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Gp Camas Bargaining Updates:

 

2/18/2010: We concluded two days of informational and voting meetings today. We had an 81% voter turnout with a 90.3% rejection of the company offer. Ken Smith the Southwest Washington area Representative informed both the HR director Curt Christianson and the company spokesman Steve Agerton of the outcome and will be arranging meeting dates to get back to the bargaining table. Please remember that we are still working under the old contract and must work as expected, follow all rules and guidelines and most importantly work safely. The delegates thank you for the huge support you have shown us.

02/08/2010: The company and the union met for four days this week. The company made some minor improvements to their previous proposal. The union told them to put it in a formal offer and that we would take it to the members for a vote. We will be publishing information for the members to look at the first of the week and will be holding informational meetings / voting on Wednesday the 17th and Thursday the 18th. We will be posting meeting times on the Union bulletin boards and on the union web site when we get them set. All meetings will be held at the Union Hall. You will be required to attend a meeting before you will be given a ballot. Voting will be held after each meeting. The current offer is on the front page “GP contract offer”.

01/08/2010: 

Your wage delegates met this week with the hope that all of the rumors and false stories that were running around the mill were true. The group spent time the week before preparing the new delegates with the intent of moving this negotiations to a close. However, when we met with the Company the stories turned out to be false.

 

Looking at the whole picture, we still don't understand why the Company does not value the people of Camas. The Company continues to claim that in order to make us more competitive they need to take benefits from you. The real surprise to the group was that while we are still willing to work on the issues with the Company; they felt that we need a federal mediator to move the parties closer together. We will meet with them next week on Thursday and Friday with the mediator.

 

During the next week we ask you to ignore the false stories that are being spread but ask questions about why the Company wants to take away the following benefits.

 

        Elimination of the Job Rate Retention language

       

        Massive reductions in your medical and dental package   (including losing Kaiser in 2011)

 

        Elimination of most of the call times for coming in early on Day shift

       

        No real improvements on our pension plan but major reductions on our disability pension

 

        Even though the Company has made movements from their aggressive agenda they still want you to pay more to work here  next year.

11/6/2009:

The following is a joint letter from both bargaining boards:

To:  All Camas Mill Employees

Date:       11/12/2009

Re:  Bargaining Update

The Parties have continued to meet over the past two weeks and are working towards reaching a mutually agreed upon contract.  However, scheduling conflicts make it difficult for either side to meet before the New Year. Therefore, the Parties have decided to recess until January, when the discussions will resume during the first two weeks of the month. This break will give both Parties time to work on outstanding issues that are important to the collective bargaining process.

We appreciate everyone’s patience as we continue through this process and the continued focus on safety. It is important to remember that though these negotiations seem lengthy; the current contract remains in effect.

 

 

We have reached a level of the bargain that requires your participation now more than ever.

11/6/2009:We have been attempting to negotiate with Georgia Pacific for many weeks and are still unable to have any movement towards enhancing your contract. The Companies agenda continues to remain extremely aggressive and rather unfair for the work and profit that we produce for them. We commend you all for the professionalism that you have displayed during this tedious process and your continued patience.

While we have had some bumps in the road, you have kept your minds on the task of safety and we implore you to continue that for the future.

That being said your bargaining board has reached a position that we are forced to request that all non bargaining unit work cease until GP is willing to negotiate a fair and equitable contract with Local 5. We ask that all bargaining unit members return to their blue slipped positions in the unit and no longer participate in any Company sponsored program other than what is mandatory by law or our contract.

Until we are able to reach a new contract; the AWPPW Local 5 will no longer support CSI nor the new Safestart program recently initiated at Camas.

It is a sad day here at Camas when we no longer control our safety program, as we have for the last couple of decades, but it is an important move that the local must take to show GP that you are a valuable asset to the mill

Once again we urge you to look out for each other and stay your “brothers keeper” as we attempt to resolve these issues we have before us.

10/6/2009:Your wage delegates met this week with the company to discuss where this bargain is heading. We had another non-productive week.  We had to explain to them once again that the membership is not going to stand for an attack on their families, their pensions or the average take home pay. It is apparent to your delegates that the other side of the table does not understand you and all that you have done to keep this mill productive and safe.

We have explained to them repetitively that we do not want the whole pie, just a fair part of the pie. They still refuse to hear our members needs for their fair share, so that they can continue to adequately support their families needs now and in the future.

We ask for your continued support and patience; Local 5 rarely is able to complete a bargain before October anyway. We will meet for 4 solid weeks starting at the end of October and if they listened at all there could possibly be something for you to look at.

We also need your continuing pressure on the local management and support of the bargaining board.

9/18/2009: Your wage delegates met this week with the company for two days. We discussed both agendas.

We strongly expressed our concerns that the company is being extremely greedy with what they currently have proposed. We explained to them that our members told us in a survey that the top three issues for them where wages, pension and medical and that they have proposed to erode all three and that was unacceptable. Our members deserve better.

They told us that they hear what we are saying and that they would look  at everything and have something for us the next time we meet on 9/29/09.

Now is the time to ask your bosses why they do not value you and explain to them the importance of wages, pension and medical to you and your families.

9/04/2009: We met this week with the company discussing call time and pension issues. We are still a long way from having something for you to look at. We are meeting every other week through September and have weeks scheduled the last week of October and the first three weeks of November.

We, the bargaining board, appreciate your growing interest, attention and support in the bargain. We are planning on having more information available at the next union meeting on 9/17/09. 

8/21/2009: Your wage delegates met this week with the company for three days on the 18th, 19th and 20th.

We have met twenty one days in the seven weeks that we have been bargaining with the company. Both sides have put most all of their agendas on the table and are continuing to exchange information to further understand each other's issues. We feel that the companies agenda is extremely aggressive and we  have a long way to go to resolution. The company has expressed little interest in most of the unions agenda. Your bargaining board feels that GP does not understand  the value of the hourly employees at the Camas mill, the working conditions at the Camas mill nor the families of the employees.

We have now scheduled meeting dates into the first three weeks of November.

7/31/2009: Your GP delegates met this week with the company for three days. We still have been only able to reach agreement  on only a few minor items around name changes. We have received most of the company's economic package, we are still waiting for information from them so that we can fully understand their package and respond back to them to address our issues, needs and concerns. We have set dates to meet with them in August, September and  now October

7/10/2009: The delegates met for three days this week with the company. We have moved into the economic portion of the bargain with none of the language items resolved. The company presented part of their economic agenda to the delegates. The delegates asked the company several questions around their proposal and presented back to the company our items around the issue along with a request for additional information so we can get a better understanding of their proposal. We will be meeting again the week of the 27th of July.

6/25/2009: The union and the company met on June 23rd, 24th and 25th. We finished up on the language items and moved those that we did not reach resolution on to the economic agendas. We will be meeting again the week of July 6th.

5/14/2009:  We continue to talk around language items. We are not scheduled to meet again till the week of June 22nd. We will all be back in the mill next week. 

5/14/2009:  We continue to talk around language items. We are not scheduled to meet again till the week of June 22nd. We will all be back in the mill next week. 

5/06/2009:  The Union delegates and the area representative met this week with the company. We made introductions and exchanged non economic language agendas.  We are in discussions to understand each other’s issues. We are scheduled to meet again on 5/7 and then next week to continue talks on the language items.

4/18/2009:  We have a second set of  meeting dates scheduled  for  May  12th,  13th and 14th.

4/10/2009:The delegates met with Ken on the 4th and 6th and finalized the agenda. They also tallied the surveys. Thanks to those who took the time to fill them out and return them to us,lots of good comments. We are still scheduled to meet with Ken again on May 4th and with the company on May 5th ,6th and 7th.

3/14/2009: The delegates will be meeting on April 6th and 7th with Ken Smith to finalize the bargaing agenda. We will need all the surveys back to us by then. We are scheduled to meet with the company the week of May 4th.

3/8/2009: The wage delegates met on 3/2 and 3/3 to go over and group the resolutions turned in for bargain. They sorted them into contract sections and developed a tentative agenda for bargain. They will be meeting with the area Rep. Ken Smith  towards the end of the month to compile the surveys, finalize the agenda and to set a meeting date with the company.


 








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