CBRE/DirectLine Bargaining Update #2

Our bargaining team met again with CBRE today to resume working on the contract.  Both parties continue to work on updating language in the grievance process, aiming to add another step to the process to allow more protection to members with the company having a different opinion on language governing timelines that result in a grievance timing out & being settled in the union's favor, which continues to be the most tenuous sticking point in the negotiation in this article.  Flexibility in shifts, breaks & meal periods are being discussed to align more with the current state of the business.  We are attempting to discuss members hired as travelers, as no provisions for this exist in the current CBA as we attempt to define & outline this role.  An increase in members' boot allowance is bargained, as the bargaining committee & company attempt to settle on a new increased amount for this.  We have made preliminary proposals to improve vacation, sick time & holiday language and conditions.  The company continues to reject the union's time-based proposal for advancement between steps in a given title, stating that they want it to be skills-based, which we positionally disagree with & do not see how that could be implemented in any case.  We are working to create a path between titles, which the union is open to having a transparent skill-based component in junction with defined assessments or reviews to clearly explain the reasoning if someone didn't get a promotion to a higher title & to help clarify a path & what is needed to get a promotion in future bids on higher titles.  A tentative agreement was reached on updated language in Article II - Union Security.  Both parties recessed after a full day of bargaining to form counter offers for when we reconvene next.  Vocalize what you are not satisfied with from the companies' offers to your managers;  it is common for corporations to have managers keep an ear out from their employees during bargaining to assess where they are at.  Continue being where we are supposed to be, doing what we are supposed to be doing, working safely & doing quality work to display our continued value as the most valuable asset in any company.  If you are interested in being a mobilizer in your workgroup, site, or area, please reach out to us at the hall so we can begin taking solidarity actions as necessary to show unity & our solidarity as we go through the bargaining process together!  In solidarity,

Ian Niderost, Secretary