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It feels a little anti-climactic doesn’t it?  You rage-signed the card and punched send or you talked up the courage, took a deep breath, then tapped ‘signed’ and now….nothing.   No fireworks, no parades, no ConocoPhillips gestapo banging on your door….. just silence.  Hey!  Don’t fret, the wheels of progress grind on but it’s just not all in the open. Just like how SAP notifications take forever to grind their way through the system, our cards are the same way.... damn plann

Dear Pat,     Thank you for that really touching and heartfelt email.  It's great to see you stepping up to address some of our concerns.  I guess Ed was too chicken to do it himself this time.  In regards to your thoughtful letter we also have a few comments:    You mentioned “We want to emphasize how important our cooperative relationship is to us” .  Yes, we saw how you emphasized that when you RIF'd anyone that voiced any concerns over the sick time and workday changes. 

5 days in and we're doing spectacular. There are still rumors going around that 'the numbers aren't good' but that's completely false. Ask them what the numbers actually are- do they have an answer for you? No, of course they don't, because they heard from someone that heard from someone that heard from someone.... they're talking out their ass. These are probably the same illiterate retards that are claiming the company is going to drop our pay by 40% if we try to go

"Who actually knows if I sign an Authorization Card? How do I know the company won't find out?" That's a great question- and I have a simple answer for you. The only people who will ever see the cards/names are: Our assigned USW recruiter get an update when someone signs 2. One Technician in USW HQ, the same person who made the cards. 3. The NLRB agent when we send them into the NLRB to file for the election That's it. You will notice that conocophillips management is not

I was talking with coworkers the other day about our future here and he said "We live on our feet or die on our knees." "Isn't the expression 'I rather DIE on my feet than live on my knees' ?" I think you have it backwards. He shook his head, "No, I got it right for our situation- we either stand up and fight, and we all keep our jobs, or we kneel in subjugation and get fired one at a time. So in our case- We live on our feet or die on our knees. I don't see kneeling dow

Oh really?  And who told you that? Did your boss happen to be the one that told you that?  Did they say "you count as supervision and therefore you’re not eligible?”  Sit down and brace yourself because I have some news for you… the same people that lied to your face a year ago about “going to WorkDay for your timesheets won’t change your straight vs OT hours” just lied to your face again.  Shocking isn’t it?   They’re going to spout all sorts of bullshit-  they’re going to t

Nope.  The NLRA prohibits this in Section 7 & 8. The company has already told us in writing and via a slide show (which they conveniently “couldn’t record for legal reasons”) that we’ll be part of the company wide raises in March and the VCIP. We might, just maybe, know how to get copies of all those slides…oops. So if suddenly we’re not eligible for raises like all the townies, or we’re not eligible for the VCIP, guess what we are  eligible for?  A slam dunk class action law

Yep.  Absolutely.  Everyone knows about Jimmy Hoffa, or rather, maybe of Jimmy Hoffa, and that he’s somehow related to unions, and the mafia, and corruption and he’s buried under some football stadium somewhere… or something.  But everyone  knows that unions have done dealings with the mob and issues with bribery and all sorts of bad shit.  But “Unions” is a BIG word when you use it like that.  Unions have had a presence in this country for hundreds of years- google informs m

Worried that it's too quiet on the western front? Concerned that we've 'simmered down' and accepted our fate? Wondering if you're the only one still pissed about what has happened to us? Or scared about what more will happen? Don't let the silence fool you- we're not at a stopping point, we're at a staging point. BIG things are coming. You are not alone, we haven't simmered down, nor taken our foot off the gas; as I said before “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Don't lose hope or

This is probably the biggest myth roadblock we face. Many of our coworkers genuinely believe that we’re not allowed to ‘talk union’ on the clock or at work.  I’m here to tell you that without a doubt this is completely false in our specific situation. The courts have ruled time and time again that union information may be discussed in any work setting where other ‘non-work’ related conversations have to be tolerated.   So for instance- if you’re allowed to talk about your hun

Reason number 83 for needing a Union-  “At Will Employment”  Have a look at your new hire paperwork- you will notice a phase there “At Will Employment”; you’ll see that same phase listed in a few other places too.  What, exactly, does that phase mean?  In short, the company can ‘release’ you for any reason, at any time, and you have no recourse.  I know the counter-argument is “yeah, but they don’t do that. As long as I’ve been here they’ve never fired anyone without cause, o

Submitted comment: “Let’s talk about timeline, there is a pile of rumors going around that kupuark is prime to sell to Hilcorp. There’s nothing any of us can do to stop that! But being a prior Hilcorp employee I can share what will happen if the rumors are true, they will come in and cut everyone’s pay 10-15% hmm sound familiar, they will introduce a pay for performance program……… then they will make you apply for your very own job and then interview for it. So my question is

Submitted comment- "I have a concern that I’m sure some others share. There are potential situations where during the organization process the names of those who signed authorization cards could be shared with the employer before the process is complete. This would happen if when the union were to approach the employer about recognition, the employer requested to do a “card check” and the union obliged. It could also happen if there was any potential for litigation during the

Submitted question: "Can COP separate and keep Senior (Lead) Operators/Technicians (Maintenance) out of the Union? COP management (at least at Alpine) is telling them that they won’t be able to join the union. Is there any truth to that or is that just another way to divide us?  Thank you. " Ahh! This tactic again, we heard about this last year too. This was discussed in a recent meeting with WOA union reps and based on Prudhoe Bay WOA's union this is total bullshit.  Thei

I completely understand, a strike would be a massive financial burden for the vast majority of us. And while unions do have “strike funds” that pay a partial wage to workers while they’re on a picket line it definitely doesn’t replace a paycheck.  The good news is that we don’t have to strike to unionize.  Our right to unionize is codified in federal law, the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) made it illegal for companies to prohibit unionization (in most cases).  The

Bullshit.  Top to bottom bullshit.  You are not paid 120% of “operators/elects/mechs at peer companies on the north slope”.  This isn’t even stretching the truth, this one is a bold faced lie. And a very blatant, intentional deception.  When you compare your hourly rate to other NORTH SLOPE operators that are actually employed by the unit operator you are most certainly not overpaid.  Santos tops out at $72.03 and with a brand new ‘tech 1’ starting at $61. Their bonus can be

Let’s dive into some of the half-truths and myths that management is going to throw at us to scare people away from unions.  As a job aid, let's use the Union “FAQ” that Ed so thoughtfully provided with his very genuine email from last year and then was sent out again this week.   (You remember THAT email… that one he promised to “collaborate with you, gather feedback from you and implement positive solutions quickly and efficiently”) This blog post covers the first 7 or so q

This was a comment submitted to us: Who else watched that team’s meeting this morning and got fired up. Being an ex Hilcorp employee knowing they pay long term bonus and then someone ask the question and she said all the peers said they do not pay long term bonus. Sadly that is a lie. When I quit my job to come here it was to get away from the lies and perception that you matter. Sadly that is going away at a rapid pace. Hopefully something can stop the bleeding and restore

We posted this last month, but take a moment and re-read it. Actually read our VP's words from a year ago, hear the sincerity in them, then reflect on how this last year went. Remember- They will promise us ANYTHING to keep us from going Union. Don't believe the lies. You know what?  I was going to post an article about Union Busting Tactics-  but I have something better-go to the "Facts and Myths" webpage on the menu and read up on "Union Busting Tactics"- then read VP E

“Should have done this along time ago every year we lose something, there is no end” “It was my goal for years to get with the top operation company on the slope. I finally get the job and think I'm set and have a career! Now I feel like its turning into a job and I may have to start looking if we don’t bring in someone to represent on our behalf. We have no voice anymore.” “I've never really thought about the union much. After what they've done, I'm thinking a lot now.” “Tha