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Charlie Walsh Column

Thursday, April 26, 2007 —  SEE Strike Photos

Posted by SIK at 8:10 AM | COMMENTS (17)

Welcome Back-
At least that's what they told us last April after the six week strike.

It is a new beginning- rules, long flaunted, will be upheld. There will be absolutely no tolerance to anyone dogging those on "the list."

The list was a weak spirited attempt by the union to brand anyone crossing the picket line. It served- in the end poorly- as an intimidation factor to anyone that has thoughts of being a traitor.

US AGAINST THEM was the mindset. Big Brother quashing the spirits and pocketbooks of the working stiffs that make Sikorsky tick.

And tick on it did lick a metronome on speed after last April when the shop came alive like no other time in my memory since my date of hire (Fall 1978). Blades and choppers moved in and out in record time and amounts. Some of it was because of the strike and some of it was because of the Iraq boondoggle. Blades(those whirly type things that propel helicopters) in particular do not like the desert. Wind and sand beat the hell out of them. Hence, the cash cow known as replacements -(known as spares) was being milked like never before.

There is no doubt that times at SIK are promising with new clients and models but the fact remains that the war is bolstering the bottom line.

The union is on top of this development . You can see it on the backs of hundreds, if not thousands of workers every Friday. A bright red t-shirt with the horsehead logo on the front and on the back WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS on the back. If truth be told in parenthesis under these words should be AND THE WAR.

Quick observation is that many workers learned little from the strike and still live beyond their means. What happens when ten hour days, Saturday and Sundays are gone- try a grand less in the paycheck. Think about it.

I am not advocating the war. In fact , I saw a bumper sticker that said it all -Buck Fush.

Thursday, April 6, 2006 —  SEE Strike Photos

Posted by SIK at 4:21 AM | COMMENTS (776)

LOTS OF CHANGES and they are all aimed at the largest backlog of work in the company’s history. Good news.

Areas have been eliminated and reorganized - deal with it. Rules will be enforced, many of which I never even knew existed. Complacency is a dinosaur.

In direct relation to the strike - no tolerance on harassment in any form, by anybody. It sucks that it came to this but it is the only solution. It will not be a prison but if you cannot be civil, keep your mouth shut or hit the bricks.

All good stuff. The real hard sell will be entire departments with many people that have been here 25+ having to leave their sanctuary and learn new jobs. Tough luck - that's why it's called labor.

Much of the stuff I saw the first day had been on paper when we left. It's amazing how quickly things happen when there is an opening. Hint: lack of workers (supposed) advocates missing.

Overall I am exited about the flow - the lean - the record rates but what will be the end cost?

Generic and interchangeable are great ideas but may not be fluid due to the limited skill set of some, if not many, workers. Of course, this is not re-inventing the wheel or doing anything too complicated. It will take time, probably more than what is available to make quotas this year.

Time will tell.

Call it anarchy if you want but - at this point - comments to this blog have outlived their usefulness. I can always be contacted via e-mail if you have a revelation.

Wednesday, April 5, 2006 —  SEE Strike Photos

Posted by SIK at 6:38 AM | COMMENTS (4176)

IN A FEW HOURS I report back to work. There will be a half hour re-orientation followed by a supervisory escort to your "assigned work". I feel like I am about to be probed, poked and have a DNA test. I like my old job and badly hope it is waiting for me. Paranoia is not a healthy thing.

It is surreal looking out at my favorite deck chair flecked with snow. I love that chair and hope it isn't ruined. The placement of the various chairs and table from shed to this favorite oasis was one of the few accomplishments I achieved during the strike. Mostly I wrote and analyzed and studied my options in case of absolute disaster - a new career. That is not a pretty picture for me or almost anyone that gets AARP. I am not that unique.

Amazed of the enormity and impossibility of it all. Looking back, I was glad to be a part of it regardless of the "loss". It was only in a small way financial.

What my, or the companies, future holds is impossible to predict but I am optimistic that things, over time, will never normalize. I want things to be better, be leaner and be more professional, and then maybe, just maybe we don't have to go through this mental/meat grinder again in three years at the end of the contract.

As far as future posts, it will be up to some bench jockey at SIK or maybe even some GM type at UTC. Now I am back under their umbrella...

Wish me well.

—Goz

Monday, April 3, 2006 —  SEE Strike Photos

Posted by SIK at 9:15 AM | COMMENTS (5845)

WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS was the hallmark in sports broadcasting back in the day and their mantra -the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat-is ubiquitous.

As an ex-striker I felt a bit of both of these strong emotions up to the biggest and perhaps most controversial labor vote in SIK history.

Whereas I never got to cover an international incident like Jim McCay and ABC did in Munich or uncovered the comedic elegance of barrel jumping in Podunk, Minnesota I got to cover the ups and downs of a major labor strike. The anguish and exultation, the tears of sadness and joy.

As for the agony; I tend to disagree with the statement from Mr. Murphy of the international were he termed the fight a 'bloody draw'; unless you consider the blood green as in the color of hemorrhaging cash. This is the union party line given to the media, 'they (the strikers) couldn't afford it anymore'.

This cause, in theory, was valid. A ramrod take-it-or-leave-it on the healthcare was the grim reaper. The simplistic 31 cent stance was perfectly logical IF it did not have a domino effect in a chunk of the future negotiations of over 200 thousand UT employees. This cloaked an even bigger issue of the Holy Grail, that many countries have, national healthcare. Is it feasible in this country? Someday, that day is not now. This was the wrong place at the wrong time.

As far as victories, they are numerous for the strikers. Dignity is in tact for those that stood tall despite uncountable hardships. If nothing else it was a time for getting reacquainted with family and maybe even more importantly, ourselves.

As to the people that crossed the line I hold no major malice. If you were a friend before nothing has changed. Would the strike have turned out differently if no one crossed that line? Maybe, maybe not. On one hand the company would have suffered from the lack of help and may have increased the booty, on the other hand, these people would only have voted to go back. End of story, April 2, 2006.

The end of the strike does not thrill me, nor do I feel agonized. It is a surreal gray area of pain and pleasure, of give and take. Of life.

Thank you for reading this blog and all your reactions both pro and con.

John Gozzi

Sunday, April 2, 2006 —  SEE Strike Photos

Posted by SIK at 7:53 AM | COMMENTS (174)

Anatomy of The Revote

The original vote was approximately 2000/1100. In effect the vote was pro-strike by 550 votes. The exact number of ineligible voters — those that crossed that line — is unknown. For the sake of argument I’ll say 300. Let’s presume that the vast majority — 90% — of that group ratified the first time the hypothetical swing needed for vote II would then be close to 600 (out of close to 2,000) people will have to change from NO to YES. 3 out of 10 people would need to change their minds. Will it happen? I have no idea but I will list a few reasons that it is possible.

The lure of the vacation checks in April
The reimbursement of COBRA
The fear that jobs are leaving
The realization that the health care battle cannot be won
Mounting bills
Loss of faith in the "negotiators"

This does not take into account the 500 people that did not vote the first time. Did these people fail to vote because they thought the contract would pass-like it always did OR fail as advocated by the local 1150? No clue but they may be the wild card.

For those of you not into numbers I can offer the analogy of a popular board game, Monopoly. Everyone knows Monopoly with the square board of properties, utilities and resting stops.

Monopoly is a model for many of our lives at SIK. The cheaper properties, the New Havens, the Bridgeports, and the lower end Valley locales are where we all started. Over the years many moved into their second houses in more affluent areas, the Milfords, the Wallingfords , the Branfords. Comfortably numb many continued the climb to the Huntingtons, the Eastons, the Madisons. Around the board, the houses got bigger and fuller , the mortgages higher and on and on.

There were also some that were happy to stay in the cities and the workingman towns. Either way our pay rose and for many the standard of living rose with it. A factory schmoe somehow, someway was pulling in over 50 grand a year. Some would call it the fulfillment of the American dream.

This strike is not a board game it is real, it is Sikorskopoly and — when you past GO it is a lot more than $200, ordinarily. Now is not the best of times. While the world spins the bills keep coming. This offer may be the final “get out of jailâ€? card.

Think about it.