The Union and Company met on November 19, 2010, to open negotiations on a new 4 year contract. The current contract was set to expire on November 30, 2010. The Union presented a proposal on upgrades and a clean up item, but mainly focused on wages. The Company presented one proposal, which they withdrew later in the day. They too were interested in wages.
As you know, we rolled out our District 6 Organizing Initiative in January during the District 6 Conference in El Paso. Since that time, many Locals have been working to make face-to-face contacts with non-members. Some Locals have engaged in external organizing efforts as well. I have periodically provided updates on some of the successes that Locals have achieved. Below are a few of the highlights and notable efforts from past twelve weeks. Please note that, while the number of new members for some Locals listed below may not appear to be large, they are included here because they represent a significant percentage of the Local?s non-members. Additionally, this is not a complete and comprehensive list of all organizing activities throughout the District. A more complete representation of all organizing activities across the District can be found in the Weekly Organizing Reports that are being compiled and disseminated to all Locals each week.
The Union and the Company met last Thursday November 11, 2010 and presented the Company with a comprehensive proposal. The Union continues to wait to the Company?s response.
Today the two committees met in a continued effort to reach an agreement. On the last evening, the Union?s committee has extensive conversation amongst themselves about the retrogressive language that the Company had been discussing and trying to explain on yesterday.