The union is planning a special meeting on December 11th to deal with all the “misinformation” that is being spread about the situation with our contract. Unfortunately most of the “misinformation” has its source with the union leadership.
Let’s look at the record. When the arbitration award was first announced and Metro decided to challenge it in court, the union said we would demand that it all should be implemented or none of it. The union soon changed its position and allowed the Authority to begin a partial implementation. This is why we got a bonus payment in December 2009.
In March, at the court two important issues were addressed. First, the court ruled that the arbitration award had to comply with the standards set forth in the Wolf Bill, i.e. it had to be affordable to the local governments. The union denied that the ground rules for arbitration had been changed and that the judge had only asked for a clarification of the award. Second the judge asked the union if they wanted to challenge any parts of the award. The union said no. The judge then allowed Metro to implement the health insurance changes that were in the award, i.e. higher rates and co-payments.
In August, at the court hearing the union asked to challenge the health insurance increase but the judge ruled it was too late. He said that only two issues were still on the table, the wage increase and the continuation of our current pension system. He then told the union and Metro that they had 45 days to get him their briefs and rebuttals. He would then begin to study the material and eventually give us a written opinion. He did not set a date for issuing the opinion as the union claimed.
Going beyond the contract, the union leadership is trying to re-write the history of the labor movement to justify their position. In several recent notices to the membership, the union president has claimed that arbitration is the basis of the labor movement, not actions by workers like strikes. The labor movement was built by militant actions by workers. The Pittsburgh General Strike of 1877, the Haymarket Massacre of 1886, the Flint GM sit-down strike of 1935 which helped establish the UAW and the Memphis sanitation workers strike of 1968 which Martin Luther King was killed supporting are only a few examples of workers leading the fight for social justice. Arbitration was set up in the 1930’s to undermine workers’ militancy, not to enhance it.
At several recent union meetings, we have been told that if we support Vincent Gray and Marin O’Malley, they would help resolve our contract issues. The reality is that all of their representatives on the Metro Board voted to challenge our contract in court.
Where does that leave us? If we want to move forward, there are three groups we can count on. First we have to make sure all of our members understand what we are fighting for and why it is important. Second we need the support of other workers, most who are under similar attacks as we are. Third, we need the support of the riding public who are being hit with deteriorating service and higher fares.
This meeting must be about, making a plan for fighting back. There is no standing still in this fight. The bosses are pushing us down. Unless we fight back they will succeed. The bosses hope to use racial divisions and the differences between operations and maintenance to weaken us. We must not let this happen. The goal of all this activity must be to create a stronger and more effective union.
