I.A.M. vs DynCorp International

[Wenchy]

Good Lord. That's pretty low.

He told us not to reproduce. That was pretty low. :shrug:

 

[cattitude]

He told us not to reproduce. That was pretty low. :shrug:

I don't believe he singled you out as you did with his child. How sad.

 

[glhs837]

So sorry I tried to enlighten people as to what is going on. That I wanted to make people aware of something that effects almost 1000 people working here in southern Maryland.

You fine people keep burying your heads in the sand.....and reproducing. It's what makes America GrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT!!!!

I worked for DynCorp before you and before they were forced to go Union and it was a good company. The Union ruined the company. Talk to any of the guys who have worked for DynCorp for at least 15 years and most of them hate the fact the compay went Union. I bet you vote Democrat also like all whiney azzed Union members. If the company is sooooo bad why do they have employees still working for them instead of another contractor?

Ping, how will forcing the company to give folks a different kind of time off going to change the company from being wieners to the hourly guys? Also, are they asking for sick time in addition to the 88 hours of vacation they get? How much are they asking for?

foos, I have to disagree, although I will admit that such a perception could be very job dependent. Where I worked, a shop environment, it was hit or miss. Company wasnt horrible, but could have done things better. Four burly mechs go on a road trip and were forced to rent a Geo Metro sort of car, and share hotel rooms. and no, I wasnt one of them. Supervisors made arbitrary decisions, and there was no recourse. Promotion was very haphazard, making little sense. Funny, most of the folks I knew then have moved on to various other companys, as have I. I say now that Dyn is a great place to get your foot in the door, and find out where you really want to work.

 

[mdgirlie]

First, thanks for an intelligent response. I give no replies to idiots, haters, and flamers.

I am not saying I am more privileged than anyone else. But why should I have to use my vacation time for things like being sick and going to the doctor? Or having to appear in court for a summons? Or if mother nature decides to take a giant crap and the base shuts down? Those aren't reasons to have to use vacation time, and I shouldn't have to use my hard earned vacation time to cover situations with my employer that are beyond my control. I expect my employer to understand that there are some issues that are beyond my control, and attempt to work with me, instead of against me on those.

Many contractors combine sick leave with vacation leave. The company that I currently work for and all others that I have interviewed for in the past do the same. It pretty much sucks. Good luck finding a company that does otherwise.

 

[glhs837]

Why does it suck? I have never operated with sick time, whats the difference? Unless you get 80 hours vacation, then 20 sick time, I suppose that would be nice, but why not get 100 vacation time?

 

[SoccerMom2]

My Husband works for DynCorp and he does not want to go on strike. He is fine with what benifits he has. It is more than what most people have.

 

[Baltimore_Colt]

I worked for DynCorp before you and before they were forced to go Union and it was a good company. The Union ruined the company. Talk to any of the guys who have worked for DynCorp for at least 15 years and most of them hate the fact the compay went Union. I bet you vote Democrat also like all whiney azzed Union members. If the company is sooooo bad why do they have employees still working for them instead of another contractor?

I have worked for DynCorp since 1996. Prior to going union in 2007, I hadn't received a raise in six years. No cost of living raise or any pay increase of any kind. While the cost of everything else continuously went up, my net pay went down. However, I voted NO the first time it went to a vote on deciding if the employees wanted to go union. That was due to my lack of knowledge of unions in general and lies the company were spreading at the time. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but as I recall, it was 351 NOs to 340 YESs. Considering the company kept telling us that if you did not vote, it counted as a YES, I'm sure more than a few people saw no reason to go out of their way to vote if they wanted to vote YES. Just think about that for a moment.

A year later, it came to a vote again. This time it was overwhelmingly in favor of the union. My take-home pay was finally more than it was six years earlier. And we've gotten a pay increase each of the last three years.

In my nearly 15 years at Dyn I have seen SO many awesome workers leave because they could do better elsewhere without the company making any attempt whatsoever to keep them. I've seen some of the best people I've ever met in my life get wrongly disciplined and even terminated for reasons no sane person can justify.

Bottom line, with my income, things are tough for me right now with a mortgage and four mouths to feed but I am thankful for all that I have. Including my job.

And I didn't even mention that SF-85 crap. Didn't affect me personally but I know of several people who would be unemployed or working elsewhere without the union's assistance.

And for the record, I'm a republican. Allen West for POTUS in 2012.

 

[lnmarsh]

Why don't you go make another special needs kid and leave their bike outside to get stolen?

THAT was terrible…

You're complaining about something you have control over. Farm out your resume, go on interviews, find a better job that's healthy for you with the benefits you are looking for, to include time off for broken nails and menstrual cramps.

And THAT was terribly funny…

OP – I understand your frustration with the company as a whole. It sounds like how they do business, however, is not going to change. It’s a harsh truth but it’s the truth. Its my understanding that you aren’t saying these things just for your benefit, but because you feel for your fellow workers. You cannot, however, help them in the sense of making the company change. So my suggestion is to make the best of a bad thing – search for a new job while you still have the one you’ve got. Thats what I did! If you’re really stressed about steady wage increases, sick leave AND personal leave, etc., get a government job and it will be guaranteed.

Just a thought

 

[Wenchy]

I don't believe he singled you out as you did with his child. How sad.

It was mean. I apologize.

 

[dontknowwhy]

Why don't you go make another special needs kid and leave their bike outside to get stolen?

wow!that was pretty low...

 

[itsbob]

I am not saying I am more privileged than anyone else. But why should I have to use my vacation time for things like being sick and going to the doctor? Or having to appear in court for a summons? Or if mother nature decides to take a giant crap and the base shuts down? Those aren't reasons to have to use vacation time, and I shouldn't have to use my hard earned vacation time to cover situations with my employer that are beyond my control. I expect my employer to understand that there are some issues that are beyond my control, and attempt to work with me, instead of against me on those.

You are getting two WEEKS of vacation time to use as you see fit.

What's the issue if you have to use when you are sick? I bet it reduces the call out sick days by a LOT!

Good for Dyncorp for sticking up to the Union. Maybe soon you'll see the error of your ways for getting the Union involved in your business anyways.

And like others said.. You don't like the benefits you have at Dyncorp, and IF you have a marketable skill, then go negotiate better benefits for yourself (heaven forbid you do something for yourself I know) somewhere else.

 

[jaie]

Unless you happen to be a member of Patuxent River Local Lodge 4 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, married or related to someone who is, or perhaps you work on base, then you probably do not know that there has been a battle going on up in Solomons as Local Lodge 4 and representatives from DynCorp International are engaged in contract negotiations in order to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement for some 950 aerospace workers at several sites across NAS Patuxent River.

Negotiations started actually back in June, and have continued through July, and are scheduled to go up to the end of this month. The current collective bargaining agreement between the two parties expires August 31, 2010. Negotiations have been a tough process at times, but for the most part, the IAM has already made several key improvements for their CBA. However, as good as the improvements are, there are also several key issues that DynCorp International has barely budged on, or have flat out refused to address. Chief among these is the Company has stated they are not interested in providing more paid time off than what is already provided. This means DynCorp is not interested in providing more days of vacation, nor are they interested in giving any DynCorp employees sick leave.

DynCorp believes that any and all time missed from work should be covered with vacation. So if I get sick, and can't go to work, I have to use a day of my vacation in order to go see the doctor, and also, if I am sick bad enough, and the doctor does not want me to work for a day or two, I have to use vacation for those days also, or I do not get paid.

Prior to the Union being voted in by the DynCorp employees, DynCorp offered a benefit of 80 hours of vacation time. This is the industry standard for vacation time accrual after a year. The Union, in the first CBA, negotiated to get an extra day of vacation, bringing that total to 88 hours. That was considered by the Company to be used for 'sick time'. When asked what their chief issues were with DynCorp, employees have stated that having no sick leave was one of their top priorities.

But using vacation time isn't just limited to just being sick. DynCorp expects that time to be used to cover any time away from the work site. Have a car wreck and can't make it to work that day? Better have some vacation time saved up. Get a summons to appear in court? Make sure you have enough vacation to cover it. Remember all the snow we had this past winter? The base was shut down for two or three days. Unless you had vacation time, you didn't get paid. Or you ended up working double and 24 hour shifts and still wasn't able to make up all the time that was missed.

Now, negotiations yesterday, and now today, have been marked by something that is truly disturbing. Yesterday, a member of the DynCorp Negotiating Team had a meeting on the base at 1pm. While this member of the team was away from negotiations, the other DynCorp negotiating members refused to accept any proposals from the Union. This morning, the DynCorp committee was 20 minutes late getting to the negotiating site. They then left negotiations 30 minutes later. A representative from the Company has been quoted as saying that DynCorp "is not interested" in entertaining proposals that have to do with increasing vacation time, granting sick leave to it's employees, and increasing premium wages for employees that hold certain qualifications. DynCorp also feels that it's lower than average pay increase offer is major progress.

As a DynCorp employee, and as a member of the I.A.M., I have to say that the news that DynCorp is not willing to negotiate on these matters disturbs me to no end. Especially having spoken with my brothers and sisters in the Union and these very issues that the Company does not want to address, are some of the single biggest issues that we have wanted addressed. It would appear that DynCorp is trying to stall and coerce the Union into accepting a CBA that is less than what we deserve by pushing negotiations close to the expiration of the current contract.

My friends, I have had just about enough of this crap. I have worked for DynCorp International for four years. I have seen first hand the kind of underhanded things they do to people. It is the only place I have ever worked where tenure means nothing. It is the only place I have ever worked where progress is measured not in how many planes fly, or how much testing we get done, but however, how many disciplinary memos can we push through each month. Supervisors (at least where I work) have regular meetings and one of the things that seems to come up is there is never enough discipline being handed out. I'm sorry maybe I come from La La Land, but if you were running a company, would you not want to have to discipline employees? But on the contrary, DynCorp feels like they have to meet a quota of disciplinary actions in order to measure success.

DynCorp management have also been outright liars and deceivers. I don't know how many times I have brought a problem or an issue to my supervisors, with suggestions and ideas on how to fix it, only to be ignored, or my favorite, being told "that's being addressed", but then not seeing anything done to fix the problem. Or a problem flares up, and there is much yelling, screaming, flailing about that they are going to get a handle on a situation, and that might work for a month or so, but not long after, things go back to how they were before.

Many people that frequent these forums I am sure are members of the local lodge. Or you might have family, friends, and neighbors that are members of the local lodge. We are in a battle against a company that is going to attempt to push us around, and stall things til the last minute in hopes we accept a lesser contract. I would like all Local Lodge members who read this, on their offtime, to head over to the Hilton Gardens in Solomons as a show of solidarity and strength against DynCorp. We are negotiating based on what our membership told us was their biggest issues. Some of these issues the Company are saying they don't want to bargain on. I say it's time we stand up and show DynCorp that we mean business.

So I say, if you're a I.A.M. member, we head over to the Hilton Gardens and make sure that our voices are heard.

Whice hanger do you work at, because the one I worked for didn't make you use your v-time. You are allowed p-time. I would say it might just be your group sup.

 

[struggler44]

It was mean. I apologize.

I just lost all respect........you can't take it back, why apologize? So it was mean, BFD

 

[AeroTaken]

But using vacation time isn't just limited to just being sick. DynCorp expects that time to be used to cover any time away from the work site. Have a car wreck and can't make it to work that day? Better have some vacation time saved up. Get a summons to appear in court? Make sure you have enough vacation to cover it. Remember all the snow we had this past winter? The base was shut down for two or three days. Unless you had vacation time, you didn't get paid. Or you ended up working double and 24 hour shifts and still wasn't able to make up all the time that was missed.

The NERVE of them...

Welcome to the real world. As others have stated - most companies now have PTO or Comprehensive leave (not called vacation). It is leave to use as you see fit throughout the year. Have a car wreck and can't make it to work that day...use your comprehensive leave. Get a summons to appear in court...use your comprehensive leave. BTW how are ANY of these reasons for YOU NOT being at work the companies fault or problem - since you stated that they were beyond your control so why should you use your leave time if you are not at work for basically ANY reason.

Companies are actually smart to do this because you KNOW if you give someone 40 hours of sick leave a year they ARE gonna be "sick" for 40 hours every year. Besides, it could work out to a responsible employee's advantage as well since it doesn't expire at the end of the year...don't use it all one year and you could do a "leave buy back" the next year or if you leave/retire get paid for what you have "saved"

Oh and when the base is shut down due to snow - a lot of companies have what is basically a "temporary leave" program (well at least to salaried employees). They allow you to charge that day or portion of day to this "temp leave" and then you have several months in which to work those extra hours to “reimburse” the company for the pay for those hours vs. all in the same pay period - this does NOT come out of Comp Leave or PTO UNLESS you don't eventually work the hours to "pay" it back.

 

[Gilligan]

I just lost all respect........you can't take it back, why apologize? So it was mean, BFD

?. Why can't she..or anyone apologize on here? I thought she should..she did apologize..everybody moved on..

 

[Gilligan]

Companies are actually smart to do this because you KNOW if you give someone 40 hours of sick leave a year they ARE gonna be "sick" for 40 hours every year. Besides, it could work out to a responsible employee's advantage as well since it doesn't expire at the end of the year...don't use it all one year and you could do a "leave buy back" the next year or if you leave/retire get paid for what you have "saved".

Exactly. Not all employees abuse sick leave..but I've seen over the many years I've been 'the boss' that very many always have and some always would. We still have separate sick and personal leave benefits. But the sick leave does not carry over and under no circumstances will any employee ever get paid for unused sick leave. We plan to convert to the single comprehensive leave model soon.

 

[Nucklesack]

Well this has been a very interesting and enlightening discussion, but I have to leave for work now.

Have a nice day.

hope you dont get sick

 

[BOP]

First, thanks for an intelligent response. I give no replies to idiots, haters, and flamers.

I am not saying I am more privileged than anyone else. But why should I have to use my vacation time for things like being sick and going to the doctor? Or having to appear in court for a summons? Or if mother nature decides to take a giant crap and the base shuts down? Those aren't reasons to have to use vacation time, and I shouldn't have to use my hard earned vacation time to cover situations with my employer that are beyond my control. I expect my employer to understand that there are some issues that are beyond my control, and attempt to work with me, instead of against me on those.

I've been a union worker, including the UAW (Aerospace Workers) and IAM. Having said that, I don't have a lot of sympathy for you or any of your fellow employees. No, you shouldn't have to use your vacation for sick days and the like, but you do. I've worked at jobs where I didn't have vacation days. Ever work a job like that? I felt lucky on one job I had where they would pay sick days, but only if you'd been out for 3 days (consequtive).

There's a lot of people out of work in this day and age, and a lot of people who are working, who are one emergency away from total meltdown. Right now, you and I aren't among those people. I am extremely grateful, every single day. Each night, I offer up a "thank you" for my health, my well-being, and the security I have.

Try it sometime; you'd be surprised at how things will turn around for you.

 

[BOP]

I agree with DynCorp. Why should any company be expected to pay someone wages when they are not working. Paid leave is a benefit and if you are off more hours in a year than you have accrued it should cost you and not the company. If you want a full paycheck during winter months. Save some leave to cover snow days. If you want a full paycheck during times of illness then make sure you save some accrued leave to cover that too.

You need to get a grip.

You say that, but you're easy, so why should anybody listen to you?

 

[BOP]

Use the Force Dook........

I was wondering what butt-slammer posted. I figured it was another cut-and-paste job. Imagine my surprise.

Here's to nonothing: even a blind squirrel can find a nut if he sniffs around long enough.