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| Greetings! |  We hope you're enjoying your summer! There's always lots to do during the summer and so we wanted you to get the next Membership Meeting on your calendar, before the 'back to school" frenzy kicks in.
We also wanted to talk more about work/life balance, particularly in light of the changes to both what used to be Wisconsin's law requiring time off and Federal laws regarding overtime.
More below!
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Quarterly Membership Meeting
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P.S. - OPEIU Local 39 Membership Meeting
Wednesday, August 19th, 2015
5:30 PM
All union members invited and encouraged to attend In the meeting room upstairs from our Local's office! Agenda
- Unit Updates
- Financial Update
- Your Questions
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| How Much Time is Full Time? |  How many hours a week do you work? Time in the office, time checking email, time on-call, time called in. We are hired to do a job and full time employees understand that some days it will take more time to get the job done, and some days it will take less.
But what if you are never off-duty? A company in California allegedly required a tracking app to be installed on every company smartphone and to keep the smartphone running 24 hours a day. Management would track worker's driving speed, roads taken, and other data. However, one worker's manager "made it clear that he was using the program to continuously monitor her, during company as well as personal time." She removed the app and states, in her lawsuit, that shortly afterwards, she was fired.
She didn't have a Union's protection. Companies have a right to monitor employees at work, including electronic communications and, in some cases, their whereabouts while working. But when that gets to be excessive, or outside of the needs of the job, that's when Unions step in.
As discussed in last month's newsletter, finding the work/life balance that enables you to be both happy at home and productive at work, can be hard enough when working for a decent company. At least we get weekends off, right? I mean, the law in Wisconsin is that every worker gets at least one day off in seven. Or at least, it was the law. The bi-annual budget bill included a provision that would gut that law, making it "optional" for employees to have that time. With the Wisconsin economy spluttering along as poorly as it is, many of us feel anxious about even having jobs. If the boss asks for more under those circumstances, just how "optional" would that additional day be?
Sometimes, getting that extra work is a good thing if you're eligible for overtime pay. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people had been eligible for that pay. They've been made into "managers" who don't manage anyone or they've been paid just enough to not qualify. Well, earlier in July, President Obama was in Wisconsin to announce a change in the rules of who can qualify to be paid for overtime work. The new rules may increase the take-home pay for as many as 5 million people. If you have to put in the extra time, it's good to get paid for it.
The old labor slogan is: eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, and eight hours for what we will! The new business slogan is "work/life balance." In either case, we've agreed to sell our time and expertise. The company will take all that we can give it (and more). It's up to us, aided by our Union, to make sure that we have time to get the rest away from work that we need to be productive while at work. The rest of the time is for whatever you will!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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Even though it's summer, the time never slows down quite as much as we'd like it to. Changes keep happening even while we're enjoying the Union Terrace or the Dells or the woods up north. We'll do what we can to keep you up to date. One way to get all the Union news is to put the next Membership meeting on the calendar now. By the time it rolls around, you may be busy getting the kids ready to go back to school! We hope to see you there.
In Solidarity,
OPEIU Local 39
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Copyright OPEIU Local 39. Content written and/or edited by David O. Engelstad
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