Ok thank you for explaining your feelings to us, which you are entitled to.
What did they get in Chicago you ask? They didn't get anything they asked for you say? I think that the men in Chicago have the right to ask for anything and the owner of the Company has the right to say no. This is an over-simplification of course, but I will explain what they got.
1.) Health Insurance cost locked-in for a five year period
(no annual increase in the payroll deduction)
2.) A start in a real defined benefit Pension that is completely Employer
funded (no deduction out of your weekly paycheck like a 401K). The
Pension Fund we are talking about is currently ranked the 5th best in the
country and is 113 % funded.
3.) New employees, working up to the time of the signing of the Contract
(other than the founders) are in a four year progression until they get to
the top rate. These people will get a progression raise on the anniversary
of their hire date each year, until at top.
4.) Promised contractual raises, in-writing, that will not be reneged-on
5.) Dental Insurance (that they did not have)
6.) An Optical Plan (that they did not have)
7.) Someone to be your advocate in a time of need. Not everyone deserves
to be fired or disciplined for everything that happens, because sometimes
managers make a snap decision without looking at all the surrounding
circumstances.
The Machinists Union does not dictate to the Employer how he will run his business, by creating a one-size fits-all Contract, then forcing it on everyone.
Rather, our Union attempts to create an Agreement that the Company can live with, that best suits the needs of the workers at a specific job site. All of the individual Terminal Contracts with NEMF, reflect the concerns of the workers at each job site, as best they can.
The Union is not a Junkyard Dog to be set upon the Employer each time a worker doesn't get his way. However, if it is obvious that an Employee's Contractual Rights are being violated; the Union will make sure that the workers are properly represented.
If you are working in the Chg Terminal, I hope that you will come to see the value of your Union membership over time. Good luck to you Brother.