Good News for Massachusetts!

In the past two weeks we've learned that Massachusetts will receive over $1 billion in Federal Funds.

On August 10th, President Obama signed legislation that will grant our state over $700 million. The funds will preserve thousands of education, public safety and healthcare jobs here in our state. It will also provide health care benefits for Massachusetts residents who have lost their jobs due to the recession.  Unfortunately,  Senator Scott Brown opposed this bill because it closed a tax loophole used by foreign and mulitnational corporations to evade paying the same taxes as everyone else.  However the bill was passed over Sen. Brown's fillibuster, because both Republican Senators from Maine broke party lines to support the bill because it will help working folks in New England and across the country.

Additionally, on August 24th, the US Department of Education approved Governor Patrick's proposal for Race to the Top funds worth approximately $250 million.

Altogether the federal funds will increase revenues for our state's budget by nearly 4% and will help to preserve public services provided by the state as well as local schools and governments.

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Debunking the Myth of the Wealthy State Worker

http://www.seiu.org/2010/05/debunking-the-myth-of-the-wealthy-state-worker.php

By Kate Thomas & Jessica Kutch

The Grover Norquists of the world have waged a coordinated, decades-long war on public sector employees. Whether you're a teacher, fire fighter, social worker or engineer - nobody has escaped the right's smear campaign. Attacking the imagined wealth of public employees is a constant refrain in the Republican playbook: 

* Sen. Scott Brown denounced the "lavish pay and benefit packages [that] have unfortunately become a way of life for public employees." 
* The Wall Street Journal editorialized that public employees - and their unions - "may be the single biggest problem" for the nation's economy. 
* And CA Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed that the "The single biggest threat to the fiscal health and California's future, obviously, is our public pension system." 
* Reason.com continues, writing that public sector workers have "turned themselves into a coddled class that lives better than its private sector counterpart."  

But this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, while we've demanded more from public services in the past decade, we've paid our public servants far less. The gap between public and private sector wages has widened, making public sector jobs less competitive than they were 20 years ago. A new report by the National Institute for Retirement Security (NIRS) and the Council on State and Local Government Excellence (CSGE) finds that we pay our state and local public sector employees 11-12% less than their private sector counterparts. 

The right wing has seized on the economic downturn as an excuse to rail against public employee compensation, often in favor of private contractors and overhyped privatization schemes. Recently, the headlines have only gotten worse. The Christian Science Monitor printed a commentary, "Want a balanced budget? Cut state workers' pay." Michelle Malkin has invited readers to "compare your salary to a California public employee's."  

But pegging the massive economic crash on an underpaid civil servant is not only misguided--it's highly suspect. Writes Amy Traub of the Drum Major Institute, "Those looking for a 'coddled class' should look to the Wall Street bonus pool, not the Parks Department."  It's just too bad that the right isn't more interested in Lloyd Blankfein's lavish pay.

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New Online Resources for 888 Members

SEIU Local Eight-Eightyeight on Facebook
Get the latest news and updates from around the union on our Facebook page! If you are on Facebook already, just click here to view our union's page, and if you sign up as "friend" you can connect directly with other SEIU 888 members in Massachusetts and union activists across the country by posting your events and messages on our wall.
If you are not on Facebook yet, you might want to consider setting up an account at www.facebook.com
Facebook is not just a place to find old friends, it is also great tool to keep up on events in our union, our community and the world.
Moreover, there are resources available on Facebook that you can't access without an account. For example, there will be a free online stewards training on Facebook, presented by the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations, on Wednesday, March 31 at 1pm. 
If you are on facebook already, you can search for the union's page "SEIU Local Eight-Eightyeight"

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View Break-Outs and Trainings from the 888 Bargaining Bash on YouTube
On the first Saturday in February, SEIU Local 888 held its first-ever "Bargaining Bash!" The event brought together almost 100 members from all over Massachusetts, from workers in Springfield currently fighting hard for their first contract, to those working in the City of Boston who are getting ready to return to the bargaining table soon. Members came from north, south, and west of Boston to join together and share ideas and information on how we can work together to negotiate good contracts despite difficult economic times. There were several breakout sessions, all well-attended, on topics ranging from "Health Insurance and GIC" to "Translating Economic Givebacks into Language Wins." Members also got a chance to talk to others who do similar work in different communities. One piece of the day included groups based on region, where 888 union brothers and sisters were able to meet their fellow members who may even live and work in the same town or nearby area. Many good ideas were shared and debated, and there was a sense of the common purpose and goals we all need to work toward together. If you were not able to attend, make sure to join us at the Regional Meetings that we will be organizing around Massachusetts later this spring! We will be including an abbreviated version of some of the Bargaining Bash breakout sessions at these local gatherings.
You can view videos of the Bargaining Bash on SEIU 888's YouTube Channel by clicking here. While you are there, please subscribe to 888's YouTube Channel, you will receive automatic notifications whenever the union posts new videos. We will be posting more videos of the Bargaining Bash breakouts and trainings over the next few days, as well as other union trainings and events.

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SEIU 888 Launches our NUMBIRS program! (Non-Union Management Blunders In Revenue Savings)
Too often the public's perception of public workers is marred by foolish and wasteful decisions made by politicians and their appointees: privatization of services that end up costing more money and delivering less service to the public, top-dollar consultant studies that go nowhere or prove to be useless, and decisions made on the basis of politics, rather than how best to serve the public . . .
Enough is enough! It's time to expose the waste and abuse. It's time for our members, who provide the front line services to the public, to speak up. Click here to send us your stories of wasteful management decisions and your ideas to improve public services or save taxpayer money.

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Rep. Michael Kane "Walks a Day" in shoes of Western Mass Family Child Care Provider

Rep Micheal Kane walking a d ay in the shoes of Holyoke family child care provider Tracey Webb

On December 11th, State Representative Michael Kane of Holyoke walked a day in the shoes in Holyoke child care provider Tracey Webb. Arriving before breakfast, Kane spent the entire day helping Tracey feed, play with and care for the children of Western Mass working families. (On another front, Rep. Kane was recently cited by the Governor as one of the key legislators who helped move the administration to restore funding for the Soldiers Homes!)

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Lottery and Unit 2 Ratify MOA's

Members from the State Lottery Commission and the Alliance - Unit 2, approved amendments to the contracts that were ratified last year. The amendments push back the funding dates by 364 days, but preserves the status quo on health benefits despite the mid-year changes in co-pays and deductables by the GIC.

Lottery members voted 208-37 in favor of the new agreement. SEIU 888 Executive Board member Mark DelloRusso and Trustee Mike Kelly travelled across the state holding ballots for members to vote at each of the five worksites between Jan 18 - 25th.

Alliance - Unit 2 members voted 117 to 7 in a single day ballot at worksites across the state on January 5th to ratify their new agreement.

Similar agreements have already been, or are in the process of being, negotiated by all of the state unions. However, unlike some of the other barganing units, Lottery and Unit 2 members will not face any furloughs.
The non-financial sections of the original contracts came into effect last July. But underMassachusetts law, the financial sections of state collective bargaining agreements do not take effect until an appropriations bill is passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. And although all of the state contracts were submitted to the Legislature last summer, no monies have been appropriated to fund them.

It is hoped that delaying the first 1% increase until next July will help get the appropriations bills passed. The Governor has promised to sign the bills if the legislature acts. SEIU 888 and the SEIU State Council will be working hard to convince the legislature to fund the contracts. We will keep our members advised and alert you if action is needed.

State Higher Education units have held an initial meeting with the Administration to discuss a similar MOA.Part of the administration's proposal includes furloug days.  SEIU 888 believes that the cost savings in the Lottery and Unit 2 settlements, which did not include any new furloughs, should be used as a model for any new MOA for higher ed.

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Union Wins Plymouth Arbitration, Town Administrator Stankiewicz Shirks Responsibility

SEIU 888 recently won an arbitration victory upholding the right of senior employees to bump when the employer targets them for a reductions in hours.

The dispute began when Town HR Director, Roberta Kedy, notified 888 members Patricia Santos, Margaret Fitzgibbons, Deborah Cavicchi and Rebecca Kearney that their hours were being reduced by one day a week. The union tried to implement the bumping process contained in the contract. But the administration refused to follow the contract and the union filed a grievance.

At the arbitration, the Town contended that it could target any employee for a reduction in hours without triggering the Seniority or Layoff provisions of the contract. The union argued that if this was the case, then the Town could reduce a worker to just one hour a week.  And that any reduction in hours must be viewed as a partial layoff which triggers the members right to enforce the seniority and bumping sections of the contract.

The arbitrator agreed with the union, found that the Town had violated the contract, and ordered the town to pay the members' lost wages and benefits.

In a recent news article in "Wicked Local Plymouth", Town Manager Mark Stankiewicz bemoaned the fact that the Town was going to have to come up with $15,000 to satisfy the arbitrator's judgement. But this cost could have been avoided altogehter, if the Stankiewicz had simply followed the process laid out in the contract.

Stankiewicz also hints darkly in the article that he may exact his revenge by laying off innocent town workers in order to make up the funding.

SEIU 888 strongly suggests that the Plymouth Board of Selectmen should considering holding those administrators who were responsible for this fiasco, personally liable and recoup the funds from their salaries; instead of allowing Stankiewicz to go after low paid town workers who actually perform their jobs without costing the town thousands of dollars in lost wages and useless litigation.