TA v2 vs TA v3 — What Changed After the 73% No Vote

All Changes (10)

✅ Improved in v2 (5)

⚠ Same or Worse (2)

⚡ Minor Changes (3)

Improved in v3

Same or Worse

Minor Changes

Removed from v2

💡 How to read this page: Green = TA v3 is better than TA v2. Red = same or worse. Yellow = minor wording change. Grey = removed from v2. If something isn't listed here, it's identical in both proposals.

✅ Improved in TA v3

💰

Article 23 — Wages Higher Across Most Classifications + Backdated to 3/21/2026

IMPROVED

Classification	2021 Base	TA v2	TA v3 (3/21/26)	Difference
NH Start Rate	$17.00	$19.50	$19.50	same
Production	$21.50	$22.93	$24.00	+$1.07
TL Production	$22.00	$23.93	$25.00	+$1.07
Specialized	$22.75	$24.68	$25.25	+$0.57
TL Specialized	$23.25	$25.68	$27.25	+$1.57
Semi-Skilled	$24.25	$26.18	$26.75	+$0.57
TL Semi-Skilled	$24.75	$27.18	$28.75	+$1.57
Trades	$38.00	$42.00	$42.00	same
TL Trades	$38.50	$43.00	$44.00	+$1.00
PT Production	$20.50	$25.93	$27.00	+$1.07

Backdated: TA v3 wages are effective 3/21/2026 — members receive back pay for every hour worked since March 21 upon ratification. TA v1 and TA v2 were only effective at ratification date with no back pay.

🏥

Articles 11, 16 & 24 — VR System Restored Alongside ESTA 72 Hours

IMPROVED

TA v2

72 hrs ESTA — minimum 1-hour increment only. VR system gone.

TA v3

72 hrs ESTA + 40 of those hours usable as VR: 6-minute increments, no prior approval, up to 5 unexcused uses per year

This was a major complaint about TA v1 and v2 — members lost the granular VR flexibility they used to manage tardies and short absences. TA v3 restores it. You get the larger ESTA bank (72 hrs vs 40 hrs VR) AND the familiar 6-minute increment system for the first 40 hours.

🏆

Article 24D — Perfect Attendance Incentive Doubled: 8 → 16 Hours Per Period

NEW / IMPROVED

TA v1 & v2

8 hours vacation or pay per 6-month perfect attendance period

TA v3

16 hours vacation or pay per 6-month perfect attendance period — up to 32 hrs/year

Award periods unchanged: Sept 1–Feb 28 and Mar 1–Aug 31. For members with good attendance this is a meaningful improvement — an extra full week of pay or vacation per year compared to what TA v1/v2 offered.

💵

Article 23 — Ratification Bonus: $2,000 → $2,500

IMPROVED

TA v2

$2,000 ratification bonus

TA v3

$2,500 ratification bonus

$500 more upfront. The $3,000 grievance settlement check from TA v2 does not appear in TA v3 — that was a one-time item tied to a specific classification grievance that Nexteer has since resolved.

📅

Article 16 Sec. 8 — Deferred Holidays Explicitly Confirmed in TA v3

CONFIRMED

TA v1 & v2

Status unclear — not explicitly mentioned

TA v3

Explicitly written in — work a holiday + Group Leader pre-approval = bank hours as paid flex day

Non-Christmas deferred hours paid out January if unused. Christmas hours can carry over. Deferred hours don't count toward OT threshold. This was listed as "unverified" in TA v1/v2 — it's now confirmed in TA v3.

⏱

MOU 13 — Overtime Reimbursement Voucher Explicitly Confirmed in TA v3

CONFIRMED

TA v1 & v2

Status unclear — not explicitly mentioned

TA v3

Explicitly written in MOU 13 — OT rights violated = makeup voucher at date of your choosing

Saturday OT vouchers can excuse you from a future mandatory Saturday within 90 days. Holiday vouchers get a 90-day extension. This was listed as "unverified" in prior TAs — now confirmed.

⚠ Same or Worse in TA v3

📋

Article 24 — Attendance: 12-Point Discharge Threshold Still Unchanged (Third TA in a Row)

UNCHANGED — CONCERN

2021 CBA

18 points = discharge

TA v1, v2, and v3

12 points = discharge — never changed across all three proposals

Members voted down TA v1 (~96% NO) and TA v2 (~73% NO). The attendance threshold was widely cited as a primary concern in both votes. The bargaining committee has not moved it in any of the three proposals. The ESTA + VR protection (72 hrs exempt from points, with 6-min VR flexibility restored) helps significantly — but the threshold itself remains lower than the 2021 CBA.

⚡ Minor Changes

📆

Article 22 — Contract Expiration: Same December 20, 2030

UNCHANGED

TA v2

Expires December 20, 2030

TA v3

Expires December 20, 2030 — unchanged

⏳

Article 23 — New Hire Grow-In: 48 Months for Future Hires (Unchanged from v2)

UNCHANGED

TA v2

48 months for employees hired after ratification

TA v3

48 months — unchanged. Current NH employees keep 24-month grow-in.

🗑 Removed from TA v2

💸

Article 23 — $3,000 Grievance Settlement Check: Not in TA v3

REMOVED

TA v2

$3,000 grievance settlement check for ~1,161 non-NH, non-Trades employees

TA v3

Not present — removed entirely

This was tied to a specific grievance over a classification pay disparity that Nexteer challenged. Members were warned during TA v2 negotiations that a no vote could result in Nexteer winning that grievance and the check disappearing. That's exactly what happened.

📊 What Changed from v2 to v3?

They added money: Wages higher across most classifications, backdated to 3/21/2026 with back pay. Ratification bonus up $500. Perfect attendance incentive doubled to 16 hours per period.

They fixed the biggest ESTA complaint: VR restored — 40 of the 72 ESTA hours now work with 6-minute increments and no prior approval, just like the old system. This was a major source of member frustration in TA v1 and v2.

They confirmed two previously unverified provisions: Deferred holidays and MOU 13 overtime vouchers are now explicitly written in.

They did not address the attendance threshold: 12 points = discharge for the third consecutive proposal. This is the one thing that has never moved.

They lost the $3,000 grievance check: Gone as warned — Nexteer won that underlying grievance after the TA v2 no vote.