Shirley is getting ready for another battle ahead as the Trimet management will be coming for more givebacks. ATU757 members have lost TWO CONSECUTIVE CONTRACTS NOW! We lost the first one in arbitration and the second one was conceded by the past president.
I have illustrated right here on this blog how Trimet is dealing with the misnamed "unfunded liability" (more like we spent the money on other shit and should be in jail now), and that is by removing the benefits.
The end goal of the Trimet slime is the termination of all post employment medical coverage. Even new employees should understand if this happens you are now stuck working at Trimet till you are medicare age. A prospect that most Trimet workers don't want to face. I went out at 58 because I have medical coverage. Not what I was promised but still medical. Current employees can still get out early if they wish and have some coverage. Trimet wants to end that option. Don't let it happen.
Unfortunately our union members keep fighting with each other thereby draining energy and resources from the real fight. We need to stop this internal bickering and move forward with the real objectives.
When I voted for Bruce I expected him to say no to any givebacks. He caved and it cost him the election. As far as I am concerned we have the right people in there to handle the Trimet contract negotiations.
The rest is noise. Let's stop the noise. It's not helping anything.
— AL M (@AlYourPalster) October 16, 2015
— AL M (@AlYourPalster) October 16, 2015
10 comments:
It's hard not to fight internally when the union gives away things like out seniority.
This fight started under the Bruce Hansen presidency. That's where 'block signup' got its start. Now the shit has carried over into Shirley
She's not doing anything about it.
Working conditions for unionized labor has been deteriorating for years actually decades now.
The only answer to that apparently is to get out.
I'm not sure I buy into this idea that there has to be some sort of grand unity. There are many many upset drivers at Powell. The other day I heard drivers talking about what it would take to leave ATU 757. This was not new drivers, it was drivers fed up with the leadership in the Union. Many were stating they believe that a Union that represents so many properties outside of Trimet, can't possibly serve our interest as well as a Union that focused on our need exclusively. Many believe the last sign up fiasco proved the leadership is either incompetent or corrupt, no one cases either way. For myself it's hard to make a call, without more information but it does make me sad.
I absolutely agree that Trimet union workers should have their own exclusive union
As I've noted before, I believe it was Heintzman's or someone's strategy to expand the union to include other properties and use those as their support base.
What you mean 'as I noted before'
I don't remember that
I think I read it in a Willamette Week article. I'm not sure it specifically said that, but it definitely noted the expansion and that it affected elections.
This is what people describe as leadership.
HB
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