The long ratification process wraps up next Monday, March 7, with the official counting of ballots cast for the new contract.

Here's what to expect:

• Mail-in ballots received by 8:30 a.m., Monday, March 7, will be processed.
• Late ballots will not be collected or counted.
• Local 8888's Tellers Committee will oversee the vote count at the union hall on Monday. The 8-member committee has been trained to run a vote count with mail-in ballots.
• Once the ballots have been tabulated and the outcome has been certified, the Tellers Committee will announce whether the contract has been ratified or rejected by the members who voted.
• The vote results will be posted in the union hall and on Local 8888's social media outlets (Facebook, text message, email, etc.).

It is absolutely FALSE that ballots not cast will still be counted, somehow, as "Yes" votes. Be clear: an uncast ballot is a missed opportunity, not a "Yes" vote.

Again, the ballot of any member who chose not to vote WON'T be counted as a "Yes" vote. 

With so much happening in the world and in our own families, the stress behind this contract has felt heavy at times.

Friendships have been tested. Rumors sowed confusion. But unity has prevailed.

President Spivey expressed his gratitude for your patience with this new ratification process, which he believes is fair and will produce a unifying outcome.

Phone Note: The (757) 247-5291 phone number to the union hall is active again.