August 2, 2012- On Tuesday July 31, 2012 Bob Kneifel, Jeff Stewart and Business Representative Terry Sheehan met with Altura management.  At the conclusion of those negotiations Altura negotiators passed the company’s last best and final offer.

Negotiations have been taking place over the last several weeks.  When bargaining began on July 30^th  issues that were still on the table included: Article 3- Subcontracting,  Article 4- Technician Bargaining Unit Work, Article 16- Layoff and Severance, Article 25- Performance Standards and Training, and all monetary packages.  By the end of the day agreements were reached on Articles 3, 16 and 25. 

Your union bargaining team refused to accept the proposal passed by Altura bosses to change Article 4 dealing with technician bargaining unit work.  Altura wants to change the language to give management the right to have NON-UNION ALTURA PERSONNEL complete work that is exclusively performed by current bargaining unit members.  The language would also allow non-union employees to do your work even after a layoff. 

Your bargaining team cannot allow Altura to include this detrimental language in the new contract.  If this language is allowed into to the contract if will be nearly impossible to have it removed in future negotiations. The language Altura bosses are demanding can lead to job losses. 

After all of the progress that had be made since negotiations began,  Altura management concluded negotiations on Tuesday July 31, 2012 by passing a last best and final offer to your union bargaining team which included their job killing changes to Article 4. 

Members of the bargaining unit must vote on the last best and final offer proposed by Altura.  Your bargaining team is recommending a NO vote.

All members will be afforded the opportunity to vote on the contract through a secret ballot process.  On August 3, 2012, IBEW Local Union 21 will mail a package to each members home. The mailing will be sent to the members’ last known address, and will include:

1. Cover letter about the last best and final offer proposed by Altura;
2. An overview of the last best and final offer;
3. All changes that were made to articles in the current contract;
4. Instructions and a ballot for voting to either accept or reject contract; and
5. A postage paid envelope to mail your ballot back to IBEW Local Union 21.

All members must mail back their ballots to cast their vote. Ballots must be received at IBEW Local Union 21 by Tuesday, August 21, 2012. Ballots will be counted at the IBEW Local Union 21 hall on Wednesday August 22, 2012. Once all ballots are tallied, an official announcement of the results will be made by the IBEW as soon as possible.