Bob Santamoor Opening Statement

IUE-CWA Conference Board Chairman Bob Santamoor Opening Statement at GE National Negotiations

The IUE-CWA Negotiating Committee along with the CBC once again are pleased to begin the process of negotiating another National Agreement with General Electric.

Well noted are the faces on GE’s side of the table that represents a working relationship that will hopefully help us both to tread through very tough discussions about issues and lead us to successful negotiations.
Since 1969 we have been able to negotiate agreements on the basis of mutual respect without a strike. We must not let these negotiations drag us back down that road to failure. Before and during the 1969 negotiations, both the IUE at the time and GE were willing to fight at all cost. Fights on the picket lines, in court and cases filed with the NRLB.

There is a fear that exists for these negotiations and it is quite simple. During the 1969 strike, the members who walked the picket lines were the ones responsible for the death of Boulwarism and allowed for a sound union-management relationship. Boulwarism was gone forever. At least that was the belief until now. Boulwarism seems well and alive with all the discussions concerning Healthcare and Pensions that have filtered down from the top of GE Management to the shop floors of our factories. This is the way it will be, take it or leave it. These negotiations have all the makings of a disaster and the tearing apart of the mutual relationship that was established after the 1969 strike. Let us not forget what we are here to do for our members and your employees.

Rest assured that our negotiating committee will represent IUE/CWA members with all the vigor they deserve. Along with the IUE/CWA is a qualified CBC who will be playing a major role in these negotiations. With their help and knowledge we have an extremely dynamic committee.

Before I speak on some of our issues, let me make one thing perfectly clear. Do not think for a minute that we are going to negotiate a GE contract that is similar to ones negotiated in 2010. That would be a fatal mistake. We have several areas that need improvement and I will address them in no order of priority. Nevertheless, healthcare seemed to be the flavor of pre-negotiations, so let me begin there.

The foundation of General Electric’s lucrative empire was stacked, block by block, upon the willing backs of determined and dedicated workers: workers routinely exposed to PCB’s, Cadmium, Arsenic, Trichloroethylene, Lead, Asbestos, and other harmful chemicals…workers assigned to nuclear sites, irradiated to exposure levels much higher than any acceptable limits today. Workers who squeezed 1 ¼ to 1 ½ years of labor into each calendar year, toiling 500 to 1,000 hours of overtime annually, workers stressed by shift changes and many times in GE’s service shops, weeks separated from family.

A large, long-standing segment of the workforce is graying; they have endured hazardous chemicals, harmful environments, difficult shifts, as well as bodily wear and tear. Now, towards the end of their decades of services, GE wants to abandon them.

Long-Term employees suffer long-term effects. The negative health consequences of dangerous chemicals, unsafe environments and such are well documented. Emerging data from studies on stress from excessive overtime and shift changes document even further detrimental health impacts. In recent years, GE complied with right-to-know mandates, started to acknowledge ergonomics, and offered on-line tools for a healthier lifestyle. GE talked a lot about safety and preventing injuries. Unfortunately for a large portion of employees, it was too much, too little, too late to address past damage. Adding insult to injury, GE is now determined to inoculate the protesting labor force with a lethal injection of diluted health care called Health Choice.

Medical costs for GE are but a small serving of the overall big pie; but to the hourly workforce it encompasses a hefty slice. GE already force-fed the HMO’s with their network limitation onto labor. Workers already compensate GE more out of their pay as they did for traditional medical benefits they had when they were hired. Now GE wants to dump even more cost and responsibilities onto the shoulders of the workers.

To coerce a health system only manageable for the wealthy and healthy onto hourly workers is unconscionable; especially those suffering physical effects of their lengthy careers. It is particularly insulting within the content of GE’s much toted agenda of caring concern about the health and well being of its workers. A crap-shoot at best, the Health Choice is no viable choice at all, rather a thinly disguised catastrophic fund, in which participants roll the dice each year, and pray they and their loved ones don’t get injured or sick. Make no mistake, as Charlie Smith would say, “This dog won’t hunt.”

Pensions, one of our core benefits, need much improvement. The regular pension career annuity formula needs to be increased along with changes to the guaranteed minimum table. An improved pension update formula along with increases in all supplements is expected. SERO and SERO window needs to be renewed. There is also a deep concern about ongoing discussions of removing a defined pension plan and replacing it with a defined contribution plan for new hires. This would be a serious and probably lethal shot heard around the country that will lead to a very dissatisfied group of union members. Do not be so naïve to believe that there is no support for new hires, it would be a major mistake. There is no interest for a defined contribution plan.

As we know wages are always a topic of discussion but at these negotiations I see no reason to spend a lot of time on this issue. My reason being Jeff Immelt has made this statement “At nearly $100 Billion in revenue, we are one of the biggest infrastructure companies in the world, and we are certainly the most profitable.” This one should be a no brainer. We are looking for a substantial wage increase and cost of living.

There will be many proposals on contract language that we feel are needed to benefit our members. Job security is of great concern. It seems that after every contract, GE hits us with a plant closing or work transfer. This can no longer be acceptable. Yes we are asking for a moratorium on plant closing and work transfers. The shifting of work to another part of the world or another part of our country is a direct attack on union members. These moves almost always go to unorganized locations. We no longer can afford to be hoodwinked into believing that you wish us to work with you and then move or close plants. Job protection is high on our list of improvements.

There are still many road blocks that need to be cleared away in these negotiations. One of the major road blocks is the acceptance of putting an end to fighting off the union in unorganized shops. It is time for a neutrality card check policy.

In closing; let me make my position clear as chief negotiator for the IUE/CWA. Our represented members expect a fair and equitable settlement and not one that is rammed down their throats. One rammed down the members throats will not be acceptable; nor will one be recommended by this negotiating team and delegates. In the spirit of mutual respect, lets both work hard to develop a contract that is fair and can be justified by the IUE/CWA, CBC and General Electric. One that since 1969; advances union management relationships.

Everything is negotiable, but not everything can be ratified.