Boilermakers organizing nets a win and a setback

The Boilermakers union welcomed 145 new members in March after workers in the machine shop micro-unit at BWXT, Lynchburg, Virginia, voted in favor of unionizing. According to Northeast Area organizer John Bland, workers contacted Local 45 Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Battle in late December seeking information and help organizing.

He said workers were fed up with working conditions and constantly changing rules. The Boilermakers and other unions had attempted at least three prior organizing efforts at BWXT since 2008, so some of the machinists had heard the message about how unionizing could provide a voice for them on the job. The time was right to organize.

“As soon as Kevin got the call, everyone got moving on it,” Bland said. M.O.R.E. Work Investment funds helped support the Boilermakers’ organizing efforts.

Workers inside the unit were especially key in communicating and ultimately making the campaign a success. Because BWXT is a secured nuclear operation, the massive facility is not accessible to visitors, such as union organizers. For security purposes, even inside the facility some units, areas and workers are off-limits to one another.

“The workers took charge early on,” agreed IR Tim Tolley, who was part of the IBB organizing team. “These guys were shot out of a cannon and came to us organized and ready to go forward. You could tell they were fed up. It was a perfect storm for organizing.”

He echoed that the biggest catalyst for the workers to unionize was the “constantly moving goal post” as the company continuously changes rules and conditions. While wages usually are an issue, at BWXT it was more about the way workers were being treated and disrespected at work.

“This time organizing worked because we had more people that were tired of being bullied. They wanted true change,” said Chris Davis, who’s been a BWXT machinist for 19 years. “I’m most looking forward to getting a contract and a set of rules.”

Tolley said the machinists are set to elect their bargaining committee in early April so they can get to work on their first contract.

“The things they’re asking for are attainable,” he said. “We told them we couldn’t promise anything but a seat at the table, and that’s exactly what they’re looking for. Now, they’re looking forward to negotiating their first contract.”

 

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Unfortunately, a vote in March at Siemens Mobility in Sacramento, California, was a no-go to unionize—at least for now. For more than a year, Boilermakers had been working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers as “Siemens Workers United” to organize more than 1,600 workers who manufacture light rail vehicles for a variety of transit agencies. Siemens is a global company headquartered in Germany. While the company is generally union-friendly in Germany, many of Siemens’ North American operations have resisted unionization.

Workers interested in unionizing in Sacramento rallied around issues such as inadequate health and welfare benefits, low pay, pay disparity, gender inequality, safety and poor working conditions, such as extreme heat.

Lawrence Garcia, a four-year employee who works in the coach weld shop, said the wages are too low, especially considering cost of living in the area.

“I know guys who work 12-hour days or 10-hour days just to keep buying rent. I even know guys who work two jobs, just to keep from going on the streets,” he said. “The pay is not worth it.” Until recently, welders at Siemens were paid less than the $20/hour McDonald’s worker wage dictated by California.

Alan Scovill, a weld inspector who’s worked for Siemens for a decade, told The Sacramento Bee that he hadn’t been to a doctor in three years. He pays $500 month from his paycheck for his family’s health insurance coverage, and he can’t afford the medical co-pays.

While reasons to unionize were plentiful, the campaign faced some unique challenges. In addition to the usual union-busting tactics from the company, organizers also had a daunting task to reach workers on a massive campus – 60 acres, 11 buildings and many different departments – plus, communicating to workers in six languages and with multiple cultural nuances.

Organizers from the Boilermakers and IBEW worked daily, building allies, dispelling myths, answering questions, knocking on doors and deploying myriad tactics to help workers understand what unions are and how unionizing gives workers a voice and a seat at table through collective bargaining.

 The M.O.R.E. Work Investment Fund provided organizing support and communications resources, including billboards, signage, fliers, digital ads and social media presence, and materials were translated into multiple languages. The unions also gained support from global unions IG Metall and IndustriALL, the California Federation of Labor Unions, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California and prominent local and state congress members. At the end of the day, it wasn’t enough to overcome Siemens Sacramento’s anti-union tactics and secure the 50% “yes” vote. This time.

The unions must wait a full 12 months before petitioning for another union vote. That’s time to continue building positive momentum and for those who voted “no” this time to see if Siemens will live up to the promises they made in fighting against the unions.

“If Siemens chooses now to make positive changes for workers, it’s because of the courage of workers standing together,” said organizer Pablo Barrera.

“Although we didn’t win the vote, we are amazed by the courage of the hundreds of workers who stood together for a better future for their colleagues and their families,” said IVP-Western States J. Tom Baca. “This is not the end. It’s just the beginning, and the fight goes on.”