I want to start this blog off with good news, so here it is. We are still at the table negotiating and progress is being made. I know, there are rumors out there that may lead you to believe otherwise but the truth is, we are making progress and we are still talking.
The schedule for this weeks talks has been shortened for the Thanksgiving holiday. The two committees met today and will meet again tomorrow. We will be off Wednesday - Friday and will most likely meet again on December 1st.
Speaking of December 1st, that will be the date of the next Union meeting. I urge you to attend since it will probably be the last regular meeting prior to having a "last best and final offer" from the company. The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm and I will be happy to address any questions or concerns you may have at that time.
To date there are roughly 28 management proposals on the table and 26 Union proposals. We are fairly close to resolving some of these but most will require a lot of work to get done. In the production department, the nuclear issues are all but finished. I believe there may be one or two small issues left to resolve but the bulk of those issues were agreed to today. Fossil is a whole different ball game. Let me put it this way, we definitely have a difference in opinion on how to fix the issues in the world of fossil.
Fleet, Meter Reading, Substation and the ECC proposals are finished and tentatively agreed to. The DCC proposal is still a work in progress as well as many of the line dept issues.
I want to say this about the line dept issues. I am not loving where we are at right now but..... movement has been made to resolve the issues. Unfortunately, ther are other areas (red edge #4) that we are not so close on.
Wages, benefits and the grievance process are all still on the table. There has been a lot of discussion concerning these issues. I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell you what the offer on the table is. As far as the grievance process goes, I can sum that up in a nut shell. ENOUGH is ENOUGH. We have given concession here the last two negotiations. I have not been bashful about letting everyone know how I feel about this issue. I have mentioned it before but let me repeat it again. " The grievance process is the most important article in the contract. Without it, you have nothing ."
I want to clarify one thing right now. Your System Committee is committed to the negotiation process. We notified the Company last week that we would meet right up to Christmas Eve and reconvene after the New Year if need be. I am not sure how long it will take to get a finished package but we want to make sure it is done right. I do not feel that negotiations should be rushed. Too many mistakes are made when that happens.
I hope that all of you have a great Thanksgiving. Please continue to work safe. I look forward to seeing all of you Monday night.
In Solidarity,
David B. Price
President, LU 1412
