During the past several weeks, IAM representatives from District Lodge 4 have met with and will continue to meet with any hourly DynCorp employee from the Patuxent River NAS. This allows each and every worker the opportunity to ask us questions face-to-face and to understand the true value and benefits of being Union.
Some frequently asked questions that your fellow co-workers asked are as follows:
We’ve seen the Andrews AFB bargaining agreement, but my classification at Pax River is not listed under their contract, would I be excluded from being able to be part of the union?
No, every hourly DynCorp employee will be eligible to be included into the bargaining unit. Andrews AFB did not have all the same classifications as Pax River, however the IAM would ensure wall-to-wall inclusion of all hourly employees.
We elect to go union, then another company wins the service contract, what happens to us?
For union-represented employees, Section 4(c) of the Service Contract Act provides that the new contractor will not pay less than the wages and fringe benefits (including accrued wages and fringe benefits) provided for in the collective bargaining agreement. Often, when a contract is being re-bid, the competing contractors will contact the Union and seek an agreement on the conversion. This agreement is noted in the bid insuring that the work will continue without disruption.
Will DynCorp suffer a loss if they pay more than the DOL wage rates in my Collective Bargaining Agreement?
For union-represented employees, additional costs are passed through to the Federal government once a year, usually October 1st.
What is negotiable during collective bargaining?
All wages (i.e., yearly wage increases, holiday pay and overtime provisions), benefits (i.e., health care, dental and vision, vacations, sick and personal leave, bereavement leave, jury duty pay, and pensions are negotiable), and Working Conditions(i.e., shift times, rotationsand differential pay, work week schedules, breaks and rest periods, job classifications and assignments, job bidding and promotions, and the establishment of a grievance procedure, and the establishment of a Safety and Health Committee. The list goes on and on, again all working conditions are negotiable.)
(1) When would we have to begin paying dues? (2) How are union dues determined? (3) And do we have to pay an initiation fee for joining the IAM.
(1) Dues would be waived until a full Bargaining Agreement was reached, this includes an economic package. (2) Generally union dues are equal to weighted hourly average pay times 2 (for example - the weighted hourly average pay of the entire bargaining unit = $22.00 an hour, then your monthly dues will be $44.00 per month.) (3) Initiations are normally waived by the IAM for newly organized locals.
What does the term “at will” employee mean?
Basically it means employees work at the will of their employer. Under the Service Contract Act, the DOL issues an Area Wage Determination that determines your minimal wage and lists the minimum fringe benefits, however DynCorp can manipulate all other benefits and change company policies regarding most if not all working conditions without any input from you, the employee.
- With the IAM –
All wages, benefits and working conditions are mandatory subjects of bargaining
