Feb. 2, 2004

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Bargaining Bulletin #7

RFA Demands Adjustable Schedules, Longer Work Day, Censorship of Guild Info

RFA and the Guild remained far apart on several issues following the most recent bargaining session, January 28th.

The company continues to insist on being able to change schedules virtually at will. RFA says it would be willing to post work schedules at least two weeks prior to the work week, but demands that managers be able to make "adjustments" in hours and days off based on coverage needs "as determined by the Service Director."

RFA's bargainers said that means your hours or days off could be changed when someone takes vacation, calls in sick or if a news conference is scheduled after the work schedule is posted. There would be no penalty for any change and no assurance that changes would affect the fewest people possible.

RFA also refuses to agree to language guaranteeing consecutive days off and only one start time per week.

On top of that, RFA wants to increase the workweek by five hours. Currently, the RFA day is eight hours, including a one-hour lunch. RFA is demanding a workday of eight hours, excluding lunch. That means a person who now works 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an hour off for lunch would have to work 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or to 5 p.m. without going to lunch).

In an area you wouldn't think there would be much disagreement - union bulletin boards - the two sides are very far apart.

First a little background.

A provision for union bulletin boards is standard language in all union contracts, including the VOA union contract. That is, bulletin boards controlled by the union and strictly for union use. The Guild proposed placing union bulletin boards in all the kitchens within RFA, and we thought there would be quick agreement on this issue.

But at the last bargaining session, RFA said it would agree to only one bulletin board and that it would be controlled by RFA. The union would have to submit all material to Human Resources for posting, and RFA would have the authority to censor anything it didn't like. RFA would have the key to the glass-enclosed board, and even the postings it deemed appropriate would be taken down after two weeks.

Guild bargainers told RFA we would not be interested in any proposal that would censor our members or squelch dissent within RFA.

There was some progress made at the last bargaining session. RFA and Guild moved close to agreement on the article concerning employee information that is supplied to the union.

The Guild was represented by Local Representative Paul Reilly, Unit Chair Karma Zurkhang of the Tibetan service; Ko Ko Aung and Sein Kyaw Hlaing of the Burmese service and Tanya Lua of Cantonese.

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