4- Where we stand now

 As of right now, there is a draft of a contract in existence.  This contract simply writes down all of the expectations of a Business Agent, Organizer, or Dispatcher exactly as they are currently being performed with two exceptions.  First, it adds in a Just Cause clause, protecting the jobs of the people who have been successfully fulfilling those jobs to date.  Second, it adds in sick leave at a reasonable rate.  The very agents who fight for others to have sick leave were not guaranteed any of their own.  If they weren't feeling well, they would call in and it would be forwarded to the E-Board to approve or deny.  If it was denied then the little vacation time they earned was docked for the sick time.  Uh, What? 

The contract protected the union as well.  If the Agents were not doing their jobs as outlined in the contract then the union had just cause to fire them.  

There are do's and don'ts on the side of the company/management when it comes to employees deciding to organize and form or join a union.  One big NO-NO is intimidating the employees into NOT organizing.  Walmart is notorious for busting organizing employees.  While they don't directly intimidate employees, if they catch wind of union organizing, they have been known to shut down and lay off or fire entire departments- meat cutters for example.  

HBM has already crossed that line.  See HBM made many campaign promises to his friends- he would hire them on as Business Agents so they could work with him.  He would then have people whose perception of him he could control.  With the current Agents being covered by a contract, he can't fire everyone and bring his drinking buddies on.   He has threatened Agents (why he picked the biggest strongest agent to threaten over the phone 10 minutes after he had been nice to him in person is beyond me) in an attempt to disuade them from organizing.  

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