Action by Burlington IBM Workers Stops Pay Cuts

July 13, 2001

Sharon Stevens, an IBM production worker, won a big victory for fellow employees today: pay will not be cut for Burlington’s 2500 production workers.

Fearing that the 20% pay cut recently given to Fishkill and Endicott AWS (12-hour shift) workers would be repeated in Burlington, Sharon initiated and organized widely publicized meetings of employees on different shifts on Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon to oppose pay cuts that IBM was rolling out one plant at a time. Within hours of the Friday’s meeting IBM assembled workers in the different departments at special meetings and made the welcomed announcement that Burlington employees will not have the pay cuts.

Sharon set up a table with a big sign announcing the meetings in the IBM break room starting at 6:15 am Thursday and again at 6:15 on Friday morning, passed out fliers, answered questions, collected signatures on a petition, and spoke at the afternoon employee meetings she organized. The word about the pay cuts in East Fishkill and in Endicott New York had sparked deep concern among IBM workers here in Burlington. "Lots of people would have been unable to make house payments if they had 20% pay cuts," said Earl Mongeon.

Production employee wages are only 5% of the cost of semiconductor wafer production. "IBM quickly decided that it was not worth angering Burlington employees and risking 100% of production to save 20% of that 5%," said Jimmy Leas, who helped Sharon at the table and at the meetings. Jimmy is an engineer in the patent law department.

Sharon is new to organizing fellow workers. "The only thing I ever organized before is a church choir," she said. Sharon overcame fear and nervousness even among some union organizers and went ahead with her plan to set up the table in the break room and have the employee planning meetings right on site in the break room. "I feel like we have Norma Rae right here in Burlington," said Jimmy Leas. It was amazing, her determination. And we are all delighted with the fantastic results of her initiative."

Mangers held meetings with employees at 5pm Friday. They did not give credit to Sharon for stopping the pay cuts. Instead they said that Burlington has different tools than the other sites. However, workers at all the sites remain on 12 hour shifts. "Employees believe the difference has nothing to do with the tools and everything to do with the fact that Burlington employees and the courage to speak out," said Sharon.