March 25, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As of this communication, Boeing Leadership plans on moving forward and keeping our site operational, building aircraft. I am in contact with Larry Weng daily for continuous updates. Please continue to check on “Between the Blades,” The Boeing website, The Company’s Emergency Hotline number (800-899-6431), and our UAW Local 1069 website (uawlocal1069.org) for new information on this serious pandemic we are facing. Your union leadership will share any and all information as we receive updates from The Company.
In addition, please continue to use safe hygiene practices such as hand washing/sanitizing, wearing protective gloves and masks if available and when applicable, and follow recommendations for social distancing.
Also, we have made many suggestions to Boeing Leaders on measures they can take in regards to keeping our employees safe. It has been communicated to me that beginning next week they will ask for volunteers in some areas to go onto alternative shifts to address social distancing guidelines. The Company will also discuss seeking out volunteers to “loan” into the Labor Pool to assist with the cleaning of “high touch” areas. We believe this is a good start in addressing the safeguards and needs of ALL employees at our site. We welcome any suggestions and feedback from our workforce. We thank our UAW Local 1069 members for your understanding and patience during this extraordinary and difficult time.
In addition, I have been in touch with the law firm we closely work with, Pond, Lehockey, Stern, and Giordano. They have set up a “COVID-19 Hotline” number for our employees to call with concerns such as workers’ compensation, layoffs, unemployment rights, and social security disability (short term/long term) due to this current pandemic. For further information, please contact them at 267-606-4343.
Furthermore, there is a service available to employees here at our site called “Bright Horizons.” This service is an external company that offers services such as child care assistance, elder care resources, and help with finding sitters, nannies, and housekeepers. For more information of what we are eligible for and how much money we will be allotted for these services, go onto the “work life” website and enter “Bright Horizons” in the search bar. You can also contact them at 877-242-2737 to speak with a live consultant 24/7/365. This service is only available to us due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Lastly, there will be a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for this quarter of $0.04 effective April 3, 2020. The current maximum COLA for this unit is $0.71.
Important Reminder: Our UAW Local 1069 Women’s’ Committee made a mindful decision to cancel our Easter Egg Hunt which was to be held at our hall on April 4, 2020. We sincerely thank them for the hard work they already have put into this event.
In Solidarity,
Michael Tolassi
President
UAW Local 1069
