You Have a Legal Right to Organize

DO YOU KNOW

We the associates fear for our jobs simply because we work in an "employment at will" state.  This means that you can be FIRED for any reason, unless the reason is federally protected.  One of your federally protected rights, is the RIGHT to ORGANIZE.  This RIGHT is protected under the National Labor Relations Act, which can be found at www.NLRB.gov.  It is important to remember that associates "have the RIGHT to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing....".*  SIA will not tell you that you have a RIGHT TO SAY YES.

Everyone who works at SIA is proud of the quality products that we produce, and we want SIA to grow and prosper.  However, we are tired of losing benefits while members of management get big bonuses and continue to drive company cars, do you think they will give up anything or give us what we deserve if it means they will lose their perks.  We hired in with a total wage package that included our benefits.  This means that our benefits are part of our wages, to lose benefits means that we lose our wages, to increase co-pays means we lose wages.  In the beginning we had a profit sharing plan, which SIA took away as soon as the company began to make a profit.  Every dollar that we put into our 401k is a dollar that we do not take home.  Our out of pocket expense for our insurance has increased substantially over the years, while our raises have not kept up with the rise in inflation.  Do you know that Mitsubishi starts out at $25 an hour and peaks at $27, after 14 years we recently rose to $22.22.  

Probably the biggest issue facing associates at SIA now is a company sponsored pension plan.  SIA tells us that what we have is the best and they emphasize a steel company that went bankrupt and those who were receiving pensions had to draw from a government plan that is millions in debt.  SIA gives one example, (which makes what they say look good) but they refuse to tell you of the thousands of company pension plans that work and give the associates the right to retire with dignity and with a guaranteed income for their future.  SIA will not tell you that the companies are allowed to borrow against the associates pension plans and there for causing the company to pay for pension plans from their current operating budget, maybe SIA is saying that they too will do this, causing us to draw from a government plan that is millions in debt.  SIA tells us that pension plans are not funded dollar for dollar.  SIA refuses to tell you why, the government does not require the plans to be funded dollar for dollar because associates will pass on (die), therefore their spouse will receive a portion of the benefits (plus 401k, Social Security, etc).  

We the associates are tired of the half truths that SIA continues to tell us, so they look good.  The time is now to have a VOICE and BARGAIN for a LEGAL and BINDING CONTRACT.

* www.nlrb.gov

It has come to our attention that SIA management is working hard to stop our efforts to organize.  Rumor from some very reliable sources is that the group leaders who are being placed on the floor on line side jobs are there to convince the associates not to attend meetings and that we do not need a LEGAL AND BINDING CONTRACT!!  They are there to be your friend and to prevent you from having a VOICE and sharing in the prosperity of SIA.  Tell them that you have the right to:

JUST

SAY

YES!!