Guam Shipyard's Negotiations Campaign
To my Brothers and Sisters that work at the Guam Shipyard,
Congratulations!!! On February 29th you have the opportunity to win a better life for your family by voting YES for a union. Better pay, benefits and job security are just three of the advantages in having a union but one can never underestimate the value of having the dignity, respect and power at work that joining the almost 3000 GFT members on Guam and 1.5Million AFT members nationwide will get you.
Of course this isn’t something that your boss wants. He wants to remain a dictator with the power to fire you at will, arbitrarily decide your shifts, pay, and benefits as well as who moves ahead and who’s left behind. That’s why he is spending a lot of money on a notorious convicted liar, thief, and disbarred union buster. Peter Quist was disbarred in Georgia for spending his client’s money for personal use. Then he moved to Vermont to work as a union buster trying to convince workers to act against their own best interests. While he was lying to workers he was cheating taxpayers as well by not paying his taxes for six years. When he was on trial, he forged a letter from an anonymous Tax agency employee saying that they hid Peter’s tax returns because he was a union buster. Unfortunately for Peter he’s not a very good liar. He left his fingerprints on the letter and the envelope and was caught on camera mailing the letter!!! A jury in Vermont didn’t believe his lies you shouldn’t either!!!
The liar Quist will tell you that GFT is a teachers union, which is partially true. What he won’t tell you is that the majority of GFT members are not teachers. He won’t tell you that GFT has a proud history of over 40 years of winning for both public and private sector workers on Guam from Dock workers to Nurses, from Police officers to Bus Drivers, from maintenance workers to firefighters and every job imaginable in between.
The liar Quist will tell you that your union dues will take money away from your family. What he won’t tell you is that you’ll be making more money even after paying dues. DODEA bus drivers were making $9.69 per hr before saying yes to GFT; now they are making almost $20 per hour and their union dues are only 17cents per hour. I’d say that’s a pretty good deal: you pay 17cents and get back $10!!!
The liar Quist will tell you that the union will order you to do things. What he won’t tell you is that you are the union. You elect your own officers, you vote on your own contract and you decide whether you want to go on strike or not. By joining the GFT you have the support, structure and solidarity to win your goals. While your boss is a dictator, your union is a democracy.
Of course they will concoct other lies so if you have any questions please call your union 735-4390 and let us prove the truth. Go to our website www.gftunion.com for more information as well. I, once again, want to congratulate you on taking the first step to a better life, but now we have to win the election so don’t forget to vote UNION YES on February 29th!!!
TOGETHER WE WIN
Matt Rector
President
FAQ's about having a Union
• WHAT IS A UNION?
A union is a group of employees who join together within a company to bargain collectively for better wages, safer working conditions and stronger benefits. For over 40 years, GFT has been fighting for a better quality of life for Guam’s families by advocating for family-friendly legislation.
• WHAT ARE UNION DUES?
Union dues are the money you pay to the union to help pay for negotiation costs, legal costs, support staff, insurance benefits and other good union benefits.
• IS IT TRUE THAT I HAVE TO PAY A LOT FOR JOINING THE UNION?
Anti-union busters will tell you that your union dues will take money away from your family but what they won’t tell you, is that you’ll be making more money even after paying dues! DODEA Bus drivers who get paid about $20 per hour only pay $0.17 per hour for union dues. I’d say that’s a pretty good deal!
• IS IT TRUE THAT THE UNION MAY REQUIRE ME TO PAY MORE THAN MY DUES EACH MONTH?
NO. Members of the union only pay their monthly dues. Any other payments made are on a voluntary basis for events but the union does not require any other payments.
• WILL I GET FIRED FOR JOINING A UNION?
NO. By law your employer cannot penalize you for joining a union. It is your right to choose. When you vote to have a union, it will be conducted as a secret ballot so no one will know what you voted for.
• WILL THE UNION ORDER ME TO DO THINGS?
NO. YOU ARE THE UNION. You will elect your own officers, vote on your own contract and decide whether you want to go on strike or not.
• WITH A UNION, WILL MY PAY INCREASE?
It sure can! Before the DODEA Bus Drivers organized a union with the GFT, they were making $9.29 per hour then it increased to $13.95 per hour after the first contract was negotiated. After their second contract negotiated recently, they are now making about $18 per hour! This can be happen to workers of Guam Shipyard with the power to negotiate a union contract.
• WHY SHOULD I JOIN A UNION IF MY BOSS IS TREATING ME OK?
For A LOT OF REASONS. To start with, your boss today may not be your boss tomorrow. Without a union contract, you have no guarantee that your wages and working conditions will not be undercut by a new boss or for that matter by a new owner. Collective agreements are like pensions, they grow substantially over time, the sooner you get in the better.
• I THOUGHT GFT IS ONLY A TEACHERS’ UNION?
GFT started out as a Teachers’ union in 1965 but over the years the union expanded and now a majority of GFT members consist of various job positions (nurses, bus drivers, port workers, etc.). GFT has a proud history of over 40 years of winning for both public and private sector workers on Guam from dock workers to nurses, from police officers to bus drivers, from maintenance workers to firefighters and every job imaginable in between.
• CAN I TRUST PRESIDENT MATT RECTOR INSPITE OF ALL THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM?
Allegations made against President Rector regarding the 2011 At-Large Officer election have all been addressed by the AFT and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The U.S. DOL conducted a full investigation and concluded that no violations have been made by the GFT. However, an unintentional error was found in the election process which has lead to a re-election of the President position.
| start date | end date | title | description | icon | date limit | importance | link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-02-29 | Guam Shipyard Union Election | Please vote on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 between 6:30am to 9:30am or 3:00pm to 6:00pm at the Drydock conference room of Guam Shipyard | star_blue.png | none | 50 |
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