Agreement Ratification Process Begins

Grand Lodge and System Officers met in Kansas City, Missouri yesterday, March 27 to go over in detail the provisions of the tentative National Agreement reached on March 8, 2001, and make the necessary preparations to send it out to BMWE members for ratification.

Ballots will be mailed out on April 27 and returned votes will be counted on May 30, 2001, in Washington, DC by an independent firm.

BMWE President Mac A. Fleming has stated that his "ultimate goal is to ensure that our membership is as fully informed as possible when they cast their votes in the ratification process." 

To assist in achieving that goal, system officers will be attending as many local meetings as possible to review the agreement and answer any questions. 

In addition, an information packet will be sent out along with the ballot.  This packet will include a summary of each provision of the agreement as well as a copy of the April JOURNAL President's Perspective which details the history of this bargaining round and how the current hostile political environment (described in detail in the March President's Perspective) resulted in the difficult but necessary choice to make this agreement.

This same information is being posted in the Members Section of the BMWE website today along with a complete copy of the agreement.

Put simply, the bargaining committee is recommending that members approve the agreement because, while not a good agreement, it is much better, even economically, than what would almost certainly be dictated by a Bush-appointed Presidential Emergency Board.  Most importantly, this agreement does preserve work rules and other key advancements made in other rounds of bargaining which would definitely be at risk with a Bush PEB.

All members are urged to attend Lodge meetings if at all possible and to carefully review all the information provided before casting their vote.