07/21/2023
On Friday July 7, 2023 Metro/Bi-Stare Development presented the union with what they called it’s “Last Best and Final” offer to our local. We have been in negotiations with the agency for a little over 2 years and have been a faithful, fair negotiating partner with the agency through the process. Our members have been asked to make some tremendous sacrifices in order to continue to keep our city moving, even through all of the health and safety concerns.
Metro/Bi-State Development has at every turn refused to be willing to budge on any of the union’s proposals, including wages, some incentives, and other provisions. The week that we were scheduled to resume talks, the agency canceled two pf our negotiation days and at the last minute of the final day came in with its offer, in a take it or leave fashion. They consistently come before the public and call us “partners,” but in private we are treated worse than servants in the kings palace. Then you throw money out there at us, that throughout our negotiations, you swore you didn’t have, and tell us pretty much, “take this cuz you ain’t getting nothing else!”
We are not trying to sound unreasonable, which is why we have composed a list of pros and cons highlighting the main points of the agency proposal for our members to think on objectively to make a sound decision. Read over them and tell us what you think.
Wage increase
Pro - By far, we have seen more in wage increases in this contract than any other contract we have on record. The wage increases by the end of this deal will have outpaced our nearest contract by about 3%.
Con - These wage increases do not account for the sacrifices that so many of our members have made over the last few years. While it does keep pace with wage offers made to management and other bargaining units, it pails in comparison to the what many of our members have had to be subjected to as far as safety, health, and security.
Signing Bonus
Pro - Never has the agency offered both a signing bonus and wage increases at the same time. Not to mention, you will be able to roll your bonus over into your newly founded 401k to avoid a major tax liability.
Con - Everything that glitters ain’t gold. While a $3,000 signing bonus is great, you still have not accounted for lost wages and man hours through the many service cuts that have been implemented over the last few years. Clearly, while you have been cutting service on the backs of our members and the public, you have been racking up the dollars somewhere.
An Added Retirement Benefit
Pro - The agency has opened up an added retirement benefit to the O&M and clerical bargaining unit. And will seed the opening with an initial $3,000 deposit this year and if you have worked from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 you will receive another $1,000 for a total of $4000 into your own 401k account. And your years of service will count toward vestment in the plan.
Con - Again, everything that glitters is not gold! How much of my total employment package does this account for? And how far down the road have you pushed this debt in order to fund it? And how much of my future wage increases is this going to cost me? Will you try and forego wage increases and just offer 1 and 2 thousand dollar 401k deposits? Will you hold up future contract negotiations if future officers of our local refuse to agree to give up our pension (which is doing very well by the way) in order to fund this 401k?
Incentives
Pro - There are various incentives offered all throughout the package. From longevity to priority routing. Night shift differentials, lead man pay, and various other ways to pad your wage and take home more money!
Con - We need to make sure that we are accurately counting up the cost for the collective and not just us as individuals. While all of these incentives are in some ways good, there are definitely some draw backs. For example: if I am an extra board operator or any operator for that matter, on double over and you get assigned a priority route, will you be paid priority route pay for your entire day? If you are an operator on double over and get assigned a run that clears after 9pm and they have to cut it, will still be paid night shift differential? How exactly is longevity going to be determined? Will I be paid all of these incentives with my vacation pay? When I retire, how will all of these incentives be factored into that? My seniority is not all that great right now so I’m forced to work some of this stuff that would qualify me for a few of the incentives, but how come there is no plan to offset my loss in wage as my seniority grows? Why wasn’t MetroLink and IL garage factored into your priority routing plan? This to me seems to be a major disparity between the facilities and could possibly open up the agency for individual unfair labor practice complaints. There are a lot of unanswered questions that the agency needs to address in order for there to be complete security in this portion.
Maintenance Issues
I have absolutely no pros for maintenance. One of the major drawbacks in the agency plan is making maintenance personnel test to get into bid positions. There is absolutely nothing good for our maintenance members that can come out of this. We had that removed in previous negotiations and somehow they put it right back into this best and final offer. Totally unacceptable.
Clerical
Again I have nothing that I can say positive with this offer.
- We still have not received job descriptions and classifications
- We still have not received the compensation study to make sure that the wages being proposed accurately account for clerical work.
- The wage progression for clerical workers still lags behind that of operations and maintenance.
It is unfair that the Metro/Bi-State Development is pushing such an unfinished product for our members to vote on. We demand they come back to the table and finish the job!
