Brothers & Sisters:
I hope that everyone is staying healthy & safe, while also practicing social distancing as best as they can while working! That being said, I have some new information that I would like to share with you. I am emailing this to every member who has an email on file with the Hall, as well as posting it on our website. Please read the following, and check our website (ua322.org) daily for new information!
As we all know, our current contract expires this coming Thursday, April 30th. We usually go for a three-year contract, but because of this pandemic that the world is facing, and not being able to meet face to face with our contractors to collectively bargain, we have decided to do a ONE-year deal. This deal is money ONLY, no language!
Before I get into what was agreed upon, I would like to first give you a detailed description of how this all went down, and give you as much information as possible being we can’t have a Union meeting where I would be able to explain all of this.
* First, the Contractors wanted to postpone our negotiations for three months. They wanted to wait until August 1st for a three-year deal, BUT they were NOT WILLING to sign this Retroactive. Meaning the money wouldn’t be paid back to May 1st, the new monies would start instead on Aug. 1st. So of course, we said NO WAY!
* So, then we agreed to do a one-year deal, monies only, no contract language, that would start being paid on May 1st.
* The first idea was to stagger the raise. Put half of the raise in on May 1st, and then the second half of the agreed upon raise would come in 6-months later, on November 1st. But the Negotiation Committee agreed that our funds & our members needed money now, not later. So no deal!
* So once the dust settled, we agreed to a One-year deal of $2.55
* Also, we came up with this agreement State-wide. So ALL of the UA Locals in the state (Local’s #9, 24, 274, 322 & 475) are all getting the same $2.55 on May 1st.
* Now comes the Allocation of these monies. UA General President Mark McManus had a Zoom call with all of the Business Managers in the UA whose contracts were up. Knowing that we cannot have a Union meeting vote to allocate these monies, Mark has enforced Section 103 of the UA Constitution which states:
“Section 103 charges the Business Manager with exercising control and supervision over the daily affairs and business operations of the Local Union and with administering the Local Union’s collective bargaining agreements. In view of this authority, the Business Manager may, under the circumstances described above, allocate a collectively-bargained increase on a tentative basis without membership approval. When membership meetings resume, the tentative allocation made by the Business Manager must be presented to the membership for approval or revision”
* So, after meeting with our advisers & Trustee’s on the funds, we have decided to breakdown the $2.55 raise like this;
Pension-$.75
Health & Welfare-$.75
Envelope-$.75
Annuity-$.30
* So again, this is on a tentative basis until it can be presented to the membership at a Union meeting and be accepted or revised.
These are unprecedented times that we are in, and we (the Negotiating Committee) did the best we could do under these circumstances. We hope the membership understands this and is happy with the one-year deal that we agreed upon.
Last but not least, I hope that all of our members and their families are staying healthy & safe in this crazy time! Because, at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters!
Thank you,
Business Manager Kurt Krueger Jr.
Welcome to UA Local 322
Our commitment to ongoing training and continuing education are some of the core values that keep Local 322 Members on the leading edge of the latest trade related technologies and methods. Allowing us to work more efficiently and productively, and at the same time keeping safety in the forefront of every job.
Local 322 and the South Jersey MCA are proud of their long history of working safely together to provide quality construction and maintenance services to area residents, businesses, and industry. This shared interest in promoting their combined skills and talents brought them together to create The Alliance.
"Brothers & Sisters:
Here is a little video that I would like to share with you of the upcoming work in Camden, NJ. All of this work will have PLA’s attached. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to have the RIGHT elected officials in our (Local #322) corner. This is only the beginning, with hopefully many more prosperous years to come!
Business Manager,
Kurt Krueger Jr."
UA Local 322
