Admin Bargaining Unit Candidate

I am glad to introduce Kathryn Latulippe, candidate for the Admin bargaining unit negotiations team. During the last contract and for the two years since Kathryn has worked to do her best for your unit and her best for all MSEA employees.. She knows how to work with other units and during long and hard contract talks she never lost sight of the people who sent her to bargain for them. I have worked with Kathryn, and I wholeheartedly endorse her for the team. Her Experience, and her heart are what we all need.

My name is Kathy Latulippe and I am interested in sitting on the Negotiation team for the Administrative Services Bargaining Unit. I have been on the last three contracts and have been on the Contract Committee. I am a 6 year Past President of the Gardiner Chapter, a 6 year (term limited) Board member representing Area II. I am also a Steward. I have sat on many Labor Management teams within current and past departments, as well as a state wide committee. While on the Board I served on many of the MSEA standing committees. I have a diverse experience level that will be an asset to the team. I am looking for your support to devote my time and energy to a contract that will benefit our membership.

I encourage you to sign up for the Bargaining Committee. As a member, becoming involved is a great way to voice your concerns and learn what fellow members are doing on your behalf and to work for changes that you see are needed. It is rewarding work.

Kathryn will never brag or talk about the years working for her members. She knows how to reach across the table to Pro-Tech, OMS, and Supervisory. She will work for you. I am proud to have her as a friend.

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What do you want and how much do you want it?

Last week I received a message about the upcoming changes in Employee health care benefits. This set off a quick email discussion and I think it tells its own story better than a detailed point by point. I have of course removed names and email addresses.

Sent To: Tom Maher

Topic:They're at it. AGAIN!

I received a copy of the Employee Health Commission minutes and they have again changed the benefits. The cuts do not appear to be that severe but ....

Sent from Thomas Maher

Thanks for writing,

The State took the entire surplus the Union had accumulated and then dipped further into the funds needed to simply maintain the status quo to the tune of several millions of dollars more. Previous to the pillaging the Union had arranged to improve dental benefits and lower several co-pays. The legislature felt that no well run program should go unpunished.

If you want to know how some of this happens, stop, look around, and ask yourself how many of the co-workers you see actually did anything to protect their own benefits. There are a few employees that have been very helpful but out of hundreds of emails sent by me encouraging employees to get involved in the next contract I received three answers. One was positive..

If anyone wants any raises, or any changes to the contract coming up they have not asked. There has not been one response to offers posted asking if anyone would like to have an open meeting to ask questions.

It must be nice to be working with a group that is completely satisfied with wages, benefits, and working conditions.

Thank You,

Thomas Maher

Reply

Regarding satisfaction, or becoming involved, most of us are on the extremely busy already side of life, and we rely on those we've elected to represent us. I for one don't have the energy or inclination to work on the contract -- that sounds like a cop-out, but it is true. I devote enormous energy to my job, and the left over is pretty much devoted to others at a personal level. We do want the same old things as you listed below; that has not changed, and won't change, no matter how many times you ask. But look back at the older surveys, you'll find we've answered; we've provided lots of input.

We're not completely satisfied, but there are only so many times we can say it before we think our input doesn't matter anyway in the long run.

The legislature and its designees will do pretty much what they want.

Sent from: Thomas Maher

You are right.

We have real lives and many don't have the time to devote even if they want to.

But for &*%$ sake! Some of us may know how to use a telephone and some advanced employees may even be capable of sending email.

The legislature depends on apathy. It is a little known fact that when a legislator gets ten or more contacts on a single issue they start to ask questions of the other legislators.

As a steward and possibly as a member of the next contract team I will do everything possible to resolve Pro-Tech issues. Last time your team got Management to the table to testify for us. While our gains were limited, we did make progress. In the past we have gotten OT for employees the State tried to make OT exempt. Some of us can now work a 4 day week. Some of us get Standby for at least part of our time. We can make progress.

The surveys have been answered, I know the issues, but to support the issues I am going to need some backing. If I get a number of emails at my home address I can bring those to the table. Is it worth the time to send an email? I make an absolute promise on one thing.

If you don't play, you can't win. No big S on my chest, I can't do it alone.

Thank You,

Thomas Maher

Narsbars@UnionMaine.Org

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Vermont State Employees, win or lose?

George Burgoyne found the original article about changes to the Vermont State Employee pensions. I have used some of the facts as a springboard for comments. Would you like some of the same changes? Are they getting a better deal or are they getting hosed? If you are a younger State employee are you concerned that a deal offered to the older employees could affect you?

On July 1, 2008 State Employees felt another hit in their take home pay and both current and future retirees will be seeing a better future.

Retirees will now get a cost-of-living adjustment, with a five percent cap.

Employee’s pension deductions are jumping to 5.1 percent, from 1.75 percent up 3.35 percent. The hit on take home pay is the funding tool that allows a vastly better COLA for VSEA retirees. They will have a chance of staying even rather than falling behind every year.

Maine has a four percent cap.

New hires, not current employees will have to work until 65 in order to retire, up from 62. I can’t wait until our politicians hear this one.

Then there is the so called 87 option. If your age and service add up to 87, you can retire. Hire on at 23 years old, work until you are 55.

Thirty two years service with age 55 equals 87. You too can retire while young enough to enjoy it.

Vermont workers will only get 80% of percent coverage of health care costs in retirement and will have to work ten years just to get to 40%.

These changes can be made now due to two things. VSEA workers are allowed to negotiate many of the items around both health care and around their pensions. Their legislators are willing to talk with them.

The second reason is the graying of the work force. The cost of living adjustment was a huge incentive. The previous COLA was limited to one half of the cost of living. The true impact is dependent on which cost of living measurement is used, the Bush scale which leaves out home heating and many other necessities or the true cost of living. Thank you to Steve Butterfield of MSEASEIU who taught me the difference. The same word, COLA can mean very different things when it comes to how well you may be able to live when retired.

While many employees will see a large part of the raises gained in the current contract eaten up by increases in health care and pension costs the plan was very appealing to the huge proportion of the workforce soon eligible for retirement. They can see the direct benefit to their future pensions.

Good or bad at least Vermont State Employees were part of the process as they are allowed to negotiate over many of the terms of their employment that Maine legislators so jealously guard as too complicated or too important to let employees have any say.

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