With expiration of the contract looming in a little more than 24 hours, we cannot report any meaningful progress in Saturday’s negotiations. Despite the strenuous efforts of union negotiators who met with GE for most of the day, the company stubbornly refused to budge on the major issues.
GE continues to demand substantial and unwarranted increases in employee health insurance contributions with no meaningful improvements in benefits. Although significant progress was made on pension issues Friday, GE has failed to provide a guarantee that it will not seek a pension freeze in the next negotiations. Company negotiators continue to demand an end to post-65 healthcare benefits for future retirees. Additionally, GE has offered little in the way of wage increases nor COLA based on inflation. A little progress has been made on job security issues.
Representatives from five unions of the Coordinated Bargaining Committee (CBC) participated at the small table today: UE, IUE-CWA, IAM, IBEW and UAW. UE General President Bruce Klipple said after Saturday’s session, “Bargaining has been extremely difficult, and unless GE makes significant movement on the key issues Sunday, we are looking at some tough decisions in the days ahead. We hope the company seriously reconsiders its position and what is in the best interests not only of its employees, but of the GE businesses which rely upon our members’ skill and hard labor. We want these businesses to thrive but we need a fair deal.”
Tom O’Heron, IAM international representative, said, “The union committee at the small table is working very well together,” adding that the final day of bargaining is when the company really needs to listen to the unions. Rudy Gomez, UAW representative, said the issues remaining on the table are really big, and that what the company wants to do to post-65 healthcare is “totally unacceptable.”
Bargaining is expected to continue throughout Sunday. On Monday, the UE-GE Conference Board is expected to meet in New York City to consider all available options and make recommendations to the members of all UE-GE locals on our course of action. UE International Rep. Gene Elk commented, “We’re still hoping to shake hands on a tentative agreement tomorrow night, but we have a lot of work to do before we get there.”
UE was represented at the small table by General President Bruce Klipple and by International Rep. Gene Elk.
Below: Small table negotiators Randy Middleton, IBEW; Rudy Gomez, UAW; Tom O'Heron, IAM; Bruce Klipple and Gene Elk, UE, report to local union representatives on Saturday's talks.
