Official: union bringing ‘significant’ offer to Crystal negotiations
May 22, 2012 at 8:54 am in Grand Forks Herald
A Bakery Workers union official is saying that locked-out American Crystal Sugar workers will bring a counteroffer to the June 8 negotiations with the company. The counter offer will include “a new set of proposals to address their concerns since the last time we met,” Roger Delage, president of Local 2676 in Crookston, said today. Continue Reading
Unfortunately the only Union members left to call and complain are the ones that have to hold out. The are the ones that will have to worry about the changes to the contract affecting them. They are the ones that can’t find work because the only skill they have is working in a sugar factory. This may sound harsh but it’s reality. All the workers that were worth their salt have moved on to other jobs. I feel bad that the Union leadership has lead these hardworking people down a path that they will never recover.
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I have, for many years.
The workers were informed of what would happen if a contract was not approved by July 31st of last year. The union negotiating team chose not to budge on their proposals before that date. There was no forced reduction in the work force. The work force chose not to work when they voted no on the contract proposal offered. If they want to go back to work all they need to do is force a vote and vote yes.
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I did! So I can pass all the judgement I feel fit!
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Jeff, have you signed and turned this in to your employer yet??
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??????
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i see Jeffs out on a cliff again.
First of all, most employers already give everything you have listed and we dont even need Unions to get those.
Secondly, if any employer fires you just to hire their “Kin”, you can file a grievance in the court of Law.
btw… no one just gets fired so someones kid can have a job. wake up and stop acting like a 5th grader.
The ONLY people i ever hear yelling about how great a Union is, are the uneducated people with zero skills that rely on Unions to ensure that they arent replaced by someone with more education and a better work ethic.
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“Delage emphasized that it wasn’t a new package with mass concessions.”
In other words there is nothing new.
Whew, I was worried that we might actually make some progress. Guess I was premature.
Sorry TJ, I know this is personal, but from what I read it sounds like more of the same.
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It’s okay fly and I’m sorry I was so rude to you the last time. I’m going to read the comments but I’m not going to make any remarks. I don’t want to get emotionally involved in something I can’t do anything about.
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If they truly wanted the Union gone why did they offer them a substantial pay raise and a signing bonus? If I were trying to get rid of them I would have offered a far worse proposal.
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John, I really think the”union” has been gone a long time.
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John: ACS has said all along this was their final offer. There is no moral, ethical, or legal requirement for ACS to play tit for tat with the union negotiators. That is old school and I think you will find those days are largely gone.
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At this point in the game wouldn’t the Union leadership realize that ACS isn’t going to accept anything less than their final offer? If not the final offer, something very close to it. What are these people not understanding. I know that they’ve painted themselves into a corner but somebody has to stand up and say “We were wrong.”
Can someone direct me to where ACS said the main issue left is seniority. No where have I ever seen the company state that this is a one issue deal or that there is only one issue left.
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It is the union who has said the only issue left is seniority. Even though ACS has guaranteed no jobs will be lost, and no present positions reclassified, by agreeing that future job classification can be non union breaks the closed shop and effectively negates the union’s power. Additionally, the union is unwilling to give up seniority as the major determining factor in job changes and promotions. Again, if they did that, they would lose their base. People would be forced to compete against each other for jobs. Solidarity would be nothing more than a slogan.
I have said over and over that seniority and closed shop have to go. They are anachronistic to employment in the twenty first century. They are also the bedrock theology from which the union maintains its power. To relinquish them is to sign its death certificate.
Either way the union is on death row. ACS knows this and so does the union.
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Unfortunately my sarcasm didn’t shine through like I had hoped.
I agree 100%. It is the Union that as continually made this a one issue arguement. Even when ACS would make statements to refute or make proposals that would “fix” the problem.
Union leadership needs to look to the future and change their way of thinking. They need to look to the future and force the company to make them the “skilled” and “knowledgeable” staff they are claiming to be. Negotiate with the company to make it mandatory to train their people. Negotiate with the company on seniority to better they employee base. This would give the Union the leverage it is looking for in the future. It would also give the employees the ability to move on to another employer if they so chose with skills acquired with Crystal.
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Agree 100%. With all of this emphasis on “new” job classifications, and an infrastructure that is getting a little long in the tooth, I wonder what ACS long term plans are?
I think it is entirely possible that they could invest in some new processing equipment and combine plants. That would make sense to me.
In the interest of full disclosure I know absolutely NOTHING about making sugar. It just stands to reason that any new machinery on the market will be much more automated and produce much higher yields than what is in use now (think of the effect the cotton engine or cotton gin had on textiles in the early 1800s).
These new factories would require new operators, ones trained on the new computerized machines. These new operators would by definition fall under a different classification system … it is easy to see where I am going with this.
It would be nice to think ACS is thinking 10 years into the future, not the next 6 months. Lets hope so.
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Don’t buy any sugar from Walmart, or Target. Or any candy on the shelf. Watch the pop you buy. Wait look out for most foods that have sugar. I hope you don’t have kids, they won’t be able to have any cereal.
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“Disciplinary action” Schurkey?….. It’s union leadership who needs it, but I don’t think it would cover common-sense deficiency.
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i buy american crystal sugar now
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I think Mr. Delage pooped in his hat on this one.
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You mean “again?”
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$35,000 a year, you make me laugh. Who stated this fact?
That maybe the base pay for a full time employee at he lowest pay rate. But that certainly isn’t the case for the majority of the Union workers there today.
Jeff H – What do you think a fair yearly wage should be for year round Crystal Employee?
Jeff H – What do you think a fair yearly wage should be for a CEO of $1.2billion/ year company?
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Jeff – Lets be a little more specific. What is a living wage for this region of the country? Give me a number.
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Jeff,
Get a clue. The CEO making 10 times the average salary is an EXTREMELY good ratio. Check out other major companies where CEO’s make over 100 times the average salary. Don’t believe me?
http://www.epi.org/publication/webfeatures_snapshots_20060627/
This article is from 2006, the number’s are even higher now.
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Jeff: according to the union the average ACS worker that was being locked out earned $60,000 to $80,000 a year. I remember this because I used that number in an editorial to the Harold regarding professor wages. An Associate Professor at UND earns roughly the same as a locked out ACS worker; the only difference is the professor has a PhD and the locked out worker gets much better benefits.
I do not believe negotiations are dead. In fact there are several going on as we speak in the airline industry. I believe, as I have often said, that the union overplayed its hand in this situation and is now paying the price. There is no reason whatsoever for ACS to alter its offer.
As we have discussed many times before, in a war of attrition ACS wins. The union chose the strategy. I cannot be held responsible because it was the wrong one.
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Robert. As the handle implies I am a nurse. I have been working nights and weekends, rain or shine my entire adult working life. I was an RN for ten years before I had both Christmas Eve and Christmas day off in the same year.
I hear what you are saying, but beyond sympathy for being stuck in the trenches your comparison to a UND professor falls very flat. That same professor may only work M-F but look what they had to go through to get there. Are you honestly trying to tell me your preparation came even close?
We grew up hearing that if you go to school you get a good job and good money. 9/10 times that is true (Refer back to the article about Altru salaries. The highest earning Altru physician raked in $1.4 million.). It most definitely is not true if you choose to teach.
I just finished my Master’s. I spent a decade getting it. I spent over $60,000. If I go for a PhD it would take a minimum of another three years and probably another $40,000. So after spending $100,000 I should be honored to educate your offspring for the same pay as a high school graduate with 5 years seniority on the job?
No thanks
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A plant employee may have to be there on holidays, but ACSC is paying you 2x and a half to be there!! I know of no other companies paying that kind of money to someone to work a holiday because regardless of the holiday, the plant has to run. If you want the job, that’s a requirement, as is working at a hospital or anywhere else that is 24/7. Flying nurse, do you get paid 2x and a half for your job on a holiday?
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I wish. Most places in the country give you 1.5x. Altru gives you $3 an hour more. It is insulting.
I never worked more than he bare minimum as far as holidays went when I was there. Altru’s policy just really stuck in my craw
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Well my spouse has worked there when the union was there and now that the union is not there and has never been “year round” and every time working a holiday, has gotten the holiday pay plus the 1.5x thus receiving 2.5x for working the holiday!
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Gayle,
The initial contract proposal from the union, posted on the acsccontracttalks website and linked by Otis below shows the union’s requested change from 2.5x normal rate for holiday to a 3x normal rate. It is article 13.4.
SInce that has been there for all to see for over 6 months, I have fairly high confidence it is accurate. If the company is posting a false version of the union contract proposal, that is likely grounds for a finding of “not negotiating in good faith”.
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Funny how negotiations are scheduled about a week before the MN factory employees run out of unemployment. The ND factory employees sure got thrown under the bus on this one. They desperately need a change in leadership. Of course those leaders still got a paycheck.
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That was the first thing to hit facebook when the date came out last month. Coincidence?
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Gayle, I hope that you are enjoying your classes. It’s always a good thing to increase your education and it sounds like you planned fairly well for this event. I may be wrong on the unemployment, when I checked the MN UI website there was the initial 26 weeks of eligibility and an extension of 20 weeks available which led me to believe that UI would be exhausted in 46 weeks not 52 which would mean that it would be exhausted in mid-June.
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I like the “offer the company can’t refuse” punchline……….. BACK PAY FROM AUGUST 1st!!!!! Now that is a punchline.
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You missed the third option.. Risk it all, start your own business and hopefully work your way to prosperity. This can be done with or without an education. But the risk is ALWAYS there.
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Absolutely Ron. I knew what I was getting into. That is why 25 years later I am busting my hump to get out. I am getting way too old for this game. That & being a nurse you to mean something. You were an advocate. Your professional ethics trumped everything else. More than a few business decisions were reversed because they ran counter to what was good for the patient.
Now you are just an employee. It is no longer worth the amount of dedication it takes to be at the top of the game.
As for apples & oranges, I don’t think so. In the end your mortgage company could care less if you are a nurse, laborer, or mafia king pin. They just want your check: on time & not returned for insufficient funds.
No break for being one of the good guys.
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UND is also known as the monkeyhouse by teachers, often pushed to get research grants on their own time or not get some special favors. Not everybody is great at speaking in front of others. I prefer the hands on work by far. I’d pick the factory if I had the time.
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Shouldn’t you wait to rip the union’s offer until after you hear what it actually is?
Hot debate. What do you think?
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If the union would quit going to the media with teaser sound bites, then people would not have the temtation to speculate or “rip.” My pridiction is that the more the union gets written up in the local media, the less they will have to present at negotiations. If they were truly ready to deal, why not save it for the mediatior on June 8th?
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It’s like one of those action movies. You see the trailer on a TV ad and it looks really good. Then you actually go to it and find out that all the best parts were in the commercial.
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The union rep said they had a counter offer, not concessions, it’s not the same thing.
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Ron- You’re right it doesn’t effect me, but it does effect those that I care about. The Union members have been lead around by the nose being told what is good for them. They haven’t been told the whole story, they haven’t been represented. They have been lead by some, (not all), individuals that like to pump up their chest and strut around spewing information they don’t understand. These so called leaders haven’t educated themselves on the issues or looked around at the country to see what is happening nationally. I don’t think they need to bow down and take it but they need to actively engage with intelligent discussion.
The current leaders have painted themselves into a corner and have no way out. Not one of the them wants to say, we made a mistake. The company can afford this situation and has a long term plan, does the Union?
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Otis, my man, who the heck are you? I don’t need to post here anymore. You are doing it for me. tj: glad to see you are back from the lake. Even though Otis sounds just like me and looks just like me, I’m not Otis. Quick comment on the current subject, trust me, there will be nothing significant presented to the company. This is so predictable and so sad.
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I am someone who has people on both sides of this matter. I am someone who grew up with family working for ACS. My family was once in the Union and latter part of management. I have a very strong understanding of the Union Leadership and the BS they like to spew.
All the Union leadership are in it for themselves, look at there initial offer, http://www.acsccontracttalks.com/bctgm.proposal.pdf. If you look at the last page you will find specific positions called out for pay increases. These increases are on base pay and don’t include any raises. The interesting thing is of all the positions listed, all of them are held by a person on the negotiating team for the Union.
Funny how that works!
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Alvin…I’m in Mpls. My husband started radiation treatment for prostate cancer yesterday. He’s the youngest patient his doctors have ever treated. We will be here for seven and a half weeks (38 treatments). Lucky for us we got a room at the Hope Lodge which is ran by the American Cancer Society. If anybody out there will be treated for cancer in the TC in the future check the place out before you think about staying at a hotel. This place is awesome….and it’s free to stay here. The Hope Lodge in Rochester always has a waiting list but the one in Mpls usually doesn’t.
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TJ Sorry to hear about your husband. I wish you both the very best.
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Thoughts & prayers TJ.
When my oldest was born he was premi. 8 weeks in NICU. We would not have been able to stay with him if it was not for Ronald McDonald house.
Now I can add Hope Lodge to my list of places to give.
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Well, tj, you knocked the wind out of me with that news. I’d better take a break from this and contemplate what’s really important. I’m a little ashamed of the time I waste arguing with people. Good luck.
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Thank you…your friendships mean alot to me.
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tj…sorry to hear of your husbands health problem…My prayers are with you…best of luck and hoping for a speedy recovery.
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Maverick, your right that is the third way. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It is a very respectable way to earn a living. You made me think of a 4th inheriting a family buisness. When this happens hopefully the elders in the family teach the younger generation the “ropes” and the younger generation has the respect of the oppertunity they are receiving. Sometimes it happens and sadly sometimes the younger generation blows the oppertunity.
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There is an old truism in business schools: the first generation founds it, the second generation grows it, and the third generation kills it. Unfortunately it is true all too often.
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“Life isn’t fair.”
Once again Ron, explain that to the guy in a ditch holding the sign with “fairness” as its theme.
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Nope. Comment has nothing to do with education. It is a statement about not getting a break on your mortgage because of your job. My interest rate is the same as that given a crack dealer.
Exactly what you said earlier: it is about income & credit score.
Education only comes into play when we are talking about what job we are applying for. If you want to be a firefighter & a paramedic you have to go to the tech & take the appropriate classes. Desire is not enough.
If you want to be a college professor you need a PhD.
It is not about your worth as an individual; it is about the ability to support your family.
My eldest works at ACS. The $15 an hour & bennies are a far sight better than the $9 an hour & no bennies at Sam’s. He is married & has 2 kids.
He is a member of the Guard & did a year in Afghanistan. He also has no marketable skills. He does not want to go to school. He is a good, hard working man that takes care of his responsibilities.
He is also destined for a life of subsistence. Always driving POS cars, never owning a home, & being one major bill away from homeless.
If he does not do something to acquire a marketable skill, he will never be anything other than working poor.
That is no way to go through life
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“Are you saying your better than “the common man” because you have a higher education? Because that is what it sounds like to me.”
You’re funny Ron. Consistently.
In another thread, YOU got all uppity and actually SAID you were INSULTED because I used the term “union shop” when I mentioned your work situation. YOU actually thought that I meant YOU worked in a SHOP and it didn’t sit well with you. Your *general cluelessness* that led you to misunderstand what I meant by the term “union shop” is one issue. The other, (and perhaps more interesting), issue is that YOU were INSULTED because you thought I meant that YOU worked “in a shop”. Because “working in a shop” is something you think is somehow “beneath you”.
And yet…here you are. Attempting to take someone else to task because YOU think THEY think they’re “better” than the common man. Funny stuff coming from you Ron. YOU think you’re better than the common man that works in a shop.
Remember what I’ve said several times about your tendency to trip yourself up? Just about every time the (dim) light bulb illuminates above your head and you think you have something thought-provoking to post, all you really end up doing is making yourself look more silly.
Someone ought to compile ALL of your posts and put ‘em in a book. I’d buy a copy….just for entertainment’s sake. It could be *sort of* a text-based version of “Where’s Waldo”? Instead of staring at a picture and trying to find something hidden, we could instead pore over your posts and attempt to find something that resembles logic.
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Otis, your right you do have a right to feel a certain way about this issue. It may not effect you directly but it will effect people you care about. if american crystal likes what the union has to say a contract will be written up the union members will vote and hopefully people will go back to work. If they don’t like what the union has to say they will stick with their final offfer and that will be voted on. If union members do not like their union leadership they can vote yes on crystals final offer and go back to work. Otherwise a no vote will happen and american crystal will go down their current path. Anything we post now is just speculation it is up to american union crystal members to let their leadership know how they feel and voice their opinion when they vote on whatever contract they are offered.
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Thanks for the clarification on your post. That is just the way I interpreted your comment after the staements made earlier.
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It would be a cold day before I would sign. I’ve never been represented by a union a day in my life.
Unions did do a great deal for the working man once a time. This particular union doesn’t seem to do that. They advocated rejecting a contract that provided pay raises, an increase in their retirement, no change in the already generous vacation and holiday plan all to protect those members that abuse their benefits and try to work the system to their own advantage. To other unions in this area and throughout the country they are a laughingstock and an example of how not to serve their members.
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One of my old college professors used to say the reason for the extinction of every organism since the beginning of time was for one reason… that organism failed to adapt to a changing environment. He was correct.
BCTGM has shown time and again that it does not want to grow and adapt to the changing world around it.
So union members can beat their chests and pound a drum all the while pointing to the past which they feel entitles their future, not knowing that keeping to the tactics and mind set of the past only points the way to their extinction. The path of this ruin will not have an effect on Steve Bertelli’s or Mark Fromke’s lives but leads directly to their doorstep, and correctly so. Rest in pieces BCTGM you are getting just what you asked for with your tactics and behavior.
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Creasybear: I could not agree more. I have outlined several times the changes airline unions have undergone since deregulation. ALL of the old mainline carriers are gone or so drastically changed from their pre 1978 structure that they are unrecognizable.
All of this and yet they remain one of the most heavily unionized industries in the WORLD.
Unions & carriers that refused to change died. Those that adapted survived & are getting stronger.
Southwest is the most successful carrier in the US right now. It is also the most heavily unionized.
Unions are not of & by themselves bad. Poor Management & horrible advice are bad. There is nothing wrong with the structure .
At the successful surviving carriers the union is involved in every project from day one. At Southwest the union is part of every planning committee. They are not there to veto or demand more pay, they are there to help make sure it is the other guy that goes out of business, not SW.
Fighting for your livelihood is a wonderful motivator. Successful airline unions don’t say no, they say how do we make this happen?
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It was labeled as a “Freeloaders’ Check Off” so I just naturally assumed it meant you and Jeff. By the way, what’s your dog in this fight? I have a lot of respect for what the unions did for this country in the past. My problem is with this union and how it sold it’s members down the road. As for closed minded, have you looked in the mirror lately?
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I would like to know from union members on this board if there is any reason to think that anything will come out of this next meeting. ACS stands firm in its final offer and I’m wondering if the union is prepared to accept these changes or if this will just be another media circus for a couple of days? F/N, I must say you must really enjoy arguing on these boards, wow. I agree with most of what you have to say but jeez, I think the horse you’ve been beating died last October. Lets get this deal done and move forward together.
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I could not agree more; unfortunately I don’t get a vote.
I would vote for a moratorium on reporting until a vote is scheduled & then silence until the results are in
I have no clue what I would do with my time but I am sure I can find something
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“You can point the blame in whatever direction you choose but you can admit that niether side worked effectivly together in this labor dispute.”
I dunno Ron. One party in the situation made offer(s). The other party responded to those offer(s) by simply saying “no” and not making offer(s) themselves. Then they took it a step further. Not only did they NOT make offer(s) themselves, they chose to repeatedly beat their collective chests and proudly proclaim about the overwhelming “no” vote percentage.
I’ve asked this before Ron, and I’ll ask it again. Imagine YOU were an employer negotiating with YOUR employee and YOUR employee dealt with YOU in this manner. How would you respond? Keep in mind that the reason you’re meeting in the first place is to hold a “negotiation”. It isn’t, (and it never was), a meeting in which one side’s responsibility is to make offers, while the other side’s sole responsibility is to say “no” until they get what they want.
Post up all of the offers the union made in “negotiations” Ron. Enlighten me. Then enlighten the NLRB as well. They’d be interested to learn that the documents they possess are erroneous.
Just an FYI in case you became confused as you read this post: It’s in response to your contention that neither side “worked effectively” in this dispute. It’s glaringly apparent to most folks which party in this dispute REALLY dropped the ball when it comes to “working effectively”.
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Mr. Bertelli, Mr. Fromke, & Mr. Riskey
Thank You Thank You Thank You!!!!!
Due to your actions, and well, lack of actions, it has made our decision very easy. It worked just as we planned. We did it!
It was a lot easier than we had thought it would be, and without bashing you and your union thugs in the media. We did need you, but we do not need or want you now. It is time to part ways. We are much better off without you. Thanks! Instead of having to deal with you and your overpaid union lifers, we are obtaining a new local employment work force, which is going very well. We are more than happy with our new employees. They are thankful that they have a job, they are eager to learn and take pride in doing it.
This lockout will remain in effect for as long as you let it, which based on our prior conversations, it will be a very long time. We are not going to move from our position and have offered our Final Offer. You will have to accept is as it is or just move on.
We look forward to seeing you on June 8th. Remember it is at 9am, don’t be late like last time. The mediator is already not happy with you. The hotel will provide donuts and coffee.
Sincerely
your American Crystal Representatives
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The union has had 10 months to accept a deal. Clearly, the union leaders misled the union members thinking they can get a better deal. Crystal called their bluff and had over 7,000 people apply for these positions that the union leaders deemed the pay/benefits not good enough. Also, this SAME union was locked out a few years ago in Ohio and after 1 year they settled for the same offer as day 1. Keep drinking the kool-aid from Mr. Riskey- afterall, he’s still getting paid while gambling on your wages.
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“No scott you. Insulted me by talking down to me and stating I haven’t earned my benefits and assuming I work in a shop. ”
Good grief Ron….can you read? I NEVER “assumed you worked in a shop”.
“Union shop” is a term Ron. It doesn’t have to mean a person literally works in a “shop”. Nevertheless, your post STILL doesn’t make any sense. You’re insulted by the idea of working in a shop. And yet you *attempt* to take others to task for “looking down on the common man”.
You really, REALLY…have difficulty with comprehension.
I don’t spin your comments at all Ron. I quote you. You, on the other hand, are pretty adept at misquoting people. In the last thread we went back and forth on, *you* said *I* said something in one of my posts…..that I didn’t say.
I invited you to copy and paste it. You didn’t. Why is that Ron?
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Jeff….You are so hilarious!!!! I always get a good laugh at your comments that make absolutely no sense!
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Hey Jeff, do you pay union dues? If not, then I guess that you’re coat-tailin too!!!!
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I just read that “outlandish” bctgm proposals for negotiations. Yes there are a few items that can and should be shot down and some that actually make sense. 3. Based on employee vote Add 12 hour dupont or other work schedule where applicable. Seems like a resonable request As long as the work gets done and there is enough staff to fill this schedule. Article 4. Add shift differential during inter campaign. You are adjusting your life to work nights seems resonable for discussion. I saw absolutly nothing wrong with article 5. It allows the most senior person with physical and work related qualifications first shot at a job. It also allows a junior member to trump the senior if the junior member is more qualified. Written a lot different than the misinformation anti union supporters are presenting. Article 6 is just subsituting 1 1/2 times pay for up to 40 hours of vacation. Again a good proposal that could save money if it doesn’t interfere with company operations. Article 13. Again misinformation by posters. 3 times pay for year round employeeson select holidays not listed in this proposal but refered to on another contract. Double on the rest of the holidays. Again I don’t agree with 3 times holiday pay and should be shot down. Currently it is 2 1/2 for delect holidays and 1 1/2 for the rest. Sorry posters not 2 1/2 for all holidays. Rest are a few benefit increases and language changes. I don’t understand 24 where it asks for rate increases for certain positions. This is something you should ask your union reps about.
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The reason behind rate increases for certain positions. Some positions, like electricians, have fallen below the wages paid outside the company. Bringing up this wage would bring in new hires without having to ask them to take a pay cut. Other positions like the pulp drier fireman have increased dutys added to them. Do to job eliminations that supported the position and the addition of new and differant equipment. EGF has added a steam drier and still uses their gas driers. Each raise increase has a reason and is negotiable. They are not demands. Just things to look at.
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Ron: did you retread what you wrote?! Some (not all) of your statements sound like you are drinking the Kool Aid.
#6: 1.5x for selling back up to 40 hours vacation. In other words, if I go on vacation you might have to pay someone 1.5x to cover my shift. So, if I don’t go on vacation & sell it back instead, you give me 1.5x.
That is absurd. What benefit is that to anyone besides the person selling back his/her vacation?
As a manager I can tell you right off the bat that I would rather you go on vacation (good for the soul), & if I have to I will pay your replacement 1.5x. That way I have two happy people, not just one.
Earning more for vacation time is ludicrous. It is so beyond the pale I am betting it is already in previous contracts.
#5 is a philosophical difference we have discussed numerous times. I am not a fan of seniority in job placement. It breeds mediocrity.
The most senior qualified person can be trumped by a more qualified less senior person. How do you define qualified? How many times has this ever happened? If you cook sugar, a job specific to the plant, there is no “qualification” other than in house requirements; so, unless I am missing something, it would be impossible for a less senior person to be more qualified.
If I am wrong tell me, but from here it looks like window dressing. Pretty words with no practical application.
As I have said before, I am not anti seniority. They get paid more, usually earn more vacation time (Senior employees get up to a month a year. Sell back 1 week at 1.5 & still take 3.) & get better schedules. They are already well compensated.
By removing the most senior clause, very little changes. The most senior employee still gets the job 80% of the time because they are also the best fit. Unfortunately it is the 20% that can kill morale in an organization. The Peter Principle in action.
Management has to have the ability to put the best people where they need to be; otherwise it is the inmates running the asylum.
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Also Ron, your post did not mention closed shop for new job classifications. As I understand it, the union will not sign a new contract that does not keep a closed shop & management will not sign a contract that has it.
Back to square one.
Again, if I am wrong on this unionphiles, bring me up to speed
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Thanks for the clarification steven. The listing of only certain positions can be interpreted differently as otis has already refered to.
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