Smoking ban has union huffing at Caterpillar

AP ^

[383rr]

LOL! If it was, there would be a couple on this thread that would be whining, lol.

[383rr]

Did I hear something? What’s that noise???? BZZZZZZZ....BZZZZZZZZ.....BZZZZZZZZZZ....

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

A small mind.

[Gabz]

You’ve both got it right.

Smoke-gnatzies = small minds buzzzzzzzzzing in your business.

[Gaffer]

"Caterpillar cares about the health of its employees and wants to ensure that everyone who works on or visits Caterpillar property has access to the healthiest and safest work environment possible.

Trying to insulate themselves from a 'gooder'(remember the SciFi series "V"?) lawsuit claiming second hand smoke contamination, smelled-up my hairdo, got sick from the butts on the sidewalk, hate anybody that smokes, and so on......

[Crim]

“Because as a smoker in the truck, you are a bigger risk to be insured. The company you choose to work for has probably negotiated an insurance rate based on the fact that no drivers can light up in the insured vehicles. Wah.”

No..it’s because of the Ohio smoking ban you little fluffer gnome..

http://www.odh.ohio.gov/alerts/ohiosmokingban.aspx

I STILL smoke in my van because my boss doesnt give a sh!t.

But it’s still AGAINST THE LAW...

The Nazi’s were big anti-tobaccoo freaks ..

http://constitutionalistnc.tripod.com/hitler-leftist/id1.html

So do you embrace fascist policy too?

Smoke Nazi.

[Madame Dufarge]

I see the Horse's Ass tag team has shown up on schedule.

Has no one in their entire lifetime ever pointed out the seven-inch nose hair dangling down?

My guess is they never met anyone who cared enough to do so.

[janetjanet998]

PEORIA — Threats of wildcat strikes against Caterpillar Inc. intensified Monday after the company began suspending union employees who defied its new ban on smoking on company property by lighting up within Caterpillar gates while on break.

Bill Scott, bargaining chairman of United Auto Workers Local 974, said the union still is advising its members to not walk out over the smoking ban, to get through the grievance and unfair labor practice charge procedures.

But the union cannot stop a membership that is growing more angry with Caterpillar by the hour if it chooses to walk, Scott said Monday evening.

“The company is angering our members more and more, and the rumors that there was going to be a wildcat strike intensified today,” Scott said.

“Our official position remains that because we have a no strike, no lockout clause in the contract, to stay on the job. But I don’t know how we can stop them from a spontaneous walkout if that is what they choose,” he said.

Caterpillar declined to discuss the company’s actions, including confirming that it suspended any employees.

Instead, the company, which last Friday told the Journal Star the smoking ban was just part of its overall Healthy Balance initiative, issued the following statement: “We remain dedicated to creating and maintaining the healthiest and safest work environment possible for our employees.”

Scott said he was unable to say how many employees were disciplined, up to and including indefinite suspension. He said the union is filing grievances in most of the cases.

One member who was suspended was a union steward who went on his own to the National Labor Relations Board office in Peoria and filed an unfair labor practice charge against Caterpillar. Scott, who declined to identify the steward, said the UAW prefers members not go to the NLRB on their own, but let the UAW represent them.

“We’re deciding things case-by-case because the company seems to be all over the place with this thing. Some employees get warnings, others get indefinite suspensions. That in itself is angering our members who want Caterpillar to be consistent,” Scott said.

The smoking ban, which Caterpillar imposed on all of its properties in the United States, took effect Sunday. UAW members started defying the ban by lighting up on Caterpillar property during breaks while on third shift Sunday night/Monday morning. It continued on first and second shift Monday.

Scott said he was surprised by how many did it. “We even heard from non-smokers who lit up just to show solidarity. It’s one thing to talk the talk; it’s another to walk the walk,” he said.

At issue, the UAW said, is a clause in its contract with Caterpillar that allows smoking on company property. Specifically, clause 16.9 — which has been part of Caterpillar-UAW contracts since the first one was signed in 1948 — says employees shall be allowed “on-the-job smoking privileges” except in clearly marked designated restricted areas.

On-the-job smoking, meaning inside the plants, went out when the state law banning smoking indoors took effect Jan. 1.

The union said it abides by that law, but believes Caterpillar’s ban on smoking on company property is a unilateral change to the contract and thus a violation of federal labor law. That prompted the UAW to file an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB that is still under investigation by the agency.

“The company can’t change the contract without bargaining on it. It’s that simple, and it’s something our membership, even the non-smokers, recognize. They understand it’s not a smoking issue, but a contract right issue,” Scott said.

“If they do this today, what will they do tomorrow?”