Mid American Energy's Last & Best & Final Offer Please Opine!!!

[weevy]

Well guess what happened, the company's negotiating committee hand delivered their LAST, BEST AND FINAL OFFER on Friday. It allowed some members to review Information before the vote that was to be held on Monday night.

Well here is the new and improved offer!!!! HAHAHAHAHA

1. 5.25% WAGE INCREASE OVER 3 YEARS WHICH EQUAL 1.75% PER YEAR
(Previous Wage Increase in last contracts were 3% per year) DO THE MATH WE ARE NEGATIVE

2. A NEW MEDICAL PLAN RATHER THAN 90/10 IT WILL NOW BE 80/20 WITH ANY INCREASE IN COSTS WILL BE ADDED TO MONTHLY DEDUCTS

3. RATHER THAN FREEZING PENSIONS NOW, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TOUCH THEM FOR 5 OR 1O YEARS, SO THEY SAY. THEY WILL BE GRANDFATHERED, THAT SECRET WORD "GRANDFATHERED".

4. The company and union also agreed on multiple side agreements that weren't bought to the floor. They were already settled and signed by BA and Company man. Some of those are as follows:

1. No more $51.00 dollar meal. It was cut to $20.00 The way it was b4 was the company would pay you a meal stipend of $51.00 if you didn't eat the meal and kept working. The $51 meal included time and half rate to eat it. So lineman would get $44.00 + $22.00 to buy a meal = $66.00 But guess what happened, no one ever ate the meal they always took the $51.00 rather than eat. The Company came to the table and said the company had over $4,000,000.00 worth of meals that taken in lieu of. They gave an example where a line crew was out of town and turned in 15 meals all at $51.25 and never ate. But anyway the new deal is $20.00 and only 1/2 hr to eat it unpaid.

2. Shift Workers. Jobs that were never 24/7 will now be 24/7. Their will be a possibility if this rag passes, that each work center will have a crew working every night. And this will also apply to other job classifications. So the company want 24/7 coverage.

3. A work schedule that allows the company to have crews working not your standard work week, but rather a Tues to Saturday Shift, Sunday to Thursday, as well as your traditional work week i.e. Monday to Friday.

NOW GRANT YOU THIS COMPANY ONLY HAD PROFITS OF 1. 2 BILLION THIS YEAR. THAT'S RIGHT, AFTER ALL EXPENSES PAID.

Now the only thing the Union proposed was some different wording in the contract book that is in existence before this. They wanted the Vernacular changed, like from them, to they. From is to was.

ALSO THE ONLY OTHER BIG PROPOSAL FROM THE IBEW LOCAL 499 NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE WAS THAT THEY NO LONGER WANTED CONTRACTORS DOING WORK ON THE PROPERTY. AND TRY TO INCREASE THE RANK AND FILE. THE COMPANY THEN SAID THEY WILL NOT ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN.

SO THAT IS ABOUT ALL THE UNION ASKED FOR. DIFFERENT WORDING IN THE CONTRACT.

[smooth01]

Sleezy, If you were as big an asset to your union as you are an ass, you would have one hell of a strong union!!

[weevy]

Your unintelligent response to my comments, shows me where you are. Go screw a light bulb into the socket. I don't know what classification your in, or if you even work at this specific company,but your intelligence is suspect.

Your comments had nothing to do with my post.

You see I don't want to be an asset to the Union, I want the Union to be my asset. I am paying them $60.00 or so a month, so they can be my asset.

Face the fact Bro. This Ship Is Sinking, And Your Stupid Ass Comments Are Truly That, Stupid.

[johnbellamy]

Your unintelligent response to my comments, shows me where you are. Go screw a light bulb into the socket. I don't know what classification your in, or if you even work at this specific company,but your intelligence is suspect.

Your comments had nothing to do with my post.

You see I don't want to be an asset to the Union, I want the Union to be my asset. I am paying them $60.00 or so a month, so they can be my asset.

Face the fact Bro. This Ship Is Sinking, And Your Stupid Ass Comments Are Truly That, Stupid.

Let me be the first to tell you, take your $60.00 a month and Fu$k off, I am an IBEW journeyman, I unlike others here that try to recruite everybody or anybody to join the Union feel the need to say no thanks, if you don't get what working Union really means, I don't feel the need to say welcome aboard just so your payin dues.

Take your $60.00 a month, and go work Rat. See how much that $60.00 get's you in wages, insurance and benifits. Or better yet take it and hire a lawyer, or how about an agent to represent you, see what kind of deal he can work out for a self serving asshole like yourself.

If the IBEW goes down because of your $60.00 isn't there next month, well I guess times are tougher than I thought.

[weevy]

UNIONISM an organized attempt by workers to improve their status by united action (particularly via labor unions) or the leaders of this movement





NEED I SAY MORE

[johnbellamy]

UNIONISM an organized attempt by workers to improve their status by united action (particularly via labor unions) or the leaders of this movement





NEED I SAY MORE

If ya think by posting Union information on a public website, or contract info for for people to "OPINE" on, or make statements like you have, ya, somebody like me want's to know WTF your tryin to accomplish.

You have one option as a single Union member, vote yes or no.

That's it, you are not gonna get people to look at big picture, they like you want to know what you get out of the deal, how it effects your bottom line.

I don't blame the IBEW leader's , people who negociate at the table, If the body is weak, it will be slaughterd, that is what is going on.

I know personally, I would rather make less money, work with less conditions, if it means sellin out, but thats just me, most think Im fu$kin stupid, I think who cares, fu$kin sell out's, nobody's blood on my conscious, but that's how I was raised.

If the IBEW goes down, it won't be by anything I did, I can't make anybody else feel as I do, but I can call guy's out when they sell people out for there own interest. Don't do no good, nothin really changes, but it makes me feel better, I am selfish that way.

[Pootnaigle]

John and Stevie I bleve I hafta agree wif ya bof Weevie has absolutely no concept of what a union is about. Woooooooooowie a hole whoppin 60 bux a munth ................ Im afraid its more than payin dues that makes a man UNION.

[mainline]

John, I'm with you guy. It isn't the leadership it is the membership. When the company knows the membership will vote for any shit contract you get a shit contract. We as members need to save money, we need to be ready to vote no. Screw the bad economy, screw the lack of public sympathy, screw pissing off the company, if it sucks vote no, and if you get to bad a deal you have one last choice, drag up and work somewhere else. These are the only things that will change the companies mindset. Whining won't because if it did we would all be millionaires.

[madcowboy33]

John, I'm with you guy. It isn't the leadership it is the membership. When the company knows the membership will vote for any shit contract you get a shit contract. We as members need to save money, we need to be ready to vote no. Screw the bad economy, screw the lack of public sympathy, screw pissing off the company, if it sucks vote no, and if you get to bad a deal you have one last choice, drag up and work somewhere else. These are the only things that will change the companies mindset. Whining won't because if it did we would all be millionaires.

AMEN BROTHERS, I believe thats exactly where it starts. Your dues isnt enough, go to the meetings, vote no and quite accepting less, brothers are going to have to step up, not the I.O. and accept the fact that they are going to have to go through rough times to get anything. Do you think our forefathers were just handed a good contract. These problems are everywhere and we are g-damb journeymen linemen why are we laying down and accepting this sh$t!! It is so easy to sit back and bitch, do you know how many legalities that are not in our favor? Fight or shut up!!

[johnbellamy]

Everything has been handed to all these genrations, Hard Time's, shit, we have turned into a bunch of latee drinkin, cell phone dependant, yuppie lineman worried about portfolio's and shit.

What sacrifices have any of us made? Shit don't take my toy's away, what will I do then?

Old timer's lived through the depression, they lived through hard times, they fought world war's, they sacrificed, they didn't care about toy's, they just did'nt take no shit, what cushie life where they tryin to protect?

They went to work, did thier job's, made a better life for all of us, handed it to us, all we can do is piss it away. Just look out for ourselves, what is happening now is companies know we are divided, look at the number's, and buy votes, say some Union ya got there boy's, and all guy's do is bitch, pay dues and want somebody else do the fightin for them.

Nobody get's it, or wants too, we couldn't carry an old timer's boot's, don't even think ya could.