Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
I
hope this letter has information that you will fine helpful.
Please read about the issues that face us and see where
ACRE stops and common sense begins.
THE
MERGER
ACRE
has told the membership that there's no merger despite evidence
to the contrary. A bill for the merger has been in the N.Y.Assembly
since May 2006, Gary Delaverson who created ACRE and who
has arranged the MTA payments to ACRE officers, is the MTAs
Chief Financial officer in charge of the merger and CDOT
is posturing as if they're going to take over operations
on the shoreline and the New Haven Line if and when the
merger happens.
Despite
the Assembly Bill and ACREs' patriarch being the CFO for
the merger, ACREs leaders say there's no merger. I believe
they mean “at this moment”, and are hoping the membership
translates that as “forever”. A little word game that cannot
be called lying, is an ACRE hallmark.
ACRE
states that the merger is UTU – BLET rhetoric. Did the UTU
sponsor the bill before the NY Assembly? Did the BLET appoint
Mr. Dellaverson to be the CFO in charge of the merger? ACRE
apparently wants the merger to be a surprise for you.
If
and when the merger happens – the Harlem and Hudson lines
will be combined with the LIRR to form a new railroad –
the MTA can start from scratch with our work rules and benefits.
Mr. Delaverson, who just starved the Coalition without a
contract for 4 and ½ years, will be in a position
to “cherry pick” the cheapest benefits from the LIRR and
Metro-North contracts. If we have Tier 5 on the property,
we're in real danger of getting it forced on all of us.
OK,
if that sounds extreme, then all members who have 10 or
more years to have 55 years of age with 30 years service
are virtually guaranteed to be in tier 5.
How?
There are only two ways to change our pension, Legislatively
or Collective Bargaining You figure “What's the chances?”
well ACRE overpaid for tier 4 in the first place, then introduced
tier 5 at the collective bargaining table THE VERY NEXT
CONTRACT! ACRE is “batting 1,000” in this regard. If you
have 10 years of people hiring out and working for a tier
5 pension, then how long will it be before they get to the
bargaining table? They'll agree to EVERYONE going into tier
5 for an extra percentage point on a raise. If you vote
yes for this contract, you'll be voting for yourself to
go into tier 5, work till you're 62 and go into a needlessly
inferior pension. When new hires get to the collective bargaining
table, they will be glad to “repay” you for your consideration
to them at this contract. You MUST keep tier 5 off the property!
ACRE
says “There's no tier 5” Briefly; there's no tier 4 either!
We are in a MTA pension that “mirrors” the NY State pension
tier 4 benefit. We are not in a NY State pension. We have
a “mirror Tier 4” MTA pension. The new pension is a “mirror
Tier 5”. When ACRE says, “There is no Tier 5 in the contract”
they are technically correct, but hoping that if you don't
have a name for it – it doesn't exsist. Another one of those
word games. The ACRE membership has yet to receive an informational
meeting about their “mirror Tier 4” pension. Like your non-existent
Agreement Books, ACRE is hoping you won't miss what you
don't know or understand when it's GONE! That's why the
membership is going to vote this contract down. Speaking
of voting…
BALLOTS
All
Ballots should have the ID numbers removed from your mailing
envelopes and replaced with the members writing their own
name and address with their verifiable signature on the
mailing envelope. That's a legitimate VOTE!
ZERO's
Extending
the contract 5 months is what the company wants so they
won't have to contend with any future job action during
the winter when everybody has to get to Wall Street. The
extra 5 months gets them to the summer when most of our
passengers take vacation. If we were offered an average
3% raise for those 5 months that would be giving it to the
company at no cost. If ACRE (paid by company, hope for the
best, expect the least) were negotiating in our best interest,
they would be asking the company “How much over 3% are you
willing to pay us for the extra 5 months? (Early buyout?
– O.K.)” That's not what ACRE gets paid by the company to
do. They are told by the company to sell our 5 months FOR
A ZERO! ACRE states that the 5 months of ZERO pays for the
early buyout. That adds up to an incredible amount of your
money over your career. We just can't afford it.
PAYING
FOR MEDICAL
ACRE
says introducing Tier 5 on our membership will keep us from
paying for our medical. In the same breath, ACRE says we
should expect all of our members to pay for medical in the
following contract. HUH? Why would we want to do that? ACRE
says the new hires will have 30 years to sell out more future
members to improve their pension (an ACRE tradition).
Why
would we accept ANYTHING less than what the UTU negotiated
for their members that work for SEPTA? How about we pay
1% of our first 40 hrs with a cap – right now - for everybody,
without destroying the new hires (and our own) pensions?
That would eliminate Tier 5 – everybody would have the same
benefits – give no choice but tier 4 to the company if and
when the merger happens, and put to rest this mindset of
screwing the new hires for no reason at all.
COMMON
SENSE
Does
this make for a “common sense” argument?
The
topper is we appear to be speeding towards a merger, and
your representation is being paid BY THE COMPANY!
Common
sense is what a UNION is founded on. The COMMON need of
the membership to have solidarity with each other. The COMMON
desires to have ALL members share in the benefits negotiated
in our contracts EQUALLY. The COMMON goals that we should
share, not split into different factions that turn us against
ourselves to the delight of the company.
The
Coalition was starved for 4&1/2 years into a desperate
contract. We're without a contract for 5 months! Why is
ACRE following suit? Why is ACRE pushing this contract on
you?
Do
you think that by having ACRE represent you that there is
ANY chance of the members coming out ahead? The company
pays ACRE for the concessions ACRE gives them at contract
time.
No
actuaries, No labor lawyers, No negotiations on your behalf,
and with so many new members hired out - No agreement books.
No security for the future of our membership. More ZERO's,
and a blind alley for our pensions that we'll have to continue
cannibalizing new members apparently forever. ACRE accomplishes
a lot for the money they are paid by the company.
“A”
SOLUTION
When
you join a UNION you don't receive COMMON SENSE!
COMMON
SENSE helps you receive a UNION!
¨
Get your verifiable signature onto your return ballot
envelope.
¨
Vote “NO” for this contract; and make it count!
¨
Sign an “A” card.
¨
Bring the UTU back for legitimate representation
at the collective bargaining table.
¨
Fight for your future and to preserve your past UTU
agreements.
UTU
Local 645 represents the Conductors on the LIRR. Their General
Chairman, Anthony Simon, recognized immediately the major
issue with the Coalitions' agreement. You cannot split the
membership! Read his comments online at www.utulocal645.com/chairman.html
Read
more information about your contract and working conditions
online at
www.mtacre.com
Respectfully
Yours,
Kevin
A. O'Shea
UTU
Interim General Chairman
Local
77
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