USW Local 2-232

formerly PACE 7-232

Representing  employees at Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Strattec Security Corp. in Milwaukee, WI

President’s Report

Strattec Steps up to Help Offset Job Loss

Strattec

               The Union does not agree with Strattec shipping jobs to Mexico or Briggs sending our work to its southern plants. It creates hardships in our community and takes family supporting jobs away to exploit cheap labor in different regions or countries. When this happens I believe that these companies owe it to their employees and this community to do the right thing.

               In this case I believe Strattec stepped up and did the right thing to try and keep all their employees working. At the Union's request to allow people to take voluntary layoff if they plan on retiring by June 30th, 2003. Not only did they send each eligible member a letter regarding this offer, they agreed to let them go anytime between January 2003 and June 2003 and receive credit for working until June 2003. If people with 1973 seniority want to retire as early as February they can and get credit for their 29 years + 1,000 hours.

               Along those same lines, Strattec has announced that people who are laid off on December 13th will still receive their Christmas holiday pay. That is something they are not required to do by contract. To that I say they deserve credit for having compassion for the people that will lose their job right before the holidays. I've criticized Strattec management for some things they have done in the past but for this they deserve credit for stepping up. At this point, 16 people have taken advantage of this opportunity.

               We had reached a tentative agreement on the outsourcing grievance, but we ran into some problems when working through the details, causing further delay. We are trying to clarify our positions so we know if, in fact, we have an agreement or need to pursue it further.

               Insurance rates have come out and have hit us hard, as many other people have experienced. Rates are based on utilization and cost increases in the medical field. Some plans have escalated faster than others due to a couple of factors. Usually the plans with higher premiums and no co-pay get used more. While you think it's a bargain at the time, if they are used frivolously we will all pay for it in the end. Basically you can expect to pay roughly 20% of the bill when you or your family seek medical attention. If you're not paying it up front, it will be made up in premium increases the following year. We can't stop the rising costs of health care but we can have some say by using discretion when choosing how much to see a doctor.

               NAFTA petition was granted to Strattec employees losing their jobs due to the movement of jobs to Mexico. There is funding set aside for our members to be retrained for future employment. This is something our members being displaced would be wise to take advantage of. If you need details on your rights for retraining you can call the HIRE CENTER at 414-385-6969. The case worker there will be happy to help you.

Briggs

               Many people are anxiously waiting to hear the latest on the Die Cast Division. We did meet with the Company about the status of the partnership venture. That meeting took place on November 12, 2002 and they again reiterated the fact that nothing has been finalized and we will be contacted as soon as they can make an announcement. As of the writing of this article, we have NOT been contacted about anything being finalized. 

               At Menomonee Falls we are struggling through a couple of issues. The first, being the new time measurement system implemented for the warehouse attendants. With the system being new and our members not being exposed to this before, it has caused some confusion. We will closely monitor the data and requirements the Company is trying to implement and challenge anything that we don't feel is fair.

               The other issue is trying to find a way to get at least a week vacation for all our members. It appears that some of our members are not able to get a full week of vacation during the summer months due to the staffing problems. We are trying to find something that is fair, and if we do, we will report back to the affected area. If they agree, we will consider making a mid contract change. It has been kind of an unspoken rule that the Union is generally not willing to make a change like this unless we get about a 75% approval rating.

               The north end of the Burleigh Plant is looking more and more like a warehouse, with very little manufacturing being done there. It will become even more dormant with the conclusion of the Model 9 assembly line going down on December 20th. This will affect about 80 people. We are still trying to work with the Company to try and find a way to prevent an excessive amount of disruption in the departments and benefit our members that don't want to be bouncing in and out in their last year. To this date we have not reached a solution.