By clicking on this link you'll be able to read Lionbridge Contract proposal of September 21, 2015.
As we are all mostly concerned about how the 'at least 15 days of paid time off' is implemented, we have also reproduced below article 7 Paid Time Off (page 7). We think the way it is presently worded raises some issues and needs some clarification. We also have some concerns about the two pages of article 4 "Grievance procedure" (page 4 and 5) that seems to abolish any possibility to file a charge with NLRB: any dissent with Lionbridge would have to be 'arbitrated by an arbitrator' at a cost the union could not afford instead of the free and objective process with NLRB. We are not sure either about article 5.3 about Confidentiality: it could mean we are prevented to voice any concern publicly and we could not accept such a 'gag order'.
As much as we want the 15 days of paid time off to be implemented as soon as possible, we think this should not be obtained with the loss of very fundamental rights.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Microsoft: Stop paid leave discrimination
Sign this petition on coworker.org
Microsoft: Stop paid leave discrimination
To: Microsoft
Extend paid holidays and paid parental leave policies to all Microsoft's supplier's employees.
On March 26, Brad Smith, Microsoft Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs, announced that Microsoft would now require its suppliers to provide 'at least 15 days of paid time off' to their employees, as "paid time off matters".
On August 5, Kathleen Hogan, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, announced that Microsoft wanted to support its employees with benefits that matter the most to them: therefore Microsoft was adding two days to its present list of 8 paid holidays (MLK Day and President's Day) and extending its paid parental leave policy to 12 weeks. Unfortunately, those new benefits were not extended to the other half of Microsoft's workforce: the thousands of people who work full time for Microsoft via suppliers as many of the contractors don't provide any paid holidays nor any paid parental leave.
The direct, very negative consequences of this new policy will be a two day cut in pay, worth millions of dollars, for all the supplier's employees that are not being able to work on the two new unpaid holidays and the bitter confirmation that while Microsoft cares for its direct employees having parental leave they don't give a damn about the way their 2000 suppliers provide (or most often don't) any paid parental leave nor paid holidays. As the Department of Labor recently confirmed: the lack of paid leave disproportionally impacts low wage workers.
Were the savings made by Microsoft by adding two unpaid holidays planned to finance the new extended paid parental leave? Should the suppliers and their lowest paid workers take a pay cut to offset the cost of extended parental leave for the privileged better compensated employees?
While Brad Smith expressed in March a concern to reduce the inequality of treatment between employees, Kathleen Hogan's announcement is going in the exact opposite direction.
This shocking situation is made even more so by Microsoft's attempt to include Martin Luther King Jr within their corporate culture, as they finally add MLK Day to their list of paid holiday.
It took 30 years for Microsoft to recognize a holiday implemented as paid holiday since 1986 and the way it will work is going to penalize the lowest earners, the complete opposite of Martin Luther' King's vision!
At the end of her announcement, Kathleen Hogan writes: "We will continue to listen to employee feedback to establish benefits and build an overall employee experience that raises the bar in our industry, creates a more inclusive environment, and recognizes the importance of our people to the continued success of Microsoft."
Please sign this petition to let her know your concern about the lack of consideration Microsoft shows for all the people working via suppliers that are discriminated against and ask that Microsoft extend its new paid holidays and paid parental leave policies to all its suppliers employees, the other half of Microsoft
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