MADISON, Wis. — With job security being called "the big issue" by its employee union, CUNA Mutual Group was slated to begin its first preliminary contract talks last week with representatives of Local 39 of the Office & Professional Employees International Union AFL-CIO.
Union officials claimed the Feb. 8 meeting dealing with schedules and ground rules "would give us an idea of the company's attitude on key issues" prior to the start of formal bargaining set to take place before the expiration of CMG's existing OPEIU contract on March 31.
"We certainly don't look for a repeat of three years ago when we went without a contract for a year and a half," said Debi Eveland, business agent for the union, which for weeks has complained about CMG layoffs and policies toward outside contract workers on the premises of CMG's Madison campus.
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On a new union billboard that went up last month on a Madison highway and in comments to the local media, the 950-member Local 39 has warned CMG is prepared to relocate its main operations to Waverly, Iowa following a merger of two insurance affiliates last September. CMG management has contended that it "looks forward to the start of bargaining with the union," but has vigorously denied the relocation claim, calling the union warning "pre-negotiation posturing."
The union argues CMG has laid off 650 employees over the last two years with more to come, considering "CUNA Mutual has a new home in Waverly, Iowa" plus a Fort Worth, Texas facility housing 800 employees between them.
Taken together, the Waverly/Fort Worth operations and the use of outside workers "means the company makes more money using cheaper labor and our local economy suffers as comparable paying jobs are in short supply in our community," charged the union.
Late last week, CMG said it anticipates halting "any further public comments about negotiations."
"We believe strongly that bargaining success will be measured at the table and not be influenced by outside distractions," a statement read, adding, "our goal is to come to an agreement that will be ratified by membership and ultimately helps CUNA Mutual become more competitive."
The CMG statement concluded that it indeed wants to avoid the "rancor and disruption" that occurred during previous negotiations.
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