AMALGAMATED ENGINEERING, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS OCAL 412 ALLIED UNION SERVICES EADER Volume 40, Issue 1 L 2005 Tobsal • Warren, MI 48091 SPRING 2020 FCA REACHES AGREEMENT McLaren Hospital, Beacon Health PDC in Georgia. Local International & Value Options Services and FCA/ Servicing Rep. Greg Stoey was LOCAL 412 Chrysler. Congratulations to all of the assigned to our Sub-Committee, along Unit Chairpersons, their Bargaining with International Coordinator Rep. Lee PRESIDENT’S Committees, and our Local Servicing Bainter. For FCA, the lead negotiators Reps. who assisted them on ratifying were Senior Manager of Labor Relations REPORT Local Agreements for Units I, 10, 27, Rhonda Duquette, Labor Rep. Paul 28, 36, 52, 62, 70, 75, 76, 91, 95, 97 Kilcline and a Company lawyer, plus and 98. I appreciate all your hard work, another eight to ten management Jerry M. Witt diligence, and tenacity over the many negotiators per meeting, including weeks to negotiate these contracts. expertise personnel for special subjects here have been many activities Outstanding job! and details. that have taken place in your Local All contracts negotiated are important. FCA Senior Labor Manager Rhonda T since the last issue. Christmas One of the largest is the FCA 4-year Duquette opened the 2019 Negotiations and New Year’s celebrations have come contract. As one of the UAW/SBU FCA by stating very strongly and explicitly and gone, as well as the many holiday National Negotiators, I am prepared that SBU has an “Identity Crisis,” parties for Local 412 kids, Retirees, and to give you a summary from a SBU wanting everything that they have and the Local 412 Units. Negotiator viewpoint. everything Hourly and NBU has, as well. As President of Local 412, I would FCA NEGOTIATIONS She stated very clearly that SBU is not also like to thank everyone who The UAW went into the FCA National competitive with the competition and are participated and helped during the Negotiations with the demands that you, leading us on a path to where we were Community Service drives for food and the Local 412 membership, turned in and before bankruptcy. The areas in her view clothing, supporting those less fortunate the Local Negotiating Team organized. that were problem areas were: in our nearby community. Whether it’s Thank you to all who helped with their • All Progression employees helping with our 412 Committees or on time and knowledge given in deciphering, were currently on a path to an an individual basis for those in need, I and the dedication in organizing the uncompetitive wage structure in place thank you. demands. It was no easy task. prior to bankruptcy. Sliding into spring, we can look The start of the negotiations was set • Rising health care costs with minimal forward to the accomplishments of the back to the 2nd week of August, due to employee cost share UAW and our Local. Over the last year, a fire at Solidarity House. I was assigned • Uncompetitive language and pay many of our 412 Units have reached to the Salary Sub-Committee, along with practices relative to Salary Bargaining contractual agreements – General Scott Moldenhauer from Local 212 and Unit and Mopar. Dynamics, Public Sector, Caravan, Tammy Wisner from Local 868 Atlanta See PRESIDENT on Page 2 Congratulations to the newly and re-elected Local 412 Executive Board (L-R) Local 412 President Jerry Witt, 1st Vice President John Grunalt, 2nd Vice President Gregg Gibbons, 3rd Vice President Bill Laird, Financial Secretary-Treasurer Tim Edmunds, Recording Secretary Dennis Greathouse, Guide Seseme Reed, Trustees Charlie Wilson, Scott Trotter & Ken Mitchell and Sergeant-at-Arms Roy Fowler. The FCA Negotiators turned over 16 this contract. continued pages of demands to us at opening of Looking forward to the 2023 National from Front Page PRESIDENT negotiations, far exceeding the normal Negotiations, the Negotiating Team amount of demands turned in by the at that time can set their sights at These are some of the steps Labor Company for any negotiations. raising the maximum rate brackets. I Manager Duquette wanted to take to There’s no doubt that the Company’s understand all members are not happy “help” us become more competitive: continued goal is to either eliminate with that, but as I stated earlier there’s • Reduce the number of Classifications SBU all together or shift SBU to Hourly. a give and take in negotiations. As a and grades I realize our membership expected Negotiation Team, we have to look • Lowering pay scales to gain more than we lost through the at what is best overall for our UAW • Eliminating Phase-Ups years, and make advancement. We feel members. • Cut Representation, and Appointed we accomplished some of our goals We felt we needed to get Progression Representatives (demands), but not all. to the T.O.P. based on time and for all • Continue FCA outsourcing practices We, the SBU Negotiators, were Salary UAW members, especially for and increasing outsourcing disappointed that, again, we were left the approximately 500 members who • Eliminate Driver Mechanics (put them behind. We met with the Company haven’t yet and would never have a in Hourly) (Stated “anyone can drive over SBU Demands and in the four chance to get to Top of Progression. and test cars and evaluate results”) months of negotiations we came away T.O.P. was in the top ten of the all • Eliminate all Bonuses, including PLM, with one demand resolved for us, demands turned in by the membership WCM, and Salary Skilled Trades and approximately 90% of carryover of all Salary members in all Locals that Award language resolved. All other unresolved have SBU members. • Expanding Letter 184 Salary demands went to the “Big Table” and HEALTH CARE Bargaining Unit Flexibility were either settled or eliminated. The National Negotiators also • Offer more training to bring our I cannot give you a specific number protected our health care from FCA skill levels up and make us more of how many were thrown off the cost shifting of approximately 30% flexible. (In other words, diluting table, but I can tell you many seriously to all UAW members, while winning all classifications and eroding job important issues and language remain health care parity for all employees. skills by eliminating and combining status quo. Like the serious issues We protected historical and important Occupational Groups in all Units and of job erosion and job security that protection language in our contract Salary Locals) were worked on by our UAW-assigned from being deleted or watered down. • By focusing on PLM/Merit ratings lawyer and your SBU Negotiators. HEALTH AND SAFETY based on: If passed, these issues would We improved the Health and Safety a) Behaviors/Attitudes have given us a better chance of language, which FCA wanted to b) Job Performance curtailing job erosion at our facilities basically gut. Our Health and Safety c) Demonstration of Job Skills concerning all our SBU Engineers and Trainer, Chuck Shepard, called me after (Testing) employees at CTC and in the plants. he read the new language to thank the d) Education Degrees, Certificates, We desperately needed this stronger National Bargaining Team for making Test language to resolve and protect our the following major improvements to • Get rid of Overtime Equalization (man Master Mechanics 311 Classification safety in our new contract. on the Job) work. 1. Skilled Trades Working Alone Medical Programs: POSITIVE GAINS Management is now required • Implement significant employee cost There are many good things in the to provide same trade escort to share through medical and RX drug contract that we made improvements tradesmen performing high-risk plan design changes, premiums, to or protected from being thrown activities in remote locations. copays, deductibles and out-of- out. We were finally able to get In the past, Management was pocket maximums progression to the top of all grades only required to provide control • Implement an Annual Health Care through Grade 18 by time base only, measures if the employee voiced Spend Inflation Cap no other requirements. This was a a concern. At last year’s Annual • Increase Emergency Room Co-Pays big advancement, one that the Salary Safety Conference, the National • Implement a Mandatory Second Bargaining Teams have been trying to Safety Council announced that Surgical Opinion Program for certain accomplish for many years. one of the major causes of Skilled elective surgeries (knee, hip, spine) There are approximately 500 UAW Trades fatalities is working alone. employees who have between 20 2. Safety Meetings Prescription Drug Program: and 35 years and are still not at top of The new contract increases the • Implement the CVS Narrow Network grade. They will now have a chance to required frequency of our Safety • Leverage the CVS generic driven get to the top. meetings. I believed the change is formulary Yes, we had to agree to go to four from monthly to weekly. • Limit coverage for certain drugs to 3% raises to top-of-present pay grades 3. Local World-Class Participation Life-threatening conditions ceiling/bonuses. To accomplish this, we Council (LWCPC) Dental Plan: had based on Total Pay compensation The new contract requires that the • Implement a Dental Plan Deductible for the year, including overtime, and LWCPC is responsible for tracking • Narrow the Dental Plan Network freeze the present Maximum Rate for (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE) 2 LOCAL 412 LEADER SPRING 2020 (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE) • Guaranteed Employment Levels the monthly Safety Training results. (SWEL) and replacements. This This is the day that the Previously, the LWCPC was required would have been helpful for to approve the facility-wide Safety replacements for retirements and Lord has made; we will Training Needs Assessment, created SBU’s who transfer to Management by the LJHSC & Safety trainer.