815 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 • Phone: 202-508-3705 • Fax: 202-508-3706
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815 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 • Phone: 202-508-3705 • Fax: 202-508-3706 |
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Shipyard Workers Rally Against New Personnel Rules
By Phillip Wiese, pwiese@kitsapsun.com Protest signs greeted shipyard workers Tuesday afternoon in front of the Admiral Theatre and invited them inside for an informational rally about new personnel rules. Members showed up primarily to learn about the union's efforts at the negotiation table from April 17 to May 17. What they were told was, according to Metal Trade Department President Ron Ault, that the Department of Defense "wants to strip every tiny bit of dignity from the workers." The new system proposes a new pay scale in which raises are linked to annual performance evaluations instead of seniority. The government also has said the plan would allow for more flexibility in the hiring and firing of workers and ensure a faster response time to emerging needs, including the ongoing fight against terrorism. Thirty-six union representatives from around the country met in Washington, D.C., to discuss the NSPS with representatives of the Department of Defense. After nearly a month of negotiations, the members of the Metal Trades Council left. "We walked out on it and gave up on it," said Bill Buettgenbach, the local council vice president who attended the meetings. "These folks did not want to budge on the issues." The initiative is supposed to update the civil service system, Navy Secretary Gordon England has said in a press conference. It allows for faster hiring and a pay-for-performance system, he said. Among their many grievances with the initiative, Ault and Buettgenbach said their biggest are the pay for performance and flexibility portions. "They had no problem forever to get us to do whatever needed to be done," Buettgenbach said. He added that the workers pull 10- to 12-hour shifts and even work on weekends. "I fail to understand where they need the flexibility," he said. Ault suggested that flexibility meant management could throw the rule book out the window. Buettgenbach and Ault said the officials they were negotiating with couldn't provide basic answers to their questions. When pressed about the issue of the pay system, they couldn't give any details, Ault said. And when Buettgenbach asked about issuances — directives that were passed down from the Department of Defense and couldn't be negotiated — he said they wouldn't give any ground and were reluctant to even mention them. "It was a sham," Buettgenbach said, "it was a disgrace. Hopefully, it'll fare better in the courts." |
The Metal Trades website will be spotlighting local councils on a periodic basis.Amarillo Atomic Trades Council, Amarillo, TX
Clarence Rashada, President |
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© 2004 Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO, Ron Ault President • 815 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
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