July 3, 2008

 

S&P Chooses To Subcontract Work of Its Mail Services/Facilities Services/Shared Services

 

In an effort to garner additional savings—while adding “pennies” to its bottom line—S&P made a decision yesterday to subcontract out the work for 26 of its lowest-tier wage earners.  Some 60 days from now, S&P’s mailroom, maintenance facilities, and audio-visual departments will be handed over to a company that specializes in handling these duties. 

 

S&P said this outsourcing company would give preference (but would not guarantee) the rehire of our Guild members into the new—and what they referred to as reconfigured—jobs at the outsourced company. S&P did not give any wage or benefit proposals for most of these jobs. But one can only assume that they will be lower, not higher. However, and according to the document received by the Guild, the headcount would be reduced from twenty-six (26) to fifteen (15). From this, one can only extrapolate: Expect more work, less pay, less in benefits—and, of course, no union representation.

 

The affected job classifications to be eliminated include:

§           Clerk (10)

§           Maintenance Worker (4)

§           Assistant Supervisor (3)

§           Audio Visual Technician (3)

§           Operations Supervisor (2)

§           Clerical Assistant (2)

§           Administrative Assistant (1)

§           Messenger (1)

 

Under the new subcontracting language negotiated by the Guild during the last round of bargaining, all employees affected by this action have an option to take an enhanced severance package, which--depending on their length of service to S&P--includes up to fifty-seven (57) weeks of severance pay.

 

Looking for Additional Volunteers

 

If a Guild member in an affected classification is interested in leaving the company, contact Unit Chairperson Ed Fannon (3-3804) or Grievance Chairperson Randye Gilliam (3-3806) for a confidential evaluation of your particular situation. Any employee who would like to explore a severance package even if they don't hold one of the affected job titles should also contact Ed or Randye.  In this case, there is no enhanced severance option for the volunteers--at least right now. We hope that will change.

 

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7/3/08