The Truth is Out There. Whos Truth?

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This post contains large amounts of a direct mailing from NUHW, the new, or rogue, labor Union, depending on your point of view. Even though they are 180 degrees opposed to what many SEIU members believe and support the coincidence in what was done by SEIU in response to Democratic support of NUHW is the exact opposite of what was decided by the MSEASEIU. 

I expect this post to p.o. some of the people I work with, many I call friends. Open discussion can only be a friend to Union Democracy, please take this in that spirit.

Election scheduled at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in California, SEIU agrees to election after community pressure

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Tuesday, December 3, 2009

After pressure from workers, religious leaders, and the local labor council SEIU agrees to elections.

Santa Rosa, Calif.—Six months after trying to have Union elections the employees at Santa Rosa Memorial hospital get to choose between rival NUHW and SEIU-UHW or to have no Union.

The employees have been trying to form a union with the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW). The National Labor Relations Board today scheduled the union election for Dec. 17 and 18.

SEIU has spent a great time and effort resulting in delays to this election, claiming generally that the election would be unfair to the employees.

"Under Trusteeship," by Ellen Dillinger

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SEIU has done a lot of good. Without SEIU I don't believe we would have ever seen unionized janitors or security guards in Texas. MSEA would never have reached out and formed Local 771 in Maine. MSEA has never focussed on anything beyond State Employees and the addition of SEIU brought new strength, new skills and new energy to Maine.

 

One of the issues under discussion in Maine is disaffiliation from SEIU, another is to simply study the SEIU and MSEA relationship. The hate and infighting between the two groups has reached epic proportions. So far it seems that most of the hate is coming from those who would label anyone who even wants to look at the issue as a traitor.

Should we hate someone who wants a discussion, should we condemn them and deny their right to have a diffiering opinion? Read the rest for a glimpse into California

NUHW Admits Failure in San Francisco

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Some in our Union are calling to disaffiliate from SEIU, others are calling names and being hateful about what is an honest disagreement.

If you want to condemn someone for their opinion then you have no place being in a Union and you have no idea of what a Democracy is.

Should we Stay or Should we Go?

Members of MSEASEIU have put forward a resolution to disaffiliate from SEIU.

(Defined as: to terminate an affiliation, tell them to piss off, or even break up and promise to "stay friends". 

The Resolution comittee allowed this resolution on the ballot. Will the membership get a chance to vote?

Will MSEASEIU go up in flames?

The Red Queen is Off Her Head

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MSEA is holding a convention at the end of October. The rumor is that SEIU has troops in Maine. Is it to pat us on the back, support us, or is it due to the resolution that MSEA disaffiliate from SEIU. Some members feel that we will be asked to believe asked to believe the following: 

For a link to all MSEA resolutions to be voted on  follow this link, RESOLUTIONS.

About This Site

Running for VP

Since I became a candidate for Vice President of MSEA I have been asked why I am running.

After writing this blog for over two years that many times disagrees with either our Staff or our officers it is not to tear anyone down, it is to build a better Union for all of us.

It is all about Union Democracy.

Over two years ago, when this blog started I heard our members saying they wanted our Union to change.

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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Negotiations Team Reaches Tentative Agreement with State of Maine

The executive branch bargaining team has reached a tentative agreement with the State.

A meeting will be held on Monday July 27 with all members of the C.A.T. (contract action team) all Stewards and Chief Stewards in the Executive Branch, Executive Board members, and others who have volunteered to be on the Contract Action Team.

This may seem short notice but this comes after an early start in 2008. Months of planning and over 54 meetings to get to this point. A blast email went out.........Postcards have been sent. Hopefully, we will have a good turn out on Monday.

Please make personal contact with members in the above listed categories and encourage them to attend, reminding them that this is their chance to hear first hand how we got where we are and what is in this contract.

The meeting with the CAT will start at 11 and we expect to be done by 3 PM.

MSEA-SEIU BLAST E-Mail Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 1:29 PM









It has been a long time coming. It would have been easy to roll over in this economy, after all who could blame the team? Your co-workers did not give up. They forged a team and never, never gave in to the easy way out.

No one is going to promise you a great contract, a wonderful contract to solve all your problems. What your friends, the members you elected have done is to get the best possible contract possible under the circumstances. You may be surprised, you may be disappointed in some aspects but you can be proud of the decisions you made and the people you sent to represent you.


For myself, for the Pro-Tech team and all the rest of the members of the Executive Branch Bargaining team, we thank you all for the chance to work for you.
I hope you can feel as good about us as I feel about every member of the team, our Union leadership, and our staff.

In Solidarity

Tom Maher.

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