CENTRIS BARGING UPDATE: 1/19/11


The CWA bargaining team met with the Company January 19th for negotiations. Some minor progress was made agreeing to remove expired language but there was little movement on the other open issues.  

Although the company proposed a major rewriting of the contract last time they proposed extensive changes again this time.

The Company would like to eliminate the current pension for all new employees and give existing employees the option to stay in the current pension plan or transition into a new 401k plan but they were not able to provide any details as to what the new plan would entail.

Here is a summary of the Company's language modification proposals:

·    Eliminate all company paid time for union stewards to meet with employees or to meet with managers to discuss workplace issues, grievances or concerns.  
·    Eliminate seniority considerations in regards to work shifts, work schedules, promotions, demotions and PTO bidding.
·    Eliminate the ability of any employee to bid or use PTO until the employee has accrued the time.  Selection would be on a first come first served basis.  Their proposal allows manager to grant certain employees the ability to bid time off prior to accrual or bypass the first request for major life events.  Time off prior to PTO accrual would be without pay regardless of the employees expected yearly accrual.
·    Eliminate the language that defines a normal work day as an 8 hour shift and allows mutually agreeable flexible work arrangements.  They want the flexibility to change the work schedule on a daily basis to avoid overtime or meet business needs.  
·    Eliminate the 10% differential for night shifts.
·    Eliminate the need to maintain current benefit levels allowing the Company to reduce or change benefit level without the consent of the union or employees.    
·    Decrease tuition reimbursement depending on the grade received.
·    Increase the minimum PTO increment from 15 minutes to one hour.

CWA had four language modification proposals:

·    Modify Section 14.9 to allow employees to access the EI bank on the first day of absence for FMLA qualifying events.
·    Modify Section 25.8 so that when it is necessary to give a new hire wage credit the company will look at the incumbents and increase wages for existing employees in the same job title with similar experience but lower wages.  
·    Modify Section 2.2 to allow the union to meet with employees during the new hire orientation.
·    Modify Section 6.2 clarifying who should be notified when employees receive disciplinary suspension or dismissals

Medical benefits and wages were not discussed yet.  The Company will make a benefit proposal by Monday 1/24/11.  The next meeting is scheduled for Friday 1/28/11.

In Solidarity,