5
sounds good to me....where do I sign up?
|
|
|
Post by justmefornow on Jun 21, 2011 18:55:10 GMT -5
Sign up??? You've got to be kidding me...anyone who thinks that is a good idea is not thinking too far in advance. While you may not have any health issues as of yet...your day is coming and when it does you will see that the small % they want to give us will not even put a dent in your health benefits. Not everyone is that lucky. One serious illness could lead you to bankruptcy. I am thankful every day when I get out of bed that I can go to work, some days are harder then others. I for one pay over $150.00 for prescriptions. "And NO....NONE ARE NARCOTICS!!!" I don't wish my illness on anyone but you should look at your future and the rising cost of health care before you decide it's "NO BIG DEAL!!" Just my 2 cents worth!!
|
|
|
Post by TonyV on Jun 21, 2011 22:42:52 GMT -5
Great post! Anyone with children will look at health benefits very closely. We should not give in on either.
|
|
|
Post by lap65 on Jun 22, 2011 1:30:58 GMT -5
One serious hospital visit could wipe you out without good insurance, believe me I want the raises too but not at any cost. I have a wife with serious medical problems & a child, we still have much much better than most health insurance, I pray we can keep it.
|
|
|
Post by marcus on Jun 22, 2011 7:22:21 GMT -5
You guys wont have to worry about healthcare pretty soon,we will be on obamacare not Fords.So we will all be getting better healthcare soon.I say we take more pay and no healthcare.
|
|
|
Post by ScottR@KTP on Jun 22, 2011 8:04:43 GMT -5
Considering the fact we forfeited raises and cola adjustments that could be providing us all with over $600 a month of after tax income, show me some pay raises. There will be no drastic insurance cuts, but there better be 4 raises and COLA.
|
|
|
Post by justmefornow on Jun 22, 2011 9:05:50 GMT -5
You guys wont have to worry about healthcare pretty soon,we will be on obamacare not Fords.So we will all be getting better healthcare soon.I say we take more pay and no healthcare. With the way that Ford operates....that's not a chance I'm willing to take. It will be NEXT contract time before we see any obamacare....
|
|
|
Post by trinitus on Jun 22, 2011 9:38:01 GMT -5
Does everyone realize that this IS the proposed contract for GE and NOT FORD? It could happen to us but our contract should be different so I wouldn't worry about what is in GE's contract at all but look more closely at to what they want to do to our contract this fall.
Even with all that said, kep in mind that because of Obamacare we will have to claim our health insurance as taxable income by the time the next contract is over. I would like to see that changed in this contract that we don't have to claim it plus some raise's.
|
|