Summary of the results of the Jan. 4 contract vote by Conco members
From Concretepumping
(January 4, 2008) -- On Friday night, Local 302 members at Conco Concrete Pumping ratified an historic new contract, voting to approve a tentative agreement that the Union reached with the company earlier in the day. The new contract, which covers about 30 Conco pumpers, raises the bar and restores the fundamental Union principle of one contract for all, as opposed to the previous two-tiered system of one set of benefits for some employees and an inferior set for others, with employers pressuring members to choose what’s cheaper for the company.
The previous contract covering concrete pumpers expired on Dec. 31, 2007, after Local 302 members at Ralph’s, Pacific and Brundage Bone rejected a lastminute contract proposal from the companies, which they presented through their attorney, John Payne. That proposal retained the two-tiered system of benefits and took further steps backward in other language. Those companies are now without a contract and should be considered non-union.
Local 302 remains open to negotiating a new contract with other concrete pumping firms, but notice has been served that the new Conco agreement has set the bar where it should have been all along, with all members getting the same wages and benefits. The Union has no intention of voting on proposals that retain the divisive two-tiered Plan A vs. Plan B system. HOW WE GOT HERE FROM THERE
The previous pumping industry agreement was inferior to the majority of the contracts in the construction industry – perhaps all of them. There were many reasons for this and Local 302 concrete pumpers said, both in their pre-negotiations surveys and at the October demands meeting, that they wanted these issues fixed.
In the first proposal to the membership from Conco, the divisive Plan A vs. Plan B system was eliminated, but members from all companies said that there wasn’t enough of a wage increase. That proposal was rejected on Dec. 16. However, the language changes represented clear progress over the previous agreement.
Improvements included:
-- Overtime pay after 10 hours
-- Lunch language
-- A shorter duration for the contract, with a May expiration
-- Show-up pay
-- Increased yard pay
-- Fringe benefits on yard pay
-- Shorter duration for training scale (2,000 hours instead of 6,000 hours)
-- Sub-contractor provisions
It wasn’t everything Conco’s pumpers asked for, but it clearly represented progress and an effort to address members’ concerns. That proposal was made two weeks before the last contract’s Dec. 31 expiration, and at no time was called a final offer by the employer. Two weeks later, on December 30, 2007, the day before the contract expired, the Union voted on a last-minute proposal offered by Ralph’s, Pacific and Brundage Bone that offered no recognition of Local 302 members’ concerns regarding the language improvements. It retained the two-tiered benefits system and also took away members’ right to honor a picket line; had a six-year duration, again expiring in January; and had poorly defined economics in terms of wage increases.
For whatever reason, those employers hoped their employees would ratify an agreement that took them backwards. They showed open disregard to the principles unions were founded upon. Plus, they waited until the last minute before the contract’s expiration to offer their proposal, hoping our members would fold under the pressure. In fact, they banked on it. They called members at home and told them how these companies wouldn’t be able to compete unless the proposal was ratified. What they really wanted CONCO PUMPERS RATIFY HISTORIC NEW CONTRACT was to create an environment where no pumping company could compete unless they, too, cut costs by forming a B plan and pressuring their employees to abandon the Union fringes. But the members rejected it, nearly unanimously by the pumpers at two companies, and by a 2-to-1 margin at the third.
WE WON’T GO BACK
Operating Engineers Local 302 represents 10,000-plus members, and we stand together.
We don’t create individual savings accounts, so we can act as individuals. We all contribute to funds dedicated to helping each other in health care and in our pensions. Union Brothers and Sisters in Local 302 have each others’ backs, not just because we pay our dues together, but because we share in our retirement goals and health care obligations.
It’s likely that many of this Union’s members didn’t realize that a B-plan two-tiered contract existed in the pumping industry. As we have posted web site updates on the status of pumper negotiations, we have had members contact the Union who are upset that such a contract existed in the first place. They have told us that it undermines not just the wages and working conditions for pumpers, but represents a threat to other Operating Engineers who may have employers demand similar two-tiered contracts in the future. Union membership is never going to be about members’ obligations to keep companies profitable. As a member of the Local 302, it is about our obligation to each other, whether you are a pump operator, roller operator, backhoe operator, or crane operator. That’s what makes this Union worth belonging to. Contractors come and go, but this Union has been around for 100 years and will be for a 1,000 more.
That is why we are dedicated to one level playing field where unionized contractors compete based on efficiency and productivity, and not based on who can convince or pressure their employees into accepting cheaper benefits. This Union will not vote a contract proposal that is called A or B. We will have one agreement.
In the pumpers’ case, that agreement was ratified Friday night by the members employed by Conco Concrete Pumping, both at Operating Engineers Local 302 and Local 612. If the other concrete pumping companies wish to be Union, they now see where the bar has been set. (The contract will be posted at Local 302’s web site, hopefully on Monday.) If other concrete pumpers opt to be non-union, it will be in spite of the fact the Union offered a contract that would continue the relationship.
We encourage our members at those companies to immediately seek work opportunities from the Union hiring hall. If, on the other hand, those members feel that participating in the Union fringes is not in their best interest, they are free to seek employment with another company. That is their choice.
