Briggs Service Division going to "measured daywork";

Job cuts at Strattec to begin in July

by Greg Gorecki, President

The Union is looking for members. both at Strattec and at Briggs & Stratton, that are interested in being Employee Assistance referral people. If this interests you, please call us at 463-7425 and let us know. We will try to set up some classes for the interested people.

The June membership meeting will be held at the Bowlero on June 20th. There will be no meeting in July, and the following meeting will be August 22nd at the Bowlero. There probably will be just one Local 7232 Reporter for July and August.

Our members will be receiving a flyer in the mail from Wisconsin Vision. It is just to let you know that all Union members and their families will receive a discounted rate. Wisconsin Vision does the majority of work and sales to Union members. They also offer a $30.00 eye exam, and for members at Briggs the routine exam is no longer covered as part of your medical coverage. All members are eligible only for the $30.00 reimbursement for eye exams through the vision coverage plan.

The Union is also exploring some options for our members who retire and need some assistance with financial planning. We've had several institutions approach us about giving a pitch to our members. This isn't something the Union normally does, because we normally don't endorse any institution that we are not familiar with. If we interview some of these places and we feel it could be helpful to our members, we will send out a notification in the August edition of the Reporter. If the response is good, the Union will work to set up a seminar for those folks to come and explain their programs with the understanding that this would only be informational and not an endorsement of any one particular institution.

Briggs

The Bargaining Committee and Union Time Study person met with the managers from the Service Division to listen to their plans for moving to a measured daywork system at the Menomonee Falls plant. The 2½ hour presentation was put on through the Madison School for Workers. This was (School for Workers) done at the request of the Union. The Bargaining Committee (with the exception of this writer) each spent a whole day training with the warehouse attendants in Dept. 472. The one thing that everyone relayed to me is that they had a newfound respect for the work our members do at the Service Division warehouse. Many things came to light during the training time. We became aware of several things that we see could become stumbling blocks if the Company proceeds with their plans. We do not have any firm dates to meet again. Right now the Company is contemplating which outside agency it will contract with, to attempt the implementation of this different system. We will try to keep our members in that division updated on any progress, through the stewards and the grievance representatives.

There are about 175 people signed up to retire in the next few months. While we have received a few cancellations, the numbers haven't changed much in the last month. We have a number of members that will be retiring from layoff. That being said, we will not have 175 people being recalled in the next few months. Right now the numbers are a little unclear as to how many of the 175 are actually working now.

The last day of work before the shutdown is June 27th. If you have to be reinstated from a sick leave or get released from rehab, there will be someone in personnel throughout the shutdown.

If you have the misfortune of having a death in your family that is covered under the contract, make sure to call in to the ACTT system at (414) 259-5383 and report it during the time of death or burial. You will then be entitled your pay and those days will not count as vacation used when you bring in proof of the death and your relationship to the deceased and present it to timekeeping and personnel. Bereavement must be attached to the date of death or burial, so you cannot take the bereavement at a later date.

Strattec

The vacation year is coming to an end. If you have not used all your vacation for this year it must be done by June 30th. If you are unsure about the time you may have left, check with your work group leader.

The Company has chosen July 5th to utilize their shutdown. Members having vacation, must take that day as a vacation day.

The Company has informed the Union that the layoffs due to job elimination in Dept. 90 should begin in July. The Union has contacted The HIRE Center and they're trying to arrange a seminar for the second or third week of June. This will be open to anyone who wants to attend. Keep in mind you might be eligible for schooling even if you are going to retire this year. I would encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity. Also unemployment will be discussed at this seminar. The Company and the Union will also be petitioning the government for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). This will be done in the near future, after the first layoff takes place.

On June 21st, we are scheduled to arbitrate a grievance from the tool room regarding sub-contacting work. This grievance was written last year and after discussions with the Company, we could not reach any kind of agreement. In July we will also be arbitrating another grievance, but this will be for a discharged member.