Remember the Term Moral Turpitude....

As the Contract expires at 12:00 AM Monday, June 17...we are reminded of the term we used at the last Contract in 2010 -- Moral Turpitude.  What it means is this --  the lack of morality to the point of criminality.  That term is strong enough in legal language to get a person terminated and/or jailed.  Moral Turpitude implies the need for CEO's and their Corporations to treat all their employees with respect, equality, fairness and honesty.  No one is above the law, and no employee should be treated morally different than any other class of employee.  In 2010, we used that term to describe the unfair, dishonest, inequal treatment of the hourly workforce in that year's Contract.  Any Contract that creates disparity to the magnitude of that Contract can only be interpreted as morally wrong (remember the 25-50% wage cutbacks for only some employees, at one site).  In 2013 , we are seeing a determined stubbornness on the part of the Company to decimate our Healthcare and Pensions also.  This is unacceptable.

Here is the quote REPEATEDLY stated on the Momentive Web Page set-up for these negotiations-- "We remain committed to working to reach a fair and equitable agreement that meets the needs of our employees, and are hopeful that we can achieve our common goals.  The negotiations process has provided both parties with a critical opportunity to work together, build for the future of our Waterford and Willoughby sites and secure our competitiveness. As we move into the final days of negotiations, we are striving to reach an agreement that provides a market-competitive and comprehensive wage and benefits package, promotes a safe work environment and delivers strong employment opportunities for the Waterford and Willoughby regions."

There it is--fair and equitable, meets the NEEDS of our employees, delivers STRONG employment opportunities; but here's is the rub brother and sisters-- market-competitive wage and benefits package. In other words, like the 2010 Contract...if we (Momentive) want to roll back your wages (or deny increases) and benefits, then we are justified.  There is NOTHING justified in rollbacks and concessions in bargaining.  It sends the absolute WRONG message to the workforce that diligently produces your product.  It is TOTALLY unfair and inequitable.  The hourly workforce can NOT take another hit...plain and simple;  NO more out of pocket expense.  NO more concessions!  And when Momentive talks about market-competitive, there is only one definition we want to hear--compare us to other chemical workers, other chemical plants, and other large workforces  (over 500 hourly employees; in our plant--over 800 employees in the 2 Unions).  Momentive...answer this question -- Do you want meet the needs of your employees and build for the future OR destroy the last once of hope for fair and equitable Contract, and therefore destroy your own chance for success as a business???

In our opinion, every employee deserves respect, fairness, equality, a good living (wages and benefits),  and a work environment FREE of moral turpitude!  We are definitely at a crossroads, we truly hope Momentive makes the right choice.