It’s Official: GE Pact Ratified

IAM members overwhelmingly endorsed a new contract with General Electric Co. With all ballots counted, the new agreement passed by a 9-to-1 tally. The four-year contract includes hefty pay hikes, restraints on health care costs, pension improvements and significant language concerning job security issues.

Rallying around the slogan, “My GE Job Is Worth Fighting For”, IAM members remained united throughout the negotiations. “Their solidarity gave us strength at the bargaining table,” said GVP Bob Thayer, who led the IAM negotiating team. “We listened to their concerns and I think we made considerable progress in addressing those concerns,” he said.

The agreement includes pay raises in each of the four years of its duration. The pay raises, along with projected COLA increases and a skills adjustment provision, adds $3.82 to the average hourly wage over the life of the contract.

Additionally, IAM negotiators won sizable improvements in pension benefits. Two Special Early Retirement Options(SEROs)  permit qualified union members to take early retirement with full pension benefits, Thayer explained.

“Pension issues were a major concern,” Thayer said. “We believe this agreement addresses most of the concerns our members passed along to us.” He credited a “solidly united membership” and “an unbelievably dedicated and hardworking bargaining committee” with bringing the talks to a successful conclusion.

“This committee did an outstanding job,” he declared. “They knew what had to be done and they did it exceptionally well.”  Thayer noted it was clear that all the training the committee members have gotten at the Winpisinger Center paid off at the bargaining table.

“They knew the issues. They did their homework. They knew the answers before the questions were asked. And they passed this final exam with flying colors,” he said.

Voting Opens on GE Contract

Balloting began today on a proposed new contract with General Electric. When voting ends June 25, ballots from all 18 locations will be counted and results announced. The IAM negotiating committee recommended acceptance of the tentative agreement, which makes significant improvements in key areas.

The proposed four-year agreement raises wages, improves pensions and adds strong job security provisions, noted IAM Vice President Bob Thayer, who headed the negotiating team. “Your negotiating committee unanimously recommended acceptance of this agreement,” he said. “It addresses every area of concern our members wanted us to improve.”

For IAM members, the wage hikes, COLA increases and skills adjustments could add as much as $18,500 additional pay over the four-year term. Those increases project a 16.2 percent increase in hourly wages over that period, adding an estimated $3.82 to hourly earnings.

The proposed agreement slows the spiraling costs of health care and holds on cost-sharing percentages. It expands medical coverage and keeps the GE-IAM member cost sharing at 81 percent for the company and 19 percent for union workers.

At the same time, the pact expands early retirement options and significantly includes pension benefits for both current and future retirees. Thayer explained. The contract includes two SERO windows, lowers employee pension contributions and raises guaranteed pension benefits.

Finally, the company said it will ask the Board of Directors to approve a one-time pension increase for eligible retirees, but not former executives, in the form of a 13th pension check payable in December 2003.

“The votes will be tabulated as soon as possible,” Thayer said. Votes will be pooled, as they were in the last contract balloting. “Results will be announced as soon as possible,” he added.
 

IAM Members Mull GE Contract

The fate of a tentative agreement between the IAM and General Electric lies in the hands of the 2,800 IAM members working at the multinational giant’s facilities across the nation. Union representatives who spent long hours at the bargaining table in Waukesha, WI, fanned out across their home stations explaining details of the proposed agreement and preparing for next week’s vote on the proposal, explained GVP Bob Thayer, who headed the IAM negotiating team.

The four-year agreement includes wage hikes in each year, slows the rising rate of health care costs, adds sizable pension benefits and brings more job security at a time when the firm is shipping more jobs overseas, Thayer added.

Voting on the proposal takes place June 23-25 at the 18 GE facilities. Ballots will be counted immediately and the results from each location will be tallied at Grand Lodge, Thayer explained.

He credited a “solidly united membership” and a hardworking negotiating committee with winning the tentative agreement. “This committee put in some very long days and some very short nights,” he said, “and their efforts paid off.”

Thayer also cited the IAM’s Winpisinger Education & Technology Center for its role in preparing the committee members for the bargaining sessions. “Everyone on our side of the table has been through the training at the Center,” he noted. “That training paid off at the bargaining table. It proved once again that our investment in that learning center pays huge dividends.”
 

IAM Reaches Tentative Agreement at GE
IAM negotiators say a tentative agreement with General Electric “makes significant strides” in several important areas of concern to 2,800 IAM members working at 18 GE facilities across the nation.

“The IAM made major improvements in job security, health care and pensions, along with improvements in many other areas of the contract” said IAM Vice President Robert V. Thayer, who led the IAM bargaining team.

Thayer credited a “united membership and a dedicated negotiating committee with bringing negotiations to a successful conclusion and winning a contract that we all can be proud of. Our members on the shop floor stood strongly behind this committee. They made the difference.” 

A key factor in the successful bargaining was the training these committee members received at the Winpisinger Center, Thayer explained.  “The hands-on experience these representatives brought to the table, combined with the sharply-honed skills they learned at the Center was evident at every single session across the table and even more evident in the after-hours strategy sessions that are always a hallmark of negotiating experiences like this,” he said.

By a unanimous vote, the bargaining committee recommended that the agreement be adopted. Balloting will take place June 23-25.

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Contract Talks Reach Critical Point
Waukesha, WI…IAM negotiators picked up the pace as contract talks for a new agreement at General Electric homed in on a cluster of crucial issues. Working late into the night, the IAM team kept the focus squarely on issues that IAM members at GE said were absolutely vital in any new agreement.

“Those issues haven’t changed since our first meeting,” noted GVP Bob Thayer, who leads the IAM team. “We cannot accept any agreement that does not address rising health care costs, pension protections and job security.”

He said the GE representatives had indicated some movement on those issues, but “we have a lot of work to do.”  Management representatives pointed out that health costs reached more than $1.5 billion and “we too, have an interest in this arena,” a GE spokesman noted.

“That’s a sizeable chunk of change, even by GE’s standards,” Thayer quipped. “But simply shifting even more of the costs onto the workers’ back does little to solve the problems,” he added.

“We have reached tentative agreement on a number of issues, but we have a lot of work left to do and not a lot of time to do it,” he said. Both sides indicated Sunday’s sessions feature a hefty agenda as both sides work to craft an agreement before the current contract expires at midnight.

Thayer explained that members on the shop floor “stand united behind their negotiating team and that solidarity is a keystone to reaching a new agreement” at GE. “Your solidarity sends a strong message,” he said. “Keep up the good work, make your voices heard.”

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Workers Show Solidarity at GE Sites
Workers at GE sites across the nation sported black armbands, blasted police whistles and wore “My GE Job is Worth Fighting For” buttons in a show of solidarity in the struggle for a fair contract.

 As the clock ticked down to the June 15 contract expiration date, GVP Bob Thayer vowed the IAM team would stay at the table as long as necessary to win the best possible agreement for the 2,800 IAM members working at GE. Management representatives completed their presentation yesterday.

In its counter-proposal, the IAM team withdrew several proposals, reshaped others and tentatively agreed to several of the company's offers. “Much remains to be done,” Thayer said, pointing out that the key issues of health care costs, pension protections, job security and wages remained on the table.

“We represent the most highly skilled workers you have at General Electric,” Thayer said across the table. “They deserve a fair share.” He noted that GE’s top five corporate executives carved up an $88 million pie last year. “The example is set at the top.”

Thayer expressed the negotiating team’s appreciation for the members’ show of solidarity yesterday. “Their actions show the true spirit of the ‘Fighting Machinists’ and makes us even more determined to fight for the best possible agreement here. Keep up the good work.”

With both packages on the table, the negotiating teams meet again today and pledged to remain at the table as long as necessary to reach agreement.

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Talks Enter Crucial Stage
The IAM negotiating team spent a long day sifting through GE’s extensive contract proposals looking for points of common interest and preparing an appropriate response for the 2,800 IAM members working at GE facilities across the country.

Health care costs, job security and pension protections top the list of critical issues. Much work remains to be done in those areas, noted GVP Bob Thayer, who leads the IAM team. He explained that GE has not made a contribution to the pension fund since 1986, but workers are required to contribute in order to quality for retirement benefits.

Thayer argued that workers should not have to pay if the company doesn’t contribute. “This is wrong,” he said. “When the company plugs in, we’ll plug back in.” At the same time, he pointed out that the GE plan is not indexed to inflation. “Even Social Security meets that standard,” he said.

In a similar vein, Thayer pointed out IAM members are closely focused on health care costs. “We cannot keep shifting the rising costs of medical care onto the workers. We have to find a better way.”  A sharper focus on preventive care would help reduce costs, he said.

Both parties discussed ways to work together to resolve this common problem. “That has possibilities,” Thayer said. Talks will resume today as both sides work to reach agreement before the current contract expires June 15.
 

Health Costs Spark Heated Debate
A widening gap over the best ways to contain soaring health care costs became a yawning canyon as both IAM and GE negotiating teams ended a third day of efforts to reach a new contract.

While Doug Baker, GE’s lead negotiator, conceded that “the IAM is way out front on health care issues”, the company’s cost containment proposals do little more than shift a greater share of those costs to workers and retirees.

“This is not the way to reach agreement,” warned IAM spokesman Russ McGarry. “This is absolutely unpalatable.” 

The heated exchange ended the day’s talks after management outlined a comprehensive set of health care proposals that raised new issues and sparked numerous questions from the IAM representatives.

Earlier, GVP Bob Thayer pointed out that soaring health care costs are becoming a “national crisis” and “a crisis that must addressed at the national level.”  He explained that simply pushing a greater share of the costs onto workers and retirees simply prolongs the problem.

Thayer said that IAM members at every GE location are united in their demands that these concerns be addressed at the bargaining table. “Solidarity on the shop floor plays a key role in every negotiation. It’s important to make your voices heard,” Thayer said. “Let them know how you feel.”
 

Contract Talks Focus on Major Issues
A tightly focused IAM bargaining team kept discussions centered on a short list of crucial issues as GE contract talks continued through a second day. The union team essentially completed its proposals on job security, pension protections and health care issues.

Job security moved to the front burner as IAM representatives outlined innovative ways to both save jobs and cut costs through such efforts as the so-called “war room” at the firm’s jet engine facility in Evendale, OH.  Working with GE, that joint effort has all-but eliminated out-sourcing of IAM jobs through increased worker productivity and lower production costs.

“There’s absolutely no reason why this concept can’t be installed at every GE location,” said GVP Bob Thayer, who head’s the IAM negotiating team. “It saves jobs for our members and it can save money for the company”

Several union representatives noted that out-sourced work routinely falls below standard when it comes back into GE plants. This shoddy performance, in turn, means IAM members have to fix the problem, which means added costs for unnecessary work.

Spiraling health care costs proved a common meeting ground for both sides of the bargaining table. Thayer pointed out simply shifting more and more of the costs to the workers is pointless.

“Spiraling health care costs are a national crisis,” Thayer said. “This crisis must be solved on a national level.”  He suggested that GE, one of the wealthiest and most influential corporations in the nation, join with the IAM and the trade union movement in seeking a national solution to the nation’s growing health care problem.

In a similar vein, Thayer pointed out that GE’s pension program is grossly over-funded and GE employees paid more than $150 million into the fund last year. The company, on the other hand, contributed absolutely nothing. He also noted that GE’s top five executives pulled down $88 million in compensation last year.

“It’s time to share the wealth,” he said.
 

The IAM negotiating team at GE joined Local 1377 members who are on strike against Waukesha Engine Co. in Waukesha, WI.

GVP Bob Thayer and the IAM negotiating team left contract talks with General Electric Corp. and joined a spirited picket line at Waukesha Engine Co. in Waukesha, WI. More than 450 members of IAM Local 1377 have been on strike at the venerable firm since May 2.

“This strike is not about wages,” declared Don Griffin, who heads the union’s bargaining committee, “it’s about our rights.”

The Waukesha Engine Co., the “Motor Company,” has a long and storied history in the community. It began making tractor engines in 1910. At least two of its gas compression engines were operating in the World Trade Center on September 11. “They were still running when the buildings collapsed,” Griffin said.

The IAM history with the firm, a division of Dresser Industries, began in 1936, according to Mike Kluth, Local 1377 president. “We’re shocked they would do this,” he said. “We’ve had good relationships with the company for years.”

The company demanded a two-tier wage system that would have set wages back to 1982 levels, Kluth explained. Also, company negotiators demanded sweeping changes in seniority provisions and other concessions that forced workers to hit the bricks.

“Our members earned this company a 32 million profit last year,” declared Thayer. “They deserve better than this.”

As black-booted security guards aimed video cameras at the strolling strikers, passing vehicles blasted their horns in a raucous concert and passengers flashed “V for Victory” signs in a strong display of community support.

“We appreciate it,” Kluth said, “we know we’re not alone.”
 

"We're not here to negotiate a strike, we're here to negotiate a contract," declared GVP Bob Thayer in his opening remarks. "But if the company doesn't pay close attention to our issues: job security, health care, pension protections, that could all change," he said. Thayer heads the IAM negotiating team, aided by representatives from the various GE locations spotted around the USA.

Thayer and other members of the IAM delegation wore badges proclaiming: 'My GE Job is Worth Fighting For.' At Thayer's invitation, the GE bargaining contingent quickly pinned on the badges. That spirit of civility prevailed as the IAM presented its health care proposals and received assurances that the GE representatives would "give them serious study."

For the first time, the IAM is negotiating outside the parameters of the Coordinated Bargaining Committee (CBC), a team of 13 other unions which bargains with GE.

Opening day talks focused on health care issues, one of the primary issues of concern voiced by IAM members at GE who were surveyed prior to the opening of negotiations. "Runaway health care costs are a crucial issue for both the IAM and GE," Thayer said. He suggested that GE might consider joining forces with the IAM and pursue an affordable, accessible, high-quality national health care system.

Other issues of primary concern include job security and pension protections, Thayer noted. These issues will move to center stage as talks continue. Both sides expressed confidence that negotiations can be concluded by week's end.

GE Union Endorses Strike Action
A majority of IUE-CWA members working at General Electric facilities across the nation gave their bargaining committee strike authority if agreement on a new contract is not reached. The IUE is one of 13 unions, including the IAM, seeking a new contract with the multinational giant.

“Our talks begin June 9,” said GVP Bob Thayer, who heads the IAM negotiating team. “We will be negotiating separately this time,” he said. The IAM-GE talks will be held in Waukesha, WI. Key issues include job security, pension benefits and health care. The IAM represents about 3,000 members at GE.