EMNJ24-31

January 26 2002

Many thanks go out to all the members and their families who came to the Union Hall today and helped make picket signs. It was not only productive, but we had fun too.

Monday, the committee will be spending the day preparing for their meeting with the company on Tuesday. We will certainly be getting as much information about what happens at these meetings to the membership as soon as possible, and hopefully, in a variety of ways. Be patient, and hang in there.

January 24, 2002

Believe it or not, we met with the company today, the first meeting since January 9th. Even though it lasted less than two hours, it was much more productive than the previous meetings. The company was way more cooperative today, which is a far cry from last time. Mostly, information requests regarding local proposals were exchanged. It was agreed that we would begin meeting each day starting on Tuesday, January 29th. They even agreed to put all the operators on the committee on straight days. So, now we can finally get to down to some serious work. Stay tuned for daily updates.

January 29, 2002

The meeting today with the company was mostly uneventful. The discussions continue to be amicable. Information on proposals was exchanged. It's doubtful that any movement will be made until the National Pattern is set. As always we'll keep you informed of any changes.

Due to numerous inquiries, for your information, thrift fund loans will not be granted during a work stoppage. Refer any questions about loans and withdrawls to benefits administration.

January 30, 2002

At this time, regardless of the rumors that the company is spreading, there have been no offers, therefore, all demands are still on the table. As proof of their inflexibility, they have refused to even consider several of our proposals. Although the other ExxonMobil sites have received offers from their local management, we have yet to receive any offer, which makes it impossible to determine exactly were the company stands on local issues.

Some of the issues you may not be aware of are:

~The company wants to severely curtail the Union’s right to handle our business.

~The company doesn’t want to compensate us for working through lunch, call-outs prior to scheduled shift (premium time) and putting us on posted or temporary schedules at their beckon call.

~Opening the door for favoritism on the call-out procedure.

There is another meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 31st at 7:30 am.

On the International front, there was another offer made by Shell to their locations.

They proposed a three-year contract term from February 1, 2002 through January 31, 2005. It is offering an hourly wage increase of 60 cents per hour the first year, 3 percent the second year and 3.5 percent the third year. Proposed an increase to shift differential of 75-cents per hour and $1.25-per-hour, respectively. Also proposing to increase the existing the existing occupational death benefit of $250,000 to $350,000 for work-related death.

This offer was formally rejected today.

Stay tuned….