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Fred Meyer, Teamsters reach tentative agreement on October 4, 2011

PUYALLUP (Oct. 4) — Teamster grocery warehouse workers reached a tentative 3-year agreement with Fred Meyer late yesterday afternoon for a contract affecting 362 workers at Fred Meyer’s grocery distribution center in Puyallup.

The Union’s bargaining committee, which consists of nine rank-and-file members and five Union staff, unanimously recommends that the membership approve the proposed settlement. The workers will vote on whether to ratify the agreement on October 15 and October 16.

Teamsters Local 117’s Secretary-Treasurer, Tracey A. Thompson, commented on the tentative agreement:

“We are pleased that Fred Meyer ultimately came to the table yesterday ready to bargain. I want to thank our Teamsters brothers and sisters and our many community partners for their incredible support. In the end, it was the strength and solidarity of the Fred Meyer workers that really mattered. These workers were willing to risk their livelihoods to achieve a fair contract, which is what made this recommended offer possible.”  

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Southern California grocery workers
ratify collective bargaining agreement

Los Angeles (Sept. 24, 2011) — Grocery workers from seven UFCW local unions voted on Friday and Saturday to ratify a contract that took nearly eight months to negotiate and had Californians from Mammoth to the Mexican border preparing for what appeared to be an imminent strike.

As recommended by the Union leadership, the members voted to approve an agreement that was reached on Sept. 19 with negotiators from Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons and UFCW Locals 8, 135, 324, 770, 1167, 1428 and 1442.

This is a pooled vote of all the local unions in Southern California. In keeping with the union’s longstanding policy, the actual numbers are not being released.

The widespread impact of the averted crisis was evident in the faces of those who voted throughout Southern California. Business leaders, clergy, community activists and politicians ultimately played a role in the grocery workers’ struggle to preserve affordable health care as the campaign reached into local neighborhoods for public support.

Many saw the impending fight as part of an ongoing struggle to preserve middleclass values, predicting that the outcome would affect workers in many industries well into the future. Despite an awareness of the battle’s historical significance, the grocery workers in Southern California were anxious to see how the final agreement would impact them directly.

“There was a sense of relief when people had a opportunity to really look over the new contract and see what was in it,” said food clerk Mario Frias, a 22-year Ralph's employee.

“This package protects our members’ access to affordable comprehensive health care for themselves and their families,” union leaders said. “That was our top priority throughout the negotiating process.

“We owe our success to our members, who stood united and strong, and to all of our loyal customers who pledged their support for the workers.”

The new contract affects approximately 62,000 workers in a region that spans between Kern, Inyo and Mono Counties in the north, the Mexican border in the south and the Arizona border in the east. Its term will extend from March 7, 2011, to March 2, 2014.

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UFCW LOCAL 367 WALKED IN SUPPORT OF TACOMA TEACHERS

Tacoma teachers were on strike over the Tacoma School Board and district administration’s push for larger class sizes, teacher pay cuts and a teacher staffing policy that was said to be subjective, discriminatory and unfair.

While Tacoma teachers walked the picket line, their school district administration was filing court documents against them.

Local 367 was proud to lend its support to our Teachers Union brothers and sisters!

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TEAMSTERS WORKERS FORCED TO TAKE A STRIKE VOTE WHILE KROGER HAS RECORD PROFITS

Hundreds of Teamsters 117 members employed at the Fred Meyer Grocery Distribution Center in Puyallup voted in over-whelming numbers to authorize a strike. The vote took place at the Teamsters hall in Tacoma.

“This vote demonstrates that Teamsters at Fred Meyer are willing to fight for a contract that provides benefits for themselves and their families that meet the area standards set by other grocery companies,” said Tracey A. Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117.

Teamsters at three other grocery warehouses – Safeway, SuperValu, and Unified Grocers – voted to ratify their contracts last week, leaving Fred Meyer as the only Teamster grocery house in the area that has not settled its contract.

Bargaining between the Teamsters and Fred Meyer started on June 8. The parties have met five times and are scheduled to negotiate again on August 15. The contract between the Union and Fred Meyer covers 362 employees. The parties have signed an extension agreement through midnight of August 15. The facility serves approximately 140 stores.

Workers in the grocery warehouse industry perform physically demanding work under a tight production standard. They work in ambient, refrigerated and freezer warehouse environments, manually handling heavy cases and operating forklifts and pallet jacks to receive, load and stock grocery products. “Our members at Fred Meyer are in the business of maintaining the supply chain that feeds hundreds of thousands of families across the Puget Sound region and the West,” Thompson said.

“The Fred Meyer facility in Puyallup is Kroger’s most productive facility. For Kroger to say that workers who have made its company profitable do not deserve the same benefits as workers at other grocery distribution centers in our area is an insult,” she said.

Fred Meyer is a subsidiary of Kroger, Inc., a $14.7 billion dollar company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. In the first quarter of 2011, Kroger reported profits of $432.3 million, an increase of 16%. Teamsters Local 117 represents approximately 16,000 members, with over 1000 members employed in the grocery warehouse industry.

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Los Angeles grocery workers cancel contract -- strike looms

Frustrated at supermarket corporation stonewalling, workers take next step towards strike

Los Angeles (Sept. 15, 2011) —As contract negotiations stall, grocery workers issued a 72-hour notice canceling the grocerycontract extension and paving the way for a strike.

“We returned to the bargaining table ready to compromise and make a deal that keeps our employers profitable but protects the jobs of our members,” said union leaders. “Instead, we got more of the same stonewalling from management. They are unwilling to compromise and are more concerned about hoarding their billions in profits than reaching a fair deal for their employees. We don’t want to strike, but if they won’t negotiate, we have no choice.”

The negotiations, now in their eighth month, have dragged on as management refuses to pay their fair share of health care contributions. Current health care proposals would bankrupt health plans and eliminate entirely health care access for 62,000 grocery workers across Southern California.

“I work hard for my company,” said Kelly Pierce. “They are making money hand over fist. We just want them to share a little of those billions with us so we can pay our rent and take our kids to the doctor. It isn’t asking so much, there is enough for everyone. Why are they being so greedy?”

“We’re ready to stand up for our jobs, and strike if we have to,” said Victoria Frantz. “This isn’t just about grocery workers anymore. This is about sending a message to profitable corporations everywhere that if your employees work hard, they deserve a fair wage and benefits.”

Grocery workers will begin final strike preparations following the 72-hour notice to cancel the contract, massing at local union headquarters to assemble signs, stockpile food for strikers and their families, and continue picket trainings.

“We’re ready to fight to preserve good jobs,” union leaders said. “We understand this is a tough economy, but we’re willing to stand up for workers everywhere being taken advantage of by profitable corporations. It is unfair and wrong for these corporations doing so well to use the economy as an excuse to squeeze those working paycheck to paycheck.”

Canceling the contract does not mean grocery workers will walk out in 72 hours, but it removes the final barrier to a strike. After the contract is no longer in effect, a strike can be called at any time.

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SOUTHERN CAL GROCERY UNION TO TAKE ANOTHER STRIKE VOTE

August 13, 2011

The United Food & Commercial Workers in Southern California next week will take a second vote to consider a region-wide strike, underscoring a lack of progress in negotiations for a new contract.

Most of the 62,000 employees will vote Friday on whether to accept the three chains' latest offer or to authorize a strike. The union overwhelmingly voted in April to allow its leaders to call a strike but will vote again Friday to consider the terms that are now on the table.

However, union leaders did not react favorably when the three stores came up with a revised health-care proposal earlier this week. The chains said in an email that their offer would "significantly increase their contributions to their health-care fund." Benefits that are unchanged include prescription drug co-pays, preventive medicine and some deductible amounts.

It would also cover workers who work only 16 hours per week, a deal they say many other companies do not offer.

Union spokesmen quickly dismissed the proposal. An email released Thursday called it "a deceptive and hollow attempt to avert a pending labor dispute." The union said the stores' offer does not provide enough money for the union to adequately cover its benefits fund.

Union leaders also point out that workers are being asked to pay premiums of almost  $1,200 a year, in an industry where few employees earn more than $24,000 a year.

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Southern Cal Union Members Show Solidarity with
UFCW Grocery Workers

In Southern California, 63,000 United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 770 members are fighting for a fair contract that doesn’t force the workers to pay as much as 50 percent of their take home pay for health care coverage. But they are not fighting the battle alone against the mega-grocery chains Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons.

Dozens of unions in the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor have “adopted” stores to take the workers’ message to shoppers and store managers. During the July 4 weekend, several International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Inlandboatmen’s Union (IBU) locals went to 13 stores.

They delivered letters of support for grocery workers to the store managers and told them in the case of a strike, they and other Los Angeles working families would not cross picket lines. They also talked with store workers and customers.

A recent survey found that 62 percent of Southern California shoppers said they would honor picket lines in case of strike. Says Los Angeles Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo:

In the last strike [2003] shoppers identified strongly with their neighborhood grocery clerks. This new poll reflects that same strong level of support.

The contract expired in March and grocery chains proposed new health care provisions with higher premiums, deductibles and co-pays that would force some workers to pay as much as half their paycheck for coverage, says the union.

From an article by Mike Hall, Jul 11, 2011, AFL-CIO Now Blog

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UFCW LOCAL 367 FOOD DRIVE
FOR EMERGENCY FOOD NETWORK
     
     

In July, employees and members of Local 367 held food drives at Fred Meyer Gig Harbor; and Safeway stores in Tacoma, Lakewood, Spanaway, and Frederickson. Members and customers were encouraged to help those in need by donating food while shopping union. Approximately 840 pounds of food were collected to help stock shelves of the Emergency Food Network, and $411 in cash was donated to EFN. Thanks to everyone for their help and generosity!

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Online Degree Program with National Labor College

UFCW members are now eligible to apply for three new online degree programs through the National Labor College (NLC) in Silver Spring, MD:

• Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
• Bachelor of Arts in Construction Management
• Bachelor of Science in Emergency Readiness & Response Management

In 2011, UFCW members interested in furthering their education can apply for 60 scholarships for the new online degree programs through the Union Plus program. Members will be eligible for these scholarships as part of the NLC enrollment process.

Each year, $25,000 is also awarded to eligible students through the new Union Plus National Labor College Scholarship. Awards are determined and administered by the National Labor College; they typically award roughly 12 recipients with financial need every quarter, including January, April, July and October. Check www.nlc.edu for details. For scholarship information, go to www.unionplus.org.

Excerpts reprinted from OnPoint, a UFCW International Publication.

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Workers at Queens Macy's Furniture Store Vote "Union Yes"

Workers at a Macy’s furniture store in Elmhurst, Queens voted to become members of the RWDSU this past weekend, just days after more than 4,000 workers at four other Macy’s stores in the New York City area, including the global flagship at Herald Square in Manhattan, ratifi ed a landmark new contract. The victory in the NLRB-conducted election comes on the heels of Macy’s workers represented by the RWDSU winning a general wage increase of $3.05 over the next five years, lower healthcare costs, more control over scheduling and hours, and other job improvements. “The contract victory the week before was a powerful reminder of the difference a union can make—which these workers understood,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU. “The victory in Elmhurst, Queens is part of a larger story about working people standing together to achieve more for themselves and their families.”
“These Macy’s furniture store workers will now have a more powerful voice on the job,” said Joseph Dorismond, the RWDSU organizer who ran the Elmhurst, Queens unionization campaign. “They understand that the union exists to fi ght for the shared interests of workers.”

Reprinted from OnPoint, a UFCW International Publication.

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UFCW INTERNATIONAL STAFF APPOINTED TO KEY NATIONAL POSITIONS

                                On April 21, President Obama announced his intention to appoint David Blitzstein to the Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Mr. Blitzstein is the Special Assistant for the Multiemployer Plans for UFCW. From 1990 to 2009, Blitzstein served as the Director of the Negotiated Benefits Department of the UFCW. Blitzstein represents the UFCW as a member of the Steering Committee of the National Coordinating Committee for the Multiemployer Plans. The advisory committee to the PBGC advises the corporation on its policies and procedures relating to the appointment of trustees in termination proceedings, investment of monies, schedules for liquidation of terminated pension plans, and such other issues as the PBGC may request.

      UFCW Executive Vice President and Director of Organizing Pat O’Neill has been named co-chair of the Board of North America’s largest institutional investor trade group, the Council of Institutional Investors (CII).

     “CII is a place where union pension funds, public fund trustees, and corporate plans all find common ground,” said O’Neill. “We all work together to demand accountability from irresponsible corporations and protect the retirement security earned by decades of hard work by millions of people.”

     CII is a nonprofit association of public, union, and corporate employees benefit funds along, with foundations and endowments that have combined assets worth more than $3 trillion. CII is a leading voice for responsible corporate governance and strong shareowner rights.

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Status of Negotiations in California

Grocery Workers to Get Boost from More Than 100 Unions in Fight to Save Healthcare

More than 62,000 grocery workers in Southern California will receive the unanimous support Wednesday, June 8, of every chartered union in Southern California in their struggle to preserve medical benefits that the Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons are proposing be "gutted" in a new collective bargaining agreement.

Downtown Los Angeles will be the setting of a press conference designed to highlight Organized Labor’s solidarity with grocery workers and to introduce to the media several workers who can share their stories about how their lives have been impacted by the medical benefits their employers are seeking to eliminate.

In addition to demonstrating Labor’s unity, the event will serve as a powerful warning to the Big Three that more than two million union members and their families should be counted among those who will take their business elsewhere should the dispute escalate to a strike.

Presidents of UFCW Locals may not be available as negotiations between unions and the Big Three grocery chains are scheduled to continue as both sides work with the federal mediator to draft a successor agreement to the contract that expired March 6.

Local 324 members joined with their colleagues in the region in April when they voted to strike if management insists on replacing their current healthcare plan with an inferior and far more costly alternative.

The prospect of a strike and lockout affecting workers from Mammoth to the Mexican border is no longer the longshot it was as the Big Three grocery chains appear unwilling to compromise on their insistence that employees accept $450 million in additional healthcare costs.

Local 324 President Greg Conger called the company’s claim that the cost shifts were needed, “A ruse that ignores the fact that these companies continue to post multi-billion profits annually. That isn’t an insignificant footnote,” he said. “The impact of these proposals is a matter of life and death for some of our members.”

UFCW Local 324 is the largest private-sector union in Orange County with 23,000 active members.

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Wisconsin Fights for Workers' Rights

     As a union member, the outcome of the events taking place 2,000 miles away in Madison, Wisconsin will directly affect your life.
     In a phone call with Local 367, John Rogers, a union representative for UFCW Local 1473 in Wisconsin, said his governor is attempting to bust the unions in his state. John's been rallying in freezing temperatures in support of state workers every day for a week.
    
     In support of this fight for worker rights, rallies were held in every state capitol of the U.S. on February 26, including our own capitol steps in Olympia, and  Local 367 was present for this important event.
     In Wisconsin, seventy thousand people rallied at the state capitol over President's Day weekend, fighting to stop Governor Scott Walker's effort to bust the union. If Walker is successful, union busting will rush across the country like a nuclear chain reaction.
     In an attempt to fill the budget gap created when he gave big tax cuts to the wealthy, Walker wants to pass legislation that would cut pay and benefits to state workers and take away their collective bargaining rights.
     To stop a vote on Walker's bill, fourteen Democratic state legislators left the state. "They didn't have any options," said Rogers. "They had to leave to stop the vote."
     Thirty thousand union members marched on the capitol to protest the governor's actions. And the numbers kept growing. When the unions called the governor's bluff and agreed to the cuts, he turned them down. He dug in his heels - he doesn't want unions to have the right to bargain a contract. On President's Day weekend, more than 70,000 people surrounded the capital building.
     John Rogers points out that no one is on strike. The workers have called in sick or taken vacation time to attend the protest. But now, he says, there are people from all walks of life supporting the state workers' cause. With so many people standing in solidarity, the fight can now go on as long as it takes.

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Union Steward Conference October 2010

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Congressman Adam Smith joined Local 367 stewards at our October steward meeting in a lively debate about important issues of concern for unions and America today. The stewards also heard from a representative from Senator Patty Murray’s office.

The all-day event, held on October 21, was filled with lessons from Labor Educator Rick Gregory about the essentials of being a union steward. Gregory’s homespun southern stories made for a day full of humor and reflection.

Stewards Margaret Jennings and Cheryl Curtiss were honored for their service to Local 367,  and praise was given to them for their hard work and dedication to the union.

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One Nation Working Together Rally

In October, thousands of concerned Americans gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for the One Nation Working Together rally demanding job creation, affordable education, and an end to racial profiling. Leaders from unions, religious groups, and non profit organizations spoke to a crowd of 175,000.

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Learn about the 1989 Puget Sound Grocery Strike!

"People are #1” by Roger Yockey is a book written about the 1989 Puget Sound grocery strike. After a long and hard fought struggle lasting 81 days, the union prevailed. UFCW Local 367 was among five unions involved in the strike presenting a united front.

The book was written because Mr. Yockey wanted the members who were on the line in 1989 to be proud of what they had accomplished. “I also wanted those UFCW grocery workers, the members today, and future members to know that together, in solidarity, the union will prevail,” said Mr. Yockey.

The book is available in both paperback and hardcover. The charge for the paperback is $19, and the hardcover is available for $27. The shipping charge for each book is $3.

The book can be ordered by sending a check payable to:

Roger Yockey
15026 40th Avenue West #4-104
Lynnwood, WA 98087
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Fun at 2010 Solidarity Day 

On Sunday, August 1, union members and their families from across the Puget Sound attended the 29th annual Solidarity Day at Cheney Stadium, which was sponsored by the Pierce County Labor Council.  Fans visited the union-sponsored booths, ate hot dogs, and watched a spirited baseball game between the Tacoma Rainiers versus the Reno Aces.

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There’s no other way to say it – Local 367's annual summer picnic on July 30, 2010 was a blast! In Tacoma’s sunny Manitou Park, there was fun for everyone. The kids had giant inflatable play structures, not to mention a wading pool to splash the heat away.

Around 250 attendees scarfed up burgers and hot dogs cooked up by Secretary/Treasurer Blaine Sherfinski.

Members who were present and contributed toward the food drive were eligible for a drawing for four Rainier’s tickets. Eva Kafton won the tickets.  Sale of T-shirts and a raffle benefited the Local 367 scholarship as well as the hardship fund. The raffle prize, a Wii game system, was won by member Ducky Black.

This was a fantastic opportunity for our members and their families to meet one another, socialize, and have fun, all in the spirit of good old-fashioned Union solidarity.

Thank you to everyone that attended. See you next year!

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A Long History of Union Strength -- Grays Harbor County

Grays Harbor County is no longer considered a “company town”, but the power of the unions who organized the
workers hangs on in the mills and shops, making the area unique among rural counties across the state.

During the late 1800’s the region that became Grays Harbor County, once known as Grays Harbor Country, was a profit-making town for those who owned the mills. However, while the mills were booming, the forests were being depleted. And though the mill owners were getting rich, workers were subject to terrible working conditions, with living conditions that were even worse. The skilled workers organized, but would not allow the unskilled workers to join them. When the Industrial Workers of the World came to town, loggers and millworkers got on board.

Continue reading article

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Rally for Family Wage Jobs

First there was the truck– and then, there was The Big Rig. It was big. It was blue. It was blaring brassy blasts from its horn. From the California-based Food and Drug Council, The Big Rig was in Tacoma to support Union workers in their struggle to maintain family-wage jobs in the area, particularly the Macy’s employees who are trying to get a fair contract at the Tacoma Mall.

With the Big Rig as a backdrop, the Pierce County Central Labor Council and UFCW 367 sponsored a rally on April 7 at the Southwest Washington JATC on 36th Street. Rally attendees heard Patty Rose from the Labor Council give her welcome, with a history of labor’s struggles in this economy. Then they heard Teresa Iverson from Local 367 describe the difficulties in prying fair contracts from Macy’s and the grocery industry, followed by Macy’s employees Valerie Powell, Terri Warren and Patti Lumsden, who gave the company a piece of their minds.

Cetris Tucker from Teamsters 117 stood up to say that her Union was having the same struggle with Macy’s on behalf of their workers, and also with Waste Management for their waste haulers, who may have to strike at any time. Mark Martinez from the Pierce County Building and Construction Trades Council testified that the working class was under fire, with corporate CEO’s lifting money from the workers’ pockets.

Finally, Alice Phillips from IBEW Local 483 exhorted the crowd to stand together and stand strong, to save middle class life in America. Nathe Lawver from Pierce County United Way followed up with a report on community services available when workers fall on hard times or face financial hardships.

From the rally site, The Big Rig led the charge of workers to the perimeter of the Tacoma Mall, where they demonstrated for Family Wage Jobs at every entrance within sight of Macy’s. Their message to the public was to call Macy’s to tell the company that they need to make a fair contract offer NOW!

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We're Corporate Slaves

A Letter to the Editor of a Local Newspaper from our Member, Tony Christen,
of Safeway 525 - Chehalis

Our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, went to war to abolish slavery. Yet here we are letting ourselves be slaves to corporate America.

When you go to a store and use their self-checkouts, you are in essence allowing yourself to be a slave to corporate America. You are working for free and you are taking jobs away from others.

One large big-box store has four self-checkouts, with one cashier attending all four of them. When you use those self-checkouts you are in essence eliminating three jobs and, boy, do we need those jobs now. How would you like it if I came to your work, volunteered to work free, and eliminated your job?

There are two other big-box stores that tried using the self-checkouts and have eliminated them because of lack of use. We need to band together and eliminate corporate American slavery once and for all by not using self-checkouts.

When you do use self-checkouts and eliminate jobs, who benefits? You guessed it - the CEOs and upper management. You don’t see any reduction in how much you pay for items sold by those big-box stores. If, in the future, you see any other big corporations putting in self-checkouts, let them know that corporate America slavery will not be tolerated and refuse to use them.

Tony Christen
Safeway 525 - Chehalis

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Vacation Pay Victory - Pierce County Grocery      

       As you may already know, the Pierce County Grocery Contracts contain a very rich vacation benefit for employees after two (2) years of continuous service. After two (2) years, you shall receive your vacation pay based on your “regular weekly rate” for your “regularly scheduled shift.” Therefore, if you are continuously getting a forty-hour workweek, then, when you go on vacation, you are entitled to forty hours of vacation pay when you go on vacation. The same would go for anyone who is continuously getting thirty-two hours, twenty-four hours, or even forty-eight hours!
       A very astute Saar’s employee challenged Saar’s application of this vacation rule by paying her based on a yearly average. Saar’s also reduced her vacation benefits by the amount of time she took off for sick leave, jury duty, and vacation! Can you imagine taking vacation, which you’ve earned, only to have your vacation benefits reduced the following year!
       The Union, on her behalf, took the matter to arbitration and the arbitrator told Saar’s – NO WAY! He stated the contract was clear and the employee, who was continuously scheduled forty hours per week, was entitled to the forty hours of vacation pay per week, not some average. In addition, he stated that the Employer could not reduce the employee’s benefits by her time off for sick, jury duty, and vacation.
       So, if you meet the criteria, have two (2) years of continuous service, receive a regular weekly rate for a regularly scheduled shift, then you are entitled to vacation pay based on those criteria. Please keep an eye on your vacation pay stubs so that we can monitor the vacation pay issue and hold the Employer’s accountable.
       Please be advised that you must meet the criteria in order to obtain these benefits. In other words, if you do not receive regularly scheduled shifts, then you do not qualify for the above benefits. For example, if your schedule fluctuates between thirty-two, forty, and even twenty-four hours on a weekly basis, then you do not fall under this benefit.
       In any case, this is a great win for the Pierce County membership. No other Union local has this benefit, and it is richer than any vacation benefit in Western Washington Grocery. Management knows about this benefit and they will look for any way to take it away from you, including this year’s negotiations. So, please stay alert!

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What's the Good Word?
Member Praises Local 367 Staff

To:  Finley Young, Attorney for the Union with a copy to Cindy Williams, Union Representative

From:  Tom Clemo, Local 367 member from Swanson's Drug in Aberdeen

Just wanted to again express my appreciation and thanks for the hard work and support you unselfishly gave me during this difficult time.  It is nice to know that the not every negative thing you hear about the union is true.  As I have told others if they have  a problem they must come forward and take an active role in their defense and cooperate with the investigation.  I have found that too many of the members fear retaliation and are afraid to say anything.  I again stress the importance of standing up for their rights as the union can only be as strong as their members!!  I am hoping that you will share this with Cindy as she was a vital link in this process as she gave me invaluable insight and advice.  Again, thank you to both of you and I hope we never have to go through this process again but rest assured that if I feel that I was wronged or my contract or rights were violated I will contact Cindy for advice.  Again, thank you.

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