|
Section
A. Workforce Training
Program
1.
Commitments
The parties are
committed to:
a.
the Company’s workforce being sufficiently skilled so that all
Bargaining Unit Work can be performed in accordance with this Agreement
by Employees; and
b.
Employees receiving sufficient training to allow for all
reasonable opportunities to progress within the workforce and maximize
their skills to the greatest extent possible.
2.
Plant
Training Committees
a.
Appointment and Composition
The parties shall establish a Plant Training Committee at each of
the Company’s facilities. The
Plant Training Committee shall be composed of three (3) Union
representatives who are Employees of the Company and an equal number of
Company representatives. The
Company members of each Plant Training Committee shall include the Plant
Manager (who shall serve as the Company Co-Chair).
The Company Members of the Committee shall be selected and serve
at the pleasure of the Plant Manager. The Union members of each Plant
Training Committee shall include the Local Union President/Unit Chair
(who shall serve as the Union Co-Chair). The Union Members of the
Committee shall be selected and serve at the pleasure of the Local Union
President/Unit Chair at the plant.
b.
Staff
Each Plant Training
Committee shall have one (1) full time Training Coordinator who will be
responsible for coordination and oversight of the Training Program.
The Training Coordinator will be an Employee selected by and
serving at the pleasure of the Chair of the Union Negotiating Committee
and the Corporate Manager of Labor Relations, it being understood that
the Union Committee Chair shall consult with the Local Union President(s)/Unit
Chair(s) at the plant
of the Company.
The Training Coordinator shall be compensated in the same manner
as the Contract Coordinators referred to in Article Six, Section C of
this Agreement.
3.
Study of Workforce Training Needs
Within six (6) months
of the Effective Date, each Plant Training Committee shall complete a
report (Report) of the expected training needs of the workforce over the
term of the Agreement, given the Commitments outlined in Paragraph 1
above. Such Report shall
include Findings and Recommendations as described below.
a.
Findings
(1)
an age and service profile and the anticipated attrition rates of
the workforce over the life of the Agreement;
(2)
an assessment of the current skill requirements (both
competencies and force levels) of the plant, the availability of such
skill requirements within the existing workforce and any training
practices or programs necessary to bring the competencies and/or force
levels of the current workforce into prompt conformity with the
plant’s current skill requirements;
(3)
an evaluation of the appropriateness of existing training
programs and the necessity of developing additional training programs,
giving due consideration to changing technology and future skill needs;
(4)
an examination of current overtime levels and an assessment of
whether Employees in certain positions are working excessive overtime;
(5)
an examination of methods by which productivity can be improved
through additional training of Employees;
(6)
an examination of the plant's business plan, including projected
capital spending, planned or potential new technology or technological
change and other relevant factors over the term of the Agreement; and
(7)
an assessment of the work practices and the training practices at the plant, as
compared to those of other steel producers represented by the
Union
.
b.
Recommendations
Based on its Findings,
the Plant Training Committee shall develop a comprehensive training
program, including a detailed implementation plan and all necessary
resources for administration, implementation, delivery and evaluation
(Training Program) designed to, on a practical and timely basis, meet
the commitments outlined in Paragraph 1 above.
c.
Update
Each year the Plant
Training Committee shall prepare an Update that reviews the Findings and
modifies them based on changed circumstances, measures the success of
the Training Program against its objectives and modifies the Training
Program accordingly.
d.
Separate Statements
The Report and each
Update will include separate statements by the parties with respect to
any Finding or Recommendation as to which they disagree.
4.
Action
by the Chairs of the Negotiating Committee
a.
Within thirty (30) days of receipt of the Report or an Update,
the Chair of the Union Negotiating Committee and the Chair of the
Company Negotiating Committee shall approve a Training Program or Update
(including modifications upon which they can agree) or submit those
matters on which they do not agree to an Arbitrator, pursuant to
procedures to be agreed upon by the parties.
b.
The
dispute will be resolved on the basis of a final offer submission by the
parties at a hearing. The arbitrator will determine which of the
submissions best meets the Commitments outlined in Paragraph 1 above, in
light of the Findings referred to in Paragraph 3(a) above. The
arbitrator shall have the power to determine the procedures pursuant to
which the hearing is conducted.
5.
Administration
and Union Role
a.
In
accordance with Section A1. and to facilitate the provisions of Section
3b. of this Article, each Plant Training Committee shall jointly oversee
the administration and delivery of its Training Program, the expenditure
of Company funds necessary for its operation, and an annual audit of
such activity.
b.
In the event that the Union members of the Plant Training
Committee propose that the Union or its designee take responsibility for
any or all aspects of the administration, delivery, or implementation of
the Training Program, the Company members of the Committee shall give
recognition to the special advantages that such Union responsibility
would contribute to the Training Program, including but not limited to
the knowledge of the Union concerning the Program and its development,
the familiarity of the Union with the capabilities and learning styles
of Employees, and the added credibility that Union responsibility would
add to the Program. Any
dispute over aspects of the administration, delivery, or implementation
of the Program shall be a matter for resolution under paragraph 7 below.
6.
Safeguards and Resources
a.
The Company shall provide the members of the Plant Training
Committee and the Training Coordinator with such training as is
necessary to enable them to perform their responsibilities under this
Section with a high degree of competence.
Employee participation in the Plant Training Committee shall
normally occur during normal work hours.
All meeting time and necessary and reasonable expenses of the
Plant Training Committee shall be paid for by the Company and Employees
attending such meetings shall be compensated in accordance with standard
local plant understandings.
b.
Union members of the Plant Training Committee shall be entitled
to adequate opportunity on Company time to caucus for purposes of study,
preparation, consultation and review, and shall be compensated in the
same manner as set forth in Paragraph (a) above.
Requests for caucus time shall be made to the appropriate Company
representative in a timely manner, and such requests shall not be
unreasonably denied.
c.
To the extent that Company facilities are available and
appropriate for Training Program activities, they will be made
available.
In addition to the matters covered by
the dispute resolution procedure described in Paragraph 4 above, in the
event that the Plant Training Committee is unable to reach agreement on
any matter involving the Training Program, the Plant Training Committee
shall appoint the arbitrator referred to in Paragraph 4(a) to resolve
such dispute. The
further details of this procedure shall be as agreed to by the Plant
Training Committee unless they are unable to reach such agreement, in
which case they shall be determined by the arbitrator.
ARTICLE
SEVEN – TRAINING
Section
B. Institute for Career
Development
1.
Establishment
The
Union
and the Company hereby establish the USWA/ISG Institute for Career
Development (the Institute) which,
in conjunction with similar programs negotiated by the
Union
with various other employers, will be administered under the rules and
procedures of the Institute for Career Development (ICD).
2.
Purpose
The purpose of the
Institute is to provide resources and support services for the
education, training and personal development of the Employees of the
Company, including upgrading their basic skills and educational levels.
3.
Guiding Principles
The Institute and ICD
shall be administered in a manner consistent with the following
principles:
a.
workers must play a significant role in the design and
development of their jobs, their training and education and their
working environment;
b.
workers should be capable of reacting to change, challenge and
opportunity and this requires ongoing training, education and growth;
and
c.
worker growth and development can only succeed in an atmosphere
of voluntary participation in self-designed and self-directed training
and education.
4.
Financing
The Institute will be
financed by $0.15 for each hour worked by all Employees. The parties
will also seek and use funds from federal, state and local governmental
agencies.
5.
Administration
a.
The Institute will be administered jointly by the Company and the
Union
in accordance with procedures, rules, regulations and policies agreed to
by the parties.
b.
Training is separately provided for in the Agreement.
The Company may, however, contract with the Institute to provide
services and resources in support of such training.
c.
The Company agrees to participate fully as a member of ICD in
accordance with policies, rules and regulations established by the ICD.
The Company’s financial contributions to the Institute will continue
to be separately tracked. ICD will continue to be under the joint
supervision of the
Union
and participating employers with a Governing Board consisting of an
equal number of
Union
and employer appointees.
6.
Reporting, Auditing, Accountability and Oversight
The
following minimum requirements shall govern reporting, auditing,
accountability and oversight of the funds provided for in Paragraph 4.
a.
Reporting
(1)
For each calendar year quarter, and within thirty (30) days of
the close of such quarter, the Company shall account to the ICD, the
International Union President and the Chair of the Union Negotiating
Committee for all changes in the financial condition of the Institute.
Such reports shall be on form(s) developed by the Institute
broken down by plant and shall include at least the following
information:
(a)
The Company's contribution, an explanation thereof and the
cumulative balance; and
(b)
a detailed breakdown of actual expenditures related to approved
program activities during said quarter.
(2)
The Union Co-Chairs of each of the Local Joint Committees shall
receive a report with the same information for their plant or Local
Union, as the case may be.
b.
Auditing
The
Company or the Union may, for good reason, request an audit of the
Company reports described in Paragraph 6(a) above and of the underlying
Institute activities made in accordance with the following: (1) the
Company and the Union shall jointly select an independent outside
auditor; (2) the reasonable fees and expenses of the auditor shall be
paid from ICD funds and (3) the scope of audits may be Company-wide,
plant-specific, or on any other reasonable basis.
c.
Approval and Oversight
Each
year, the Local Joint Committees shall submit a proposed
training/education plan to the Chairs of the Union and Company
Negotiating Committees or their designees.
Upon their approval, said plans shall be submitted to the
Institute. The Institute
must approve the plan before any expenditure in connection with any
activities may be charged against the funds provided for in this
Agreement. An expenditure
shall not be charged against such funds until such expenditure is
actually made.
7.
Dispute Resolution Mechanism
a.
Any dispute regarding the administration of the Institute at the
Company or plant level shall be subject to expedited resolution by the
Chairs of the Union and Company Negotiating Committees and the Executive
Director of ICD who shall apply the policies, rules and regulations of
the Governing Board and the provisions of this Section in ruling on any
such dispute. Rulings of the Executive Director may be appealed to the
Governing Board, but shall become and remain effective unless stayed or
reversed by the Governing Board.
b.
Within sixty (60) days of the Effective Date, the parties will
develop an expedited dispute resolution mechanism that resolves disputes
within two (2) weeks.
|