August / September 2017 Volume XXII No 7

Retail Stores and Self Check-Outs

By President David Durbin, Sr.

Recently I was in a local grocery store with my wife to pick up a couple of items. As we got to the check-out area, only three cashier lines were open. The remaining four or five lanes were all self-check-out lanes! There were people waiting in line to purchase their items at the cashier lines. But at the self-check-out lines, no one. My wife asked why would we wait in line to purchase our couple of items when we could go to the self-check-out lanes with no waiting. If you have had the chance to go to many of our grocery stores and retail stores, you have noticed the self-check-out lanes. Some grocery stores have even instituted lanes where there are no longer a need for baggers, the cashier rings up your item and puts it directly into a bag. These are all ways designed to eliminate jobs. Grocery clerks and baggers are not needed! This saves companies big bucks. It cuts down on their wage costs, vacation and costs of insuranc-es. With most companies already making big money, they are forever looking for more ways to save more! Not to even mention, these retail and grocery jobs help many of the high school kids make some money. It takes away from an adult trying earning a living, or help out their families, in some cases. We must do more to help. We must stop using these self-check-out stations and wait in line for a cashier to ring up your order. It’s nice to have a friendly conversation with them or just see a smile. Today too many of them are over worked and under paid. Please help in this cause.

Automated Tellers And Soda from Mexico in the Middletown Café

By Paul Dickes Eurest Dining Services has been eliminating jobs under the disguise of automated tellers (2). They say they are not but they are now down by three peo-ple. With the increase in employment at Pratt & Whit-ney, they should be hiring more people to make the lines shorter. Seven years ago when we had far less employ-ees, they had ten people working. They outsourced the salads and sandwiches located by the soups. Now they are outsourcing the cashiers with automated tellers. They used to have several other food stations open! Now what they have are longer lines, less selection of food stations, and less employees to service the peo-ple. Oh remember the barbecues outside? Where have they gone? The salad bar used to have a better selection and rarely ran out of food. Eurest Dining Services is not giving the service that they used to and they are making money hand over fist. Finally they have been told there employees there will be repercussions if they say anything about the self-checkout or discourage it. This is America and we still can say what we want. Eurest Dining Services in their infinite wisdom have decided to buy some of their Coca-Cola products from Mexico. By doing this, they are taking away good paying American jobs. So when you pick up a Coke product at the café, look at the bottle and make sure it say’s Made in the USA. BUY AMERICAN! Tell Eurest Dining Services management you want better services, more employees, no self-checkout stations (hire more people) and to treat their employees with RESPECT!!!!

Support our Union Sisters and Brothers at UNITE HERE!!!!

C.A.N.E.L. Lodge 700 Website www.iam700.org

Officers President………………..David Durbin Sr. Vice President………….Luther Collins Recording Secretary…...Shirley Dickes Secretary Treasurer…...Robert Deegan Conductor/Sentinel……Nancylee Waters Trustee…………………Joseph Arabas Trustee…………………Paul Dickes Trustee…………………William Neil

Contributing Editors of COMPASS Robert Brzozowski - Educator Shirley Dickes Carl Peterson - Communicator Melvin Tripp

Shop Committee Chairman David Durbin Sr. 1st Shift Mel Tripp 2nd Shift Joseph Arabas William Neil 3rd Shift Robert Deegan

C.A.N.E.L. Lodge 700 Website www.iam700.org

Officers President………………..David Durbin Sr. Vice President………….Mel Tripp Recording Secretary…...Shirley Dickes Secretary Treasurer…...Robert Deegan Conductor/Sentinel……Doug Campbell Trustee…………………Joseph Arabas Trustee…………………Paul Dickes Trustee…………………Mark Harrison

Contributing Editors of COMPASS Shirley Dickes Paul Dickes Mel Tripp

Shop Committee Chairman David Durbin Sr. 1st Shift Mel Tripp - Frank Checko 2nd Shift Joseph Arabas - Mike Frei 3rd Shift Robert Deegan

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Next Monthly Meeting is Sunday

October 8th @ 10:00 AM

In Memory Of Our Departed Members

Retirees

Jim Delude

Virginia Adams

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District 26 MNPL Dinner

By Shirley Dickes

Save the Date! Saturday, September 23rd, District 26 will be holding the MNPL Dinner at Lo-cal Lodge 1746 in East Hartford. “The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League is the political arm of the International As-sociation of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. It was created in 1947 to allow IAM members to gather individual contributions, coordinate politi-cal activity, and elect candidates who support IAM members and their families. Candidates we support know that the MNPL stands for economic justice, security in the work-place and equality for every member. They do not take us for granted. The MNPL scrutinizes each candidate thor-oughly. We ask tough questions such as their posi-tions on trade, labor law reform, economic conver-sion, transportation policies, and enhancement of the U.S. manufacturing base.” (From the IAM Po-litical and Legislative Department) This dinner is to say thank you to those members who have donated $9.10 a month to the IAM’s Ma-chinists Non-Partisan Political League. The money received from our members are used to help elect those candidates who support working family is-sues, our issues. They need not be Democrats nor Republicans. We originally called it the “91 Club” be-cause at the time we were District 91. Then Direct-ing Business Rep Jim Parent asked the members to consider making a donation of $9.10 a month and we would hold the dinner in September as a thank you. Continued on page 3 District 26 MNPL Dinner

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Addiction By Christopher Goodale, Local Lodge 700 EAP Coordinator

When someone suffers from a drug or alcohol addiction, they are unable to stop using the substance even though it is causing problems in their daily lives. While they may intellectually understand the damage they are do-ing to themselves and those around them, they feel a compulsive need to continue their behavior despite the consequences. Many will even insist they don’t have a problem, as denial is a hallmark of drug abuse and alcoholism. You can’t live with an addict and not become sick as well. I have never encountered an addicted per-son who prior to their first drink or drug said “I’m going to drink this or pop that, and hope I end up homeless or living under a bridge”. It never hap-pens that way. The first drink or drug is usually their downfall and will lead them down the road to a long and disastrous ending. What started out feel-ing great would slowly turn on them. The fun that was associated with using will be replaced by the progression of addiction. It is a progression. No person takes a handful of opiates their first time, or drinks a fifth of whisky. Your body’s tolerance goes up as you use. This requires more of the sub-stance to get that feeling they experienced when they started using. What started out being, in some cases your best friend, has slowly become your en-emy. Addiction destroys more than the individu-als that are using. Addiction is also a family disease that stresses the family to the breaking point. It im-pacts the stability of the home, the family’s unity, mental and physical health, finances and overall family dynamics. The alcohol or drug user, as well as the family members, may bend, manipulate and deny reality in their attempt to maintain a family order that gradually slips away. I once read that “addiction will be under-stood as a disease, when those of us who love someone suffering with addiction stop hiding it as though it’s a disgrace”

If you or someone you love is suffering from alcohol or drug addiction, please find the courage to call me or another professional and get the treatment required to break the cycle of addic-tion. Helpful Links for family and friends of addicts: Al-anon.org / for family members of alcoholics Nar-anon / for family members of addicts Gam-anon / for family members of gamblers

Continued from page 2 District 26 MNPL Dinner

At the dinner, invited guests from our East-ern Territories office along with local politicians we have supported that year would be invited to stop in and say thank you. The money is strictly a donation not coming from any dues money. It is any amount you wish to contribute. By donating $9.10 a month, we would hold this dinner to say thank you for your help. It has been a few years since the last dinner. Invitations have gone out to those members who have contributed $9.10 a month. We hope to see you on Saturday, September 23rd. If you are interested in joining MNPL, please ask any shop

steward for information.

Making A Difference By Shirley Dickes

A donation was made for the school chil-dren of Middletown. Local Lodge 700 and its

Community Services Committee purchased school supplies that were donated to the Zion Baptist Church in Middletown. Paper, folders, notebooks,

pencils, pens and backpacks were purchased and brought to the Church, making a difference.

82 Saybrook Road Higganum, CT. 06441

Phone: 860-345-2098 Email: paul.dickes@sbcglobal.net

Mourn for the Dead

Fight For the Living

You can make a

difference MONTHLY EH&S REPORT

C. A.N.E.L . LODGE 700 est . in 1959

To view the full Monthly EHS report, go to iam700.org click on Safety Representative then Monthly Report.

Respectively submitted Chief Union Safety Representative Paul Dickes.

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August September Month Report 9/10/17

Water testing at the union hall was completed in August and the results met all the state and local regulatory require-ments.

Why did we have a Safety Stand-Down on Septem-ber 8th for slip trips and falls? We have had over 106 injuries this year counting the ones from 2016 that went recordable or turned into lost time cases. Of the 106 cases, 44 of them are significant with 30 becoming recordable cases and 14 are members who have lost time from work. Of the 106 injuries, we have had 16 people who had slips, trips and falls and several of those are broken bones and people are out of work or have lost time. As you can see in the numbers, here is a breakdown by age, years of service and the total number of in-

juries for the year. We are having too many injuries! Why? I do not know but we, as a membership, need to look for EH&S issues and report EH&S issues. If you see a Hazard, report a Hazard.

Years of service

STF First aid Recorda-

ble Lost time

31 + 7 4 2 1

16-20 3 3

11-15 3 1 1 1

1-4 2 1 1

<1 1 1

Age STF First aid Recorda-

ble Lost time

60+ 3 1 1 1

50-59 9 5 2 2

40-49 4 3 1

First aid Recorda- Lost time

62 30 14 Total Number injuries Middletown Site

In recent weeks I have received repor ts from members about people speeding and not stopping at stop signs and traffic lights in the parking lots and on the road ways. Please slow down! We all want to get out of work and go home or to wherev-er after work. If you hit someone driving or walk-ing you could severely injure someone. Please fol-low the traffic laws in and outside of Pratt & Whit-ney. As a volunteer firefighter I have been at accidents with people severely injured. For a crash 25-40 miles an hour injuries are moderate to severe. Driving 50 plus miles an hour, injuries are severe to fatal. Do you want that on your conscience that you in-jured a co-worker or worse yet killed a co-worker? Please slow down and follow the traffic laws.

The company has come up with a new twist with Workers Compensation. They said they will start accepting all light duty cases. They will even try to get you to change your restrictions so you can come into work so they won’t have to pay workers compensation. Buyer beware! If you come in and work out of your restrictions or exceed your restrictions, you might seriously injure yourself. So follow your restrictions to the letter.