January 21, 2010
A Joint Labor-Management Committee meeting was held this morning at 11:00. Present for the Union were: Bill S., Laurie C., Jane F., Laura V., Kathy D., and Jenn B. Present for Management were Harry and the City's CFO and Personnel Director.
Security is expected to be in place at the branch locations starting Monday, February 1. Most likely, it will be in 4-hour shifts, 4 days a week, using grant funds that have been set aside for security, none of which has been used yet over the three months since branches were reopened.
Status of former branch employees remains unresolved. Situation regarding the branches after grant funds run out is totally up in the air.
The Union asked Management to look at staff positions by department to see if it would possibly help the Library run more efficiently to have some staff in the largest department be considered on an informal basis to belong to a smaller department, such as Children's, Technical Services, and Adult Services, at least until more is known about how the library system stands in the next fiscal year.
November 22, 2009
There may be some confusion over whose responsibility it is to inform staff about what is happening with the branches reopening and other issues. Communicating with staff about staffing, hours, and library services is Management's responsibility, not the union leadership's. (The union doesn't even represent all the library employees, for one thing.)
It is the union's responsibility to be aware of violations to the Memorandum of Agreement, not to put it into effect. The bargaining sessions were to negotiate the impact of Management's decisions on union members. The Union is responsible for keeping membership informed on union matters; Management is responsible for managing the library system, communicating with employees, training employees, planning for contingencies, etc.
The Union agreed to a weekly staff rotation on the Supervisor's position, which Management then changed to a monthly rotation, limiting the number of people who could participate at a time. The Union never intended there to be a formal application process for existing staff to go through to take part in the overtime opportunities; Management put that in place without consulting the current Union leadership.
Please feel free to call Laurie with questions. We're just all too busy at work to discuss union matters on the job!
October 19, 2009
Today the union membership ratified the memorandum of agreement that resulted from the three impact bargaining sessions with the City. While many of us still object to the takeover of the library branches by City Hall, we hope that this arrangement will keep the two branch buildings viable for eventually reopening as actual libraries again in the future.
October 14, 2009
Today the City gave the union negotiating team a deadline of 4:30 p.m. to take or leave their "best and final" offer, which incorporated some of our requested changes and clarifications that people saw at the meeting on Friday, Oct. 9, but by no means all. Our rep received their finalized proposal at 10:00 a.m., giving us 6-1/2 hours to respond.
We agreed tentatively to their final proposal with a few minor clarifications and one change. In its current, finalized form, we hope the memorandum of agreement (which modifies our contract) will be available for ratification by the membership on Monday.
A little background: The City first presented their proposal to the union on Sept. 24th. Our first impact bargaining session was Sept. 29th, with the homework centers reportedly opening on Oct. 5th. This gave us a total of six working days to have an agreement ready and signed. After each meeting, the City took several days to get back to us with a revised agreement. On Sept. 30th we reached a tentative agreement that was typed up and given to us with numerous additions and changes we had not agreed to. The union negotiating team worked as speedily as possible while trying to be as fair as possible to all staff (new hires, returning employees, current F/T and P/T employees) who would be impacted by the branch buildings being reopened as Community Enrichment Centers. The Community Enrichment Centers will affect staff in some departments more than others, but please remember that much of the proposal was presented to us as non-negotiable. The homework centers were happening one way or another.
October 6, 2009Congratulations to Jenn Belcher, who was elected secretary at the general membership meeting on September 25, and to Tina King and Sandy Reed who will continue to serve as union representatives on the Sick Leave Bank Committee.
We need to meet again this Friday night, October 9, to vote on ratification of the changes to the contract required to place temporary staff at the locations where the Homework Centers are being run to offer limited library services to the public from 3-7, Monday through Thursday. This is dependent on the finalized memorandum of agreement (MOA) being ready in time.
Member Services Rep Bill Storella will answer questions briefly before the vote, but we have to vote yes or no on the agreement as presented. Under pressure from the City to get this deal done, the bargaining team tried very hard to balance the needs of current permanent staff with the needs of temporary staff who will cover the Homework Center locations until the grant funding runs out. It is no longer a two-year grant, as we were originally informed.
September 30, 2009The union negotiating team was called back to the table by the City yesterday. They cannot provide library services in the City with non-union members.
We reached a TENTATIVE agreement that has not even been put into writing yet. The union team won concessions that the branch buildings where limited library services will be provided must include security for the hours of at least 5:30-7:30 and be staffed by three people during the hours of 3-7, Monday-Thursday. The proposed staffing now includes a floating supervisor (16 hours) from current administrators, department supervisors, and professional staff on a rotating basis who will be at East one night, West the other. Alternating with the supervisor, the third staff member will be a clerk (20 hours) to be hired with grant funds. The other staffing is proposed to be an asst. branch supervisor (20 hrs/wk) and a library assistant (20/hrs./wk) to work 2:30-7:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday. All the proposed positions are to include health insurance benefits and are to be paid at a flat weekly rate (salary) to cover loss of pay when school is not in session (i.e. what would have been earned over 9 months with all the school vacation days, in-service days, etc. will be divided up and paid out weekly.)
September 24, 2009Union negotiating team and the City met this morning to consider a revised proposal from the City that addressed some of the Union's concerns about staffing and security at the library branches during the hours of the Homework Help Centers' operation, but reached impasse and were unable to agree on how to adequately provide trained staff at the level required to serve the public at branch library buildings. The City may refuse to acknowledge them as branch libraries, but the public will expect branch library services when those buildings are reopened.
Details on negotiations will be available at tomorrow night's general membership meeting from the negotiating team and our SEIU rep, Bill Storella. Please attend if you can. We will be holding elections for secretary and sick leave bank committee members. Pizza and soda will be served.
General membership meeting is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 25, 5:15 p.m. at the Main Library.
September 16, 2009Union negotiating team met today with the City to begin impact bargaining over changes in working conditions involved in restoring some library service at East and West Branches.
The negotiating team now has to consider the City's proposal. It involves diverting a total of $89,000 over two years from the $250,000 grant from the Department of Justice to address juvenile deliquency to restore what turns out to be extremely minimal library services to the branches Monday-Thursday, 3-7, in conjunction with the homework centers which are be operated in the branch basements completely independently from library staff by education majors from Bridgewater State College. The union is being asked to consider opening the upper portions of the buildings to library patrons with a skeleton crew of part-time employees who could expect to work during the school year, and be laid off over the summer, and brought back for the second year of grant funding.
The next impact bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24th.
June 12, 2009
Our SEIU rep will be available to answer questions about ratification of the MOA on Wed., June 17, 9-11 a.m., at the Main LIbrary, and Thurs., June 18, 10:45-11:45 a.m. at the East Branch Library. If you need to use union release time from your regularly scheduled work hours to talk with the SEIU rep, please let Laurie know in advance, so she can request the release time for you. If possible, please use time when you're not scheduled to cover a service desk, to make it easier to release you.
The vote on ratification of the MOA will be Friday, June 19, 5:15-6:15 p.m. so that it can take place before the trustees are scheduled to vote on the proposed layoffs.
June 11, 2009
The union negotiating team met with the City this morning and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was finalized which includes a
no-layoff provision; a transfer of branch library staff to the Main Library
retaining all seniority, pay, and benefits; and a concession from the Brockton Library Employees Association to a
deferral of the contracted 2% wage increase from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010.
This MOA will be mailed out to everyone to see; you should receive it from SEIU by early next week.
Our SEIU rep will also be available for two morning informational sessions before the vote on ratification which is being scheduled for Friday, June 19, at 5:15 p.m. Unfortunately, there can be no provision for absentee ballots; you must be present to vote.
The negotiating team has no answers about additional funding that may come or whether the mayor may change his mind about closing the branches. The MOA states that if additional funding becomes available to reopen the branches in some fashion, whether from state aid, Library Foundation, or federal stimulus allocations, then the whole impact bargaining process gets opened up again.
June 8, 2009
Brockton Public Library Trustees had an action item on their agenda for tonight's meeting to "Accept Vote to lay off five (5) employee members of Brockton Public Library Employee Association, SEIU Local 888, as recommended by Library Director, in accordance with Article 42--REDUCTION IN FORCE, of the Contract between the City of Brockton and the Union." The trustees voted unanimously to wait until their regularly scheduled June 22nd meeting to make this decision, pending decisions from the City and the Brockton Library Foundation regarding additional FY10 funding for the library system.
The trustees also voted to authorize a transfer of $50,000 from the State Aid account to the City for the purposes of the library budget,
if the Brockton Library Foundation also votes to contribute additional money to keep the library branches open.
June 5, 2009
The union negotiating team met with the City this morning, 10-11:30 a.m. After the clear message from City Council members sitting as the Finance Committee this week and with the likely possibility of additional funding and reallocation of existing funds (not definite, at this point) it is looking very possible that the two branch libraries will be kept open to some undetermined degree -- if not over the summer, then in the fall--and all our impact bargaining may be moot. Budgetary decisions are not something the union negotiating team has a say in or is part of, but we are hopeful that the voices of Brockton residents and library advocates have been heard in regards to maintaining a branch library system in Brockton.
The next, and possibly final, session of impact bargaining is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, at 10 a.m.
By the way, if you would like to receive an email letting you know when this page has been updated, please email Laurie at
lacavanaugh@appleblossom.net from a personal email account. If you do not have a personal email account, you may obtain one from SEIU 888.
June 2, 2009
The union negotiating team will be writing to thank all the city councilors who spoke at tonight's Finance Committee meeting in support of the Brockton Public Library System and of finding creative ways of keeping the East and West Branch Libraries open. No one spoke in favor of the mayor's plan to close them. Trustee chair Mark Linde and Library Director Harry Williams both spoke about the need for libraries and answered questions from councilors. We will also want to thank library trustee Nancy Smith for her attendance at the meeting. We know many were working or unable to attend tonight, but watch it on cable (Channel 12) if you can. It was great to hear so many positive comments about the library system from the councilors.
June 1, 2009
The union negotiating team met with the City this morning, 10-12. The City's proposal currently includes no layoffs at this time (a rescinding of the intent-to-layoff notices already given out) with a guarantee that if library funding is reduced again in the course of FY10, the library employees' unit would be cut proportionately to other city units with the exception of police and fire. It also includes a deferral of the 2% wage increase to June 30, 2010; closure of the branches; and an increase of 6 hours of service at the Main Library beginning June 24th. The union had no time to consider the City's proposal before adjourning today. The next impact bargaining session is scheduled for Friday, June 5, 2009. Feel free to share your thoughts with negotiating team members.
The effort to persuade the City to change its mind about closing the branches will have to continue at the level of public protest and the City Council. As the CFO put it, the union can bargain over the impact of the decision, not the decision itself. Please attend the City Council's Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 2, when the Council is scheduled to discuss the library budget at 6:30 p.m.
May 30, 2009
Layoff notices were issued to all branch staff except for the custodian yesterday while impact bargaining with the city is still taking place. Perhaps this was done to frighten the union negotiation team into submitting to the City's demand to close the branches without further debate on the merits of the decision. The union negotiating team was not notified in advance that the notices of intent would be handed out. Our contract requires 24 hours advance notice be given to employee that that is slated for layoff before a meeting when the trustees would be asked to approve the layoff. An emergency meeting of the trustees has been posted for Monday night at 5:30 p.m., but this is not the meeting when trustees will be asked to approve layoffs.
As far as progress in the impact bargaining, there has been very little to report. Unofficially, the City is proposing to transfer the branch positions to the Main Library in some as yet undetermined way. This has already been done with the custodial positon.
The union position remains firm that a city the size of Brockton can and should support a branch library system (like Quincy, New Bedford, and Chicopee), but concedes that it may be reasonable to close the branches temporarily for the summer months. During this time, a plan can be made for allocating the library's FY10 budget fairly system-wide, since the projected revenue and local aid figures from the state have been shifting constantly during this whole budget negotiation process.
Union leaders were told in the March 26th meeting with the City that all non-union department heads had already been given a salary freeze (leading by example) but yesterday's Enterprise quotes the mayor as saying that this would happen only if the unions agreed to a salary freeze. These types of reversals happen frequently and make it difficult to bargain in good faith with the City.
May 18, 2009
The union negotiating team met with the city's budget negotiation team for the second session of impact bargaining today. Statements made by the city's team made it clear that the City's insistence on closing the East and West Branch libraries and adding hours to the Main Library is not being done to save money but for political reasons and possibly to pave the way for selling off the branch buildings in the future.
May 11, 2009
The executive board met with the city's budget negotiation team for the first session of impact bargaining this morning. The mayor's budget being presented to City Council tonight recommends an 11% cut to the library's FY10 budget, compared to FY09. The library was not the only department to have a cut of this size.The mayor's team is strongly pushing the closure of the two branches and has included a minimal cost of building maintenance to keep them usable in future.
We collected 400 signatures in 5 days protesting closure of the branches, but the city's CFO brushed them aside, saying there were 90,000 residents in Brockton.
April 26, 2009
A general membership meeting will be held Friday, May 8, at the Main Library at 5:15 p.m. It is very important that everyone attend this meeting to be fully informed on what is known at that point.
The mayor has written to our bargaining rep Filaine Deronnette that it is the City's intent to close the East and West Branch Libraries at the close of business on June 24, 2009. The City is required to impact bargain over any proposed building closure. Even if the mayor succeeds in closing the branches, this does not mean that the personnel holding branch positions are automatically slated for layoffs. Any reduction in force must be done in accordance with the contract.
The city has mailed out information about additional health plans that are being offered. We need to determine what, if any, concessions we are willing to make as a unit to save jobs. Individual employees can select any of the new insurance plans, which have lower premiums and higher (and more) co-pays, but it would only count as savings towards the budget if everyone agrees to opt
as a unit for choosing
only from the three
new insurance plans.
April 7, 2009The executive board members of the Brockton Public Library Employees chapter of SEIU 888 will meet at the Main Library, small conference room, tomorrow (Wed., Apr. 8, 1:00 p.m.), to start the nomination process for a new secretary, discuss what little information we have received from the City so far re. FY10 budget, and plan an April general membership meeting to present information to everyone.
April 3, 2009Three executive board members accompanied our SEIU 888 bargaining rep Filaine to the meeting with the City at 11:00 a.m. today. The City is proposing the same types of concessions that it has already asked for (i.e. wage freeze, increase in employee's portion of health insurance premium) in order to save money. In addition, the City is proposing changes to the health insurance offerings. Details will need to be presented in a general meeting, but in essence, the changes involve lower premium costs and higher (and more) co-pays than with the existing plans offered.
No budget figures were laid out, due to unknowns in the state budget figures that haven't been finalized, but the City suggested we could calculate savings from concessions based on a level-funded budget. The City is optimistic that with concessions from the unions, future layoffs MAY be avoided, but they are not issuing any guarantees.
March 31, 2009The meeting to begin impact bargaining proceedings for FY10 that was scheduled for Monday, Mar. 30, has been postponed and tentatively rescheduled for Friday, Apr. 3. The City is preparing a proposal and did not have it ready in time for Monday's scheduled meeting.
March 26, 2009An informational meeting called by the mayor was today at 2:00 p.m. with representatives from city unions. A total of 76 layoffs spread over many city departments (not including the schools) was announced, with
none from the library because we had already taken our hit for FY09 and because the trustees and Library Foundation contributed money to our FY09 budget.
A meeting to get projected budget figures and begin impact bargaining for FY10 is scheduled for Monday, Mar. 30, at 10 a.m.
March 24, 2009Thank you to all who were able to come to the general membership meeting on March 6. We would still be happy to get your surveys, if you haven't already filled one out.
The mayor has requested a meeting on Thursday, March 26, 2:00 p.m., with our SEIU bargaining rep Sue Chase and chapter representatives. Jane, Kathy, Lucia, and I will attend with Sue.
Updates on negotiations can't be posted on the web site. If you would like updates as we have them, please give your personal email address (not work email) or phone number to Laurie to add to the contact sheet that was passed around at the March meeting. A big part of the steward's job is to keep the membership informed, too, so we will try to keep the stewards updated on what is happening, if anything.
We will need to get nominations and elect a new secretary in April. Thank you, Jake, for serving as secretary!
March 6, 2009
Reminder-- There is a general membership meeting tonight at the Main Library at 5:15 p.m.
We didn't get back many completed surveys, so please fill yours out and bring it with you tonight, if you haven't already turned it in.
February 24, 2009City councilors voted 6-4 last night to go forward with the Mayor's request for home rule petitions for the state to grant the city emergency powers to increase the percentage of current city employees' share of the health insurance premium without collective bargaining. Amendments were passed, changing the mayor's original request slightly. One clarified that employee unions could still negotiate different percentages while the petition is still making its way through House, Senate, and governor's office. The other was a "sunset clause", making the emergency powers for a 3-year period and then percentages would revert to where they were when the act was passed.
The Mayor's requests for home rule petitions relating to changing retirees' health insurance premiums were not passed.
Last night's City Council vote only moves the petitions forward to the State process. Some councilors expressed doubt that the State would pass it into law, for various reasons.
February 19, 2009An update on what's happening in our chapter has been placed in everyone's mailbox. In addition, members are asked to fill out and return surveys so everyone's opinion can be heard. Please remember we have to do this on our own time, not on work time. Thank you to everyone who was able to listen to the mayor's State of the City address in person. We have a lot to talk about at the March meeting.
A general membership meeting will be held on Friday, March 6, at 5:15 p.m. at the Main Library. Pizza and soda will be available.
February 11, 2009The mayor has requested a meeting with union leaders and representatives on Thursday, Feb. 12, to discuss the concessions he is asking from city employees' unions to balance the budget and avoid layoffs of 300 city employees, as he proposed in his State of the City address on Monday night. These concessions include raising employee contribution on health insurance and accepting a salary freeze as of July 1, 2009. These concessions involve reopening contractual agreements.
We will be surveying members for their opinions after tomorrow's meeting.
January 28, 2009The trustees met on January 26. They discussed the budget situation for next year and the potential for another reduction in force, but did not go into detail. More information will be given out about the meeting, but won't be put online.
The mayor is expected to give his State of the City address at the City Council meeting on Monday, February 9, at 8:00 p.m. Please attend this meeting if you possibly can, and arrive early for sitting together!
The SEMLS Legislative Breakfast is Friday, February 6, 8:00-10:00 a.m., at the Chateau of Norton. If anyone can attend, please RSVP by Friday, Jan. 30.
December 5, 2008Three of our four new stewards have completed the first two sessions of a six-session steward training. Thank you to all stewards!
A holiday luncheon for Brockton Public Library employees is planned for Thursday, December 18. Thank you to the executive board members who are planning the party!
A reminder--It's time to think about applying for the SEIU scholarships! SEIU members and families are eligible. Check out
www.seiu888.org or contact Lucinda Kallis-Hilbert at the Local 888 office (617-241-3360) for more information.
November 5, 2008Thank you to all who helped on the Support Your Future campaign. A lot of factors worked against us, especially the state of the global economy. Without the $210,000 from a Proposition 2-1/2 override, the library system will need a waiver from the state to maintain certification after this year's budget cuts and reduced hours.
The executive board will meet on Friday, Nov. 7, at 5:15 p.m. Items to be discussed include contract language, sick leave bank committee, and converted seniority dates.
The registration deadline for the SEIU 888 Convention on Saturday, Nov. 15, has been extended to
Nov. 13. Register online or mail back the registration form if you would like to represent our chapter at the convention.
October 7, 2008Your help is needed in the campaign for the library override.
Please return your volunteer slips saying what you will do to help out the Support Your Future drive. All are welcome to the weekly meetings at the Main Library, Fridays at 5:15 p.m. through Oct. 25.
October 4, 2008The new treasurer for the Support Your Future Committee is Michele Roy, a committed library supporter from the community. If you have a personal email account that you use, please go to the Support Your Future web site at www.supportyourfuture.org and get onto the email mailing list ASAP!Everyone's help is needed now! Please tell people about the informational forums on the Brockton library override question: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2:00 p.m. at Main Library, and Wednesday, Oct. 29, 7:00 p.m. at the West Branch. Employees should also attend and be prepared to answer questions if needed. Speakers include Brockton CFO John Condon and City Councilor-at-large Linda Balzotti.
September 24, 2008The first meeting of the override committee (now named The Support Your Future Committee) took place on Friday, Sept. 19th. Meetings will be held at the Main Library every Friday night 5:15 p.m. through October 24th. Everyone is welcome to come as you can to volunteer to do something that week. An information sheet with ideas and ways to help will be given out and materials are being prepared with the slogan "Support Your Future...Restore the Library. Vote Yes for the Library Override." Thanks to Laura for the slogan! An official local ballot question committee is being formed; we need to find a treasurer who is not a public employee.
If you can, please attend the community forum at the Messiah Baptist Church, 80 Legion Parkway, on Tuesday September 30, at 6:30 p.m., organized by the Brockton area branch of Coalition for Our Communities, the group that is campaigning against Question 1 (eliminating the state income tax). A big turnout will show support for this statewide campaign and also give us a chance to get the word out to Brockton residents about the library override.
September 10, 2008Congratulations to new stewards Jenn Belcher and Lucia Shannon, who were elected at the general membership meeting on Sept. 5th. A committee to work on the library override campaign was formed and authorized to spend up to $1,000 on materials. Ideas were shared at the meeting, but more are welcome. Anyone who is interested in joining the committee still can. The committee hasn't set a first meeting date yet.
September 2, 2008Everyone should have received notice of a general membership meeting this Friday, September 5, at 5:15 p.m. at the Main Library. Pizza will be available. Membership rep Joan Pritchard will be there to introduce herself and answer questions. An election for steward will be held, and pressing issues such as the library override campaign will be addressed.
Please attend if you can! Your ideas are important!
August 8, 2008Labor-Management Committee met on August 7, at 10 a.m. Present from the management side were Harry, Maureen Cruise, and Jay Condon.This was a one-time committee meeting. The purpose of the Labor-Management Committee clause is to bring issues to management as needed.(See Article 24 of the contract.)Committee members can change. An update on the meeting will be coming out ASAP.
A reminder and a request for patience--Union business should not be conducted on work time, unless release time has been requested and granted.
August 6, 2008The executive board met on July 25. Minutes of the meeting will be available soon. Please contact Jake or Laurie to request a copy. It was decided that all future meetings of the executive board will be open to any chapter member who would like to observe.
Staffing issues at all branches will be discussed in a Labor-Management Committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow, August 7, at 10 a.m. On the committee are Laurie, Jane, Jenn, Sue, Laura, and Paula (stepping in to replace Karen A., who is leaving our chapter.)
Please start writing down your ideas for educating the public on the need for an override and consider volunteering some time towards this. Also, please consider volunteering to attend one trustees' meeting a year and take notes for the membership, since many of us cannot easily attend Monday night meetings. We all need to work together. Thank you!
July 23, 2008The executive board will meet Friday, July 25, at 5:15 p.m. at the Main Library. Please contact a member of the executive board about anything you would like discussed, if you haven't already. A general meeting of the membership will be scheduled for early September.
Steward training will be scheduled in September or early October, we hope. Also, the new Health & Safety Committee members have been in touch with management about getting meetings going again.
If you would like to be on a labor-management committee to meet with management about staffing issues resulting from layoffs and leaves of absence, please contact Laurie or Jane ASAP. Or, just let us know what your concerns/ideas are.
July 16, 2008Please attend the Finance Committee meeting on Monday, July 21, at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall if you possibly can. The more people we have there, the more support the override will appear to have. The Finance Committee is being asked to approve putting the library override on the ballot. A labor-management committee meeting is in the works to discuss with Harry how the override money would be used.
Also, please support funding for OCLN and other library networks by contacting state reps about Governor Patrick's recent veto. From the Massachusetts Library Association's Legislative Committee:
To the Library Community:
Governor Deval Patrick has issued a veto on Library Line Item 7000-9506. He has cut $250,000 from this important library line item, which will mean that our library networks will be level funded this year. Remember that this line item has never recovered from the cuts issued since 2001, and now the small gain we made this year will be cut unless YOU DO SOMETHING!
Please contact your State Rep(s) and Senator(s) and ask them to go to their leadership and request that this item be placed into the overrides that the Legislature will be voting on. If we do not get this line item onto the override list we will have no chance of recovering this important funding for library technology & resource sharing. You know how important technology is in our libraries, and how much adequate funding for our networks means to your library users. Please make sure that you call, email or fax your Legislators to let them know how unfair this veto is. Don’t forget to mention that this line item is still extremely under-funded from the cuts since 2001!
Line Item 7000-9506
FY01 = $4,420,235
FY08 = $2,851,000
FY09 (passed by Legislature) = $3,101,000
FY09 (with Governor’s veto) = $2,851,000
For a quick and easy way to contact your legislators right away, use the Action Alert feature at http://capwiz.com/ala/ma/state/main/?state=MA
You do not have to be an MLA member to use this feature.
July 4, 2008Chapter elections were held on June 27. The following people were elected and took up their new 2-year terms as of the June 27th meeting:
President: Laurie Cavanaugh
Vice President: Jane Fitzsimmons
Treasurer Kathy Donahue
Secretary Jake Cofferen
E-Board Member-
At-Large Lorraine Bell
E-Board Member-
At-Large Laura Vivada
Stewards:
Karen Arnold
Sue McCormack
Jonathan Stroud
Health & Safety
Committee:
Jenn Belcher
Dianne Nickerson
Laura Vivada
Thank you to everyone who agreed to accept nominations and run, and to everyone who served up until now.
We will be distributing contact information for all newly elected chapter representatives. Please feel free to express opinions, offer suggestions, and ask questions.
May 22, 2008We are extremely proud to announce that layoffs are not as bad as expected! With an original list of 21 positions, the City and our Chapter Reps worked dilligently together and reduced that number to only 5. With a letter writing campaign to the Mayor and help from our Trustees we were able to minimize the impact. With the City's help it would not have been possible either. Thank you to everyone involved for all of the support and dedication to our workplace. The following is a letter from the City to the Union's Executive Board:
April 8, 2008The chapter met Friday night, April 4, to discuss our united response to the mayor's proposed budget cut of 36% to the library, apparently leaving City Hall and other city departments relatively untouched. The director spoke briefly before the meeting to say that no contingency plans are being made until the budget figures are finalized. He will circulate the library trustees' letter to the mayor among library staff.
It was decided to continue collecting signatures at the libraries to pass on to city councilors and the mayor. Many patrons have told staff that they have contacted their city representatives. All staff should call or write their own reps right away! If you need a sample letter, please ask or email Laurie, or use the info in the packet put together for patrons.
A committee was formed to come up with an ad sheet that would present the union's side of the argument and not be subject to editing by the newspaper. It was also proposed to contact Globe South to see if they would write an article about what could happen to library services if the mayor's proposed cut goes through.
Though we are fighting layoffs that use the library as the scapegoat for the city's budget trouble, there were questions about what the union provides for support in the event that union members are laid off and how the union leadership might help an individual chapter prevent layoffs.
Nominations and an election will take place this spring for people to take office starting July 1. Elections have been delayed due to the wait for the new contract to be printed and brought over from City Hall.
March 20, 2008Please help! The proposed budget cut to the library of 35%-37% will be devastating to library services and might mean layoffs. Library staff from all three unions and management are working together now to put together packets of information to patrons and to rally support for the Brockton Public Library System, which is bearing the biggest brunt of the city's budget cuts.
A letter-writing campaign is getting underway. City voters need to persuade enough City Council members to reject the mayor's proposed cut.
Here is a copy of an email received from Christine Canavan, appearing here with her permission:
Dear Ms. Cavanaugh,
Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding funding for the Commonwealth's libraries within the FY '09 budget. I always enjoy hearing about the issues important to my constituents, and appreciate your input on what is expected to be a tight budget year throughout the Commonwealth and within the City of Brockton.
Even before I was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, libraries were one of my top priorities. A lifelong library devotee myself, I realize the significant role of libraries within our communities. As I have often said, "libraries feed the soul", and my support for libraries comes from my heart. Also, last week one of my aides, Mike Mullen attended the Southeastern Massachusetts Libraries legislative breakfast on my behalf. During the breakfast, Mike was able to learn a lot of valuable and pertinent information regarding the state of our libraries that will help me as budget talks for this year continue.
Again, thank you for e-mailing. Please continue to keep in touch. If you have any further questions or concerns, please be sure to let me know.
Sincerely,
Christine
Christine E. Canavan
State Representative
10th Plymouth District
March 19, 2008Please attend! A meeting of union membership will be held Friday, April 4, 5:00 p.m. at the Main Library to go over the new contract.
March 15, 2008Please attend! The mayor presents his proposal for budget cuts to the library system at the Finance Committee meeting this Monday, March 17, 7:00 p.m. The Finance Committee meets in the City Hall Chamber.
March 5, 2008As the state budget moves through the House and Senate towards final approval or veto by the governor, all Brockton Public Library System employees and supporters are encouraged to contact state legislators for their support of funding for library budgets. An easy way to do this is through the Massachusetts Library Association. You do not have to be a member to use their email system and you don't need to know who your state representatives are or what their email addresses are. Easy and quick!
http://capwiz.com/ala/ma/state/main/?state=MA
February 27, 2008The union executive board meets today with union president Susana Segat and Jim Redmond to talk about layoff concerns and the budget climate in the city and state. Membership was asked to bring any questions for Suzanne to one of the executive board members.
January 27, 2008The union executive board met on Wednesday, Jan. 23, to talk about concerns about the library budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2008. Because not everything that is said at meetings appears in the official minutes, chapter members are encouraged to attend at least one library trustee and/or finance committee meeting to be a presence when talk of payroll cuts arise. Sign-up sheets will be prepared.
Copies of the "new" contracts (one for the year that ended June 07) are still not prepared. The city has come back with minor changes from the legal department that needed to be approved by the union negotiating team. All but one change was approved.
Another executive board meeting will be held soon to discuss nominations for chapter officers. Please consider stepping up to take a turn. You may nominate yourself or a co-worker.
WIN A PRIZE!!!
The first BPL chapter member to read this update and mention it to Laurie in person or by email at lcavanaugh@ocln.org, wins a brand-new SEIU tote bag made of 100% natural fibers. (Hopefully union-made!) Good luck, and may the most dedicated chapter member win! (Current executive board members not eligible.)
December 29, 2007Voting results are in, on the three ballot questions the union voted on this month.
December 7, 2007Remember to cast your ballot before December 14! With Option 1 on the dues structure vote, union members like us, who have been paying a percentage rate instead of a flat fee, will pay a lower percentage of our paychecks than we currently are, so Option 1 works to make the dues system fairer for us.
The Brockton local executive board voted to allocate money from chapter fund to bring cost of Christmas party down to the $20 per person charge.
Chapter elections for officers will be held after New Year's. A union meeting will be scheduled in January. Copies of the new contract should be ready by then; Brenda and Sue have been looking into what is causing the delay.
The following is an informal glossary of union terms, some of which are general, and may be outdated and seldom used, and some of which may apply only to our specific Local:
AGENCY FEE
A service fee that employees in the bargaining unit who refuse to join the union must pay to the union. Even though this fee is to cover the costs of representation, it does not grant the employee the benefits of being a member.
AGENCY SHOP CLAUSE
A union security clause that provides that an employee in the bargaining unit who refuses to join the union must pay a service fee to the union.
AGREEMENT
See also CONTRACT, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT. A binding contract entered into by union and employer for a specified period of time. It defines the relations between them, spells out terms and conditions of employment, and describes the procedures to be used in settling disputes during the term of the agreement.
ARBITRATION
Usually the final step in the grievance procedure. A way of settling disputes by calling in an impartial third party whose decision is final and binding.
BARGAINING UNIT
A group of employees either certified by the Labor Relations Commission or voluntarily recognized by their employer as sharing a community of interest and entitled to bargain collectively via their representative union for wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment.
BOYCOTT
The refusal of a group of people, such as a union or a consumer organization, to purchase the products of a particular company.
BUSINESS AGENT
Also see FIELD REPRESENTATIVE, MEMBER ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST, BARGAINING SPECIALIST. An employee of the Local who organizes members in their workplaces, helps workplace leaders, engages members in political work and/or helps negotiate agreements and works with stewards to settle grievances.
CHAPTER
The Local is subdivided into Chapters. A Chapter consists of the members within a recognized or certified bargaining unit.
CHAPTER IN GOOD STANDING
To be in good standing, a Chapter must elect, for terms to last no longer than three years, a Chapter chair, stewards, and bargaining team members. It must hold regular membership meetings, at least twice per year. Each Chapter shall keep a record of the business of the Chapter and shall send to the Local Union office a copy of the minutes of each Chapter meeting, and notice in any change in Chapter leadership.
CHECKOFF
A clause in the union contract authorizing the employer to deduct union dues from members’ paychecks and transfer them to the union.
CLC
The Canadian Labour Congress. The national organization that speaks for the labor movement in Canada. SEIU is a member of the CLC.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Negotiations between union and employer in order to determine terms and conditions of employment.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
See also AGREEMENT. A binding contract entered into by union and employer for a specified period of time. It defines the relations between them, spells out terms and conditions of employment, and describes the procedures to be used in settling disputes during the term of the agreement.
COMPANY UNION
A union organized, dominated and financed by the employer, giving workers no real protection while keeping them from organizing a real union.
CONCILIATION
See MEDIATION. Efforts by a neutral third party to get the union and management to agree when there is a dispute. The conciliator or mediator acts as a friend of both sides and tries to find a basis on which the union and the company can work things out.
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
The foundation document of our Local. It spells out the rules and regulations that govern our internal structures.
CONTRACT
Also see AGREEMENT. A binding contract entered into by union and employer for a specified period of time. It defines the relations between them, spells out terms and conditions of employment, and describes the procedures to be used in settling disputes during the term of the agreement.
COPE
The Committee on Political Education, established to educate about political issues, support the best candidates for public office, and encourage registration and voting.
CTW
Change to Win Federation. A national organization that speaks for the labor movement in the United States. SEIU is a member of CTW.
DUES
Regular payments which members pay to cover costs of operating the union.
ESCALATOR CLAUSE
A provision in a union contract that ties the wage rate, or a part of it, to changes in a ‘cost of living’ measure such as the Consumer Price Index.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
The governing body of the local union elected every three years.
FIELD REPRESENTATIVE
An employee of the Local who organizes members in their workplaces, helps workplace leaders, engages members in political work and/or helps negotiate agreements and works with stewards to settle grievances.
FREE RIDER
A worker in the bargaining unit who refuses to join the union but enjoys all the benefits of his or her co-workers.
“FRINGE” BENEFITS
Non-wage benefits, such as paid vacations, holidays, and welfare and pension benefits won from employers through collective bargaining.
GRIEVANCE
A violation of a worker’s rights on the job. The "grievance procedure" in the contract describes the mechanism by which union and management attempt to alleviate this violation.
LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
The state or federal agency that certifies unions, rules on unfair labor practices, and defines appropriate bargaining units when called upon to do so.
LOCKOUT
A withholding or shutting down of work by an employer in order to force employees to accept his or her terms.
MEDIATION
See CONCILIATION. Efforts by a neutral third party to get the union and management to agree when there is a dispute. The conciliator or mediator acts as a friend of both sides and tries to find a basis on which the union and the company can work things out.
MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING
A member whose membership dues are current and paid on time.
MINIMUM WAGE
The lowest rate of pay an employer is permitted to pay by law or the union contract. This term is mostly used in reference to the federal wage-hour law (Fair Labor Standards Act).
In January 1, 2008, Massachusetts law established the state’s minimum wage at $8 an hour.
OPEN SHOP
A workplace where union membership is not a condition of employment.
PER CAPITA TAX
The regular monthly affiliation fee paid to a "parent" organization by a union for each of its members.
PICKETING
The act of walking back and forth (by members of a local union) before the place of work with which the union is in dispute to inform the public that a dispute or controversy exists.
RESOURCE COMMITTEE
A Committee of our Local whose charge is to review the current dues structure of the union, of the total revenue received, and of the resources available for union priorities; and to therefore establish a consistent dues structure across the Local Union. This Committee shall recommend to the Executive Board this dues structure that is fair and equitable to members and provides adequate resources to the Local Union. If approved by the Executive Board, these recommendations shall be voted upon by the membership. Once a new dues structure is approved by the membership, this Committee shall be disbanded.
RIGHT-TO-WORK LAW
A misnamed type of state law which guarantees no one the right to work, but only keeps unions from negotiating union shop contracts. Such laws are aimed at destroying unions by attempting to cut down their funds.
SCAB
See STRIKE-BREAKER. A person who continues to work or who accepts employment while the workers are on strike. By filling their jobs, he or she may weaken or break the strike.
SEIU LOCAL 888
A union of members founded on the vision of representing workers as full human beings and on encouraging society to respect such a vision. Our goal is to reach a balanced work and personal life. Our chosen name, SEIU Local 888, reflects a symbol for a balanced life: 8 hours of labor, 8 hours of recreation, and 8 hours of rest.
SENIORITY
A worker’s length of service with an employer. Seniority often determines layoffs, promotions, recalls, transfers, and placement on wage scales.
SEVERANCE PAY
Payment by the employer to a worker who is laid off permanently through no fault of his or her own.
SICK LEAVE BENEFITS
Benefit paid a worker while he or she is out sick. Sick pay may be provided under the union contract, or, in some states, by state law.
STEWARD
Also called shop steward. The worksite leader of the Local Union. An employee, who is also a member of the union, elected or appointed by the union to assist union members in getting their workplace issues and grievances resolved. A strong, democratic and effective Local Union is built on a solid foundation of stewards at each worksite. Stewards are chosen by members within a specifically defined unit within the worksite. In general, the policy is one steward per twenty members or major fraction thereof, one steward per shift, and one steward per job category.
STRIKE
A withholding of labor in order to protest a grievance or to enforce a demand for better wages and working conditions. In Massachusetts, public employees are prohibited from striking.
STRIKE-BREAKER
See SCAB. A person who continues to work or who accepts employment while the workers are on strike. By filling their jobs, he or she may weaken or break the strike.
UNION-BUSTING
Tactics used by an employer to keep the union out or get an existing union decertified. These include intimidation of employees, rumors of plant closings, election stalling tactics, etc.
UNION SECURITY
A clause in the contract providing for a union shop, modified union shop, or agency shop. The check-off can also be regarded as a form of union security.
UNION SHOP
Agreement between union and employer which requires all employees and those hired as employees to become members within a given period of time.
WELFARE PROVISION
A clause in an agreement in which the employer agrees to provide pensions, life or hospital insurance, or some other kind of assistance to employees during periods of sickness or retirement.
WITHDRAWAL CARD
The card given to a member who voluntarily leaves the union. It shows that he or she was in good standing while a member.