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T i m e s

March 17 2009


Topics

  1. March Meeting changed to 3/25
  2. Wastewater Mediation Update
  3. Transit Retro Update
  4. Anonymous Letters Left on Our Chairs
  5. Furlough ULP
  6. Advertisements
  7. Meeting Calendar

1.  Monthly Meeting date revision:

The March meeting has been rescheduled to 3/25. The meeting will be held in rooms 3D&E of the KSC from 12-1.


2.  Wastewater Mediation Update

The Wastewater Bargaining Team (Roger Browne, John Phillips, Wyatt Wood, Jim Cline and Eric Davison) met with the County Negotiator and a PERC mediator for 3 days of mediation last week.  The county will present a new contract offer on April 9.  The next mediation session is scheduled on April 27.


3.  Transit Retro Update

The new wage rates have been implemented per the arbitration settlement.  Please see a TEA Officer if you have any questions or concerns about your new rate.

In an email dated March 10, 2008 to Transit Staff, Chris Egan outlined the process for the distribution of RETRO checks on Thursday, March 19th.  The plan is to have Lisa Krohn distribute the checks once she picks them up from payroll.  Lisa will email Transit Staff when the checks are ready for pick-up at her desk.


4.  Anonymous Letters Left on Our Chairs

"Setting the Record Straight"

Does anyone even know what that means? :)  Many of you got a document with this title left on your chairs anonymously.  Some of you reported feeling harassed by it.  Please know that TEA has no control over this, but you should contact your local HR rep if you have concerns.

Much of the content has already been discussed at length in previous TEA Times articles.  You have heard that the official PERC term for one union filing cards to represent members in another union is a "raid".  TEA didn't invent it.  On the other hand, I freely admit it feels a lot like the other meaning for that term...  :)

PERC Law is definitive on the matter of setting aside the ULP.  If we do that, and the members vote to enter another union, the opportunity to correct the harm the County has done to TEA members is lost forever.  However we do have a firm date on the hearing, it will start March 30.

You likewise have been informed that 40 members are not empowered to force the Board to take any action, much less one we know could harm the other 275 TEA members. Like you, I look forward to the day when the ULP's are done, and the vote is over and we go on from here, regardless of who represents you. For those of you affected by 117 petitions, know that when you do vote, you will have my heartfelt wish that you discover your choice to be a good one for you.

The last point in the anonymous letter is interesting. For those of you who have not read that, it accuses TEA of attempting to intimidate members by filing information requests for emails from members who seek to switch unions. We did file an email discovery request related to the two ULP hearings we have been conducting. And a few members who *also* want to switch unions were affected. What the discovery reveled was that one of them blind copied management on an email intended for TEA and that manager immediately forwarded it to the County ULP defense team. The speed with which this "discovery" happened was impressive, and led us to suspect the County might be actively monitoring your email. Hopefully that member learned their lesson. Honestly, if anyone wanted to intimidate TEA members, they would be leaving weekly letters on your chairs :)

TEA doesn't pay $1000 signing bonuses for bringing a new unit into the union as the Teamsters do and we don't forgive dues for members that volunteer to do union work; everyone in TEA pulls their own weight.  Not so in 117; they will use your dues money in recruitment campaigns and shop stewards will not have to pay dues.  With TEA, there is nothing "in it" for the Board members.  TEA only exists to represent the interests of the members and to bargain and enforce our contracts.  We obviously cannot make everyone happy, especially those of you who never wanted to be in a union in the first place. We're doing the best job we know how.  If you have some ideas for making it better, please share them with us.  If you just want to dissolve TEA, please go talk to those other guys:)  Thanks for listening!

- Roger Browne


5.  Furlough ULP

The Furlough ULP hearing is scheduled to begin March 30th.


6.  Advertisements

TEA members can post classified ads for free.
Send classified ads to TEA Secretary Ken Madden
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7.  TEA Meeting Schedule

	March 23 - TEA Grievance Committee Meeting, 11:30am
	March 25 - TEA Monthly Member Meeting, 12-1, KSC, 3D&E

TEA Board

	Roger Browne, President
	Ade Franklin, Vice President
	Ken Madden, Secretary
	Terry Browne, Treasurer
	Eric Davison, Wastewater Bargaining Chair
	Jerry Williams, Transit Bargaining Chair
	John Phillips, Council of Reps. Chair