Dear Members,
As you know, the Company and the IBT have been and are engaged in Facilitated Expedited Bargaining in an effort to secure an amalgamated/successor Collective Bargaining Agreement. The parties desire to secure a ratified, approved and executed Successor Agreement on or before June 30, 2013. The National Mediation Board (NMB) is playing a constructive role in facilitating the mutual objective of securing an Agreement by the target date.
In order to secure a Successor Agreement the parties had agreed to a “Two Phase” bargaining process. In the first phase, the Parties set out to reconcile the differences between the three existing stand-alone Collective Bargaining Agreements; such reconciled terms are to be included in the Successor Agreement. The parties had wished to complete the Reconciliation Phase by March 1, 2013. This phase has been completed in principle.
During the Reconciliation Phase the parties have also been preparing for the Second Bargaining Phase. The Second Bargaining Phase will entail bargaining over new issues/items, economic issues (including wages, pension, benefits and Scope) as well as contract language that the parties were unable to mutually agree to in Phase One. The parties had anticipated the Second Bargaining Phase to have begun on or about March 6, 2013 and they anticipate completing the Second Bargaining Phase and reaching a tentative Successor Agreement by May 1, 2013.
While this has been quite an arduous task the parties are prepared to enter the Second Bargaining Phase and will be meeting beginning April 2, 2013. A laborious schedule has been set for the month of April in an effort to complete negotiations. A complete copy of the “Facilitated Expedited Bargaining Protocol Agreement” can be found on our WEBLOG along with the updates posted at the conclusion of each negotiating session.
Membership and Steward meeting(s) will be scheduled as we near the end of the Phase Two process, whether or not a tentative agreement is reached. Please look for the meeting postings. Also, please continue to stay informed by reading the updates on the bulletin boards and/or our WEBLOG. If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to call.
Download Negotiations Update_Recap 032713
Download 11113ProtocolAgreementFINAL