Back to the Collective Bargaining Table

I would like to update you on the continuing work for our upcoming contract negotiations, and convey to you some important dates and events that will be coming up. Our Preliminary Survey was sent to each member’s home in February, with a deadline to be mailed back by March 10th. It is imperative that you, the membership, be involved in all stages of this most important process. We need suggestions and ideas, prioritized by each member, so that your Negotiating Committee knows what is most important to you. The results of the Preliminary Survey will be used in formulating the follow-up, more comprehensive Contract Survey you will receive in early April. This will be our guide to preparing our proposals and priorities in our upcoming contract negotiations. Next, starting in May, the Education Committee (along with the Local Executive Board, as their schedule permits) will be holding meetings in each station to educate our members on the negotiation process outlined by the Railway Labor Act. These meetings are a much-improved version of the contract education meetings that were held prior to the 2008 negotiations. As the members of the Education Committee visit each station, they will be discussing how the law determines when and how negotiations proceed. Ryan Notton, John Ardes, Greg Puriski, and the new committee member, will also be signing members up to receive negotiations updates via email as negotiations proceed. This has proven to be a unique way for us to provide up-to-date reports on the progress of contract negotiations. This communication tool allows us to not rely solely on more traditional methods such as faxes and 1-800 hotlines. As negotiations are scheduled to begin on or about July 1, 2011, this will be the first negotiations for over a third of our 7,500 members. Ask yourself how important it is for you to know the procedures in reaching a new collective bargaining agreement, especially considering that the results of these negotiations will determine your pay, benefits, work rules, and grievance rights for your future. Many of you already know the importance. As your TWU Local 555 president, I ask you to communicate with some of these newer members and encourage them to take the extra time to be an educated member. By being a supportive brother or sister, you assist us in getting the contract we all deserve.

Fraternally,

Charles Cerf