In response to Steven and others complaining about their skill rates, all of the skill rates are based on the basic wage of the 93/96 basic wage. You were told this before the LAST contract was voted up and that this scenario was bound to happen.
When your skill rates are frozen to a certain basic wage, when the ACTUAL basic wage goes up your skill rate goes down. THAT wasn’t addressed in this contract either. BUT you did VOTE this practice UP last contract. I must admit that this is the a first for me, a supercargo crying foul!! You all knew that the Foreman/Walking Bosses would get a whole lot more than we were going to receive; they ALWAYS do. You let them sit in on YOUR contract talks, see what it is that you are getting then go to their own talks (that YOU can not sit in on) and START their bargaining from where you ended.
Remember how a Foreman/Walking Boss gets to be a Foreman/Walking Boss, and it isn’t based on talent or skill (I didn’t mean that kind of skill!!). It is based on how well you will conform to what PMA wants you to be. I guess you could make a case that they have been in the employers’ pockets since day one and are rewarded accordingly. But that might be a little unfair for there are some strong Union men that are foreman/walking bosses.
So now you want to bargain on your own. I don’t blame you after all you are only making twice what a basic longie/clerk makes. The foreman/walking boss will now make close to four times (when the 401K is factored) as much and you want yours too.. Hell let’s all bargain on our own, what do you say?? The crane drivers, foremen, super cargoes, steady men, those from small ports, lift drivers, gate clerks, CFS people, all of us.
Someone once wrote that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, but they were wrong. Greed is the prime motivating factor in corruptness. And this Union is infected with greed to the detriment of all.
Tim Milligan
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