Thursday, March 26, 2009

2010 Contract Survey

NORTH PACIFIC GROUNDFISH OBSERVER
UNION NEGOTIATION SURVEY
For 2010 Contracts

EMAIL COMPLETED SURVEY TO: survey@observernet.org
CONTRACT BLOG: http://www.2010contract.blogspot.com

THE OBJECTIVE of this survey is to get feedback from as many observers as possible on needed changes in the 2010 NPGOP observer union contracts. All union contracts expire December 31, 2009 and we have a unique opportunity this year to negotiate all contracts at the same time. In the past, contract negotiations have been staggered. This has seemed to work mostly to the advantage of contractors, and not necessarily observers. In addition, there has been a serious lack of transparency in our Union. Observers were not able to participate in negotiations unless he happened to be employed by that contractor. Furthermore, many observers have been left out of participating due to lapses in communication. We would like to approach this year’s negotiations differently. The APO and ObserverNet would like to facilitate organizing observers to provide both the Union and our contractors a unified voice, regardless of contractor, on observer labor issues that we all share. We would like to facilitate increased transparency of current contracts, negotiation points from each contractor, and information about contract negotiations.

The information from this survey will be kept confidential, publishing results only as summaries to observers and our Union representative, Tracey Mayhew.

Please feel free to contact us further:
Dave Wagenheim: davewagenheim@hotmail.com
Liz Mitchell: emitch@efn.org 541-344-5503

Your Name:
Email contact:
May someone contact you for follow-ups or updates?
Accumulated Sea Days (approx):
When did you start observing?
Providers (contractors) work(ed) for:
Current pay grade (1-7):

1. What approach do you feel observers should take toward this round of negotiations?

2. List the top 5 areas, in order of importance, where you would like to see pay increases and the amounts desired. Elaborate how you would like to see these rules changed, if at all in the comments section at the end of the survey.
( ) At sea pay
( ) Briefing/Debriefing
( ) Waiting/Standby
( ) Bonus (for number of sea days per year)
( ) Bonus (for lead observer status)
( ) Pension Plan

3. Would you be interested in the idea of buying insurance through your provider for periods between contracts?

4. If you would like Insurance, list in order of importance:
( ) General Health
( ) Long-term Health/ Emergency Care
( ) Dental
( ) Vision

5. Would you sacrifice increased benefits/pay in other areas for insurance benefits? Which areas?

6. For reimbursements, list in order of importance and stipulate guidelines desired (i.e comment on problems you have had with current system and how you would like it improved):
( ) Food
( ) Travel
( ) Gear
( ) Insurance
( ) Lodging

7. How often would you like to see contracts renegotiated? Why?
( ) Yearly
( ) Every two years
( ) Every three years (current standard)
Other ideas:

8. Would you rather be paid bi-monthly, rather than monthly (current standard)?

9. How many times have you been contacted by the union representative (Tracy Mayhew) since you began observing?

10. Are you satisfied with union/observer communications, representation and transparency of negotiations? If not, provide suggestions for improvement.

11. Are you satisfied with the information you receive about the Union pension plan and how to better contribute to your retirement?

12. How would you like to be kept informed of news pertaining to contract negotiations?

13. How often would you like to be updated?

14. Would you be in favor of regular union meetings? If so how often? Quarterly? Bi-annually?

15. Are you in favor of seeking another union or representative?

16. Should union dues/participation ($120 per year) be mandatory?

17. Should the union reimburse dues or be penalized/fined if they are unable to reach a contract agreement?



Other information

Please use the space below to elaborate on any of the above questions (with reference to question number) and any other issues not mentioned. Also we would like to hear about issues of union enforcement of labor issues, such as contractor abuses, contractor retaliation, medical emergencies/departure from contract, bias in vessel assignment, contractor relations (professionalism, communication, etc.), lodging conditions, frequency of pay/reimbursement, training pay/reimbursement structure, etc.
(Please reference questions 1-17 for relevant topics, add more if desired)

Comments:






















This survey was created in March 2009, voluntarily and for the benefit of all observers. Sponsored by the Association of Professional Observers (APO) and ObserverNet.org.
Continued feedback is welcomed online at www.2010contract.blogspot.com, where you can post anonymously. Thank you for participating!

2010 Contract Survey Intro

The APO (Association for Professional Observers) and ObserverNet.org have sponsored a survey for all observers to give feedback on improvements you'd like to see for a new 2010 contract.

It is very important to get started even this early in the year because it should be assumed there will be some drafting and re-drafting of contracts as our union receives our collective ideas and presents them to our contractors.

The goal of this survey is just to get the ball rolling and get some ideas coming in. Personal information within the survey will be kept confidential and survey information will be published only as summaries to observers and to our union representative, Tracey Mayhew.

Distribution:
I will be pasting the survey into forums like ObserverNet.org and Facebook for people to copy into a text file, fill out and send back. I will try to send it out to as many observer emails as I have on record. Please circulate blank copies of the survey to other observers you think would be interested in participating.
Additionally, electronic copies of the survey are available for download in two formats (.doc & .rtf):
http://www.observernet.org/2010ContractSurvey.doc
http://www.observernet.org/2010ContractSurvey.rtf

Please send completed surveys back to: survey@observernet.org

If you would like to see some company contracts summarized for comparison, or post suggestions (anonymous or otherwise) related to contract negotiations, please visit:
www.2010contract.blogspot.com

It is our goal to share results from this survey with participating observers for further discussion on May 15th, 2009. So, lets get started!

Thanks for your participation,

APO/ObserverNet Survey Team
(Dave Wagenheim & Liz Mitchell)
email: survey@observernet.org

Contract Profile: Tech Sea International, Inc.

This is a summary of some of the major aspects, regarding pay and benefits, of the current (2009) TSI contract. We've tried to use the latest information available. We hope that it is the most accurate. Corrections are welcome.
Please be aware that TSI observers are not a part of the Seafarers International Union, as are observers working for AOI, MRAG, NWO, and SWI.


Observers can request an assignment: No

Briefing: $80
  • Meals reimbursed
  • Weekends: No pay, meals reimbursed
  • Company pays for only 1 of 4 days in subsequent briefings if observer needs to attend a 4 day briefing more than once per calendar year.
Waiting after briefing, before deployment: None, up to 7 days of waiting. On 8th day, will be paid full deployment (at sea) pay, or released.

Debriefing: $80
  • Meals reimbursed
  • Weekend: No pay, meals reimbursed
Waiting after end of deployment(s), before debriefing: $80

Food Per Diem:
  • Seattle: $25
  • Anchorage: $35
  • All Alaskan Ports: $50

Bonus Pay (160 days in calendar year): $8/day

Insurance Reimbursements: $3.20/day of deployment (with proof of coverage)

Gear Reimbursement (Grades 2-5): $35/mo

At Sea Daily Wages:
  • Grade 1 (0-60): $130/day
  • Grade 2 (61-150): $142
  • Grade 3 (151-250): $152
  • Grade 4 (251-350): $163
  • Grade 5 (351-450): $178
  • Grade 6 (451+): $200
Standby/Unassigned between vessels and in Anchorage or Seattle under contract: Up to 5 days without pay. Observer is entitled to full deployment (at sea) pay after 5th day or may be debriefed.

Payments are issued twice monthly.

Returning to previous pay grade after lapse of certification: N/A - Seniority determined with proof of experience. Observer payed according to seniority.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Contract Profile: Saltwater, Inc.

This is a summary of some of the major aspects, regarding pay and benefits, of the current (2009) SWI contract. We've tried to use the latest information available. We hope that it is the most accurate. Corrections are welcome.


Observers can request an assignment: Yes

Briefing/Debriefing: $90

Waiting Pay: None
  • Meals reimbursed after 3rd day of briefing/training
  • Weekends: No pay, meals reimbursed

Food Per Diem (when kitchen is available):
  • Seattle: $25
  • Anchorage: $25
  • Dutch/Kodiak/Others: $25
Food Per Diem (no kitchen):
  • Seattle: $50
  • Anchorage: $50
  • Dutch/Kodiak/Others: $50
Food Per Diem:
  • Reduced to $20 on days partially attached to boats or on days turned around at airport (canceled flight) after a briefing/training
  • Not entitled on weekends
  • Not entitled until after 3rd day after briefing/training
  • Not entitled after 5th day of debriefing unless lengthened by NMFS

Bonus Pay (150 days in calendar year): $8/day

Insurance Reimbursements: $95/mo (with proof of coverage)

Gear Reimbursement (Grades 2-7): $35/mo (up to $245 per calendar year)

Seafarers Money Purchase Pension Plan (401k): 2.0% of wages pre-tax by contractor

At Sea Daily Wages:
  • Grade 1 (0-90): $134/day
  • Grade 2 (91-180): $150
  • Grade 3 (181-270): $162
  • Grade 4 (271-360): $172
  • Grade 5 (361-450): $182
  • Grade 6 (451-999): $192
  • Grade 7 (1000 +): $197

Unassigned while deployed: Company reserves the right to reduce observer to half pay after 4 unassigned days to remain in the field or observer can leave the field to debrief.

Seniority in Hiring: 70% of priors Grade 2 and above.

Returning to previous pay grade after lapse of certification: 50 days

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Contract Profile: Alaskan Observers, Inc.

This is a summary of some of the major aspects, regarding pay and benefits, of the current (2009) AOI contract. We've tried to use the latest information available. We hope that it is the most accurate. Corrections are welcome.


Observers can request an assignment: No

Briefing/Debriefing/Waiting Pay: $85
  • Meals reimbursed
  • Weekends: No pay, meals reimbursed

Food Per Diem:
  • Seattle: $25
  • Anchorage: $35
  • Dutch/Kodiak/Others: $50

Bonus Pay (150 days in calendar year): $8/day

Insurance Reimbursements: $95/mo (with proof of coverage)

Gear Reimbursement (Grades 2-7): $35/mo (up to $245 per calendar year)

Seafarers Money Purchase Pension Plan (401k): 1.5% of wages pre-tax by contractor

*At Sea Daily Wages (paid as a 30-day month - no more, no less):
  • Grade 1 (0-95): $3900.00/mo - $130/day
  • Grade 2 (96-215): $4500.00 - $150
  • Grade 3 (216-335): $5000 - $166.67
  • Grade 4 (336-455): $5300 - $176.67
  • Grade 5 (456-635): $5600 - $186.67
  • Grade 6 (636-800): $5900 - $196.67
  • Grade 7 (801 +): $6100 - $203.33
*At Sea wages were increased in 2009 by contractor without of Union negotiations.

Seniority in Hiring: 70% of priors Grade 2 and above.

Returning to previous pay grade after lapse of certification: 45 days

It's Time to Organize

From March 2009 APO Mail Buoy

North Pacific Observers! It’s Time to Organize
Union Contracts Expire 31 December 2009
We need more transparency in our Union!

Liz Mitchell; Fisheries Observer/ APO; North Pacific, USA

For the first time since we unionized in 1997, we now have an opportunity to get rid of the staggered Union contract negotiations! All contracts expire December 31, 2009 and observers have to start organizing now to make sure we are part of the negotiation of new contracts. We can’t afford to let this opportunity slip through our fingers. The APO would like to start organizing a handful of observer representatives from each contractor to hammer out labor issues and approach our Union as an organized unit representing ALL observers.

The staggering of contract negotiations have worked against us in the past and kept observers from organizing as a single unit. They approached us as specific contractor observers (AOI, NWO, Saltwater), keeping news of one contractor’s negotiations secret from the rest of the observers. They treated us as if we don’t all share the same labor issues. Observers from all three companies are paying union dues, and we don’t always stay with the same contractor. Therefore we should all be approached as a single unit, with transparency of developments throughout the year and involvement in contract negotiations, regardless of who our current employer is. If we are not going to negotiate a single contract, we should all have access to all the contracts so that we can decide for whom we wish to work.

The staggered negotiations have contributed to a false sense of loyalty to various contractors who are not loyal to us: there’s no job security, no job advancement, few benefits, ambiguous insurance, and our employment conditions still fall well below standards in comparable fields.

The odds against us are pretty staggering. We can assume that our contractors will have anti-Union legal representation. Our Union has legal representation also but our contracts are only 3 of dozens that our representative is working on and she doesn’t have an assistant. The contractors worked together by insisting on staggered negotiations to minimize our advances. But there’s that small fact that everything would collapse in Alaska without observers. That’s a powerful bargaining chip. It’s time we started working together to take charge of our own advancement. Our Union will not do it. It’s up to us.

There have been many changes in recent years that have impacted our livelihood, it can only get worse during these economic hard times when companies will lobby for all they can get as they tighten their belts. If we don’t begin organizing now, observer welfare will once again fall to the bottom of a long list of priorities that is typical in U.S. fisheries management.

The APO doesn’t want to work against the Union, we wish to transform our Union. We can assist the Union with negotiations by presenting our needs to the Union as an organized unit representing ALL observers. Please contact the APO if you would like to assist us with organizing observers, and negotiating for observer representation at the negotiations to make sure our voice is heard this time: apo@apo-observers.org.