December 2007
Important Information from the President’s Desk
December 17, 2007
Dear Local 1585 Members,
This newsletter is to inform you of a couple of events going on in Local 1585.
As many of you know there have been no jobs posted for Local 1585 since December 20, 2006 yes it has been a year since any positions have been posted.
The local has been trying to come up with a mutual satisfactory agreement with the employer in accordance with (Article 59) since Proposal 2 became effective a year ago.
The local and the employer have gone through all the processes of trying to come together on an agreement.
The employer’s position was and still is they have to have a choice of 2 people, not to go by straight and minimum qualifications (currently contract agreement). In our last meeting it was stated by the employer this has nothing to do with diversity, this is not what we need it is what we want. Since that meeting the negotiation team has become aware that this proposal is coming straight from Lou Anna K Simon. It has been stated that now or in 2010 the employer will get the pre selection or choice language they want.
This problem became a problem when proposal 2 became effective. How to keep trying to achieved a diversified work force in local 1585 without affirmative action.
The University has had affirmative action for a long period of time and still is lacking in diversity in same major departments on campus. Out of the jobs posted under utilization which as was 80% the university only filled those jobs 30% of the time with the underutilized candidates.
This should have allowed the university to meet its federal placement goals and achieve diversity but there are departments that have not done this. Human Resource has told the local they will monitor the hiring process of temporary employees to try to correct the problem at the entry level. The Custodial Department and Housing and Foods have done a great job of maintaining a much diversified work force.
So what does all of this mean the university has always had the right to post and fill jobs where ever they thought they had a vacancy. They chose not to because they would have to follow article 36 agreement that both parties agreed to many years ago with out choice because proposal 2 made it illegal to have the choice of more than 1 person who met the minimum qualifications with the most seniority. I can not tell you when they will post and fill jobs. Can they wait until 2010? Yes they could unless we agree on a resolution between now and then. We have requested a meeting after the holidays to see if we can get a resolution to put this behind us. Please come to the next general membership meeting for more information.
The cost of Healthcare is going to become a bigger problem in the near future. This year we did a good job of controlling the cost that is why we received a good pay raise. We will be talking about alternative ways to help you with healthcare in the future at the next general membership meeting if you are interested join us on January 10, 2008.
President of Local 1585
Jim Rhodes, Jr.
October 2007
Important Information from the President's Desk
Local 1585 Brothers and Sisters:
This
letter is to give you an update on some issues that are on going and some have
been withdrawn.
First the
job postings “Article 36” is the hot topic for Local
1585.
Your
elected team of negotiators is standing first on protecting your seniority
rights. The employer has stated they
want pre selection language it has nothing to do with diversity. The employer want to
choose who they think is the best person for the job and not give the most
senior person who meets the minimum qualifications a trial period. Let me state for the record again the
employer determines when and where there is a vacancy the
The
Out last
meeting was in September and we are in the process of getting another meeting
scheduled. We go through all the
grievances from the month at the General Membership Meeting if you have any
questions.
Please
show your support to your elected team leaders and come voice your opinion and
concerns at the next General Membership Meeting.
Thank You,
Jim Rhodes
Local 1585 President
October 12, 2007
Important Information from the President's Desk
Local 1585 Brothers and Sisters:
Please
read this and inform all of your co-workers if they have not read this or have
been misinformed about information in this letter.
I have had several phone
calls in the last few months since the on-call arbitration award was given.
The #1 question is "Can I be a temporary employee and an on-call employee
and have different rights as an employee?” The answer is YES; if
you are an on-call then you have NO rights and NO union representation.
If you were a temporary employee prior to becoming an on-call, once you become
an on-call you lose all your seniority as a temp as well as your sick time,
holiday pay, and bidding/job rate rights.
Temporary employees if you are not rehired as a temporary within 30 days after
your last day of employment you will also lose your seniority rights and will
have to start over as a new temporary employee with no seniority.
Seniority is only recognized for bidding purposes for temporary employees
only. There are enormous differences between being a temporary employee
and an on-call and yes you can work as an on-call if you choose to.
MAP questions
and training is being handled in Human Resources. They can be reached at
(517-884-0117
Anyone interested in working football clean-up overtime can contact
Jenny McManus at (517) 355-7750 x 106.
Please join me
at the next General Membership meeting on October 12, 2007.
Thank You,
Jim Rhodes
Local 1585 President