To Our Membership,
Today, Monday August 24th, began a 3 day meeting between representatives of the company and your committee. We started our day at the hall at around 8:00 a.m. and finished the day of negotiations at 8:30 p.m.
Our plan is to begin again at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, until ??? It is our hope, that this 3 day period will bring this process closer to a tentative agreement, that you will find satisfactory. We, as always, appreciate the support you have given us, and I have returned as many calls tonight as I have been able to.
To summarize the day, I would go back to a post I wrote earlier on in this process. It is vital that you, our membership, keep in mind that proposals are exactly that, proposals. Until both parties reach agreement on the language of the proposals, it remains just a proposal. Once both parties agree on the language, the proposal then is transferred over to the title of "tentative agreement". In the meantime, wording, as well as the intent of the language, changes. Sometimes subtley, sometimes profoundly. Sometimes it takes days, and hours, and in our case, weeks and months to make progress. Sometimes it takes minutes and seconds.
Today, the majority of the focus was centered on Union proposals N, O and P. As you recall, these 3 proposals centered around the time a represented person "works up", the effect on a represented employee by another represented employee "working up" and supervisors doing bargaining unit work.
Although we ended todays session without a "tentative agreement", the general consensus is that progress was made, if anything, in having the opportunity to explain the basis for your concerns. As you know, these proposals weren't simply grasped out of the air. There is a valid reason, a valid concern for their creation. Had there been no burden placed on you, our membership, there wouldn't be an issue. Communicating the issue is sometimes a difficult task, to explain things in a manner that is understandable. Especially when there is very little trust by either party. As you are all well aware, the company is first and foremost, going to do whatever it takes to protect their interests. Regardless of how it affects our members. They are driven by "numbers" and "flexibility". I have come to find out that if the word "flexibility" is used in a sentence by management, it is going to result in some sort of "rigidity" for us. Thus far, that has been the case every time.
We will continue to represent you to the best of our ability and we simply ask that you continue to work in a safe manner, and maintain the professionalism you always do. One thing that makes this committee proud is that there is absolutely no question of your committment to doing your jobs well, no question of your integrity. We thank you for placing your faith in us, and will do our best as always for you. Take care.... Your Committee
