This is a copy of the letter that I sent to SEIU resigning as a worksite steward at Woodland Healthcare:
Effective Tuesday, 5 May 2009, I hereby resign as a work site steward for SEIU-UHW. This comes after much soul-searching and talking to family, fellow co-workers, and other brother and sister union members. The reasons for my decision are mainly twofold:
One, I find myself unable to put my best effort to an organization that has disappointed me in so many ways (shutting me out from bargaining and then asking me to sign people up to replace me - how tacky is that..). I tried to put aside my feelings in this matter, to try to work with you, but I will be unable to do so.
Secondly, I will be taking on additional clients in my capacity as respite caregiver which will require more of my time.
As far as the other current stewards at Woodland Healthcare are concerned, I can not speak for them. I would hope that they will make their decision to stay/go based on their own factors, and not just because I am resigning.
Sincerely,
Joseph G. Thomas Jr.
Woodland Healthcare
Nutrition Services
More From Me Tomorrow -- Joe the "Coffee Guy"
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
No Sunday Sermon from Me...
For those of you who have come to this spot looking for info on the NUHW founding convention:
A: Sorry you missed it.
B: Ask me about it at the Coffee Bar. (or e-mail me)
C: Be patient. I'll speak more on it later.
Stay in touch,
The "Coffee Guy"
A: Sorry you missed it.
B: Ask me about it at the Coffee Bar. (or e-mail me)
C: Be patient. I'll speak more on it later.
Stay in touch,
The "Coffee Guy"
Thursday, April 16, 2009
..Yes, I'm Back. And I am not happy...
Hi! I've been away for a while, but now I am ready to tell folks what is going on in my world...
Last Monday and Wednesday, I had the opportunity to talk to the SEIU representative assigned to WHC. I told her that we, as workers, had many issues involving failures by management to follow the terms of our collective bargaining agreement. We have many scheduling, assignment, and other worksite issues that need to be addressed and corrected. We, as employees, all know of decisions that managers have made that are just WRONG.
To this end,I met with the SEIU representative assigned to our facility. I talked to her about the need to set aside our SEIU/NUHW differences and work together for the good of the members. I told her that if she would be willing to be more available to work with our job stewards in terms of grievances, Committee meetings, etc. that I would keep her apprised of what we need and when we need her.
I also told her that I would no longer distribute information regarding NUHW at the facility.I wanted her to understand that I would work as a steward representing our contract, and only our contract, on matters involving union issues.
In the light of the current division in CHW facilities, including our own, regarding who is vs. who should be representing us (over 70% of our members signed petitions requesting a change of representation - a change that, by the way, could have been done by CHW without us having to wait for a vote), I felt that it was important to work with them (SEIU) ASAP.
There's a lot at stake here.
Our meeting seemed to be productive, and we were heading towards and understanding that would us focus on the work that needed to be done in the Hospital and Clinic.
Then the ball dropped. A dealbreaker was put in the mix. I was told that from this point on any of the stewards that has anything to do with NUHW or those working with NUHW will be removed as stewards in their facilities. I reminded her that any meetings that I or any other steward attends on our time is OUR business. Telling us who we can associate with is out of line and out of bounds. Period.
I will continue to meet and associate with who I please, as long as it is not against the law.
I was willing to forgo communicating with NUHW staff in order to build on a working situation with our SEIU representative -
what a letdown.
Now I've decided to sign up for the NUHW founding convention, and yes, I had dinner with our former union rep, Lydia, this evening.
So, I fully expect to be relieved of my position as job steward some time soon. I am not trying to "call their bluff", I am just doing what I believe is right.
I was already told that Celeste, Elaine and I could no longer go to contract bargaining, even though we were elected by you, the membership of WHC. Over 90% of the members of our contract bargaining team have been told the same thing - no return to bargaining. We are being kept away. This is the same team that Bargained raises of 7% for most of the CHW employees, while in other places SEIU was "proud" to get half (or less) for members.
* A Question-- why did the majority of our bargaining team not go to the last two sessions? We were upset about the way that the barganing was going to be handled. We knew that the people put in charge of the actual back-and-forth negotiating were not ready. We asked them to wait, they refused. We told them how we felt about that, they accused us of "boycotting" the sessions. We did not boycott the sessions - we boycotted the SEIU negotiating team. We just had no confidence in them.
SEIU is planning to hold new bargaining team elections at all facilities, including ours. Our names ( the 2008-09 team, the one that worked to obtain a contract with great improvements, especially considering the economic situation) will not be on the ballot.
If you choose to write in our names, they will not count your ballot. Your vote WILL NOT COUNT. Even now they are trying to find out which one of you will accept a position on their new bargaining team - hand picked, on their terms.
Do Elaine, Celeste and myself a favor - write us in anyway. Demand that your vote count. Give us the opportunity to finish what we started.
I would just love to hear the sound of their angry butts puckering...
More Later,
Joe the "coffee guy"
Last Monday and Wednesday, I had the opportunity to talk to the SEIU representative assigned to WHC. I told her that we, as workers, had many issues involving failures by management to follow the terms of our collective bargaining agreement. We have many scheduling, assignment, and other worksite issues that need to be addressed and corrected. We, as employees, all know of decisions that managers have made that are just WRONG.
To this end,I met with the SEIU representative assigned to our facility. I talked to her about the need to set aside our SEIU/NUHW differences and work together for the good of the members. I told her that if she would be willing to be more available to work with our job stewards in terms of grievances, Committee meetings, etc. that I would keep her apprised of what we need and when we need her.
I also told her that I would no longer distribute information regarding NUHW at the facility.I wanted her to understand that I would work as a steward representing our contract, and only our contract, on matters involving union issues.
In the light of the current division in CHW facilities, including our own, regarding who is vs. who should be representing us (over 70% of our members signed petitions requesting a change of representation - a change that, by the way, could have been done by CHW without us having to wait for a vote), I felt that it was important to work with them (SEIU) ASAP.
There's a lot at stake here.
Our meeting seemed to be productive, and we were heading towards and understanding that would us focus on the work that needed to be done in the Hospital and Clinic.
Then the ball dropped. A dealbreaker was put in the mix. I was told that from this point on any of the stewards that has anything to do with NUHW or those working with NUHW will be removed as stewards in their facilities. I reminded her that any meetings that I or any other steward attends on our time is OUR business. Telling us who we can associate with is out of line and out of bounds. Period.
I will continue to meet and associate with who I please, as long as it is not against the law.
I was willing to forgo communicating with NUHW staff in order to build on a working situation with our SEIU representative -
what a letdown.
Now I've decided to sign up for the NUHW founding convention, and yes, I had dinner with our former union rep, Lydia, this evening.
So, I fully expect to be relieved of my position as job steward some time soon. I am not trying to "call their bluff", I am just doing what I believe is right.
I was already told that Celeste, Elaine and I could no longer go to contract bargaining, even though we were elected by you, the membership of WHC. Over 90% of the members of our contract bargaining team have been told the same thing - no return to bargaining. We are being kept away. This is the same team that Bargained raises of 7% for most of the CHW employees, while in other places SEIU was "proud" to get half (or less) for members.
* A Question-- why did the majority of our bargaining team not go to the last two sessions? We were upset about the way that the barganing was going to be handled. We knew that the people put in charge of the actual back-and-forth negotiating were not ready. We asked them to wait, they refused. We told them how we felt about that, they accused us of "boycotting" the sessions. We did not boycott the sessions - we boycotted the SEIU negotiating team. We just had no confidence in them.
SEIU is planning to hold new bargaining team elections at all facilities, including ours. Our names ( the 2008-09 team, the one that worked to obtain a contract with great improvements, especially considering the economic situation) will not be on the ballot.
If you choose to write in our names, they will not count your ballot. Your vote WILL NOT COUNT. Even now they are trying to find out which one of you will accept a position on their new bargaining team - hand picked, on their terms.
Do Elaine, Celeste and myself a favor - write us in anyway. Demand that your vote count. Give us the opportunity to finish what we started.
I would just love to hear the sound of their angry butts puckering...
More Later,
Joe the "coffee guy"
Friday, January 23, 2009
Now Is The Time For All Good Members To Come To The Aid Of Their Union.
With the recent events involving the decision by Secretary(?) Ray Marshall involving the trusteeship hearing, I feel that it is time for me to start poppin' off about what I believe.
The opinions that I've formed are based on what I saw at the hearings in San Mateo and San Jose, as well as information fed to me from both SEIU and UHW.
As I see it, both sides feel strongly about what is the right thing to do for us as members. That being said, if we are truly a democratic union, no part of the union (local or international level) should be beyond criticism. Never should we as members feel as if we have no real say in what happens with our union. It's way past time for all of us as dues-paying members to start holding our leaders accountable to US. We do not work for Andy Stern (or The IEB, for that matter), they work for us.
Every time you receive a flyer, phone call, or anything saying "SEIU" or "UHW" on it, it was probably paid for with money that originated from the dues of members. We, as those dues-payers, put up the money used for investments, salaries, events, operating union offices and halls - just about anything "union".
We all deserve to be lead at the local level by those who are voted in by us, known by us, and accountable to us. Someone who is appointed by the International union in Washington D.C. is only accountable to the person who appoints him/her, and clearly does not have our best interest at heart. I do not have any confidence in this or any "trusteeship" that ignores the wishes of of those most affected. Removing over 65,000 of our brother and sister members from UHW and placing them in a union already in trusteeship is absolutely wrong.
I am going to ask my fellow members to help me send the folks at our international a petition to formally declare a statement of "no confidence" to those leading at the international level. More about this later.
For some, this would seem to be just a waste of time. I do not believe so. We must never stop raising our voices and putting pen to paper to protest, question, or even support whatever we feel needs to be brought to light. It's time for we, the members of UHW, to really get mad..
More from me later.
In Solidarity,
The Coffee Guy
The opinions that I've formed are based on what I saw at the hearings in San Mateo and San Jose, as well as information fed to me from both SEIU and UHW.
As I see it, both sides feel strongly about what is the right thing to do for us as members. That being said, if we are truly a democratic union, no part of the union (local or international level) should be beyond criticism. Never should we as members feel as if we have no real say in what happens with our union. It's way past time for all of us as dues-paying members to start holding our leaders accountable to US. We do not work for Andy Stern (or The IEB, for that matter), they work for us.
Every time you receive a flyer, phone call, or anything saying "SEIU" or "UHW" on it, it was probably paid for with money that originated from the dues of members. We, as those dues-payers, put up the money used for investments, salaries, events, operating union offices and halls - just about anything "union".
We all deserve to be lead at the local level by those who are voted in by us, known by us, and accountable to us. Someone who is appointed by the International union in Washington D.C. is only accountable to the person who appoints him/her, and clearly does not have our best interest at heart. I do not have any confidence in this or any "trusteeship" that ignores the wishes of of those most affected. Removing over 65,000 of our brother and sister members from UHW and placing them in a union already in trusteeship is absolutely wrong.
I am going to ask my fellow members to help me send the folks at our international a petition to formally declare a statement of "no confidence" to those leading at the international level. More about this later.
For some, this would seem to be just a waste of time. I do not believe so. We must never stop raising our voices and putting pen to paper to protest, question, or even support whatever we feel needs to be brought to light. It's time for we, the members of UHW, to really get mad..
More from me later.
In Solidarity,
The Coffee Guy
Friday, January 9, 2009
2008 – The Year from the Edge of My Seat
What a year.
From the very beginning, my life as a UHW member has been a roller-coaster of emotions. I've been encouraged, uplifted, and very, very proud of the victories that we've achieved.
We’ve won strong, positive contracts. Organized thousands of new members. Given strength, hope, and pride to so many who were looking to improve their lives and working conditions.
I've been so impressed with the spirit of togetherness and the resolve of my fellow members, both staff and my fellow rank-and-file workers. I've had the privilege to talk to so many folks who, like me, care deeply about our patients and co-workers. The work we do is very important, and we are very proud of the job we do.
So why can't I just be just terribly thrilled?
Why do I feel so betrayed? So stepped on?
Why, as a steward am I still having to sign petitions, make calls, and have meetings to answer questions and to calm the fears of co-workers?
Why are we, as UHW members, being treated with such disrespect by SEIU? Aren't they supposed to work for us, and not against us?
There are so many, many issues that we need to be working together to address. Why do we have to waste so much effort and resources defending ourselves?
We are member-driven and we intend to say that way. I have yet to find any other UHW member that thinks that it is better to be dismantled as a union as led by people that are not voted in by us, not accountable to us, and who we believe do not have our best interest at heart.
This is why I feel such betrayal. Supposedly the idea of “trusteeship" is to be in our best interest. Since when?
SEIU, we will not go quietly in the night. The belief that we, as members are generally ignorant of the plotting and scheming to destroy UHW and disband our leadership has not been and will not ever be acceptable.
Stay strong, UHW. This blogger believes in you. Never give up the good fight.
In Solidarity,
Joe “Coffee Guy” Thomas
P.S. Thanks to Jerry, Nikki, Kit-Kat and the rest of the gang in Woodland. You make it fun to go to work each day.
From the very beginning, my life as a UHW member has been a roller-coaster of emotions. I've been encouraged, uplifted, and very, very proud of the victories that we've achieved.
We’ve won strong, positive contracts. Organized thousands of new members. Given strength, hope, and pride to so many who were looking to improve their lives and working conditions.
I've been so impressed with the spirit of togetherness and the resolve of my fellow members, both staff and my fellow rank-and-file workers. I've had the privilege to talk to so many folks who, like me, care deeply about our patients and co-workers. The work we do is very important, and we are very proud of the job we do.
So why can't I just be just terribly thrilled?
Why do I feel so betrayed? So stepped on?
Why, as a steward am I still having to sign petitions, make calls, and have meetings to answer questions and to calm the fears of co-workers?
Why are we, as UHW members, being treated with such disrespect by SEIU? Aren't they supposed to work for us, and not against us?
There are so many, many issues that we need to be working together to address. Why do we have to waste so much effort and resources defending ourselves?
We are member-driven and we intend to say that way. I have yet to find any other UHW member that thinks that it is better to be dismantled as a union as led by people that are not voted in by us, not accountable to us, and who we believe do not have our best interest at heart.
This is why I feel such betrayal. Supposedly the idea of “trusteeship" is to be in our best interest. Since when?
SEIU, we will not go quietly in the night. The belief that we, as members are generally ignorant of the plotting and scheming to destroy UHW and disband our leadership has not been and will not ever be acceptable.
Stay strong, UHW. This blogger believes in you. Never give up the good fight.
In Solidarity,
Joe “Coffee Guy” Thomas
P.S. Thanks to Jerry, Nikki, Kit-Kat and the rest of the gang in Woodland. You make it fun to go to work each day.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
YO!
I've been taking a break from all of this blogging...but it looks like it is time for me to get back behind the keyboard. I've had enough rest and now that my brain is all filled up, it's time to start emptying (sharing).
More from me tomorrow.
More from me tomorrow.
Friday, November 14, 2008
What we're Thinking...
...about the trusteeship hearing.
I've been here in San Jose for the past 3 days, and I've been able to spend time with fellow UHW members/friends from around the state. I have also had some interesting conversations with folks that I've met for the first time.
The first thing that I always notice about the times that we get together for a common cause is the feeling of warmth - the "good vibrations" I get from everyone. A person that I met from a southern Calif. healthcare facility talked about his feelings of confusion and betrayal from the International (SEIU). This was a centiment that was shared by most at our breakfast table. Another person commented on how important to feel like the work that we do at our facilities is appreciated. He said that it's bad enough when employers do it to us, but when our international does it, it's a real slap in the face. Most of us agreed.
I believe for many of us, we see the events of the past days, weeks, and months have been something that we can and have used to come closer together as a local. We believe in our UHW. We believe in our leaders, we believe in our vision, we believe in each other...
Man, it's been a wonderful day. More thoughts from me later!
In blogging solidarity,
Joe Thomas
I've been here in San Jose for the past 3 days, and I've been able to spend time with fellow UHW members/friends from around the state. I have also had some interesting conversations with folks that I've met for the first time.
The first thing that I always notice about the times that we get together for a common cause is the feeling of warmth - the "good vibrations" I get from everyone. A person that I met from a southern Calif. healthcare facility talked about his feelings of confusion and betrayal from the International (SEIU). This was a centiment that was shared by most at our breakfast table. Another person commented on how important to feel like the work that we do at our facilities is appreciated. He said that it's bad enough when employers do it to us, but when our international does it, it's a real slap in the face. Most of us agreed.
I believe for many of us, we see the events of the past days, weeks, and months have been something that we can and have used to come closer together as a local. We believe in our UHW. We believe in our leaders, we believe in our vision, we believe in each other...
Man, it's been a wonderful day. More thoughts from me later!
In blogging solidarity,
Joe Thomas
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Return of The Coffee Guy (me) - Trusteeship Hearing - Part 2, Day 2
Observations from the Trusteeship Hearing – Day 2
Day 2 of the trusteeship hearing started much like any other day. I jumped out of bed, began to get ready to go work, and realized that I was not going in today. So I quietly went back to sleep…
..well, until about 7:30 am anyway. Then it was time to dress and hustle over to the hearing registration area. I wanted to make sure that I would be able to enter the hearing room.
Next, I went back over to my hotel for breakfast with the other UHW members. No big deal today, sausage (no eggs!) pancakes, assorted fruit, and pastries. And no water! OK, I guess I’ve become used to bigger spreads. I won’t complain. Much. But no water…
Back at the lobby outside the hearing, the mood was relaxed. Most of us were hoping that the day would move along with a better pace than on Wednesday.
Things started out slowly. Testimony by UHW staff, members and others with expert knowledge was presented, cross-examination was performed, and for most of the day things were very ho-hum. The big question of the day seemed to be “what was your thought process?” From the faces of those around me, we were seriously looking to stick this process out. If they were looking for us to get tired and leave, it wasn’t gonna happen.
As I was having lunch, I thought back to the events of yesterday afternoon. I was especially moved by the testimony (and the very presence) of Ms. Dolores Huerta, one of the founders of the United Farm Workers. She entered the room to a standing ovation, spoke softly and eloquently, commanded the attention of everyone, and left to another standing ovation.
We finished the afternoon’s hearing events on a high note – I was awake for all of it, even!
I can not wait for tomorrow…
Your humble blogging servant,
Joe Thomas
Woodland Healthcare
Here's my entry from day 1...
From the Eye of the Fly… Trusteeship Hearing, Day 1
Arriving at the San Jose Marriot, the first thing that I noticed was how very small the hearing room was. Wow. Just enough room for about 67 people. Since I was about 30 minutes late, I was told that I would be unable to enter the hearing room. In fact, I heard that there was a room at the civic center that was showing the hearing via video feed. One member of the event staff told me that if I waited, someone might come out who will be willing to pass their registration badge for me to gain entry.
Forty-five minutes later I was able to finally enter the hearing room.
The folks in the room represented the diversity of our wonderful union. Folks of all ages, races, cultures, etc. - all very interested in just what the heck all the fuss was. Some were very upset about the fact that we even had to be going through this process. Others just want to see if maybe, just maybe there was anything to the allegations. There were even a few who appeared to be pro-Tyrone Freeman and were very skeptical about everything and everyone.
Soon after I settled in, I noticed that SEIU’s legal team was questioning one of our Administrative Vice Presidents. I believe that they were having a great deal of trouble with their paperwork – it seemed as if they really did not have their game together.
The highlight of the day for me (and many of the others who know a little about the history of the labor movement) was the testimony of Ms. Dolores Huerta, a founder of the United Farm Workers. She is, in the opinion of this humble blogger, a Hall of Fame- type labor leader. She spoke eloquently and positively about the work of UHW and on Sal Roselli, our UHW President. She received a standing ovation both walking into and leaving the room.
Most of the people that I spoke to during the breaks felt that the SEIU side was just sort of reaching for something to stick, and were somewhat frustrated. The UHW legal team seemed to be much better prepared and just a bit sharper.
The day ended right about 6PM.
I’ll make sure that I’m at the head of the line for tomorrow’s proceedings…and I’ll also tell you all about what they are feeding us (my co-workers at Woodland Healthcare -Fontana, Dasani and Kit-Kat will want to know about this). This is it for the day for me.
In Solidarity,
Joe Thomas
Woodland Healthcare
Day 2 of the trusteeship hearing started much like any other day. I jumped out of bed, began to get ready to go work, and realized that I was not going in today. So I quietly went back to sleep…
..well, until about 7:30 am anyway. Then it was time to dress and hustle over to the hearing registration area. I wanted to make sure that I would be able to enter the hearing room.
Next, I went back over to my hotel for breakfast with the other UHW members. No big deal today, sausage (no eggs!) pancakes, assorted fruit, and pastries. And no water! OK, I guess I’ve become used to bigger spreads. I won’t complain. Much. But no water…
Back at the lobby outside the hearing, the mood was relaxed. Most of us were hoping that the day would move along with a better pace than on Wednesday.
Things started out slowly. Testimony by UHW staff, members and others with expert knowledge was presented, cross-examination was performed, and for most of the day things were very ho-hum. The big question of the day seemed to be “what was your thought process?” From the faces of those around me, we were seriously looking to stick this process out. If they were looking for us to get tired and leave, it wasn’t gonna happen.
As I was having lunch, I thought back to the events of yesterday afternoon. I was especially moved by the testimony (and the very presence) of Ms. Dolores Huerta, one of the founders of the United Farm Workers. She entered the room to a standing ovation, spoke softly and eloquently, commanded the attention of everyone, and left to another standing ovation.
We finished the afternoon’s hearing events on a high note – I was awake for all of it, even!
I can not wait for tomorrow…
Your humble blogging servant,
Joe Thomas
Woodland Healthcare
Here's my entry from day 1...
From the Eye of the Fly… Trusteeship Hearing, Day 1
Arriving at the San Jose Marriot, the first thing that I noticed was how very small the hearing room was. Wow. Just enough room for about 67 people. Since I was about 30 minutes late, I was told that I would be unable to enter the hearing room. In fact, I heard that there was a room at the civic center that was showing the hearing via video feed. One member of the event staff told me that if I waited, someone might come out who will be willing to pass their registration badge for me to gain entry.
Forty-five minutes later I was able to finally enter the hearing room.
The folks in the room represented the diversity of our wonderful union. Folks of all ages, races, cultures, etc. - all very interested in just what the heck all the fuss was. Some were very upset about the fact that we even had to be going through this process. Others just want to see if maybe, just maybe there was anything to the allegations. There were even a few who appeared to be pro-Tyrone Freeman and were very skeptical about everything and everyone.
Soon after I settled in, I noticed that SEIU’s legal team was questioning one of our Administrative Vice Presidents. I believe that they were having a great deal of trouble with their paperwork – it seemed as if they really did not have their game together.
The highlight of the day for me (and many of the others who know a little about the history of the labor movement) was the testimony of Ms. Dolores Huerta, a founder of the United Farm Workers. She is, in the opinion of this humble blogger, a Hall of Fame- type labor leader. She spoke eloquently and positively about the work of UHW and on Sal Roselli, our UHW President. She received a standing ovation both walking into and leaving the room.
Most of the people that I spoke to during the breaks felt that the SEIU side was just sort of reaching for something to stick, and were somewhat frustrated. The UHW legal team seemed to be much better prepared and just a bit sharper.
The day ended right about 6PM.
I’ll make sure that I’m at the head of the line for tomorrow’s proceedings…and I’ll also tell you all about what they are feeding us (my co-workers at Woodland Healthcare -Fontana, Dasani and Kit-Kat will want to know about this). This is it for the day for me.
In Solidarity,
Joe Thomas
Woodland Healthcare
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Let's Review The New CHW Contract -
Th following is a copy of a press release from the website SEIU Voice.
UHW's settlement with CHW is truly historic, not only because of the tremendous gains made for thousands of CHW workers and their families, but because it is illustrative of the fact that despite these difficult economic times we can continue to make great strides in improving the lives of workers and those they care for when workers are organized and leading the fight to win in their campaigns and at the bargaining table.
Key elements of the settlement:
*Average wage increases of 26% over four years with some workers achieving increases of up to 35.4%.
*Establishment of a supplemental unemployment fund to provide benefits for workers who are laid off after all other efforts to avoid a layoff are exhausted. For up to six months CHW will supplement the employee's unemployment benefits at 60-80% of their base compensation.
*Creation of six full time Contract Specialist positions, appointed by the union and funded by CHW, to allow rank-and-file members to work full time for a year on implementation of the contract and other union building activities in their facilities. After the one year leave, workers can return to their previous jobs without suffering any loss of seniority or other benefits.
*Eight hours of paid steward time per steward per month for a maximum of twenty stewards per facility.
*An additional $2.3 million dollars in other pay improvements.
*Improved successorship language.
*A 2009 re-opener on retirement to make improvements to the already existing pension plan and other issues.
*Process to meet and discuss the establishment of a union registry in key markets.
*Continued participation in the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West and Joint Employer Education Fund.
These improvements come on top of what is already one of the best hospital contracts in the country where workers have 100% paid family health insurance, a pension and a 401(k) plan, retiree healthcare, staffing committees which allow for binding arbitration by a neutral 3rd party if no agreement can be reached, wage scales and strong job security and union rights provisions.
Good Stuff!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Success! Update on Bargaining - 10/11/08
It's been a couple of days since I last posted, but I do have some good news --
We finally settled on a contract that we can take back to our hospitals for approval...
YES!
I am so proud of the time and effort put in by all involved. Kudos to my fellow bargaining team members, UHW negotiators and staff. Their effort was huge.
WE DID IT!!!
Despite all of the distractions ( attempts by our SEIU International to put us in trusteeship, current economic downturn, etc.) we got the job done. An agreement with no takeaways.
The only regret that I have is that we couldn't bring up all of our facilities up equally high. It kinda makes things feel somewhat incomplete... but in 2012, we'll be ready to pick up where we've left off. There's still work to be done.
Power to the "OUTLIERS"!
Congratulations, UHW!!!
More info on the agreement after I get some sleep. Lots of sleep..............zzzzz....
IN UNITY,
Joe T.
We finally settled on a contract that we can take back to our hospitals for approval...
YES!
I am so proud of the time and effort put in by all involved. Kudos to my fellow bargaining team members, UHW negotiators and staff. Their effort was huge.
WE DID IT!!!
Despite all of the distractions ( attempts by our SEIU International to put us in trusteeship, current economic downturn, etc.) we got the job done. An agreement with no takeaways.
The only regret that I have is that we couldn't bring up all of our facilities up equally high. It kinda makes things feel somewhat incomplete... but in 2012, we'll be ready to pick up where we've left off. There's still work to be done.
Power to the "OUTLIERS"!
Congratulations, UHW!!!
More info on the agreement after I get some sleep. Lots of sleep..............zzzzz....
IN UNITY,
Joe T.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Bargaining Update - 10/10/08
I thought this would be a good day to talk about -
Rumor control.
It seems that there is a lot of misinformation going around about what's been happening with the bargaining. I would like to take a moment to address some of the stuff that has passed my ears:
1) We've settled the contract.
Uh, No. That's why we are still at the bargaining table. We have achieved some tentative agreements on some of the non-economic issues As far as the main economic issues are concerned, we have come to an agreement on the approximate amount of money (the "money bucket", as CHW calls it) to be spent over the life of the contract. Now we have to come to a mutual agreement on how the funds will be distributed for things like wages, benefits, etc.. Which leads me to number...
2) We've settled on wages/pay scales.
Again, no. Not yet. We disagree on how the money should be used for wages - this is very important, as the way that the bucket is divided for each year of the contract will decide what our pay scales and yearly raises will be. We have given CHW a wage/scale proposal, and they have come back with a counter proposal. We are not very far apart, with the exception of how to place wages/scales for the "outliers" (see my post for 10/08/08) CHW still feels that they have to pay lower wages for these areas. We believe that they can do better, and we will show them how to do more at these facilities and stay within the "bucket".
3) UHW is going on strike anyway.
Uh-uh, no,no, no. You notice that I did not say "never". Nothing is 100% never, but unless things totally break down, WE are not striking CHW. Nor are we striking...
4) WOODLAND HEALTHCARE !
Our focus is to get this contract done. If, and only if, negotiations totally break down would we even consider such an action. We are in a good position now. We want to keep on pushing onward and upward!
5) We will all be paid the same amount of money as our sisters and brothers at Kaiser hospitals.
Our goal is to have all of our union sisters and brothers being paid salaries comparable to the Kaiser (a.k.a the "industry leader") scales. The "money bucket" will allow us to move considerably closer to Kaiser over the life of the contract. As I said before, they (CHW) are much more willing to do that for the large central LA and Bay area hospitals than they are to the others.
More about this later, along with my observations on what I see coming from the division between SEIU vs. UHW.
Stay Strong,
Joe Thomas
Rumor control.
It seems that there is a lot of misinformation going around about what's been happening with the bargaining. I would like to take a moment to address some of the stuff that has passed my ears:
1) We've settled the contract.
Uh, No. That's why we are still at the bargaining table. We have achieved some tentative agreements on some of the non-economic issues As far as the main economic issues are concerned, we have come to an agreement on the approximate amount of money (the "money bucket", as CHW calls it) to be spent over the life of the contract. Now we have to come to a mutual agreement on how the funds will be distributed for things like wages, benefits, etc.. Which leads me to number...
2) We've settled on wages/pay scales.
Again, no. Not yet. We disagree on how the money should be used for wages - this is very important, as the way that the bucket is divided for each year of the contract will decide what our pay scales and yearly raises will be. We have given CHW a wage/scale proposal, and they have come back with a counter proposal. We are not very far apart, with the exception of how to place wages/scales for the "outliers" (see my post for 10/08/08) CHW still feels that they have to pay lower wages for these areas. We believe that they can do better, and we will show them how to do more at these facilities and stay within the "bucket".
3) UHW is going on strike anyway.
Uh-uh, no,no, no. You notice that I did not say "never". Nothing is 100% never, but unless things totally break down, WE are not striking CHW. Nor are we striking...
4) WOODLAND HEALTHCARE !
Our focus is to get this contract done. If, and only if, negotiations totally break down would we even consider such an action. We are in a good position now. We want to keep on pushing onward and upward!
5) We will all be paid the same amount of money as our sisters and brothers at Kaiser hospitals.
Our goal is to have all of our union sisters and brothers being paid salaries comparable to the Kaiser (a.k.a the "industry leader") scales. The "money bucket" will allow us to move considerably closer to Kaiser over the life of the contract. As I said before, they (CHW) are much more willing to do that for the large central LA and Bay area hospitals than they are to the others.
More about this later, along with my observations on what I see coming from the division between SEIU vs. UHW.
Stay Strong,
Joe Thomas
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Bargaining Info - 10/09/08
Back at it today. I was so tired from last night that I slept right through breakfast. Showed up in time to find out that the CHW side has decided to have some additional reservations about our proposal to distribute wages. They still wish to keep certain hospitals at lower wage scales. It is our goal to keep on pushing to bring scales at ALL hospitals up to area leader standards (or at least as close as possible, based on the overall money both sides agreed upon for this purpose.
As some of the team members who were part of the 2004 bargaining, the amount of time it took to cost out (a.k.a. "divide the money pie") for these new wage scales and yearly wages was much slower than this time around (about 3 times as fast). Occasionally, there will be things that our team members will have to go over with the CHW team to clear up questions they may have regarding job descriptions, how to match positions with different titles to positions on the industry leader, etc..
We started this day at 9 am for breakfast and small group discussions. We are finishing tonight at about 11:15 pm. We have been told that CHW will have some new things for us to consider...
hmmm...we'll just have to wait for this...
Have a pleasant day.
In Unity -- JT
As some of the team members who were part of the 2004 bargaining, the amount of time it took to cost out (a.k.a. "divide the money pie") for these new wage scales and yearly wages was much slower than this time around (about 3 times as fast). Occasionally, there will be things that our team members will have to go over with the CHW team to clear up questions they may have regarding job descriptions, how to match positions with different titles to positions on the industry leader, etc..
We started this day at 9 am for breakfast and small group discussions. We are finishing tonight at about 11:15 pm. We have been told that CHW will have some new things for us to consider...
hmmm...we'll just have to wait for this...
Have a pleasant day.
In Unity -- JT
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
CHW Bargaining - 10/08/08 10:20 p.m.
Day 2 of our bargaining, and things do continue.
Slowly, slowly - but steadily. We spent most of the day divided between working in small groups, discussions amongst the group as a whole, and wondering if the next meal will be as crappy as the one before.
Yeah, I said it... CRAAA-PEE!
Anyway, back to the bargaining stuff. All day the "money people" of CHW and UHW have been working together to match jobs/wages with that of the industry leader (they know who they are), and then deciding on to make the money stretch to that level. It takes a lot of time to match all of the positions as accurately as possible, and then to place the wages appropriately.
CHW continues to talk about paying wages on four(4) different levels based on the location* of the facility:
1) LA area 2) So. Cal. (non-LA)* 3) Bay area 4) No. Cal. (non-Bay)*
* excluding facilities called "outliers" - certain facilities that are supposedly losing money, and therefore, they (CHW) wants to give them smaller raises. Places like Dominican Oaks, Mark Twain, and...
Woodland Clinic.
Yeah, right.
So guess who they will try to keep on the low end of the wage scales--
GOOD GUESS! NOT SO FAST, CHW!
We are committed to bringing all of the "outliers" up, up, up. With wages more in line to where they should be.
Oh, wow.
I've just realized how tired I am. However, I am in a room with others still very motivated to getting as much done before we call it a day as possible. We will probably be here past midnight...
Check back here often. Tell your co-workers.
IN UNITY,
Your humble volunteer servant - Joe
joe4uhw.blogspot.com
Slowly, slowly - but steadily. We spent most of the day divided between working in small groups, discussions amongst the group as a whole, and wondering if the next meal will be as crappy as the one before.
Yeah, I said it... CRAAA-PEE!
Anyway, back to the bargaining stuff. All day the "money people" of CHW and UHW have been working together to match jobs/wages with that of the industry leader (they know who they are), and then deciding on to make the money stretch to that level. It takes a lot of time to match all of the positions as accurately as possible, and then to place the wages appropriately.
CHW continues to talk about paying wages on four(4) different levels based on the location* of the facility:
1) LA area 2) So. Cal. (non-LA)* 3) Bay area 4) No. Cal. (non-Bay)*
* excluding facilities called "outliers" - certain facilities that are supposedly losing money, and therefore, they (CHW) wants to give them smaller raises. Places like Dominican Oaks, Mark Twain, and...
Woodland Clinic.
Yeah, right.
So guess who they will try to keep on the low end of the wage scales--
GOOD GUESS! NOT SO FAST, CHW!
We are committed to bringing all of the "outliers" up, up, up. With wages more in line to where they should be.
Oh, wow.
I've just realized how tired I am. However, I am in a room with others still very motivated to getting as much done before we call it a day as possible. We will probably be here past midnight...
Check back here often. Tell your co-workers.
IN UNITY,
Your humble volunteer servant - Joe
joe4uhw.blogspot.com
Chw Bargaining on 10/07/08
Here's what we've been up to...
On Tuesday, we started with discussions on the general process of how the financial "pie" will be divided. We talked over how wages will be decided on (in terms of % of wage rate increase, as well as wage scale increases. As a group, we are leaning towards "backloading" the money for wages. This means that the raises in the first part of the new contract (and we would already be at least 6 MONTHS into the new contract) we would take a slightly smaller increase. Doing so would create a much greater wage increase in the later years of the contract.
That is just one option. We are also considering taking bigger raises early(although our "money people" tell us that we will get less money during the life of the contract), as well as just breaking the wages up evenly over the life of the contract. More about this later...
We , as a team, also discussed what our priorities on the non-financial items still to be negotiated. We are all trying to make sure that we create the best contract possible for all of our menbers. We all take this responsibility VERY seriously. Gotta go now..more later..!
In Unity,
Joe
On Tuesday, we started with discussions on the general process of how the financial "pie" will be divided. We talked over how wages will be decided on (in terms of % of wage rate increase, as well as wage scale increases. As a group, we are leaning towards "backloading" the money for wages. This means that the raises in the first part of the new contract (and we would already be at least 6 MONTHS into the new contract) we would take a slightly smaller increase. Doing so would create a much greater wage increase in the later years of the contract.
That is just one option. We are also considering taking bigger raises early(although our "money people" tell us that we will get less money during the life of the contract), as well as just breaking the wages up evenly over the life of the contract. More about this later...
We , as a team, also discussed what our priorities on the non-financial items still to be negotiated. We are all trying to make sure that we create the best contract possible for all of our menbers. We all take this responsibility VERY seriously. Gotta go now..more later..!
In Unity,
Joe
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