Contract

[Ernie]

To all Drivers and Attendants

        Andy and I sat in the yard till 5:30 pm to give out all contracts to all our drivers and attendants of pioneer. We will continue giving them out till there are none left, hopefully by tomorrow. On Thursday there will be a Ballot vote, starting at 6 am till noon At that time the union delegate and members of pioneer will then count the votes. We will then determine the outcome of the vote. All matrons and drivers must pick their own copies of contract and signed by said person. There are NO substitutes. Also there is no vote by proxy. Hopefully when everyone sits and reads their copy of the contract they can come to a better understanding and reach a decision on how to vote that suits them. In my opinion it may not be the best contract that we have ever gotten but it is the best in this industry as of yet. Read it well and thoroughly and I am sure we will prevail.

Thank you for your patience
Ernie

[worker341]

Ernie I hope people on this job can now see what a good job you and Andy are doing for us. You gave them what they wanted a contract before the pick and a ballot vote. Maybe now they can see you guys are with us. However the results of the votes you guys did your job, may the chips fall as the may. Good luck to all of us!

[Ernie]

Eddie will be in the Pioneer's Arthur Kill Yard tomorrow morning at 6:AM . In the event anyone wishes to ask questions about the contract.

[PROUD MEMBER]

The following is my opinion and I ask that you respect it as I do yours. First off no one ever wants to give anything back especially after it took years of negotiating to get. After reading the MOA and taking into consideration the loss of the EPP & the state of the economy in NYC I have to tip my hat to our representatives. I feel Michael, Eddie, The Executive Board, Ernie & Andy did a great job. For all of us that are not considered "2013 New Hires"(which is probably about 96%) this is far from a disaster whether you have one year or 30yrs. I personally have 14. Without getting into the particulars of each and every issue I feel this is really a good offer especially when you look at our options. Options such as turning down this proposal and eventually having it or worse (DON'T FORGET THE BEST &FINAL OFFER) imposed on us. The thing that irks me the most is a feel for anyone hired after April 1st, 2013. Best wishes to them and all of us.

[Buzz]

I think it would be in our best interest not to dwell on what used to be, or should be, but focus on what IS. We have to come to terms with the reality of the shambles the mayor's actions have left our industry in, and deal with that reality.

The issue is not whether it's "fair," nor is it how much Neil is making. Focusing on either or both of those will only delude our thinking, because neither is anything we're in a position to do anything about.

The only issue is: Do we ratify the contract and keep working with the major part of our security intact, or do we reject it and face a very uncertain future with basically no recourse. Like it or not, those are the choices.

I've heard that Reliant employees, having rejected their contract for a second time were given a choice ... either to work under the terms of that contract, or leave ... but either way, they are not getting their back pay ... which was contingent upon passing the contract.

I'm hoping the majority of us are smart enough to realize that our fate would be the same if we were foolish enough not to ratify this contract.

[mirrorcheck]

Buzz, that sums it all up, great post and a forward,clear vision of what we have to do.Like many things in life its not all of what we want but it probably is the best deal to be had. I hope we can get some peace and maybe even some momentum back once this crummy mayor leaves office.

[terminator]

THANK YOU ERNIE!

[hognol]

I was told our contract was the best offered in this industry thus far.  If Neil still had his "open door policy," I would of personally thanked him.
(Sarcastic Comment)