New Contract Ratified
Posted on 27. Feb, 2010 by Steve Ryan in News
With the final ballots counted, recounted and sealed, it is official. The proposed concession package has been ratified by the general membership of the Local 2960.
The final count was 85% in favor of the package and 15% opposed.
Approximately 40% of the 1008 registered union members showed up to cast their vote on Friday. It was easily the biggest turnout for a contract ratification that the Local has ever had.
The changes that were made will begin to take effect on July 1st, 2010, which is the start of the fiscal year for the City of Phoenix.
The concessions as they were listed in the ballot proposal will be incorporated into the new Memorandum of Understanding for 2010-2012. We will have a copy of that MOU for download on the website as soon as it is written and verified by the Executive Board and our Local staff members.
Our task was not easy this year. We were asked to risk people’s jobs, absorb lost benefits and take cuts in our paychecks. And yet, as I personally watched people having to wedge their ballots into the box toward the end of the day, I noticed a funny thing. People were still managing to smile. Handshakes and hugs were passed out freely. Our brothers and sisters within the union stood firm together.
This election has provided many stories of triumph and successes across all of our departments. In the upcoming weeks while we prepare the final version of the new MOU, I hope to share the ones that I overheard with you all within these pages.
I also know that there are still lots of questions out there. Our stewards are equipped with many of the answers, and the time to start getting organized for the upcoming changes is now.
Also, feel free to general questions here, but please make them constructive. (Negative comments will be deleted; the time for negotiation is officially over.) You are most likely not alone with some of your concerns. It is the mission of the Local 2960 to do the best we can in helping you find the answers.
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What do you think an MOU is? A written agreement between a group of employees and the City? Gee, sounds like a contract to me! Last I heard, written contracts were enforceable through the legal system. I still don’t believe you that an MOU is any less than a contract. Why would the City honor an MOU and its provisions if it didn’t have to? I say again, contract and MOU are one in the same for all intents and purposes.
As for not paying dues, maybe I pay dues, maybe I don’t, either way it would get spun in the union’s favor. Let’s pretend that I have 100 people in my unit, and only 10 pay dues. As suggested by your earlier comments Kim, why would the union pay attention to or fight for a group where only 10% of the employees are dues paying members? Now let’s pretend that 70 more employees decide to pay dues because they’re fed up and want a voice, bringing the total to 80% of the group. The union would simply say that well we obviously have that group’s support because 80% of them pay dues! If AFSCME was really interested in or cared about the things that those they “represent” think, you wouldn’t extort dues from us for the privilege of voting or deciding what benefits are important to us.
Out of curiousity, how many employees fall under AFSCME “representation” and what percentage pay dues? I don’t care about the 100% of the cooks or the 80% at fire, I want to know percentage across the board.
The reality is that unions were a necessity during the Industrial Revolution and in the early 20th Century. Yes, those of us working now enjoy a lot of benefits that were fought for by union members 100 years ago. But guess what, now that we have the benefits, they’re not going to get taken away so easily because the benefits that we enjoy have become ingrained in our society.
Again Jim ASPTEA has no contract AFSCME’s contract gives use rights not afforded to ASPTEA. Once you get and read facts then comment. Arizona is a right to work state therefore we have to represent all if they pay dues or not, extort? Those who don’t pay dues extort the rights we fight for, they ride on our coat tails. Again check the facts there is no contract for ASPTEA. AFSCME represents 26 departments so you are saying the fire members don’t count, the cook members don’t count only you, I think each of them would say that they do count, their families count and their jobs count. But for you unless we only concern ourselves about you and what you want then we are wasting our time or not doing a good job.
You can write as much as you want and until you read the facts you are spouting off plain ignorance. And if you don’t think the City can do away with our benefits you most certainly do not know any facts, what we have now was not given to us 100 years ago. What we have now has taken 25 years of hard negotiations with the City, long hours, time away from family, legal fees, emotional pain, some wins and some loses. But most of all we have worked hard for all our departments not just one and never would you hear the union say Fire, Cooks, or any other department didn’t matter.
Educate yourself on what the City has done and what they can do when there is no contract. Fact we did not always have unions with the City and until we did the City did what ever they wanted with employees and the employee had no alternative no one to represent them. Check the facts.
Kim, your defense of AFSCME vs ASPTEA is nothing but fear mongering in my opinion. You’re suggesting that ASPTEA lacks any form of “contract” with the City? So theoretically the City could arbitrarily or unilaterally cut whatever benefits are guaranteed to ASPTEA members through their MOU and ASPTEA would be powerless to stop that? Hmmm…I don’t think so. Contract/MOU = same thing. Meet and confer/meet and discuss= same thing.
Ever stop and think that “representation” might not be needed if a supervisor and a supervisee were in the same bargaining unit? Maybe working under the same rules and enjoying the same benefits would create one less conflict in the workplace?
Maybe one of you AFSCME higher ups can honestly answer a question. I’ve heard that the City pays AFSCME a dollar amount for every employee that is consigned to their representation. True or false? If it is true, if the City is already paying AFSCME based upon my classification why should I be forced to pay additional dues for the benefit of voting on contracts and other union business? Seems like if the City is paying you for every member that you “represent” then AFSCME represented employees shouldn’t have to pay additional union dues and should be allowed to vote regardless of whether or not they’re a dues paying member.
There is no fear mongering, there is fact ASPTEA has no contract, meet and confer does not equal meet and discuss with the City of Phoenix. Where AFSCME has it in writing and can it enforced by rules and regulations plus an international union ASPTEA gets the opportunity to talk with the City and let them know we agree with this or we agree with that but it is the City that decides what ASPTEA gets. ASPTEA has for years tried to get a contract but so far has not been able to and for good reason the City the looses hold. The City would like for us not to be members of AFSCME because we have a contract, they know that those who pay dues are afforded more protection, when it is not a contract vilation from the union then those that are not dues paying. So what you are saying is if you get a supervisor who is using unfair tactics on you writing memos, unfair NOIs, harassment if you are in ASPTEA everything will go away and you both will play nice? So how long have you worked for the city? So is that why those in Crime Scene are treating due paying members so mean, glad to get rid of one and hateful plus writing not so nice things in Facebook because if you were ASPTEA everyone would kiss and make up? Get real, by the way if you’d like to look up and state facts and where you found them that the City pays the Unions, not only the Unions would care to know but the taxpayers also. Which supervisor is filling you with stories and hearsay, we don’t go by hearsay we go by facts. We have a contract, ASPTEA doesn’t, you don’t pay dues now why would you pay ASPTEA? ASPTEA does a good job with what they are allowed to do, but I’d rather have a contract and people with experience behind me.
Instead of attacking Denise (or whatever you think her name is) for her skepticism, why don’t you explain why it is that ASPTEA represented employees receive so much in deferred comp while AFSCME represented employees don’t?
Why don’t you explain why you believe that ASPTEA members enjoy any less protection than AFSCME represented employees?
What benefits (in your humble opinions) does AFSCME offer to those it represents that are SO much better than what ASPTEA was able to win for the employees they represent?
Jim,
Actually the responses were in no way an attack but simply defending the position of the union and her criticisms as well as recognizing that this is a forum for dues paying members.
ASPTEA and other unions have more in deferred compensation simply because their members have asked for it. We send a survey out every two years as they do and ask our members what they wish to get in a contract wage package. Every year our members choose wages as #1 and deferred compensation is usually 4th or 5th on the list. In ASPTEA is is usually #1 or #2. We as they do, simply respond to our members. If our members want more deffered comp they simply need to make sure we know of that desire in our next negotiations.
As for representation, I believe ASPTEA does a WONDERFUL job in defending and representing their members… it is a great organization with dedicated and hard working representatives. Keep in mind however that they are not a union and do not have meet and confer. They are an association and have meet and discuss instead. There is a difference in an association and a union in rights and representation. ALL our fellow unions and associations however are dedicated to helping their members and we stand united behind each of them.
Oh Jim, I once was in ASPTEA did you know that when you need representation that they will tell you that yes they will be there with you but because supervisors are in the same union they can only mediate and can’t really represent you, but they will be with you. And because they don’t have a contract they can only do so much. Their representatives would like to have a contract so they would have at least that to back them up. But ASPTEA has no contract they are told what they are getting and have no say no vote as to what they get. You do have to pay dues in order to vote for our contract. Yes they did get a larger percent to deferred comp, which has been lost this year, but our members wanted higher wages, they have families to support, we don’t want something for retirement we needed it now.
No one is attacking Denise/Gywn but if you are going to throw out statements not fact you need to expect someone to give the facts and sometimes the facts hurt. It is evident you are concerned with only yourself, my union is concerned with 26 departments and the needs we asked for. It is easy to condemn when you don’t bother to get involved. I am sure if you went to ASPTEA you wouldn’t pay dues either and if it didn’t go your way you’d complain about them. You want someone else to do the work and you just reap the benefits.
If I took some furlough hours in January of this year, will it be retroactive and count towards the 48 hrs.?
thx
Yoli,
I am afraid not…the contract does not begin until July of 2010