Answers directly from USW

Sounds like some people had some questions they wanted answered directly by a USW rep- while most of this info has been posted before, here are the answers directly from Derek Swanson, our is USW District 12 Staff Rep/Organizer. I am posting his answers verbatim, we texted him the list of questions and I literally cut and pasted this from his email reply.

1. Is there a USW pension?

Yes, there is a USW Pension. However, it is not something that new members just join automatically. If joining the USW pension is a desire of the group overall, it is something that we can try to bargain into the contract. But, you start from the retirement plan you have now and bargain to maintain, improve or change from there. Joining the USW pension is a matter of desire of the workforce, first, and bargaining, second. 

2. What are the typical length of contracts between the employer and USW represented employees. We've heard different lengths of times. 3 years, 5 years etcetera.

There is no set contract length. This is a matter of bargaining. However, the vast majority of contracts are three years. Some are longer, but typically only if they are VERY good. (See answer about strikes and why below). 

3. If there is a "yes" vote, what are we even asking for to begin negotiations. Is this mirrored from what the WOA contract consists of or will there be a demands meeting to receive feedback from membership and where would that meeting be held?

One of the first things that would happen is to put out a bargaining survey to all of the new members. What do you all want to improve, lock in place or change? It’s different for everyone, but there will be some overarching, very important themes. You all can use the WOA contract as a model and pick/modify language you like from it, but you all will have your own contract. You’ll be able to get guidance and advice from the WOA leadership but each contract is unique to the group. 

There will be meetings, communications and we will be creative in how to make sure that everyone is heard, even with the unique working conditions that you all have. (As you know, this is difficult, but right now, we don’t have access to the sites and the company can keep everything locked down. Once you win your election, union reps should be granted much more access and communication will be much easier.) 

Meetings will be wherever and however we can have them. It will likely be a mix of on site, off site, Zoom, maybe rent a conference room in Anchorage for a several days, and whatever we can make work. This will need coordination but if it can happen with the WOA guys, it can happen with you guys. 

You all will elect your bargaining committee and put together a communication team. The bargaining committee are your coworkers, who you all elect to be at the bargaining table to represent you. They will be representative of the different sites, maintenance and operations. Everyone will have an elected voice to represent them at the bargaining table and they will compile and communicate the desires of the members to the Union Reps helping to bargain the contract. There is an open line of communication during bargaining and a team built out let everyone know what’s going on. Nothing happens in the dark and YOUR COWORKERS are the ones who approve, deny or alter the contract proposals to how it will most benefit all of you. 

In contract negotiations, you start from the “status quo” (what you have now) and bargain from there. You don’t start from scratch. 

But, importantly, the Union Reps are just that, representatives of the Union, and YOU ALL ARE THE UNION. Your Union is you and your coworkers and the union you all are building right now is pretty damn impressive. I’m sure no stone will go unturned in bargaining.

4. Why haven't there been regular official updates sent to all prospective union represented employees to their emails like union said there would there would be when we signed up to vote.  What updates we have seen are through a blog being maintained by an organizer, not an official USW representative.

There have been regular “official updates” on the worker run website as we have found that to be the most reliable means of communication outside of one on one to each other. You all know that website, you trust it and know that it’s real. While the website is run by your coworkers, we coordinate on and contribute to any of the “official updates” about the NLRB or legal/logistical questions. 

Again, you all are “the Union” and getting communication from the guys that you actually trust and know is always going to be better than hearing from someone you don’t know. That doesn’t mean Union organizers and reps aren’t helping to answer questions immediately as they come in or contribute in all kinds of ways behind the scenes, but this is a movement for you and by you all. We are just here to help guide the process, not step in as another set of bosses or leaders. Your leaders are already on the Slope with you and you damn sure don’t need more bosses telling you what to do or think. 

The messages on the blog that say “we spoke with our union organizer or rep” are those that we have answered directly. The updates from the NLRB, the updates about the voting process, the legal process, the bargaining process, etc are all part of the contribution to communications. I am also always happy to personally speak with anyone. I have spoken with several individually and have also contacted some who said they wanted to talk but never heard back once I reached out. 

You are all going to be inundated with stuff from the company and I have never found it helpful to flood people’s inbox with more calls, texts, emails, etc. It shouldn’t be a back and forth trying to convince you one way or the other, communication should be concise and meaningful, worker to worker, real shit, not corporate bullshit. You all know if you need a change, you all know if you want a voice in your pay, benefits or working conditions and you all know if you want the company to just keep dictating everything. “The Union” is you guys and you all know and trust each other more than an “official” email will ever do.

Even with that, there are forthcoming direct communications from some of the WOA Union leaders, but coordinating isn’t as easy when it’s real. You guys all work the same kind of schedules and in order to get communications from actual worker Union leaders, we have to work around everyone’s schedule. Our communications aren’t from a lawfirm in DC, like the Company’s 24/7 propaganda machine, they’re actually from workers (organizers and Union Reps included) to workers. All of the Union Reps and organizers come from being blue collar workers too. None of us has ever been a pencil pusher or corporate lawyer. (I worked in a cannery in Naknek as a young man, was a wildland firefighter, and industrial electrician before I ever started organizing and bargaining contracts).   

5. What is the monthly union dues percentage, how is that decided, and where do the dues go specifically?

The amount of Union Dues is decided by the Members. Every three years there is a Union Convention, where members from every USW local come together and vote on any changes to the constitution or union structure. If dues are EVER to change, it has to be from a proposal by a member and ratified during an international convention BY the members. The last time dues changed was in 2007 and the members voted to increase from 1.43% to 1.45%. 

Union dues are 1.45% + 0.02 cents per hour worked of Gross pay. Dues come out like any other paycheck deduction. The 1.45% is broken down in a very specific way. 

For every dollar: 

0.44 Cents go to YOUR LOCAL. This is the dues money that the guys will use to build and sustain YOUR Local in Alaska. You all elect leaders, participate in union meetings and decide how to use these funds. Whether it be sending some members to Steward training, arbitration training, bargaining training, conferences, shirts for everyone, renting a union hall, participating in conferences, programs, etc. 

0.44 Cents go to the International Unions specialized departments, like legal, contract bargaining, union advocates, trainings, health and safety programs, Oil specific programs, etc. It goes to build and strengthen programs and train advocates that benefit all of our members. 

0.03 cents (and the +0.02 cents per hour) go to Organizing. To help with organizing drives all over the US and Canada. There are A LOT of resources that have gone to helping with this organizing campaign. You may not think so, but an enormous amount of time and effort both from your coworkers and Union Reps/Organizers has gone into making this happen. Just getting an election agreement was dozens of hours of work and we have spent countless hours coordinating this and communicating already. 

0.07 cents goes to the Strike and Defense fund. The members of this union have built up a strike and defense fund that is in the hundreds of millions of dollars, to defend our members if they ever vote to strike at any of their facilities. 

1. cents goes to education programs that train members on a variety of topics. 

1. cents goes to legislative action, on issues that affect our members jobs and for worker justice. NOTE that this is NOT contributing to politicians. No dues money ever goes to a politician. (There is an entire blog post about this that I wrote) 

VERY IMPORTANTLY – Understand that NO DUES are taken out of anyone’s check UNTIL you have bargained and the membership has ratified a contract. Even if the contract takes a year or more to bargain, the entire process is funded by the Union’s other members. Until you all have a contract, vote to approve that contract and it’s in place, you will not pay any dues. You will know exactly what you are going to get in your contract before ever paying a penny in dues. 

Member Dues In Action l The USW 

6. Do you have a strike pay fund?

Yes, see above. 

7. Is the contract negotiated with a no strike clause. We've heard unofficially that is the case. And if we can't strike, where's the teeth that comes with being union?

Typically a contract has a no strike/no lockout clause. (each contract is different but it is VERY common). This is only in effect for the duration of the contract. It’s kind of a labor peace (on both sides) while the contract is implemented. 

When you all ratify your contract, it’s you saying “these wages, safety, working conditions and benefits are acceptable to us for the next X years of our contract” and in exchange, we won’t strike and the company won’t lock us out. You’re right, the ability to strike is where you can flex your muscles, and you CAN vote to strike during first contract negotiations OR anytime after a contract expires. 

That’s why a typical contract is only about three years. It’s the workers agreeing not to shut shit down for the three years that the contract is in play. Once it expires, we get that right back and if you try to fuck us on the next round of bargaining, then we may vote to withhold our labor. 

When you implement a contract, there are means to protect it, and enforce it, without striking. Once that contract expires, all bets are off and you have that power if you need it.  

8.How would seniority be handled across five facilities? Would there be separate senior ladders at each facility or just one giant pool of employees in each work group, ie. one pool of mechanics, electricians, instrument techs, operators?

This is entirely subjective and will be up to YOU ALL. The bargaining committee, which will consist of people from all sites and, O&M will decide, with the members about how you feel is the best way to handle this. It will be entirely up to you guys how you want to propose to handle seniority. 

9. How are Union representatives going to be structured with different work groups and different facilities to make sure all interested parties have equal representation during negotiations?

Explained above for the bargaining committee, question 3. You all will elect your own trusted people from each area and from Ops and Maintenance, to make sure everyone is represented and heard in bargaining. No area or group will go unrepresented at the bargaining table. 

10.How are communications and meetings going to be facilitated during representative voting and contract negotiations. “ Information so far has been severely limited and censored”

The company still controls the sites right now. During an organizing campaign, they don’t have to allow Union reps on site, they don’t have to provide a means of communication and they can control the lines of communication, just like they can the whole part of the slope you all work on. 

It’s fuckin tough and it sucks to not have access. But believe that it isn’t for lack of desire.

That changes once you all win the election. First, I would say that the guys will no longer need to fear retaliation. I know this is an issue and that it has been a severely limiting factor because I have heard that retaliation has happened in the past. Your guys are being cautious NOW to protect everyone. When you win, no need to be cautious anymore, now we want everyone open all the time. One of the great things about the blog/website is that it’s anonymous (for now).

There will be more access to be able to contact you guys. We will build out a communication network and create communication teams, built specifically for that purpose. We can do a text and email blast system for comms to everyone who opts in. We shoot to bargain for Union bulletin boards, create regular meetings, figure out the best ways to meet, etc. Figure out access to the worksite, especially if it’s the leaders from WOA being able to shoot over there. This all changes for the better when guys aren’t worried if they’re going to be retaliated against. (It IS illegal for the company to retaliate now, but there is a very legitimate lack of trust in the company following the rules). 

WOA has figured out how to communicate in an efficient manner. We can take a lot of cues from them, coordinate and continue to have your own unique ways to communicate. 

11.Would future hires be interviewed and hired by just management or would there be any input from employees, ie. leads or senior techs/operators. 

Unfortunately, hiring new people typically stays as the prerogative of management. You all could shoot for some sort of hiring committee or hiring input, in your contract, during contract negotiations. I’ve seen it done but it’s not common and I wouldn’t say that it is likely.