Look guys I no it has been hard and going to fewer job codes is a huge change but lets just face it. Without the code change they are gonna clothes us up and what will we have left if we fight it and lose anyway. do you want a job for the next 10 years or are you good with playing hardball and haveing no job in 2 years???
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Vote Yes or no, it doesn't matter. GE will be closed permanently in 2 to 3 years either way. I hope you stay at GE as long as possible so it gives me more opportunities to leave.
Guys if you really think GE is 'hiding'good results read this stuff. We are in last place in a dying market:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-03/ge-falls-to-third-in-global-gas-power-sales-as-mitsubishi-surges
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/29/analyst-estimates-a-further-ge-dividend-cut-in-the-30percent-plus-range.html
What is the pay rate for an A machinist pre and post job code change offer?
The bubble of 2000 we did 135 generatiors in house and 400 outsourced. GE has been able you outsource long before Poland came along. In 2010 we were informed that they can outsource a generator for 350k cheaper than Schenectady and just put the meatball on it. That being said the products of the bubble are approaching the 20 year mark and the market will come around again. The question is were will it be done. 273 still exists because that building carried a lot of GE’s other businesses such as NBC and others that were bleeding cash. He is a good poker player. They will never tell you how much work is on the books and are great at playing the sob story especially before a contract.Same as they will never reveal the exact figures or profits for Schenectady. I feel the pain of the people getting laid off. I’ve been there 3 times in 25 plus year. This is nothing new for GE. Vote your conscious. But don’t believe the hype. That building is one of a kind and worth its weight in gold.. and they know it.
look I am one of those past brothers who fougt hard for what we got and what you guys still have but times are diforint. Clothesing Salem shuld be the wake up call. Work is going down and it wont come back. if your skills are good enough to make the same pay on the streets then vote no becaus you are voting for one year worth of benifits, after that you will all be gone. If you vote yes then at leest you can get another contract out of GE and be safe.
How much of a raise most people actually getting for voting yes? I’m look at the proposal on the 301 website and the pay rates look the exact same are they are right now.
Anyone voting yes is not confident in their ability. What will they give up next? Our D rate? Our pension? The company is playing you. Have some balls vote No!
Wait, somebody just said"they are gonna clothes us". I hope so because my work pants are worn out from sitting on my a**.
The NO votes also come from people that would rather "walk/strike" than do more worl while getting paid for it. A strike in these time is an id--tic strategy.
Also comes from people who think the $10 gap its still a posibility. GE will never give up that money when the stock has gone in half in the last 2 yrs.
Comes from people that think that Salem Virginia had an opporyunity to vote on a proposal. They Did NOT Have A Chance To Vote. At that point union officials were scarmbling to give up everything they could to make it work. Willing to give up wages and have unpaid breaks. When you elect a union official in you are giving the a vote of confisence to negotiate a deal, not all members have to be involved in all negotiations.
This could be the last step before a closing notice. GE is vendictive and dont put it past them to do something drastic if this doesnt pass. Not a scare tactic, we all know they just dont give a fck about us.
If u think they will take it away in the next contract, then you have that much more they to take it from.
If you think the plant is going to close either way, get all the money you can before you leave.
If tou think this place is going to become a service shop you better hope you are in core services family or have top 250 seniority, if not, your a-- is walking with the rest of us to the unemployment line.
A no vote comes from not wanting to give up your a-- time.
My vote is still a NO Vote,
Lets review the chain of events!
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND READ THE AGREEMENT. Look around you. Walk around the shop ITS FKN DEAD. look at the market. look at GE's situation. valance that out with what they are REALY asking you to do. Ask the questions that you need aswered, but dont go looking for an aswer you want to hear (there is a difference). MAKE AN EDUCATED DECISON, NOT BASED ON RUMMORS.
If you make the consession vote yes
If you think you cant vote no
If you dont have all the info you need, make a decision based on what you do have, its called being an adult.
Monday lay off were NOT leaked, board mambers were told so they could inform everyone. Indirect labor being too high is a subject that has been a MAJOR subject for many years and has been beaten to a pulp in resent years. If you were not aware of that, then obviously you haven't care enough to show up at any meeting either company or union meetings.
Your new job descriptions is in the agreement. Your skills are still needed whereever you land. Yes you will have to perfom other jobs and yes you will have to train other to do inspections in other areas so that you can stay in your area and help out with other jobs that you will be trained on. Leader job description are in the agreement. Leader positions have always been an interview job Nothing has changed in that subject. Leaders are not required to do crane moves. They can if they want and properly trained. Thats why they have "senior operators." No doubt that the company will try to choose a person that can do most of the operations and make them both a leader and senior operator. Cranes/inpectors/tester have a better chance at becoming either amd gettin the 2 pay scale raise because they have a skill that is crusial to the operation. If they dont want to do it, they will have to train others to do it.
I was told that in the 1st shift meeting Stan was asked if this was voted down would there be more negotiations and he gave a big NO. No more negotiations after this. There in a clause in the agreement that talks about revisting after 3 months and then every year.
Let's review the weeks events and think this thru.
Monday it's leaked that layoffs will take place Tuesday and mass panic ensues as a document outlining impacted areas circulates the plant. HR cites the document is inaccurate.
Tuesday the layoff plan is executed. 200 union brothers and sisters hit the streets. Many more are handed their bump paperwork sending them to a lower paying job, a shift they cant be on or both. The impact is more than anyone imagined, 2008 service gets you an entry level position.
Wednesday the remaining membership is rushed to an All Hands Meeting. We are told Indirect Labor costs are too high. We have to reduce that cost via elimination of Crane Operators, Testers and Inspectors. A brief summation outlines the people currently in these positions will be absorbed into new job codes. A new bargaining agreement will be rolled out explaining the details. We are pressured to vote yes as it's the best chance we have to secure future work in Schenectady. The new agreement takes the 39 existing job codes down to 9 and 14 pay steps down to 3. We are informed in this meeting that testing, inspections and crane lifts will be handled by leaders that will be chosen by an interview process. The new agreement contains job descriptions for all the new job codes. There are none for Leaders, Crane operators, Testers or Inspectors. The agreement also gives management the ability to move employees around the plant at will.
Thursday the company opens up a voluntary lay off, by mid day 50 have signed up. Triggering more bumps and eventually recalls for people layed off on Tuesday.
Friday the information board in the break room is flashing 2 slides. One explains the new job families and pay structure. The other is "Tentative Job Postings" for Testers, Crane Operators and Inspectors!
Hopefully your asking your leadership the same questions as I am. Why are their no job descriptions in the agreement for Leaders, Inspectors, Crane Operators and Testers? Why are there tentative job postings for jobs that are being eliminated and given to leaders? Why are we giving management the power to move us around at will? Why are we letting management hand pick the floor leaders that will be responsible for Crane lifts, Inspections and Test. If the true problem is the cost of Indirect Labor why don't they just have the indirect labor voucher to a job. Why are we being rushed to vote on something that is clearly not ready to be voted on without answers to these questions?
Please stop listening to the rhetoric of anyone telling you to vote one way or the other. All you have to do is read any news source on power and it will tell you where it's going. Look at the pieces ge is selling. Follow the Money! (Contracts) Make informed decisions for yourself.
Jack Welch didn’t target GE Schenectady, he targeted the local Schenectady Government that thought since GE was so established in Schenectady, it was a perfect cash cow to solve the tax revenue problem. They thought they could play hardball and Jack would be too scared to risk GE’s stock performance. Well Jack beat them to the point where, decades later, Schenectady still hasn’t recovered from the a-- beating. GE won’t leave Schenectady, it’ll remain there in the smallest capacity possible but still be big enough to remind the whole area how it once had something great, but greedy egotists blew it for everyone over the years. There isn’t a shortage of people who can tell you stories about the good old days when GE and Schenectady made a great team, the legacy it made and it was great for everyone. Now those stories are just depressing. We are all now part of the shameful part of GE’s legacy.
So we are suppose to vote on a plan that is at best disorganized and short sighted. There are way too many loop holes in that paperwork that will give the company more power to manipulate us.
The Union/company (same thing) half assed this together because of the Mighty Poland Scare.
They threw more money at people because they know it’s a shady deal just like a ratification bonus. (Still bitter)
I believe in my abilities if they want to close the plant, So be it. I have too much integrity to vote Yes on something that’s going to effect so many negatively.
If anything they can go back to the table after a No vote.
I’m a D rate with 18 years and I’m voting 100% No
Don’t you think when Jack Welch targeted GE Schenectady that there is a reason 273 is still here all these years later. They need what we do and we do it well. This isn’t a worker problem. Everyone should vote No. if you think there real about closing, this vote won’t change it either way.
Still waiting on facts as to how this agreement negatively impacs most of the members.
Out of the 4 plants that can do this work Switzerland is most expensive, France is 2nd most and we are 3rd. GE doesn’t want to deal with the French government and EU. It’s us and Poland and they can’t handle the capacity once power turns around in the 2020’s. We aren’t going anywhere. All smoke and mirror scare tactics. NO vote here.
SMH show their cards?! https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/roanoke/salem-ge-rejects-union-proposals-moves-ahead-with-plan-to-close-plant
How about they wont think twice about closing schenectady if it's not profitable. Some great strategist you are! Facts speak for themselves.
Make GE show their cards. Vote NO
There are no slots filled for ST or GEN in 2021. Don't believe the BS, what we do in SCH can be done in 3 other factories overseas. If we want to keep our jobs we need to give a little. Like someone else said to get OT you need to work 40 hours first.
I was informed by a union brother who was talking with someone hire up and the year 2020/2021 is all booked for the year. Getting is forcing us into this situation because of contract year is coming up. Everyone needs to stand up and say no
Can someone please explain to me what is it that you are giving up in this agreement?
It seem that too many are against it but cant explain why. After all the bumps are done everyone is getting a raise. National contract is exactly that, it is done for all GE sites and nothing to do with Schenectady specifically. Seems to me that people dont want to give up their a-- time. Others are too worried about loosing their overtime to realize that they need a job with 40 hrs before they get that overtime. Seems to me like too many one off's situation. I have yet to read anything that negatively impacts a large number off members. Seem selfish to me. No doubt the company is getting something out of this thats why is called an "Agreement." But have no doubt that this is the only good chance at keeping American jobs here.
The only blame management owns is it’s their fault for hiring workers who’s attitude is Eh!! Good enough, I get paid the same amount either way! The Union would fight tooth and nail to protect them. All along they just keep doing subpar work. No pride in anything that they do. No self reflection. Their grammar and spelling all throughout this site clearly shows it. Can’t even be bothered to do a simple spell check! You expect them to pay attention to a thousandth when the prints clearly tell them to do so?? That’s what we get from somebody with a good enough diploma! It’s a recipe for disaster. Times up ladies!! It’s time to chow down. None of us are getting excused from this sh-- sandwich of a meal!!
I can't believe some of you A holes are blaming GE'S problems on the hourly workers cost Instead of gross mismanagement! They waste so much money buying and moving equipment that they never use if they would stop just doing that they would save millions.
If you guys had any brains you would just wait for the contract. A yes vote is a slap in the face to the people who sat in the cold for your good jobs. Contract is less than a year and you all will be begging for them to give you back a tenth of what you give up right now.
What's wrong, scared you can't go out in the real world and make it? Papa GE is gonna stick it to you either way so wake up , grow up and get you a pair.
old timer has it right dont let the bullies crowd your thoughts the best thing to do is just accept it like a man. the party is over and nobody wins ge cant sell sh-- without lower costs and will make turbine gens elsewhere we arent the only place they do them. make the choice...fight and lose both your job and union pay or just take it and keep your job and union
Let’s write to trump!!! He will save us MAGA
This is the grammar of someone who spends WAY too much time on their phone. It's being bred and pumped into everything everywhere by social media and the lax form of text speak.
Welcome to the new GE!
Y dont u go back 2 ur spot and hide b4 sumbody C's u writin?
@-qmr Let me guess! You and the OP are both machinists! That’s some high standard attention to detail you have there!! I bet you’re HVCC class of 2010. Just a great example of why we’re in the shape we are now! The biggest problem with GE is that it’s the best paying place for the bottom feeders. They’ve been scooping them up like crazy for well over a decade now. It has become too saturated with freeloading bottom feeders and it beyond repair. Schenectady needs to purge itself. Unfortunately GE gave all these turds inflated egos of themselves that they completely believe now!! So many of you are screwed and don’t even know it. So you sure as hell aren’t preparing for it. Hearing most of you run your mouths on the floor makes me want to puke!!
This is exactly the type of person who would agree to such a bad deal.
@-nfb. I’m not the OP., I bet ur significant other just LUV’s how U critique/nitpick! Prob everything In ur little boxed world! Good grief.
You must be one of those low I.Q. high school drop outs from the mountains with bad teeth who became a D-Rate just before the T-Rates came on board. You're spelling and grammar is horrendous!!