Local 21 Express


	eNewsletter - April 17, 2009

	Click on a title here to find article below Union Files ULP Against Contra Costa County Oakland Members Triumph On Early Retirement Incentive Vote Save-the-Date! Local 21 Hosts Oakland Town Hall Budget Meetings San Leandro Offers Retirement Incentives to Avoid Layoffs AEA Offers 0% Wage Increase In Exchange for Contract Extension MMA leaders at SCVWD Support Community Rose Garden Attend an Employee Free Choice Act Event This Weekend! Save-The-Date! Upcoming Labor Events Union Files ULP Against Contra Costa County On April 9, Local 21 filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) complaint against Contra Costa County with the State Public Employment Relations Board. Local 21 has been leading an organizing campaign among 950 County professionals and mid-managers for the past year. Although the Union gained informal recognition in January, the County has created every obstacle imaginable to unlawfully delay the full recognition process and collective bargaining rights. The union's complaint is based on the County's attempts to prevent employees from exercising their right to organize, as well as unauthorized delays and bad faith bargaining over the Union's final bargaining unit composition. The County has used numerous means to interfere with employee organization since becoming aware of organizing efforts. This includes surveillance of employee organizing activities and attempts to coerce, intimidate, dissuade, and deny employees from exercising their legal rights. County management have disciplined employees for their organizing activities, and have distributed inaccurate information around worksites about which employees have the right to representation and what representation entails. The County is also attempting to exclude 269 petitioned employees from Local 21's bargaining unit by claiming that they are confidential and all actively participate in contract bargaining on behalf of the County. These individuals, many of whom are members of the Union Organizing Committee and have led the campaign to join Local 21, are being singled out as a means to destroy their collective effort for majority representation. Additionally, the County has failed to comply with its own Employer-Employee Relations Ordinance with respect to annual posting of a list of confidential employees, immediate posting of the organizing employees' petition for formal recognition, and participating in the mandatory meet and confer over a proposed unit within mandated deadlines. The County is expected to respond to the ULP shortly, after which both sides will participate in a settlement hearing. If a settlement cannot be reached mutually, the issue will be resolved by an Administrative Law Judge. Regardless of the outcome of the County's response, the Union will continue to fight until the County stops interfering with employee organizing efforts and refrains from using bad faith negotiation tactics. Visit the chapter's webpage for more information on Local 21's efforts in Contra Costa County. TOP Oakland Members Triumph On Early Retirement Incentive Vote Last October, Oakland's City Council requested information from the union and personnel staff on the implementation, cost, and savings associated with programs that could help reduce staffing levels and salary costs without resorting to layoffs. After months of stalling on the part of the City, misleading and negative information being presented to the Council's Finance Committee by personnel staff, tireless lobbying by Local 21, and a general fund deficit growing to an estimated $83 million, the Finance Committee finally voted to move forward with the implementation of CalPERS' early retirement incentive. Six months of research and advocacy by union members and staff have paid off, and the issue will move to the full City Council for a vote on May 5. With three votes from Finance Committee members Quan, Kernighan and Nadel (De La Fuente adamantly opposed), and Council members Brunner and Kaplan on record as supporting the incentive, Local 21 appears to have won enough support to make retirement incentives part of the City's mixture of budget balancing measures. The City may be able to offer the program as soon as June. This is a major victory, and will be central to saving numerous jobs and services by allowing the City to reduce its staffing level through attrition, rather than involuntary separations. Thanks to all the Local 21 members who attended Committee hearings and expressed their opinions to Council: Marguerite Rahill, Clarence Fischer, Jeff Levin, Zoe Pollock, Brenda Fransaw, Audrey Montana, Karen Tom, Steve Danziger, Gunawan Santoso, Bruce Levitch, Moises Montoya, Ferial Mosley, Tom Manley, Chuck Johnston, Judy Jackson, John Hendry, Becky Dowdakin, Martin Sharp, TC Everett, Dennis Castro, Kurt Mena, Christia Mulvey, Jeff Angle, Elisa Marquez, and Richard Bolecek. TOP Save-the-Date! Local 21 Hosts Oakland Town Hall Budget Meetings Local 21 is hosting a series of Town Hall-style budget meetings for all City of Oakland members. We're committed to frequent and transparent communication with our members about the City's projected $83 million budget gap, layoffs, and ongoing contract negotiations. Get the latest updates and share your opinion -- we're approaching a critical point and we need your input! Wednesday, April 22, Noon - 1:30pm: 150 Frank Ogawa Plaza 6th floor cafeteria Thursday, April 23, Noon - 1:30pm: 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza 6th floor cafeteria Thursday, April 23, 5pm - 6:30pm: City Hall Hearing Room # (TBA) Wednesday, April 29, 11:30am - 1pm: Edgewater Ready Room TOP San Leandro Offers Retirement Incentives to Avoid Layoffs The City of San Leandro is currently facing an $11.4m budget shortfall for FY 2008-2009. Taking proactive steps to avoid future layoffs, the City is offering early retirement incentives to thirty employees at the end of this month. The retirement incentives will help to reduce the City's staffing levels without resorting to involuntary separations amidst a Statewide 10.5% unemployment rate. Employees who accept the extra two years of service credit must retire between May and August of this year. An informational meeting is taking place next week for all employees who are being offered the incentive to better understand the rules, regulations, and benefits surrounding CalPERS' golden handshake program. Last year, Local 21 members at the San Leandro City Employees Association voted to extend their contract through December, 2009. Given the City's current budget difficulties, the extension did not include a wage increase, but provided two additional floating holidays in 2009. TOP AEA Offers 0% Wage Increase In Exchange for Contract Extension Earlier this month, Local 21 Association of Engineers and Architects (AEA) members at the City of San Jose, along with Operating Engineers 3 (OE3) and the Association of Building, Mechanical, and Electrical Inspectors (ABMEI) came together under the umbrella of the South Bay Labor Council and announced their willingness to receive a zero percent wage increase for the coming fiscal year. This would come on top of concessions city employees have made on retiree health care, despite the increasing financial challenges confronting their own families. Forgoing wage increases will produce a substantial savings to the City over the next budget year, but would have to occur in tandem with a one year contract extension and full maintenance of the current level of benefits. After factoring in what many members are giving up for retiree health care, the zero percent wage increase will result in a reduction in real wages over the next year. However, Local 21 AEA members and their OE3 and ABMEI colleagues feel it is fair to share in the pain if it will minimize layoffs and cuts to critical city services. AEA President John Mukhar and Local 21 Senior Representative Nancy Ostrowski are holding meetings with City Council members to discuss the announcement, in preparation for opening formal discussions at the bargaining table. Much thanks to Mukhar and the AEA Board for their leadership and commitment to being part of the City of San Jose's budget solution. TOP MMA leaders at SCVWD Support Community Rose Garden San Jose's Heritage Rose Garden was once nothing more than a weed-infested eyesore. Today, the five-acre garden of pink, red, and white is going to be the first inductee into the National Rose Hall of Fame, thanks to community residents who have dedicated their sweat and hard work to improving it. Most recently, volunteers from the newly affiliated Mid-Managers Association (MMA) at the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) spent a day planting sunflowers, caring for the orchard, pounding support poles, and spreading mulch as part of a Community Work Day in the garden on April 4. Their work adds to the district's presence as a key player in the revitalization of this area. Nearby is the Guadalupe River, flowing through a nationally-recognized district flood protection project. Six Local 21 MMA members participated, working alongside employees from Applied Materials. They included Engineering Unit Managers Mike Munson, a MMA board member, and Barbara Keegan, Records and Library Unit Manager Lonnie Spin, Utility Treated Water Operations Unit Manager Angela Cheung, Business Resources Unit Manager and MMA President Martin Gamez and Technical Support Unit Manager Emmanuel Aryee. (This is an abbreviated version of an article by Tony Mercado that recently appeared on a SCVWD blog.) TOP Attend an Employee Free Choice Act Event This Weekend! It's a critical moment in history for California workers. Anti-union forces are spending millions of dollars to stop the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) from passing because they don't want workers to have the freedom to join and form unions. Now is the time to make our voices heard! Don't miss your chance to get involved in an EFCA event in your area, and remember to bring along your friends, family and co-workers. Santa Rosa: On Saturday, April 18, join Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, State Senator Pat Wiggins, State Assemblyman Jared Huffman and other elected officials for a panel discussion on the EFCA. The event will take place from 10am to Noon at the Santa Rosa Junior College's Newman Hall at Santa Elliott Avenue and Emeritus Circle in Santa Rosa. Stockton: Take action to inform the community about the importance of the EFCA by participating in a march and rally for the Employee Free Choice Act on Saturday, April 18. The march will kick off at 10:30am at ILWU Local 54, 22 N. Union St. in Stockton, and end at Noon with a rally and lunch at 37 N. Hunter Square Plaza. Can't Attend? Support the EFCA and call Senator Dianne Feinstein today at 866.207.2060. Urge her to back this important measure so we can rebuild California's middle class! You can also email the Senator at senator@feinstein.senate.gov Want more information on the EFCA and why it's important to every Local 21 member? Visit the EFCA section of our website. TOP Save-The-Date! Upcoming Labor Events Sunday, April 26 East Bay Brunch with UE Republic Windows and Door Workers, 10am-12:30pm Come to a special brunch with leaders of UE Local 1110, the union that occupied Republic Windows and Doors in December, capturing nationwide attention. The leaders are touring to remind the labor movement of one of our central tenets - you can't win if you don't fight. Brunch will be held at the home of Frank and Alice Fried in Alameda at 742 Palmera Court. For more information and to R.S.V.P., call 510.436.5138 or 510.436.3722. San Francisco Video and Speaker event with Republic Workers, 2pm Republic workers will speak, and a video chronicling their victory will be shown, at ILWU Local 34 Hall at 2nd St and Embarcadero on the north side of AT&T Park. This event is sponsored by LaborFest, UPWA, Transport Workers Solidarity Committee and others. For information, email LaborFest laborfest@laborfest.net or call 415.642.8066. Saturday, May 30 2009 Bay Area Troublemakers School, 8:30am-5pm; Special evening panel at 6:30pm Turning crisis into opportunity... In the face of the economic crisis, workers are taking stock of how they can hold on to what they've got, and how to build power to get more. Register today for the Labor Notes day-school aimed at educating, inspiring, and giving new tools to brand new and seasoned-vet labor activists. The event, held at Laney College in Oakland, will include more than 20 workshops including fighting concessions during recession, how to recruit and mobilize members, aggressive grievance handling, and running for office in your union. For more information email the Troublemakers School 2009troublemakers@gmail.com or call 510.658.1147. Visit the Labor Notes website to register. TOP L21 Express is the weekly email publication of IFPTE Local 21. Local 21 represents more than 7,000 Bay Area professional public employees. Main Office Phone: 415.864.2100 South Bay Phone: 408.291.2200