It’s Your Contract, Get the Facts! What USMX and ILA Aren’t Telling You
LWC, 2010 ILA Master Contract: End the wage and benefit tier, News - - Posted on October, 2 at 5:25 pm
It’s Your Contract, Get the Facts!
What USMX and ILA Aren’t Telling You
SPANISH VERSION: Es su contrato. Informese! Lo que USMX y ILA no dicen.
On Tuesday November 17 you will be voting on this ILA-USMX proposed contract extension. Do you have questions about the proposed extension? See the frequently asked questions below.
We decide our future!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
* Will I get my October 1 raise? Yes, but we pay for it out of our pocket. Workers give up $57 million out of the Container Royalty Funds ($42 million from the “container royalty check fund” & $15 million from one of MILA’s royalty funds).
* Will I get more money in my container royalty check? Not this year and probably not next year. Although the proposal lifts the “tonnage cap,” we are paying for our 2009 wage increase from the Container Royalty Fund.
* How does the progression to top pay work? The proposal has a nine year progression to top pay, and will count previous years of experience. Depending on when you came into the industry you will start receiving the progression to top pay at the end of this extension, with 50% paid out in April 2012 and the other 50% in July 2012.
* Will I really get top pay? The progression is too long and it doesn’t start until the end of this extension. Since the ILA always starts negotiations early and since we will have funding problems with our benefits, there is no guarantee the USMX won’t ask for give backs just like they did with our 2009 increase.
* What will happen to our health care plan and benefits (MILA)? This proposal would reduce funding for our health benefits. We made drastic cuts in our benefits in 2004 to “save” MILA. Now they want us to use that money to pay for our wages. Without increased funding, the two years of savings built up in our health plan could drop and jeopardize benefits.
* What will happen to my pension and other benefits? The proposal prevents local unions from increasing the overall cost of the contract. This means many local plans may lose benefits if they require more funding to remain healthy.
* Will I have more job security? Not likely. The new language on technology gives power to a joint labor-management committee and ILA President Hughes will appoint the union side. So far the USMX-ILA committees have proven unable to defend longshore workers from technology. The APM terminal in Norfolk, Virginia is costing the ILA over 50 jobs a day and the proposed Hanjin terminal in Jacksonville, Florida will cost over 200 ILA jobs a day.
* What does this proposed extension mean for our future? It’s a set up! In 2012 the union will have its back against the wall. New technology, struggling benefit funds and a ballooned wage payment just before expiration will give the employers reason to cry poverty and demand give backs.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The Longshore Workers’ Coalition wants you to have the facts. By standing up in early September the LWC helped secure the 2009 wage raise and shortened the progression to top pay. But this is not enough.
We said no once, we can say it again. The employers need us and the contract doesn’t expire for another year.
Talk about it with your co-workers. Check back here for more facts and information.
***If you would like to get text message updates, please call Marsha at 718-865-8782 or email unity2010@lwcjustice.com (provide your name, ILA local and cellphone number).***
Posted in LWC, 2010 ILA Master Contract: End the wage and benefit tier, News |
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
I understand where you are coming from on this…but you make the statement that the “Employers need us”…I don’t know if you are aware, but the shippers have made public statements they will not hesitate to divert cargo back to the West Coast if this deal does not get done. Very few people in America make $20-$31 dollars an hour and don’t forget that the unemployment rate is at 10%. Is it the best deal… NO it is not! But the ILA & LWC need to take reponsibility for agreeing to tier wages in the first place because now YOU have have added a wedge in the process when it comes to your fellow brother…who does the same work but gets paid a lower rate that will never go AWAY!
October 4th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
removing the wedge is the whole point and if sellouts like you dont start standing up youre right it wont go away stand up for a fair contract
October 5th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
No need to call one a sell-out when you and your cronies were in bed with USMX to screw the new guy with the tier wage. By the way…do you know tier wage was developed to break-up unions..now who’s the one that did not stand -up and do the right!
October 5th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
i did not vote for the last contract..lets not argue here lets stand together to demand a better contract stop selling each other out
October 6th, 2009 at 12:47 am
THey always up to something… they saying they wanna help us out and look out for our best financial interest but they’ll want something back in the end. New Technology will hurt us in the end..and cut jobs.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:49 am
In jax,fl. local 1408 the MOL container ship is a bunch of crap for us… we dont use harness men on that ship, insted the lashers have to be harness men but on the other boats we have lashers and harness men. That was management’s idea to cut out six jobs off of one ship.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:50 am
IF they wanna cut out our raise then cool, but give us our four and four guarantees back like we used to have during the weekdays.
October 8th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
the more people understand this contract the less they will be duped into passing it help to educate fellow members