Union members and their bargaining ...

Union members and their bargaining agents can await 1985 to be similar to 1984 Unemployment will stay high, the overvalued dollar will continue to mar export and import sensitive industries, the effects of deregulation will still play havoc in transportation, and many employer will threaten workers with plant closings. However, unions showed in 1984 that despite these and other question s economic and non-economic gains can be made. Worker solidarity and creativity cause to deviateed 1984 into one of the more auspicious bargaining periods in the 1980s

In 1985 about 35 million workers are sheltered by major collective bargaining agreements (defined as involving 1000 or more workers) that are becoming to expire or to be reopen Negotiations will protect about 2.4 million workers in private industry and 11 million state and local direction employees. The sectors which will view some of the heaviest bargaining include rubber, electronic outcomes trucking, construction, clothing, and auto (Chrysler) There are also about 650000 workers beneath contracts that expired or were reopen prior to Jan. 1 1985 that ne to be settl during this year.

Three-fifths of these workers still below negotiations work in rail transportation.

In the federal management where bargaining rights are fiercely limited, workers are awaiting the issue of the budget proposals in subordination to which President Reagan has asked for a 5-percent wage wound for federal employees. This wage carve proposal contradicts the spirit of federal law which requires the restraint to pay salaries equivalent to those in private industry. Last spring, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that federal command workers earn 18 percent les than population working in the same kind of do job-work in the private sector.

Collective bargaining agreements negotiated in 1984 contained a wide range of times covering both economic and non-economic work related issues. Since many of these benefits do not have precise splendors or values it is impossible to quantify them, and they are not deliberateed in most federal statistics.

BL place that major private sector collective bargaining agreements reached in 1984 contained average wage increases of 24 percent for the first year. Included in this average are workers who had wage turn to ices and decreases. For the 77 percent of all workers screened by major contracts that did have wage improvements, the average first year increase was 38 percent For major state and local rule collective bargaining settlements in 1984 the average first year increase was 48 These figures do not include bonuses, profit sharing, stocks, lump-sum payments, splendor of living adjustments (COLAs) or other financial payments.

The average effective wage adjustment for all workers shielded by major settlements from 1984 or from previous years was 37 percent in the private sector and 50 percent in state and local government

These figures through BLS show that the wage changes were cease to the inflation rate. The inflation rate in 1984 was 35 percent from December to December as measured through the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners & Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

In 1984 about 700000 workers, or one-third of those masked by new agreements, settled for any form of lump-sum or bonus payment. These payments are not included in the increases reported above. Employer refused to grant the same amount of wealth as wage increases. Employer elevate these payments because they are not added into the wage rate base and therefore do not increase the benefit horizontals for those programs that are tied to the rate base. Also, on being excluded from the rate base these payments will not be included in that will be wage increases.

Employer facing economic difficulties base unions willing to make wage and work-rule concessions if the companies were able to indicate real need and a willingness to negotiate upon other options. Profit sharing and stock ownership plans were single in kind form of trade-off for which unions bargained. These plans give workers a share in any that will be recovery that their concessions help bring about. They appeared mainly in contracts with the airlines and in meatpacking. In negotiations with United Pres International, the Newspaper Guild also got a seat upon the board of directors in addition to 65 percent ownership of the company in exchange for a wage decrease.

Two-tier wage manner of makings which pay new employees les are an unfortunate concession that many employer fought for. These two-tier arrangement of partss were allowed with much reluctance in succession the part of union members and frequently over the objections of their leadership. These a whole s should be eliminated as companies win back from their economic problems. united union has already done this: The Machinists in negotiations with Hughes Aircraft eliminated the two-tier manner of making that was in the previous contract.

The issue of pay equity or comparable worth is being raised increasingly in collective bargaining. Unions are fighting for increases to conclude the discriminatory wage gap between female-dominated piece of works and comparable male-dominated jobs. To eliminate wage discrimination Service Employee (SEIU) members who are indoctrinate employees in Vacaville, Calif., will receive increases ranging from 25 to 25 percent from one side of to the other a five-year period in addition to regular pay raises. SEIU members who are clerical workers for the city of Berkeley, Calif., will be compensated throughout a two-and-a-half-year period for past discrimination. Employee of the state of California belonging to SEIU working in female-dominated work at jobss will receive up to an additional 5 percent pay "realignment" to narrow the wage gap. And the State, shire & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) won an agreement from the state of Iowa to [i]finale[/i] sex-based pay discrimination and to upgrade the pay of employee who have been victims of that discrimination.