Griev. Rep Report Briggs & Stratton Second Shift

SAFETY / INJURIES

            On January 25, 2003 an employee was injured in Die cast. The employee was pinned against the die by the extractor. He yelled for help and a co-worker went to assist him. In this case the employee received a burn to the forearm, but this could have been much more serious. The employee did not miss any time from work. The employee failed to follow the safety procedure. Since this happened the company has installed more safety devices including another safety switch, a gate to prevent you from getting inside where the extractor is. They also started to retrain all employees in Die cast. If you think your job is unsafe please notify your steward, grievance rep, facilitator or the safety department.

FIRE/DEPT. 763

            On Thursday January 30,2003 there was a fire in department 763 heat treat. The Wauwatosa fire and Brookfield fire departments both responded. The Briggs’s HAZMAT team also responded to the fire. The fire started at the # 10 draw furnace and it also traveled up through the smokestacks. The fire department arrived at 4:35pm and was cleared to leave at 5:21pm. No one was injured. The company started the furnaces back up at 2:20am all but the # 10 draw furnace. Article X section 5 of the contract states the facilitator or supervisor shall have the duty to shut down an unsafe job. Employees have the right to refuse to work on a unsafe job. Think safety first.

GROUP CHANGE

            Employees with 5 years of seniority and currently on layoff can go to personnel and request a group change. The next time you can request a group change is 1 month prior to April 1st. and the company will bump you back in seniority permitting within 6 weeks after April 1st.

STATUS CHANGE

            If you are currently out on a voluntary layoff the first scheduled work day in April your status will change from voluntary layoff to involuntary layoff and the company will bump you back into your department, job and shift seniority permitting. If you want to stay out on voluntary layoff you must notify the company prior to the first scheduled work day in April.

DIE CAST

            In department 192 the company used the 12 Month language to lock in the control body job. This job went into production in May 2002, but according to the Die Cast manager the customer was complaining about poor quality, so the company locked the job in so they could have the same people running the job every day. Some of the tenders in 192 were very upset about this, however per the contract the company can lock that job in. Also, in 192 the company eliminated 3 pieceworkers jobs due to production no longer needed in Milwaukee. These model 9 heads are being cast down south.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE

            An employee with 5 or more years of seniority can take a personal leave of absence once every 5 years (from March 1st through October 31st inclusive for non-hardship) for up to six (6) weeks. You can also take a six(6) week personal leave from November 1st through the end of February inclusive if it is dealing with a hardship. You can’t take a personal leave to look for work or work another job or business venture. If you take a personal leave be sure to get a memo stating the time your leave starts and the time you are to return to work. This would protect you in case you have a dispute with the company. The personal leave does not preclude you from requesting an emergency leave of absence. An emergency is defined as a sudden, unexpected occurrence.

            In Solidarity