CBC Expanded Meeting

Business Agent’s Column

By Ric Casilli

CBC CALLS EXPANDED NATIONAL CONTRACT MEETING

GE RECENT ACTIONS DISTURBING

The Coordinated Bargaining Committee (CBC) leadership, which is the union representative body of all International Unions (IUE, UE, UAW, IAM, IFPTE etc.) involved in bargaining the GE National Contract, has called an important national meeting on January 8 in Evendale, Ohio. The meeting is an “expanded delegates” meeting of Local union officers, board members, stewards, delegates etc from all the various dozen or so International unions with locals in GE plants across the country.

The meeting will be led by top Union CBC negotiators and is of critical importance in preparation of our members for the GE Contract negotiations and battle that appears to be shaping up on the ominous horizon.

The meeting is being hosted by UAW Local 643 (GE Plant Evendale, Ohio). IUE-CWA Local 201 is sending 16 representatives to this meeting due all the number of early warning signs of potential serious friction issues GE may push us on at the table. Spin-off caucuses will keep the GE locals busy for most of the weekend in Ohio.

Different CBC unions already have heard enough from management circles and members about how awful the new Jan 1, 2010 “Health Choice Plan” is that was jammed on current and pre-65 retiree management & exempts (not just new hires) on January 1, 2010. Many doctors have said it is the worst health care “plan” they have ever seen. Complaints are rampant.

Members also remember what GE did to management & exempt salaried post Jan.1, 2005 new hires raising their optional retirement age, taking away pension supplements, eliminating post-65 health insurance, eliminating early retirement, cutting retiree life insurance and dumping pre 65 medical cost on them among other precious niceties. A few of these items GE even successfully got applied to union members hired after Jan. 1 2008. (Some we beat back)

Now, the most serious and undeserved cutback of all has surfaced. In this month’s GE Focus mailing - GE casually announces they have eliminated eligibility for the GE DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLAN for management and exempt new hires Jan 1, 2011 or after!!!!!

This has already triggered a strong written resolution of condemnation from the National UE-GE Conference Board and led to numerous locals contacting each other and stepping up preparations.

These signs all point to a gradual (really not that gradual) attempt to systematically dismantle GE Health Care Benefits, SERO Program, GE Pension Plan, and force one to work until they die; while GE escapes all responsibility for a member once they walk out the door on retirement.

With these signs, the IUE-CWA Conference Board has been telling all GE IUE-CWA members and Locals to really begin to prepare for the strong potential of a STRIKE beginning this June.

I have just heard Pratt & Whitney and the IAM have reached a Contract settlement. From a first glance at a Settlement Summary, I did not see any signs of the negative type of take-aways GE is doing or talking about.