Posted on 05/18/2005 11:55:10 AM PDT by misterrob
BOSTON -- NStar has canceled the health benefits of more than 1,900 striking workers -- a tactic one labor expert called unusually aggressive and an indication that the electric and gas utility is digging in for a long strike.
NStar linemen, engineers and other workers walked off the job Monday after a five-year contract expired and negotiations toward a new agreement collapsed. That same day, the company canceled union members' medical, dental and vision benefits through Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts, NStar spokeswoman Caroline Allen said Wednesday.
SNIP
"When employees do not report for duty and instead strike the company, those employees surrender their compensation, including pay, health care benefits and all other aspects of compensation," Allen said. "We cannot ask our customers to pay for wages or benefits for employees who are choosing not to work."
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Good for management for sticking up for its share holders and subscribers.
I can not believe this is the exception and not the rule. If only PA would do this for striking teachers....
bump
Usually SOP. Depending on their contract language they’d have to work a certain number of hours the preceding week/month to have coverage now. Don’t work the required amount of time – benefits stop.
That’s why when they’re agitating and threatening to strike they’ll already be taking care of things like dental checkups and stuff – because if they’re on strike for any length of time their coverage will lapse.
Yep. It's about f'in time that owners did something to get Union attention in this country. They've sat idle and allowed the Unions to bargain away their futures. FORD and GM are only a short distance behind the Airlines in using bankruptcy to relieve them of pension debts. Who will the Autoworkers and the AFL-CIO strike when the companies are gone or bought and broken up by the Japenese? PBGCC will be out of money by then.
I'm sure that savings will be passed on to the customer.
Actually, their rates are set by the PUC. They have a hard time raising them so I think they might be FOS by saying that they would be able to pass cost increases on.
Finally, someone with the guts to take on these damn unions.
What increases?
The cost of paying benefits to people while still having to replace them with substitutes.
Sorry Listmates, you're not gonna like this post.
First, it's not the fault of the men and women of our unions for these strikes. They're good people and good workers. It's the fault of both the system and the corrupt union leaders.
Every large company - and probably most small ones - should be required to have a contract with everyone who works there, not just those we usually think of as "labor." No contract, no business. The government should shut 'em down.
But, having a monopoly on one side of any transaction is a prescription for disaster, strikes, and ultimately violence. Remember when corporations had that power? That's why unions came into existence. But, now unions have monopoly power and it must be broken.
The solution is competition between unions. Just as we insist on competition for corporations, so must we insist on comptetition for unions. Then, workers can choose which union they want to work for, after the contract is negotiated.
Finally, remember that the corrupt bosses of the unions still get paid, while the workers starve. They have no interest in anything but their jobs; to hell with the members.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.