Neutrality Agreement Leads the Way
Good contract and good relations at Johnson Controls
The 270 members of Local 3042 at Johnson Controls near Ft. Wayne in Ossian, Ind., recently ratified their first agreement with the company by a 97-percent margin.
The neutrality agreement they organized under ensured that the UAW and the company would negotiate a first agreement. Under traditional union recognition elections through the National Labor Relations Board, anti-union tactics by employers make it increasingly difficult for many newly formed local unions to gain a first contract.
A neutrality agreement means that the company recognizes the union when the majority of workers indicate they want to form a union through a system of card checks. This process eliminates the hostile and intimidating conditions created by many employers to terrorize union supporters as the election draws near.
The new contract includes a signing bonus, a bonus paid before the July shutdown that makes workers eligible for unemployment and a wage increase of $15,000 per member over the three-year agreement.
In addition, the contract includes a seniority agreement, job postings by seniority, a shift preference agreement with shift premium pay for the afternoon and midnight shift, time-and-a-half after eight hours and on Saturday, and double time for Sundays and holidays.
The new agreement also eliminates temporary employees and takes back seven management jobs that were originally bargaining unit work. It includes tuition assistance, fitness reimbursement, bereavement, a paid “daddy day off” if the spouse is having a baby, job security and the same paid holidays as the UAW-General Motors contract has.
The contract strengthened and increased the medical, dental, vision and pension plans that were already in place.
Larry Valentine, president of Local 3042 says, “We’ve got better morale than ever. We have a lot better understanding between the union and the company because we have a written agreement —a contract — that makes everything a lot more clear than it was before.”
He adds, “The UAW is fantastic. No words can describe the help they’ve given us. I’m overwhelmed by the UAW support.”
