Strike 2!

But since we're not talking about baseball, we're out!

Rather than explain it all, a link.

For weeks now I've watched people that were entitled to move to another job be stonewalled by excuse after excuse; people who have seniority and needed or wanted to go to dayshift being held on nights while temps and transfers filled the openings on the opposite shift. A friend, a single mother who has to leave her 3 year old at the sitter overnight because we are working 'til 3:30 AM building Malibus, spends her part of the morning and afternoon with him before dropping him back at the sitters. She was told by him in the middle of a Sunday afternoon the other week that he wanted to go home now...to the sitters! Yet she can't go days with 10 years seniority while someone off the street comes in on dayshift...

We've given up benefits, we've given up language in our local agreements (like the "hardship" language that would have guaranteed my friend a slot on days) these last 2 contracts; we've given up absentee protections, we've given up holidays and raises and bonuses. We are not trying to gain anything in this local agreement, only trying to keep what we have!

So, for the 2nd time in my 30 years, and the 2nd time in 6 months, we are on strike. The last was only a couple of days last fall to get our National Agreement; I've never worked this long without a local agreement, ever. Somehow knowing that it's the right thing to do regardless of the consequences makes it easier. Our seniority is the last thing we have; if management can disregard it and place us wherever they like for however long they like then we have no protection at all! I've done too many jobs through the years that I should have bid off of, paying the consequences with carpal tunnel and screwed up rotaters, bad knees, etc.. There are jobs that you get "too old" (more accurately too "used up") to do; not having the right to move when you need to will actually cost them more than they will save through the course of a contract!

Let's hope they pull their heads out of "the sand" and see the light soon!

alan