Almost 2 years ago both the TWU and IAM negotiators got together over a period of a few months and went through each article and put together language from both contracts. Let me tell you, that was taxing to say the least. Once we went through this process, we put together the list of the top priorities for each article and gave to the company and this was also made available to the members.
Once negotiations started, a couple of articles were passed by each side and the real work began. The articles both sides thought would be easier to get TA'd were harder to TA than either side thought. However, we did get several TA's in the first 3-4 months. Once the first 15 Articles were TA'd, obviously, the tougher topics came up and it has been a struggle ever since. On most of the articles passed in the last year, we were miles apart from the first pass and the process bogged down. Many of these articles have been passed numerous times by both sides. We would blow through a whole week of negotiations on the passing of an article or two and putting it up on a screen, breaking down each point and hashing out the details. This included debate, research and clarification to work through. Unfortunately, this process takes a lot of time. I am willing to sit down with someone and go through each article that was passed and what some sticking points were along the way after a CBA is reached.
P. Rez
