Union Members Say No Twenty Percent Raise Since 2011

In an interview with B.E.L.’s Public Relations Manager on Tuesday, Vonetta Burrell informed that the company ensured that its employees were being paid, despite losing money consistently since 2011.   According to Burrell, the staff has been receiving twenty percent average increase, along with annual bonuses of about six percent for the past four years.  We asked Mora to confirm the validity of that statement.  He, in turn, put it to the membership of the union.  Here’s how that played out.

Isani Cayetano

“Now the representative for the company, the public relations manager, in an interview with me on Tuesday, mentioned that contrary to what you guys are saying that you haven’t received any adjustments for the past five years that even when the company was not as viable as it is today that they still bent over backwards to accommodate and facilitate salaries and what have you and other benefits.  Can I get a response from you with regards to that?”

Marvin Mora, President, BEWU

“Over the past four years, who here received twenty percent increase eena dehn salary?  Ah wahn sih di hands.”

Marvin Mora

Protestors

“Nobody, nobody.”

Marvin Mora

“Dat da yo ansa bredda, right from the horses’ mouths.  Any other thing weh yo wahn ask mi?”

Isani Cayetano

“Now essentially there was a refutation, if I may, of the position that the union took as of Monday with regards to this particular action, that the company is indeed flexible and has come to you guys with certain conditions that they seem that are not unfair, contrary to what you were saying.  I think it also has to do with the sickouts and other benefits that you guys were asking for.”

Marvin Mora

“Actually we’re not asking for those benefits.  Those benefits have been there since King Hatchet was a hammer.  These benefits are part and parcel of what the company has in their package when somebody wants to apply at B.E.L. they already know these are the things that they will benefit from the company.  So we don’t see why we have to give up any of our benefits to get any benefits.  We believe and this crowd believes that we earned what we are asking for.  We’re just being diplomatic in our way and pursuing the path to get to it which is actually negotiations.”