The entire country has been a witness to the events taking place in Wisconsin and Ohio as upwards of 30,000 people took to the streets in protest of these same rights. They have threatened to cut salaries, to layoff thousands of Wisconsin workers and have even threatened the dissolution of the unions themselves.

According to AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, legislators are moving rapidly to pass new laws to gag workers and make it more difficult for them to organize for better wages, benefits and working conditions. He cites the following examples:

In Ohio, Governor John Kasich is moving quickly to cut public services, and eliminate the ability of state and local public employees to collectively bargain. He’s cutting services even though the recovery in Ohio is producing more than $50 million in additional state revenues than originally anticipated by the state’s budget office. Kasich is not focusing on job creation or providing Ohio with the services its people need. Instead, he’s using his powers as governor to punish and gag his political opponents.

In Wisconsin, the state legislature is fast-tracking a law to eliminate the ability of nurses, teachers, EMTs and correction officers to recommend and negotiate new policies to protect patients, educate students or guarantee safety in the states’ prisons. This forces the men and women who provide vital public services in the state to suffer and serve in silence. Nothing could be more un-American.

This is the single largest battle for city and state workers in nearly 40 years. You can help make a stand. You can let the politicians in control know that their political futures will not come on the backs of the municipal employees who serve their localities with pride.

Join us tomorrow at the state capitol building at noon. Lend your voice to our union brothers and sisters actively in protest. Let America know that all public employees stand together.

We need to make it clear to the politicians that they need to spend less time punishing workers and more time working with them to solve the problems that face us all.

Unless, that is, we hold them accountable. Our activism in politics is incredibly important.

As members of the Local 2960, we ask that you join us in voting for the candidates listed below in the upcoming primary election.

Our governing body, AFSCME International, a political action committee who tirelessly monitor and report on the pro-labor decisions that are made by our national and state legislators. It’s important to understand that the PEOPLE committee doesn’t endorce politicians on the basis of their red or blue affiliations. They examine each candidate on the basis of what they are doing to help protect right rights and jobs belonging to union members across the country.

Our message is simple. Through the ballot box, we can help elect candidates who stand for what matters to Local 2960 members:

• No more out-sourcing of jobs.
• Strong, pro-labor contracts
• Affordable heath care
• Retirement security
• No cuts to vital public services

The Local 2960 is proud to endorse the following candidates for office.

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We also want to encourage discussion about the issues that these people represent. Do you have a story to tell, or a candidate that you feel should not be here? Tell us what you think by commenting on this page.
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An investgatory interview occurs if

1. management questions you to obtain information, and
2. you have a reasonable apprehension that your answers could be used as a basis for discipline or other adverse action.

You must ask for union representation either at the beginning of or during the 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 called to a meeting with management, read the following or present a copy of the attached card when the meeting begins.

“If my responses to your questions could lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or adversely affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that you summon my union representative. Until my representative arrives, I choose not to answer any questions.”

• Work for an employee  that has 50 or more employees
• Have been employed for at least 12 months
• Have worked 1250 or more hours in the previous 12 months, and
• Work where at least 50 employees are employed within 75 miles.

Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave over a 12 month period to:

• recover from a serious health condition (medical leave)
• care for a spouse, parent, or child with a serious health condition (family-care leave)
• care for or bond with a newborn, adopted, or foster child (child-care leave)

You may take medical and family-care leave on an intermittent basis. If you work five days per week, you may take up to 60 individual days. You can also take FMLA leave on a reduced schedule basis. For example, you may work part time after an operation.

Other features of FMLA include:

• Leave may not be delayed of denied because your employer is in a busy period.
• You may be asked to submit a medical certification from a health care provider.
• If your need for leave is foreseeable, you must provide advance notice of 30 days when possible.
• After your leave, you must be returned to the same or a substantially equivalent position.
• Your employer may not take adverse measures against you because of FMLA absences.

FMLA violations should be reported to your union representative. Feel free to contact us if you have questions or concerns about how to use this benefit.

Links:

• U.S. Department of Labor (Wage and Hour Division). Page details the exact policy and news regarding recent policy changes. (http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/index.htm)
• AFSCME International’s Fact sheet for FMLA Leave. (http://www.afscme.org/issues/1764.cfm)

Free and fair elections don’t exist in the workplace in America because of the intimidation and lies that employers use against their workers. Studies have shown that 60 percent of workers want to join a union if they were able to but only 8 percent of private sector employees are members of unions

In making his point he cites several important factoids about the tactics that organizations will use to discourage Union membership.

Bosses and union busting consultants rely on threats to intimidate and coerce people. In 57% of all union drives they threaten to close factories, but only closes them 2% of the time. Indeed, they do fire workers in about 34% of all union drives just to intimidate the rest of the works.

As we move forward with our negotiations for the next MOU term, it is important to understand that there are still Unit III employees who are not Union members because of tactics similar to those pointed out in his article. And while the threats may not be as overt as those cited by Elk, it is important to note two things:

One, they still exist. And two, they are illegal.

The Local 2960 is ramping up its effort to enroll as many Unit III employees as we can for the upcoming MOU period. We urge you to attend of of the many Meet and Greet meetings that we will be conducting in the various workplaces. Bring your questions and concerns. If you have been the victim of these kind of imtimidation or mis-information tactics, please let us know.

From a different article, Elk points out how the simple act of joining a Union creates a stronger sense of community with your fellow employees.

“… union members refer to themselves as “brothers and sisters” during union rallies… because of the bond of solidarity that is formed during the intense harassment and firing of workers leading up to union certification elections.”

If you would like more information about becoming a Union member please contact the Local 2960 office or a steward in your department.

Related Links:

• Teabaggers Are To Congresspeople What Union-Busters Are To Workers, by Mike Elk
• Give Me a Union, Not a Wheelchair: The Case for EFCA, by Mike Elk
• Democrats Taste Union Busting at their Town Hall Meetings – Will they Learn its Lessons? by Chris Townsend