With respect to the issue of Health insurance for the West and Southwest, the main complaint from our members is that there was NOTHING solid to vote on, nothing to reference, nothing to assure us that it was in fact what it was represented to be. Week after week, the C6 plan continued to change from its original display to us, and that is reason for caution.
The IBT and our local leaders expected us to vote YES on NOTHING but a simple.. "TRUST US".
IS that how you buy cars? A home? A motorcycle? Family insurance? "TRUST US?"
This is a CONTRACT. It has defined terms that we are agreeing to, and when those terms are no longer "defined" and the union wants us to simply "TRUST US", then there is going to be a problem.
The members out here are not dumb. We know better than to take the unions word for anything. With a laundry list of concessions already, what prompts us to believe the insurance will not be compromised as well?
To simply vote yes, and give the IBT 6 months to stroke us and then tell us, "hey, my bad, we tried to find you better insurance, but we couldnt do it, here is the C6"...
That would be just plain stupid.
Sorry if this inconvenience holds up the contract ratification, but we are not going to settle for less like the rest of the country did when it comes to health care.
As for me, I am totally ok with taking the raise away from EVERYONE and applying that money to maintaining the benefits of the west and southwest even if that means taking it out of YOUR pocket.
You will find that the membership affected all feel the same way.
Chew on that one.
Peace
TOS