UnionMaine.BlogSpot.Com: MSEA-SEIU

He made the trains run on time and controlled the Unions

- October 23, 2003

Fascism is recognized to have first been officially developed by Benito Mussolini, who came to power in Italy in 1922. To sum up fascism in one word would be to say "anti-liberalism".

...............Socialism and Democracy. Political doctrines pass; peoples remain. It is to be expected that this century may be that of authority, a century of the "Right," a Fascist century."

Image Source Page: http://marxistleninist.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/glenn-beck-champions-u-s-pro-nazi-text/

Showing posts with label MSEA-SEIU. Show all posts

Saturday, February 26, 2011

In Germany, they came for the Trade Unionists first.

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by: NarsBars

Sat Feb 26, 2011 at 17:05:00 PM EST

Today in Augusta there was a Rally to support the Wisconsin Unions. Historical note: In Germany prior to the start of WWII one of the first groups to be arrested, or killed or jailed, before even the Jews, were the trade Unionists. This has nothing to do with Nazism, this is just a comparison to how Unions are viewed by an authoritarian state.

The war on labor is now global, not local.

I arrived an hour or more early hoping to meet up with friends, perhaps seeking support in a group.

At the beginning I was parked in the wrong spot and it looked as if there were many, many, Tea Party protesters showing up and I didn't see a Union bumper sticker in the crowd.

I arrived early, afraid that there could a huge crowd of Tea Party members and a few lonely Union supporters in the cold Maine winter.

Leaving my eleven year old Escort, I nearly took off my SEIU hat to walk past the pile of angry people and elderly codgers old enough to have their Social Security and their Medicare, but squared my hat, and walked up the hill.

It was like walking towards a sun rise. As I came over the hill I saw like yellow clouds blocking the sun, a few Tea Party flags and members, maybe a hundred.

I am no crowd estimator but in moments I found how small the crowd really was.
Give em credit, the Koch brothers have bought them very nice flags.

Then further into the light, I saw tens, and then hundreds and hundreds of our fellow Mainers, Union members, private citizens not a part of any Union and all around me the crowd kept streaming in. Unlike the Tea Party they were smiling, not hating.
We sang, we had our own signs, made from the heart, we had solidarity! I especially liked "Little beards against LePage"

The bad news is I sang too, but at least I was drowned out by the hundreds of proud tax paying citizens there to support Wisconsin, to support labor in Maine, and YES to support Maine State employees.

The speakers were great, they spoke about the need for us to all support each other or be torn apart one at a time. The messages were all positive, no hate for Republicans, just a demand that we be heard, that we be a part of the solution.

Several Democratic representatives were there, speaking in no uncertain terms. Yes, the economy is bad but it is no reason to break decades of promises, to steal bread, medicine, and heating oil, from retirees, while refusing to bargain over what can be done. (The LePage budget would make it illegal for State Employees to offer concessions to keep their pensions). Yes, would make concessions illegal.

Our Democratic representatives said clearly they knew that this was not a budget issue, that this is no less than an attack on all labor, an attempt to break all Unions across the country and end the rights of all employees to have a say in their working conditions.

I offered one of the representatives the first free hotel room in Massachusetts. I told her, "Lord of the Rings" allusion to riding out to face the foes regardless of the odds had grabbed me by the heart.
All around me brothers and sisters chimed in, offering more support and more free hotel rooms. It can happen but only if they have our backing.

This is a fight for life, a fight for all labor, not just an MSEA issue. Republican or Democrat the legislature must hear from us.
The Republicans don't like a governor who is trying to order them around, it appears there will be a 2/3 budget. They want Democratic buy in to the budget, we must back up our reps and let the Rs know we will vote.

I know many State Employees will be there on the 3rd and the 4th but we need Union members, moms and dads that want good teachers, not lowest bid for profit schools, to be there for the teachers on the 5th. We will be there for each other.

There were sad moments too, looking up the hill to see the few Tea Party members, engaged in Democratic action, but so sadly misinformed, their movement stolen and used by the corporation agenda to make them fight their neighbors, to hate their neighbors, forgetting that they they have been used, and already forgotten and ridiculed by those they helped elect.

Don't make the mistake of thinking the Tea Party is all negative. They are Mainers too but their energy is being transformed to hate, their movement stolen by a few for the benefit of a few.
The Tea Party ideals have been perverted to serve power, and laughed at by those who will never have enough until everyone else has nothing.

Stay home if you must, if you are taking care of family, or sick, but try to be part of history, this may not be the best chance you ever missed, this may be your last chance.

I will take vacation, I will take unpaid time off. What I will not do is to let someone else do this for me. I will be part of this, win lose or draw. I will stand with my brothers and sisters and know that we have done everything possible.

In solidarity,
I hope to see you there.
Narsbars

I want to thank Gerald at Dirigoblue for being an inspiration. I wish I had ten percent of his talent and professional skills. Please add Dirigoblue to your regular reading.

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

We have them outnumbered, run away, run away!

Spirit of the Democratic Party

George Armstrong Custer, U.S. Army major gener...

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With the economy, the Democrats playing dead for Lieberman and the near certainty that everything that brought us the Obama victory is being thrown out by the Congress I have not been posting.

The health care bill that may be passed by Congress will be nothing more than a give away to the insurance companies unless the House stands firm. Enough of the National crap.

I know giving up won't do any good. Giving up is the excuse of the weak.

I can't do anything on the national stage but what is coming down in Maine is too close and too scary to ignore.

Local issues are coming up that will affect the State, State employees, and Union members throughout the State are the coming targets again.

The governor will be Baldacci will announce his plan Friday for filling an estimated $400 million hole in the state budget, and we can expect to have the legislature trying to cut budgets and spill blood behind closed doors.

Just remember that at least two of the candidates for gov. currently in the legislature, Libby (D) and Peter (R) both stated publicly that they promised to respect the collective bargaining rights of Union employees and they both swore that no more cuts would be forced on us without coming to the table.

There are some rays of light. I know from direct knowledge that someone has started laying off contractors, not State Employees and the same work is still getting done and done less expensively.

You can help yourself. When you hear you are needed to call the legislature, to show up at a meeting of the legiscritters, don't turn your head. You, me, we, can make a difference. Don't be a no show.

They want your vote, they want your help. I don't want promises, I want to see them keep their word.

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Truth is Out There. Whos Truth?

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There's more...>>

Monday, October 26, 2009

Democrats trying early for Union support

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Monday, October 5, 2009

York County Workers Need Our Support. Women laid off for Union Activity

I received this email tonight. We need to support our Union Brothers and sisters in York County.

There's more...>>

Sunday, October 4, 2009

What Are State Employees And MSEA-SEIU Members Doing About The Economy?

This is the coast of Maine, somewhere around t...

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Sunday, August 23, 2009

You think so, do you? Don't think about it alone, let everyone hear it.

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Go ahead, click on the link at the bottom of the post. Trust me, I work for the Government.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Senate President Mitchell to Run for Governor

MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 President Hodsdon Steps on Rumors

MSEA-SEIU President Bruce Hodsdon pledged to serve out his full term if reelected this fall.

He has been passing the word at chapter meetings for the past few weeks. There had been rumors swirling that he was interested in resigning right after the election and letting his probable VP, Ginnette Rivard serve the rest of his term.

After weeks of rampant speculation regarding the future of MSEA-SEIU president Bruce Hodsdon, the President faced the rumors head on and stated officially the he will serve 100% of his term if reelected.

The following quote is from memory, and may not be the exact wording used at the time.

“I want to say that I have heard the rumors of my planned resignation and state that I am 100 percent committed to MSEA-SEIU and I look forward to fulfilling my duties in years to come,” Hodsdon said.

“Due to the work of the membership and the time and effort, made by everyone associated with our Union, I believe we are building a stronger future for all of us.”

“I have no plans for another job anywhere besides MSEA-SEIU at this time,” Hodsdon said very definitely.

While many former Union officials migrate from local positions to higher-profile national jobs with their Unions, Bruce Hodsdon doesn't seem to have any interest in the national scen at this time.

Rumors swirled around unsubstantiated talk about Hodsdon’s plans to quit after election and taking a job with SEIU, following the pattern of many retired Union officials that often plan on quitting and find they can’t give up the work..

Hodsdon has plenty of time in MSEA and State service, as a former VP, Ferry worker and even a stint on the dark side as Human resources. He is currently on the international board of SEIU and has represented Maine’s interests at every chance.

Hodsdon has yet to be reelected and start a second two-year term with MSEA-SEIU but at this time the odds seem in his favor.

Hodsdon has compiled a long, successful record with MSEA-SEIU since taking office two years ago and has been president during disastrous economic conditions but has continued to work towards making our Union more member driven by involving State Employees from all bargaining units in all aspects of the Union from Labor Management committees to bargaining.

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Friday, August 7, 2009

SEIU gets raises, SEIU on strike?

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Weekend update, fun and the good news, bad news for SEIU State employee Union members. Don't forget the MSEA-SEIU contract votes will be counted on August 17.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the holodeck! This story comes from the DailyKos. The tech in this story wouldn't make Mr. Spock or Scotty sit down and cry, but until then this is the best around. Like the Holodeck? follow the link. The tech is great but the real reason to include it here is to blow a hole in the right wing idea that liberals are all about tax and spend. Read the quote after the link and see how real liberals think we should dig our way out of this hole in the ground economy.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/6/762702/-Ladies-and-Gentlemen,-I-give-you-the-holodeck.

America should get on that, because that is what America does best. We see the world and all of its ideas and technology and recombine it into fantastical products that we create with our industrial might and sell around the world.

Or we use to, before we became a nation dependent on financial services to generate wealth.

I say we got back to selling the world boxes labeled, "Made in the USA."

Especially if we start slinging holodecks.

California

SEIU 1000 State workers vote "Yes"

Updated August 3
SEIU members approve strike authorization by 74 percent margin; Union members step up pressure on governor to ratify their contract

By an overwhelming majority, SEIU Local 1000 state workers have shown their outrage at the governor and his attacks on state employees and the services they provide. In votes from state offices throughout California, 74 percent authorized their union officers to call job actions up to and including a strike if necessary in order to ensure that the contract signed with the governor's representatives in February is passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"This is about our contract," SEIU President Yvonne Walker said Saturday. "Whether it is through litigation, negotiations or any other actions that are necessary, we're in this for the long-haul to right this wrong to our members. We negotiated in good faith, we have offered cost-saving solutions, and we need our contract to be ratified."

SEIU 1000 in a cost savings program targeted as saving jobs, and saving tax dollars found $340 million dollars through a combination of cutting wasteful outsourcing of jobs and more efficient work rules. The Union is currently subject to three furlough days a month equaling a 15% pay cut while the governor backpedals and refuses to live up to his word and sign the contract that he agreed to. Like the politicians in so many states hurting State workers as a political move comes before saving the citizens money.

Local 503 Oregon

SEIU 503 signs tentative agreement, gets over 6% in raises over two years.

After eight and a half months of bargaining a new contract, a tentative agreement affecting nearly 18,000 employees was agreed on. The new contract, if approved, will run until June 30, 2011 Service Employees International Union local 503 reached a tentative agreement with the State of Oregon that gives cost of living wage increases. Over the next two years, wages will increase 6.2 percent.

Does this quote sound familiar?

“Our cost of living has been behind the private sector for years now,” says Randy Davis, a mental health therapist at Oregon State Hospital.

The new contract, will go to the bargaining committee on August 15 and if passed will be sent to the membership for a vote.
A rare success story, although not without some losses. 503 protected fully paid family medical coverage. The state will pay for premium cost increases up to 5% in each year. Increases between 5% and 10% will be paid partly by the State and partly from insurance reserve funds. The state subsidy for part-time employees' health insurance will increase so that part timers" premium costs don't go up.

The contract contains a one year step freeze from 9/1/09 to 8/31/10. All bargaining unit members will get at least one step raise during the contract. There will be no cost of living raises during the contract. Ten, twelve, of fourteen furlough days over the next two years.

The State started with a demand for 24 unpaid days off and now the days off will count as time worked for accruals and insurance A number of non-economic changes will benefit members, including a classification study for many positions that must be finished in time to bargain salary rates in 2011 and an extra year of recall rights for laid-off workers. 

Congratulations Local 503!

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Friday, July 24, 2009

Is Baldacci planning lay offs?

Image by SarekOfVulcan via Flickr

Is Baldacci preparing for hundreds of lay offs?

Friday, July 24, 2009

Rumors are flying. Is Governor Baldacci preparing plans to lay off possibly hundreds of state workers? Rumors are that Baldacci has ordered state department heads to prepare plans for layoffs, while he remains closed mouthed.

At the same time contract negotiations over a new contract are reaching a conclusion. The negotiations, started last year have been fouled by a legislature that decided to ignore collective bargaining when they refused to negotiate cuts. The contract Tentative Agreement is going to a vote of the Union Contract Action Team on Monday the 27^th. State Employees have tried to be a part of the process for many months both through suggestions for real cost savings and political action.

Millions of dollars of cost savings ideas put forward by State Employees have been ignored while the State refused to allow any Union involvement in government oversight of waste and fraud, claiming the appropriations committee could do it all. The fear in the politician’s eyes is clear every time a State Employee says “We know where the waste is!”

MSEA reached out to the State last year and asked to be part of any discussions around employee pay cuts or benefit reductions. MSEA members know times are tough, we pay taxes, and we offered to save the State tax payer money. Every time we offered to point out the waste, a politician would say no thank you.

The ugly refusal of the legislature to respect collective bargaining has many employees demanding legal action be taken against the State for bargaining in bad faith.

State Employees have accused the governor and the legislature of undermining the negotiations and disrespecting all state employees and all taxpayers when they refused to allow citizens to be part of their so called savings committee.

The continuing refusal by the State to bargain in good faith is a common topic of discussion during Union discussions. It has been a constant disappointment that the Governor and the legislature continue to intimidate workers with the layoff threat. There are responsible solutions to be had, but the State has so far refused to listen to ideas that could save Maine tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. State Employees know where the waste is, where the political favors are being handed out at the expense of the taxpayer. Unlike the legislature, State Employees are committed to public service, not a political agenda.

The two sides have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, but the Union has refused to recognize shut down days in formal language as there were never any talks with the Unions only a midnight deal in the appropriations committee with no Union input.

MSEA-SEIU, which represents most state employees, tried to offer savings in order to bargain a guarantee there would be no future layoffs. The combination of attrition and retirement incentives was refused mostly by the right in a knee jerk refusal to offer any benefit to any State Employee, no matter the savings to the taxpayers of Maine.

The union proposed retirement incentives for cost savings, but the State said the retirement ideas would cost the state millions of dollars. The Union offered to be part of a cost savings committee and we were told not to let the door hit us on the way out.

The state's biennial budget for 2009-2011 plans for about 200 retirements during the July retirement incentive period and allows the Union to negotiate for any “excess” personal savings the Union can identify. This may be the reason the appropriations committee refused to allow State Employees on the savings commission as they are certain to want to hide any monies found and protect their favored private contractors regardless of the cost to the state budget. State Employees, being taxpayers too would have been too likely to publicize the wasteful contracts to political allies and campaign supporters.

The union's bargaining committee meets Monday to discuss ratification of the proposed contract and whether to send it out for a vote of the membership or to send the negotiations team back to the table. If the contract is sent back to the table the State is almost certain to call an impasse which would result in months of stalemated talks with no contract in place. The legislature found a way around our contract by making the law that came in to effect at the end of the last contract.

If we have a new contract in place it will be much, much harder to bypass an existing contract. Having a contract in place may very well be the least bad of a series of bad choices. Employees continue to be covered by the provisions of the old contract, which expired June 30 and a contract extension that runs until the end of August. Shut down days have already been implemented along with cuts in longevity pay due to the legislative refusal to bargain and instead rely on brute force.

Union members are of many opinions about the best course of action. Stress and tension have been building for months and the latest announcement of an “at least” $80,000,000.00 million dollar budget gap has only added to the strain.

It is time to look at some of the services being done by contractors that could be done by state workers at a lower cost. This would make it a lot easier to cut in the future without all the politics. The State is cutting back, why should private industry be any different?

Some State jobs are 100% federally-funded and the State still wants to cut the jobs and lose the funds that come with those jobs. The right wing doesn’t care about savings. They only want to reduce head count regardless of the cost. Many state employees are partially or fully funded by federal funds.

Stop the welfare, save the budget. How about instead of handing the money out with no question we use some state employees to investigate families collecting when complaints are made. Currently State Employees are told “There is no money for enforcement” or “We would lose Federal dollars”. Get it straight! State Employees don’t hate welfare but they do hate welfare cheats!

Get a job with Wal-Mart and see how long you last without a union. Unions don’t support poor work standards. If you let a company go out of business, you are out of a job. If it wasn't for the threat of unionization wages would be far lower than they are now. State Workers don’t think they should be immune to the economy but if we have taken cuts instead of lay offs then asking for no more lay offs is only fair.

Why are cleaners being laid off and during a hiring freeze while new management positions are created in the budget at $75,000 a year or better to start? Essential employees must stay home without pay while there are internal job postings for even more management. That is the real insult.

SSDD, Same Shit Different Day. Cut the programs that help people. Why does it always have to be the departments that help people that get cuts? We thought we had a Governor that supported state employees. He gave us a speech promising no furloughs, no unpaid days while he was in office. Lying S.O.B.!

State employees have almost gotten used to being hated.It makes the economy of knuckle dragging radio shows run. State Employees don’t make a fortune and when we were paid far, far, under the private sector we were laughed at as being too dumb to get a real job with real wages. The Staff has been going down for a decade and many employees are now doing the work of several employees.

We couldn't break a contract to pay AIG executives nearly half a Billion dollars in bonuses for destroying a company because the contract was sacred, yet the legislature can break our contract while trying to find out how to steal the health care and pensions we were promised for 30 years as if asking to be paid what you were promise is a crime.

Jesus hired three men at three different times yet paid them what they were promised, there should be some lesson there for the "moral majority".

The state budget is out of control because ME's politicians from both sides of the aisle refuse to produce a list of "essential services" and the real cost associated with those services. In many cases the service is unneeded or could be done cheaper by a State Employee. True costing is not something state employees are afraid of, it is something they are demanding. A true cost basis would cost some jobs but with the firing of wasteful contracting many more would open up.

Cuts should not be made on the basis of head count but on an honest review of costs and need for a particular service. If outsourcing a vital service can save money with out losing efficiency it must be considered. If a State Employee can do the job better and cheaper we should keep or hire a State Employee.

Cut employee pay and benefits and you will save temporarily save some money. You will also see the level of service drop because you will have lost a skilled work force while being unable to attract skilled replacement workers.

Services cost money, and if it costs $100.00 to fix a pot hole, then it costs a $100.00. If you pay less, you will get less, if you want less service and quality a politician will be happy to give you what you want.

The state should listen to suggestions of workers, not management, for cost-saving ideas.
In the worst economy since the Great Depressions, MSEA-SEIU members found cost savings ideas, instead of tax increases or reductions in services. Many on the right and some possible Democrat candidates for Governor were far more interested in publicity than saving Maine's budget.

Union Employees want to provide quality public services and protect the jobs of our co-workers. These are your neighbors who plow the roads, protect the public, and fix the roads.

It’s bullshit!! Every time I hear “6 people to lean on a shovel" it is really bull shit. Most of the shovel leaners are contractors that buy the same uniforms and paint their trucks the same color as State trucks so their waste will be blamed on State Employees. The employees don’t ask for five friends to help. Management sends five because the more people they manage the more pay they get. Everyone blames the employee. It's time to look at upper management.

Governor Baldacci didn’t even try to negotiate in good faith. He never offered State Employees the respect of even asking for their help. They sold us out to the Republican head hunters with no regard for the tax payers of Maine. "So what if it costs more!" Cutting State employees and paying more for the same services is always a good idea when you are looking for a consultant job when you leave the legislature.

A lot of consultants are former employees who retire, collect their retirement and then return to the same job in the same agency. The state pays them twice. Get rid of the double dipping mostly former managers if you really want to save $$$$.

Union workers want to help the public and save money. We are the public. We pay taxes. How about BMV? If you asked State Employees they might be willing to shift hours so the public could come in at 6 pm or at 6 am. The trouble is the politicians are afraid to ask State Employees for help. They are afraid we would say yes.

Some people hate Unions. OK, OK, but, state employees aren’t members of Tony Soprano's family. State Employees are taxpayers and neighbors and make our state run, these cuts will be devastating to them and to our state services. No one else in Maine has been asked to take thousands of dollars of tax increases in a single year.You don’t think the contractors will have to take less money do you?

With State Lay offs more employees get laid off than needed in order to give bragging rights to some politician while he or she ships the work out to a business partner or friend at an inflated price. The contract MSEA-SEIU may get now is not a good contract but the fault is not on the union. The fault is on the legislature that has wasted money for decades while raiding retirement funds and borrowing even in years of surplus.

Union members were not smoking dope and dreaming of pay increases and more benefits. We know this is a rough time and we expected to take a hit. All we ever asked is to be part of the process and to get the respect we deserve.

The state is expecting to save money by having state employees use their vehicles while never increasing the mileage paid. Employees don’t even get what the Feds have determined is the least it takes to run a car. They can’t afford to run the cars but we are supposed to carry the load.

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Union Seamen Too Expensive

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The American Union seamen tossed pirates off the ship.

The sad truth corporate spokesman Bligh said is that the Union help was just too expensive.

They cost too damn much what with expecting benefits, pay, and even funeral expenses if they were dumb enough to get killed! They just had to go.

It would have been far cheaper to have just paid off the pirates and gotten the ship to port on time.

This was just another publicity stunt. The only way they did it was with long practice being Union thugs.

About ME

I am a member of the Pro Tech bargaining unit. I have been a steward for over eighteen years and a State Employee for a nearly nineteen years.

I am a Left wing, owl kissing tree hugger with my NRA membership in my wallet. I have been on negotiations teams for contracts, I have been on more Union committees than I can list and I think we have gotten a raw deal for years.

I live with my daughter, my wife one Labrador and two cats. I don't have the answers but maybe one of us does and this is a place you can be heard.

This site is not supported by, run by, or endorsed by any Union. . Due to Spam, comments will be reviewed before they are posted. This forum is about ideas, not personalities. Everyone is invited and everyone will be treated with respect.