By Kenny Kohlmeyer
Lately
there have been many comments and actions on the company's part defining
this corporation’s perception of our relationship here at Baytown.Mike
Brown at the offsite safety day held at the Bay Area Plaza commented on
our relationship as being "the worst in the circuit."We
have also been informed of a keen ongoing interest on the part of corporate
headquarters in our relationship here at Baytown.Needless
to say with all the supervisory meetings and the recent company informational
bulletin, there has been a lot of saber rattling and drum beats on the
company's behalf.I would have to
agree that our relationship has hit rock bottom, especially when we look
over our shoulder at the medical insurance fiasco.How
did WE get there?I believe it is
the combination of many things dating back years.It
was the Joint Union Health and Safety Committee fighting for recognition.It
was the subsequent OSHA citations stemming from a variety of justified
challenges we filed on YOUR behalf. The Houston Press release publicizing
our struggles with the company in order to ensure a safer workplace for
us all.Our attendance at shareholder
meetings.It was the falsification
of the OSHA 200 log and disclosure of the "nothing file."When
I read our prepared statement and we walked out of the Steve Simon meeting
after enduring the way our HR department handled the medical insurance
issue.I could go on but you get
the picture.
So
where do we go from here?That is
the question we have to answer.Do
we strive to work together and change the direction in which we are headed?If
we don't, where will that take us?The
company has "voiced" a desire to improve the current state of our relationship.We
have taken them at their word.We
as a Union have agreed to draw a line in the sand and make the necessary
improvements to work together.We
have heard the talk from the company but have yet to witness the same level
of commitment or sincerity.I have
personally stuck my neck out and invested a lot of time and effort working
to turn things around.I will be
the first to tell you I have paid a price for that.I've
set up meetings with the company and our E-Board, with the intent of laying
a foundation from which we could build a better relationship.Only
HR representatives showed up with more "horse trading" in mind.It
was once again a missed opportunity...where is the commitment?We
formulated proposals based on input from the company that seemed to be
a win-win solution on the issue of the shift differential.We
gave it to them exactly the way they wanted it and yet they turned it down...wanting
more.Another missed opportunity.We
set up a meeting with Dean Foster a Labor Liaison from OSHA.He
came from the Region 6 Dallas office with the intent of giving advice on
how we could work better together in the area of Health and Safety.Senior
Management was invited to attend along with our entire E-board and IBEW
(electricians) and IAM (machinists) union participation.Barry
Baisden the site safety manager was the sole representative from the company.This
lop-sided participation prompted Mr. Foster to comment on the whereabouts
of the Refinery and Chemical Plant managers.He
also commented that this lop-sided participation on the company's part
caused him to question the level of commitment and sincerity on the part
of the company.Once again, another
missed opportunity.
We
have committed to working Health/Safety/Environmental Issues internally
before seeking help from outside agencies.We
have jointly developed a first pass at a flow chart to spell out what this
process would look like.Can we deny
representation to our members when we are asked about advice on how to
contact or go about filing a complaint?The
answer is a resounding ...NO!Will
we agree on VPP participation with a gun held to our head?The
answer has to be another resounding ...NO!Will
we jointly pursue improvement in the areas of Health and Safety and at
a place and time when there becomes a "true partnership" get back on track
with the application process....YES!
We as
a Union are willing to give "our word" and have stood behind "our word".The
question is does the Company really want to make improvements to our relationship?Let's
throw out all the rhetoric and the HR "snake oil" and it becomes really
quite simple for me.It all boils
down to the ability to keep your word!If
you commit to something and give your word then by god...stand behind it.If
you can't do that, there is no foundation from which to build a better
relationship.The foundation of any
relationship is simple; it's called...trust.
