LOCAL 513 UNION KILLING BILL SB 179 AND SB
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LOCAL 513 UNION KILLING BILL SB 179 AND SB
SEIU LOCAL 513 3340 W. Douglas Wichita, KS. 67203 316.263.0323 www.seiukansas.com [email protected] UNIT MEETINGS USD 259 Custodial Unit 1st Saturday Union Hall 9:30 USD 259 Nutrition Services 1st Wed. Conf. RmC 9:30 MARCH 2015 UNION KILLING BILL SB 179 AND SB 212 TELL YOUR LEGISLATOR HANDS OFF YOUR UNION! GO TO THIS WEBSITE: http://www.changekansas.org/action/petition/no-to-senate-bill-179 USD 259 Clerical Unit Combined with Paraeducator Unit USD 259 School Service Center 1st Wednesday Cafeteria 3:30 USD 259 Paraeducator Unit 2nd Wednesday Union Hall 5:00 City of Wichita 1st Tuesday 5:15 Union Hall City of Hutchinson 3rd Thursday Labor Temple 6:30 EXECUTIVE BOARD 2nd Saturday Union Hall 9:00 OUR VISION To be the unifying leader for all service employees who desire an accessible and proactive voice on the job to help them attain just compensation, fair treatment and equal access to opportunities." SB179 and SB212 are both going to be worked tomorrowmorning in Senate Commerce Committee. These bills are measures aimed at silencing public employees who simply seek to improve their working conditions. This would have vast negative consequences for public employees and the state of Kansas as a whole. We need to stand up and show our disapproval to these measures. Many in the Kansas Legislature are trying to sneak these unjust measures through with as little noise as possible. We need to show that the majority of Kansans are against these unjust measures. These bills are scheduled to be worked on in room 548-S at 8:30 AM. An easy way to show your disapproval with the legislation is by simply being present during the meeting. Another easy way is to get in contact with your legislators. It’s never too late to get in contact them and voice your opinion on SB179 and SB212. It’s as easy as signing our petition, which can be done by going to the website above!. Business Rep’s Report March 17, 2015 I have several things to report—negotiations covering our newest unit, the Security Services Department at USD 259, the City of Wichita, and finally what is happening on the political front with the Legislature in Topeka. I’ll start with the Legislature where public employees are under attack as never before. All in all, this report is a ‘mixed bag’. On March 11, Local 513 President Jim Bishop and I went to Topeka for a Senate Commerce Committee Hearing. We were notified on Friday afternoon of the hearing and a copy of Jim’s testimony had to be on file before the end of the day on Monday. The purpose of the hearing was to hear testimony on a bill (SB 179) that would effectively end contract negotiations between employee organizations and local government (Jim’s testimony is elsewhere in this newsletter). On Thursday, the next day, the same Committee held a hearing on another bill, SB 212, to eliminate payroll dues deduction. On the following Friday, the Committee was set to vote on whether or not to send these two union-busting bills to the full Senate. But amazingly, the Senate Commerce Committee chair canceled the vote! The explanation given the press is that the House Leadership said they could not guarantee the two bills would be taken up in the House (all bills have to pass both the State Senate and the State House of Representatives). It seems that in passing the Governor’s block grant for K-12 funding, a lot of House members felt like they got beat up. The House Leadership was unwilling to take up the union busting bills and risk a fight over that when there is still a budget to pass. As long as they are fighting each other, we MAY get by this year by the skin of our teeth! Negotiations at USD 259 for Security Services are starting to get serious. The District rejected our request for FMCS-style binding arbitration, but they modified their original offer (which contained no due process for terminations, suspensions or demotions) to offer a different form of binding arbitration. We have tabled discussion over this and other matters while we wait on the larger classified unit to decide what it wants to do. It appears the District will ask the classified unit to agree to the same or a similar grievance process as the Security Services. The District’s new offer is much improved over their original. Negotiations for a new contract at the City of Wichita kicked off March 13. We are asking for a new three year Agreement with substantial changes to address problems that are starting to turn up in City operations. We are also asking the City to enhance the salary schedule to allow our topped out members to receive merit increases as well as a general pay adjustment (sometimes called a COLA or cost-of-living increase). WELCOME THESE NEW MEMBERS! Name Employer Matthew Chapman COW Branon Ward COW Carl Hoyt COW Artisha Dickerson USD 259 William Brandstetter USD 259 Claudia Duckett USD 259 Laura Kidder USD 259 Rollyna Hull USD 259 Adam Frye Hutch Draw your own conclusion! Wichita’s Candidates for Mayor: How they answered On Saturday, March 7, at a Mayoral candidate’s forum, Jeff Longwell and Sam Williams were both asked the same question by a City of Wichita employee. The question was: “Collective bargaining between SEIU and the City of Wichita has benefited employees and the community, will you keep this system in place?” Jeff Longwell’s answer: “Yes, just look at my record. I have been on the City Council for eight years and have voted several times to ratify the contract with SEIU. Before that I was on the Board of Education in Maize and served on the BOE’s negotiating committee with the teachers I helped introduce Interest Based Bargaining there.” Sam William’s answer: “I support the right of everyone to belong to to belong to whatever organization they choose. It is their right, it is in the U.S. Constitution.” Which One Answered the Question? Who will You vote for? SEIU LOCAL 513 3340 West Douglas Wichita, KS. 67203 Return Service Requested Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Wichita, KS. 67214 Permit No. 203 SEIU LOCAL 513 NEWSLETTER MAR 2015 OPEN TO ACT TODAY! INSIDE: A WEBSITE TO IMMEDIATELY CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!