eNewsletter - December 28, 2009
CAMP Members in San Jose Vote to Affiliate with IFPTE Local 21
Golden Gate Bridge District Bargaining Meets Numerous Hurdles
Union Benefit: Scholarships for Students, $500-$4,000
Apply to be on the State's Citizens Redistricting Commission
Save-the-Date! Local 2 Rally on January 5
Save-the-Date! Western Workers Labor Heritage Festival,
January 15-17
Save-The-Date! Delegate Assembly at Oakland Marriott, January 30
Save-The-Date! "Budget 101," a Hands-On Workshop for Local 21 Leaders and Interested Members on Understanding Public Budgets, February 20
Save-The-Date! How to Reduce Your Stress - SF & East Bay Workshops
CAMP Members in San Jose Vote to Affiliate with IFPTE Local 21
Members of the San Jose City Association of Management Personnel (CAMP) voted on December 17 to affiliate with Local 21! Our union members within the Association of Engineers and Architects (AEA) at the City of San Jose led a short but powerful internal organizing campaign, which resulted in Local 21 growing by more than 410 new represented employees.
Our success in San Jose highlights how Local 21 is clearly recognized as the right union for professionals, and would not have been possible without the leadership of many AEA officers and leaders including John Mukhar, Dianna Butcher, Chris Daley, Medi Sinaki, Roger Storz, Mary Follenweider, Matt Loesch, Ray Ho, Steve Pagan, John Raaymakers, Maria Angeles, Mirabel Aguilar, Marlon De Leon, Matthew O'Brien, Dale Burrious, Sim Ong, Greg Jobe, Agatha Ng, Peter Testa, David Printy, Domenico Onorato, Mellownie Salvador, Thuy Nguyen, Henry Servin, and Local 21 Senior Staffer Nancy Ostrowski.
Other union leaders also played an integral role in achieving this victory, including South Bay VP Ananth Prasad, Santa Clara County Engineers & Architects Association Chapter VP Khoa Vo, Santa Clara Valley Water District Professional Managers Association Chapter President Martin Gamez, Santa Clara Valley Water District Engineers Society Chapter President Louis Ortiz, and Contra Costa County hapter President John Allen.
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Golden Gate Bridge District Bargaining Meets Numerous Hurdles
Local 21 represents two bargaining units at the Golden Gate Bridge District made up of engineering and administrative/IT staff. Earlier this year, both units joined a coalition of unions to negotiate the terms of wages and benefits for most employees. Individual units had their own side tables to address issues specific to their membership.
Local 21's engineering group has had wage equity problems for years. The Union has been flexible on when the problem could be addressed because the District has a sizable deficit. However, when we were nearing a settlement on both Agreements the employer was unwilling to agree to a "me too" clause to ensure that, if over the course of the MOU, money was found to provide extra compensation for the top 5 paid employees in the district (who have individual contracts), some of that money would be shared with our members to help address their wage equity problem. The District believes available money for compensation goes first and only to the highest paid, providing an interesting lesson in leadership to all employees.
The District recently released a ten year plan to eliminate its deficit, which includes future automation moves, layoffs, cuts in health benefit costs, and furloughs. In response, the coalition has already started meeting to prepare for the next bargaining cycle in 2011.
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Union Benefit: Scholarships for Students, $500-$4,000
Local 21 members are eligible for a variety of benefits under Union Privilege and Union Plus, a program developed by the AFL-CIO to provide quality products, discounts, and services to union members and their families. Union Plus offers a range of benefits from legal services and insurance discounts to savings on health, travel, and recreation.
Since 1992, the Union Plus Scholarship Program has awarded more than $2.4 million to students of working families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education. Over 1,700 families have benefited from the scholarship program, including a number of Local 21 members' families.
The Union Plus scholarship program is preparing to accept scholarship applications for 2009. Children, step children, spouses, and dependents of Local 21 members are eligible to apply. The scholarship program is open to students attending or planning to attend a college or university, a community college or a technical college or a trade school. Applicants for scholarships are evaluated according to academic ability, social awareness, financial need, and appreciation of labor. Visit the Union Plus website for more information and application details. All applications must be postmarked by January 30, 2010.
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Apply to be on the State's Citizens Redistricting Commission
One year ago, Californians voted to change the way electoral district boundaries are drawn in the state by transferring control over this activity from the Legislature to an independent commission made up of California voters. Starting December 15 you can apply for a seat on the Citizens Redistricting Commission!
Initial applications must be submitted by February 12, 2010 for a chance to get involved in this once-in-a-decade opportunity to help map California's political future! The State Auditor is looking for people who have common sense, a genuine interest in the issue and in working with others toward a common goal, and the ability to commit significant time for several months in 2011.
This is a rare opportunity to contribute to a very important effort! Learn more about how to apply, and the Citizens Redistricting Commission.
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Save-the-Date! Local 2 Rally on January 5
Support Local 2 and stand in solidarity with hotel workers as they continue to fight for a fair contract and benefits! The rally begins at 4:15 pm at Local 2 Plaza on Market St. between 3rd & 4th St. near O'Farrell St. (next to the Four Seasons Hotel).
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Save-the-Date! Western Workers Labor Heritage Festival,
January 15-17
The Western Workers Labor Heritage Festival honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s contribution to the civil rights and labor movements. Join us for a weekend of solidarity in an era of hard times, hope, and change!
The festival will feature speakers, workshops, films, musical, and theatrical performances, including an appearance by the San Francisco Labor Chorus. Some of the trainings offered will focus on using culture and music in organizing.
Visit the Festival's website for a detailed schedule and information on how to register. Full festival entry is $65, $40 for Saturday only, and $15-25 for concert tickets. No one will be turned away for a lack of funds.
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Save-The-Date! Delegate Assembly at Oakland Marriott, January 30
The next Delegate Assembly will be Saturday, January 30, at the Downtown Oakland Marriott. Registration and breakfast begin at 8:30 am, and the Assembly starts at 9 am. Our last Assembly featured a special discussion and a breakout session for members and delegates to address lessons learned from the last budget cycle, as well as opportunities and strategies for being more proactive and effective in the upcoming cycle.
During this Assembly, we will continue our discussion and focus on the nuts and bolts of budgetary analysis and action. Also, special guest speaker Dave Low, Assistant Director of Government Relations at the California School Employees Association, will speak to us about attacks on public employee retirement benefits, and statewide efforts to protect these benefits. All delegates and any members interested in attending should call the Union office at 415-864-2100. For a complete schedule of 2010 Delegate Assemblies, visit Local 21's Latest News webpage.
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Save-The-Date! "Budget 101," a Hands-On Workshop for Local 21 Leaders and Interested Members on Understanding Public Budgets, February 20
As the economic crisis makes itself felt in cities and counties throughout the Bay Area, policy makers in many jurisdictions are calling for extreme measures ranging from layoffs and mandatory furloughs for public employees, to severe cuts to social service programs. In times like these, it's more important than ever for Local 21 members to be able to understand our city and county budgets, and have the skills to take proactive steps toward protecting local jobs and services.
Do you find yourself thinking...
I'm not a financial expert, what information do I need to understand my employer's budget? What is the real financial condition of my jurisdiction, and is there any "slack" in the budget? How can my chapter take steps toward identifying sources of revenue when budget cuts get deeper? If you do, you should consider attending the upcoming workshop.
This workshop, led by Bob Brownstein, will include a discussion of how the public finance system works and how local government budgeting is done, with an emphasis on the practical challenges people face when they're trying to understand a local budget. It will also include hands-on work analyzing your own locality's budget, and tips on starting your chapter's own budget work group.
Guest instructor Bob Brownstein is the Policy Director of Working Partnerships USA, an organization that brings together community, labor, and faith groups to work for policies that address the needs of working people. Previously, he served as the Budget and Policy Director of the City of San Jose. Bob has addressed our Delegate Assembly and assisted us in budget analysis in Oakland and San Francisco.
Please join us! Saturday, February 20, 9 am-1 pm, location TBA; Space is limited, to R.S.V.P. please email Joe Brenner jebrenner@ifpte21.org, Director, Local 21 Research Education and Policy Department.
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Save-The-Date! How to Reduce Your Stress - SF & East Bay Workshops
Do you find yourself adjusting to layoffs, worrying about the reduction in your investments, watching home equity disappear, maxing out credit cards, and struggling to make ends meet? Learn how to reduce stress in your life by attending these free classes for Local 21 members. The sessions, led by Kitty Costello, M.A., MFT and Richard Epstein, PhD, MFT, will take place on:
- Monday, January 11 from Noon to 1 pm at the Alameda County Law Library, Conference Room #3, 125 12th St., Oakland (brown bag lunches are permitted).
- Wednesday, January 27 from Noon to 1 pm at the San Francisco Public Library at 100 Larkin St., Paley Room, 3rd floor (no food allowed).
- Thursday, January 28 from Noon to 1pm at the IFPTE Local 21 office, 675 N. First Street, Suite 715, San Jose (brown bag lunches are permitted).
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L21 Express is the bi-weekly email publication of IFPTE Local 21. Local 21 represents more than 8,000 Bay Area professional public employees. Main Office Phone: 415.864.2100 South Bay Phone: 408.291.2200
