Nokia Bargaining Report #28

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Company and your Bargaining Team met yesterday. We started our day by meeting with John Hickey, Vice President of Human Resources, regarding continuation of retiree healthcare. We reiterated to both John and Steve Muscat that the retirees don’t trust the company to do the right thing on their behalf if the Union wasn’t compelling them to do so. It was astounding to hear from the Company Bargaining Chair that the retirees actually DO TRUST the company it’s just the UNION who is putting the fear of God to them. This is the same company that took $1.2 BILLION more in pension assets than was needed from the occupational pension fund and moved it to the management fund!

The Company and Union reached a tentative agreement on continuing several National Memorandums with the current language intact provided we reach an overall Agreement. The Union countered the Company’s proposal for a 9 month contract with a 5 year duration proposal. The Union also countered the Company’s proposal to eliminate depopulated Base Locations and Areas with existing language remaining the same.

Unfortunately, the Union is hampered in formulating meaningful proposals to address the Company’s statements regarding cost and flexibility due to the lack of responses to the Union’s data requests. First and foremost for us is the Union’s desire to keep the Bargaining Unit intact, protect retiree health care and pensions while continuing to be a part of Nokia’s future. Bargaining will resume on Friday, September 21st.

Please check out and join Nokia’s Yammer Field Forces conversation. An interesting Blog to be sure. Remember if you encounter quality issues with 3P contractors or, you are sent to clean up their mess please send the information to the bargaining team by emailing cwalocal1090@yahoo.com.

Continue using this link to send an online letter to Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri and Nokia Bargaining Chair Steve Muscat, telling them to save American jobs and bargain in good faith! If you would like to write a letter and send it via the USPS their addresses are:

Steve Muscat / Senior Director Americas HR-Labor Relations / Nokia of America Corporation / 600 Mountain Avenue, Room 6C-419 / Murray Hill, NJ 07974

Rajeev Suri / President and Chief Executive Officer / Nokia / Karaporti 3 / Espoo, Finland 02610

An Injury To One, Is An Injury To All. United We Stand.

Your Bargaining Team,

Mary Jo Reilly
Steve Amato
Luis Benitez