Decision Bargaining Results in Reduced Impact of TOW

Decision Bargaining Results in Reduced Impact of TOW
Vote Yes on the Tentative Agreement June 15th to Keep Our Work in Lynn

June 3, 2021

On April 2, 2021, the Company issued a Transfer of Work “TOW” out of the Small Engine and TEPM department’s that would have reduced members working in those areas by a total of 26 jobs.

 At the end of decision bargaining on May 26, 2021, the Union and Company reached a Tentative Agreement “TA”. Membership ratification will reduce the TOW out of Small Engine to a subcontracting notice saving 13,788 hours of the original 28,438 slated to leave the plant permanently and reduce the loss of jobs from 26 to 17 – saving 9 jobs. (No members will hit the street).  The Union agrees to waive the 6-month waiting period and the Company will begin transferring the remainder of the work on the notification and begin to move members per the lay off and transfer supplement.

Upon the TA, the Company shall begin through the lay-off and transfer procedure to move 3 sheet metal members out of Small Engine into other sheet metal roles in LCM. The Company can begin to move members in TEPM within their current classification in other areas throughout LCM.  The expected affected classifications are now, Bench, Mill, Auto Lathe, Inspection, and Weld.

This TA is the result of a hard-fought battle with the Company. Decision bargaining is not like bargaining a contract.  Your Bargaining Committee was wary that the Company may just be coming to the table to fulfill their legal obligations, and they would run out the 60-day clock and send all the work out. Only in the final week, the Company finally came back with counter proposals that included saving some of the work, but at a very high price we could not accept. The Company put in some extreme proposals, a massive job classification consolidation, and giving up our right to bargain over Lean events. We were able to get those extreme proposals off the table and come to an agreement based on saving some of the work in exchange for waiving the 6-month waiting period. The Bargaining Committee hit the floor, collected our own data and through collectivity, hours of brainstorming, dedication and determination, the “little guys” accomplished something that has not been done in decades, Local 201 SAVED OUR WORK! This Tentative Agreement will be voted on at our June 15th monthly membership meeting.

The 201 Bargaining Committee and Policy Board fully supports this job saving agreement and asks you to come to the meeting June 15th and vote yes, to keep jobs in Lynn.