Cat and Mouse

This post is from an employee at Dorothea Dix (formerly BMHI), Nan Worcester.

Hi y’all…Herman the mouse, here to visit again!

Nan has been a State employee for quite a while and she has seen this before.

Ya know, someone’s been baiting a trap for me, and NOT with cheese!

Since I’ve been keeping company with so many nice state employees, while listening to all the anti-union, anti-benefit, anti-pay increase folks, I’m here to tell you, I’m worried!

Ever since one of my friends came to work for this fine state, I keep hearing about how much money the state workers earn, how great their benefits are and why they shouldn’t be getting them. It appears, according to many, that state workers should be downgraded, their benefits that they have worked so hard for, should be taken away so that we can be like the rest of the workers in this state who, for one reason or another, have less. Thank you Wal Mart, for hiring so many people, but not providing them with enough hours, or wages, that they have to depend on Maine Care for their health coverage!

I’d like to suggest a truly radical concept…even though I know it won’t fly. Why doesn’t the private sector IMPROVE their benefits instead of spending time and MONEY trying to show why state workers should do with less (like their employees)? Why don’t some of our legislators suggest this. I realize that this would cut profit margins, which is probably why some of our elected officials wouldn’t want to be caught suggesting something like this. It’s easier to look to employees, whether they be state or private sector, to take the hit.

Please join your fellow-employees at Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center on Wednesday at noon, starting May 28, in the Employee Lounge in brainstorming, or suggesting ways that we can encourage our Union to start bargaining SOON. Tell them waiting until January 2009 when the legislature has spent all its time attempting to balance the budget on the back of the state workers…i.e., cutting health benefits, furlough days (remember them?), shut-down days (remember them too?) and no pay increases is TOO LATE. We need MSEA-SEIU to start bargaining talks NOW! Before the darned cat catches me!

Nan called the MSEA office and asked about early bargaining and so did a lot of other employees concerned about the oncoming train. Good news! The Union has set a schedule! The board has voted to have a committee meeting in June, there should be a survey put out by the Union by now or very shortly, the team election process will be started and hopefully teams will be elected this summer!

We are doing it! The process will be changed and no matter how bad the economy whatever happens would be far worse than what we will be able to do with enough time to prepare.

Our President and our VP both ran on a platform that supported bargaining differently and bargaining earlier. We have already had the only bargaining summit in 30 years and we will be earlier. Looks like they both kept their promises.
This is our Union and we will get no more out than we are willing to invest.

No matter who does what, you can do something. Do you want to be heard? Fill out this Bargaining Survey and be heard.Click Here to take survey Click HERE to see how other members are voting..If you have any ideas for putting together a survey for your local or your bargaining unit please contact me at Narsbars@UnionMaine.Org If you get one person to fill out this survey you will be helping yourself. Ask a friend to fill out the survey and ask them to find another friend to do the same. When the MSEA starts collecting proposals all information gathered will be given to the new teams.

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