BNA - Guild News

Nov. 19, 2002

• Wojcik Opens Bargaining Calling for ‘Good Tone’

• Management Resists Contract Improvements

• Guild Focusses on Job Security, Job Advancement Issues

• An increase in the transportation subsidy to $100 each month toward Metro vouchers, and $65 per month toward non-BNA parking.
• A 100 % match to employee contributions to the 401 (k) plan up to a maximum of $750 a year.
• Creation of a short term disability program, to help bridge the 90 day waiting period before disability payments kick in.
• A severance payment floor of at least ten weeks for less senior employees affected by RIFs.
• A seat on the Board of Directors for a non-supervisory employee.
• Recognition of (and negotiations with) the Guild as bargaining agent at any BNA subsidiary if the union receives signed authorization cards of support from a majority of employees.
• Increase in Sabbaticals to four from two.

BNA proposed to do away with paid sabbaticals altogether, calling the program’s elimination “one of the more important proposals on the table”. Sanneman stated the program has an “extremely high cost.”, and benefits only two employees a year, adding “we can’t measure what we get. There is no justification to continue the program.”. In place of the sabbatical program, management proposed three days during the year when a total of 30 employees (10 each day) could take the day off with pay to volunteer at three BNA selected agencies. Sanneman said this would involve a lot more people in charitable work than the sabbatical program.

The Guild offered our own proposal on community service, providing for paid leave for up to 22.5 hours each year so that an employee can do volunteer work in the community. BNA’s corporate objectives include fostering participation of employees in constructive community affairs.

Management also rejected the Guild’s proposals for two additional days of personal leave to help balance work life issues, and rejected a short-term disability plan to bridge the time between when an employee becomes sick and when he/she can qualify for long-term disability, Sanneman said the current number of personal days is “adequate,” adding that most employees take these days as vacation days. “These are the first days most employees use,” he claimed.

In rejecting a short-term disability plan, Sanneman said that BNA’s policy of allowing open-ended carryover of sick leave provides a bridge to long-term disability. If an employee “manages” his or her sick leave taken they should be able to reach long-term disability, he added. He did not comment on how more recently hired employees, or those who have had to use leave due to their own or a family member’s chronic illness or injury, could accrue enough sick leave to bridge 90 days without pay in the event of serious illness or accident.

BNA showed some interest in Guild proposals for a pre-tax, salary deduction program for employee parking expenses, training opportunities, participation on the 401K committee, and lower sick leave accrual requirements for retirement credit.

The majority of BNA’s opening proposal focussed on reductions. The company wants to:

• Increase the probationary period for successful inside job bidders (not new hires) from three to nine months.
• Eliminate the joint health care committee. Sanneman said that the issues addressed by the committee are better addressed at the bargaining table.
• Eliminate the testing committee. Sanneman contended that their work is no longer necessary as employees are happy with the tests.
• Eliminate the four trainee positions. The company feels that training needs are well served by other programs such as the mentoring program.
• Allow some home office employees to exchange the Columbus Day holiday for the Friday after Thanksgiving at the discretion of management, and give Rockville employees the option of working on certain holidays and receiving one more day of annual leave.
• Reduce the amount of severance pay to a RIFed employee who is not required to work the full notice period.
• Eliminate emergency backup child care in Rockville.

The Guild has not yet responded either to the company’s basis for rejecting Guild proposals or to the company’s proposals.

Instead, the Guild focussed on issues of job security and job advancement, inviting the company to discuss one of the top concerns of members and non members alike—job security. The Guild stated our goals, including:

• Assuring whenever possible that there are opportunities for voluntary severance before involuntary severance;
• Stronger efforts by BNA to place employees with transferable skills, or the ability to be trained within a reasonable time, into other jobs, and more focussed training opportunities so employees can retain employment.
• Assure that RIFs when needed are due to downsizing rather than used as a disciplinary action, and
• Rrespect and compassion in the RIF process—job loss and the threat of job loss should be approached with less time pressure and maximum sensitivity to the trauma that it is.

During the discussion Sanneman informed the Guild that BNA has a hiring freeze and that any time a position comes open it will be Wojcik’s decision to fill it or not.

We hope to continue the job security discussion on Tuesday, with an eye to understanding better BNA's views on job security and job advancement.

Bargaining Sessions Open to All BNA Employees

The Guild encourages those who can to come and observe negotiations as your time allows.

Please be aware that attending these sessions is strictly on your own time, not work time.

November 19 -- 5:00 p.m. **

November 21 -- 3:00 p.m.

BNA 4 /HR training rooms
4011-4012 for all sessions

***start time flexible — Each side is in caucus prior to bargaining and start time is dependent upon when both parties are ready---expected to be between 5 and 6 p.m.

If you have any questions regarding bargaining, please contact any member of the Guild Bargaining Committee:

Lori Calderone, Chief Negotiator, 202-785-3650, ext. 12
Reza Namdar, Unit Chair, ext. 4105
Gwen Holmes, Vice-chair, ext. 7499
John Small, Vice-Chair, ext. 5122
Marline Casselle, Rockville Vice-Chair, ext. 1924
Harrietta Kelly, Secretary, ext. 4482
Michelle Amber, ext. 4315
Dennis Lewis, ext. 4482
Carol Oberdorfer, ext. 4388
Bruce Kaufman, ext. 5302
Anita Cacopardo, ext. 6678
Ken May, ext. 4689
Susan McGolrick, ext. 3775

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