Welcome to Local 16-O
Welcome to CEP Local 16-O's new website. Hope you enjoy the new look.
From Vice President Mark Bellinger
Brothers:
I apologize for the long stretch between web-site updates. There have been several new developments on-site that have affected the members of Local 16-O. In this letter I will be discussing the main issues that the executive of 16-O is dealing with at this time.
In my last letter I talked about the RBO Program that the Union and Company are participating in. The first action plan that came out of the RBO was to form an alternate shift schedule sub-committee. The mandate of this committee was to research and recommend a shift schedule to replace the 7-day continental schedule that the Mining Department was working. The workplace parties had already developed and implemented a 5-Crew Schedule for the Hoisting and Surface Departments. We now have implemented the 5-Crew Schedule in both Maintenance Departments and the Processing Group in the Mining Department. As a result of the Alternate Shift Schedule Committee we are in the process of trialing a 10.5 hour shift schedule in the Mining Department. The 10.5 hour schedule will be voted on at the end of the trial and it appears that most of the employees working this schedule like it. Compared to the 7-Day schedule the new schedules have greatly improved moral and productivity. Both of the new schedules provide more time off and more weekends off.
The RBO presentation to the workforce was delayed by the implementation of the new shift schedules but is now scheduled. A panel made up of Company representatives and Union representatives will present the RBO package to the on-site employees. The RBO presentations are scheduled for the last two weeks of January 2009. The RBO Program will be an ongoing Program at the mine-site that we believe will continue to make improvements to our working conditions.
Another RBO action plan has been the development of a Maintenance Improvement Committee. This is joint union/management committee that is dealing with issues in the Maintenance Department.
The other RBO action plan being implemented is joint Supervisor/Steward Training. Both workplace parties agreed that the relationship between the supervisors and the shift stewards needed to improve and that most issues can be resolved on the shop floor. This should also help reduce the amount of grievances. This training/seminar will be facilitated by Glenn Buchanan from our National Union’s Health, Safety and Industrial Relations Training Fund (HSIRTF). The training will be conducted by Tom Rankin of Mansell, Rankin and Associates of Ottawa. The dates scheduled for the joint Supervisor/Steward training is January 29th and 30th and Feb. 2nd 2009.
The Executive of Local 16-O has two new members. Doug Ritchie was elected to the position of Maintenance Department Chief Steward and John Donatis was elected to the position of Mining Department Chief Steward. Along with President Lionel Carter, Vice President Mark Bellinger and Surface Department Chief Steward Barron Purser this makes up the Negotiating Committee of C.E.P. Local 16-O. The Negotiating Committee is now in the process of going over proposals from the membership and preparing for the upcoming Contract Negotiations. The current Collective Agreement expires on March 31, 2009. The Negotiating Committee will be meeting with Company representatives on Tuesday February 17th and Wednesday February 18th 2009.
We will continue to hold our Union meetings at 3:30pm. We have been holding the general meeting at this time for several months now and have seen an increase in attendance. The next Union Meeting is scheduled for 3:30pm, Tuesday January 27, 2009 at the Saltford Valley Hall.
The size of our membership is increasing due to the fact that 29 new employees were hired at the Mine last year. At this time 23 employees have completed their probationary period and are now members of C.E.P. Local 16-O.
The intent is to keep our web-site updated and to keep our members informed as we enter into negotiations. If anyone has input or suggestions on improving the web-site please stop by the Union office and let us know.
In Solidarity,
Mark
