|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|  Do you have plans to use some of that vacation time you've been earning? When you're out of the office, will you really be out of the office or will you bring the office along with you? Studies have shown that taking vacation time is one of the best things employees can do for themselves and the company, but also that Americans leave more time unused (even while starting with less) than any other industrialized nation. So, how will you spend your summer vacation?
We also have reports from the Quarterly Membership meeting held the third week in May, including Chief Steward reports, a note on our Financials, and the results of the Executive Board nominations. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Quarterly Membership Meeting Notes |  Our Quarterly Membership Meeting was held on May 20th in the conference room of the new offices and it was great to see everyone who showed. Since we reached quorum, we got through the usual business of the Union in pretty good time. The meeting minutes from the last official meeting were approved and a quick update on finances was given. Before we have to face the challenges of keeping our Union strong in a so-called "right to work" state, financially we are in pretty good shape.
To stay that way, we'll need to do several things over the coming months and years. We'll need to keep after Companies that play fast-and-loose with bargaining unit work by moving it to non-Union employees. If you see someone getting promoted into "management" and yet they're still doing the same job and not actually managing any people, be sure to contact the Union office. We'll also want to make sure that all employees have the opportunity to pay their dues in as simple and efficient manner as possible.
The reports of the Chief Stewards and business agent is shown below. The final part of the meeting was to open the floor to questions on RTW and other issues. There was some good discussion on the need to keep Membership involved and informed, particularly during contract negotiations. We have one small unit with a contract up this month and the discussion moved to collecting dues since it will no longer automatically be something that the Company MUST do for the Union. While Companies will no longer be legally forced to deduct dues, dues collection then becomes another item on the bargaining table.
|
| Chief Steward Reports |
 An important part of every Membership Meeting is the report from the Chief Stewards of the various bargaining units. Our Local 39 is made up of several different bargaining units and it's good to know what's happening throughout our Local.
CUNA, Inc
There has been some employee churn which makes it important to keep Membership focused on working together and building a community. Chief Steward Alex Wollangk has begun work to create an electronic forum for members to communicate and stay up to date on events. He's also looking into expanding this forum idea to include each of our bargaining units and possibly one dedicated to the Stewards so they can share ideas and resources as they work on our behalf.
World Council They've been welcoming new members to World Council, but other than that, things have been quiet lately. MG&E They have a new contract that came in just before so-called "right to work" became law. They welcome Brittany Ingram on as a new Steward. She, along with Steward Kelsey Hahn and Chief Steward Cliff Murray, attended Right to Work training sessions held on May 9th and 30th, and they got good information on the challenges facing unions in the face of the changing labor landscape. Even as they look ahead, the work of the Union goes on. The Stewards have been involved in a fair number of pre-disciplinary/disciplinary meetings and investigating and clarifying contract issues. If you are facing any form of investigatory or disciplinary meetings, or you have questions on the contract, please contact one of the MG&E stewards. CMFG New Chief Steward Mike Pionke has already begun focusing on the next contract as the current contract ends ten months from now. He also attended the "RTW" training, as keeping Membership organized is going to be vital to a negotiating a successful contract. This next negotiation will be one of the most challenging and we will need to have EVERY member active and on-board during negotiations. Mike's begun looking into how best to organize and keep Members involved.If you have ideas or suggestions for the next contract, please contact Mike or any of the other CMFG Stewards. |
| Executive Board Nominations |
Executive board nominations were held at the most recent Membership meeting. Mike Pionke, new Chief Steward for CMFG, was nominated as Vice President, and all other board members expressed willingness to stay in their current roles. No other nominations were put forward and so no election is required. There are two board seats open as those who had been in those positions have been unable to complete the term. Please contact Debi at the Union office if you are interested in serving as either a Trustee or Recording Secretary.
President, Kathryn Bartlett-Mulvihill (Local 39) Vice President, Mike Pionke (CMFG) Secretary Treasurer, Lori Richardson (IBEW 965) Recording Secretary Open Trustee 1, Phil Miller (CMFG) Trustee 2, Nancy Dietzman-Mills (CMFG) Trustee 3, Open Sargent-at-Arms, Debi Eveland (Local 39)
|
| Work Life Balance |
 Ah, summer! Time for taking vacation, traveling, seeing the sights! Just be sure to bring along your smartphone with the company email app. You should probably take your laptop, too. Can you get WiFi where you're going so that you can attend the teleconference scheduled in the middle of your week off? And I'm sure you can get a VPN connection from the cabin/cruise ship/northwoods in order to got that report done before you return to the office and get "back" to work. In the early years of the twentieth century, labor unions fought for, and won, the rights for their members to paid time off, including sick and vacation days. Unfortunately for the rest of the country, the US is the only industrialized nation where things like sick days and vacation days aren't required by law. Worse, since union membership has declined across the countly so much in the last 30 years, according to a report by the Center of Economic and Policy Research found at the above link, the "sum of the average paid vacation and paid holidays provided to workers in the private sector -- 16 in total -- would not meet even the minimum required by law in 19 other rich countries."
But as Americans, even for those who get time off, there is tremendous pressure not to take it. As reported by Forbes, a study by Oxford Economics found that "[m]ore than forty percent of American workers who received paid time off did not take all of their allotted time last year, despite the obvious personal benefits."
There are a number of reasons why sort of thing happens. That same study found that:
nearly 34 percent of employees surveyed indicated that their employer neither encouraged nor discouraged leave, and 17 percent of managers considered employees who take all of their leave to be less dedicated, according to the survey's findings.
And four in ten American workers said their employer supported time off, but their heavy workload kept them from using their earned days.
To many people, the number 1 reason for bad work/life balance is a bad boss. And what is one reason to be in a union? To provide a counterweight against those bad bosses. Unions have fought for, and won, paid time off because it is good for workers and it is good for companies! That same Forbes article notes some of those benefits: "higher productivity, stronger workplace morale, greater employee retention, and significant health benefits."
If you're finding you're facing resistance to taking the time off you've earned, contact the a Steward or the Union office. Vacation time is an earned benefit! You've earned it, it's in the contract, but sometimes bosses need to be reminded of that. If you getting any push-back from your boss because you want to take the benefit you have earned just remember: it isn't up to you to make up for their failure to staff your department correctly. You owe it to yourself -- and to your company -- to use those days off and spend them on yourself and your family. Really, you're just being a good employee!
|
| Upcoming Membership Meetings | 
Membership meetings are held the third Wednesday of the second month of the quarter, at 5:30 PM.
August 19th, 2015
November 18th, 2015
February 17th 2016
May 18th 2016
This is your Union. Your participation gives us the tools we need to face the continued opposition of both companies and politicians. We strive to make the meetings relevant and to the point. Please stop by and participate in the democracy that is your Union.
|
| Know Your Rights! |  Weingarten Rights
The US Supreme Court has ruled that the National Labor Relations Act gives workers the right to request union representation during investigatory interviews by supervisors, security personal, and other managerial staff. These are called Weingarten Rights.
An investigatory interview occurs if 1) management questions you to obtain information; and 2) you have reasonable apprehension that your answers could be used as a basis for discipline or other adverse action.
You must ask for union representation either before or during an investigatory interview. Management does not have to remind you of this right. If your request is refused and Management continues asking questions, you may refuse to answer. Your employer is guilty of an unfair labor practice and charges may be filed. If you are questioned in a situation where Weingarten may apply, read or present this statement.
|
|
|
We had positive news from the Quarterly Membership meeting and the Chief Stewards are hard at work on your behalf. There are challenges ahead for the coming year, so maybe now is a good time to take some of that time off you've earned. Few of us can afford to turn down a paycheck, and yet many of us refuse to take all of the time off benefits we've earned. You owe it to yourself to get away -- really away! -- and rest, relax, and recharge.
In Solidarity, OPEIU Local 39 |
|
Copyright OPEIU Local 39. Content written and/or edited by David O. Engelstad
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
