Anchorage Chapter Newsletter
July 1999
 
 ANCHORAGE CHAPTER’S PRESIDENT’S LETTER
 
 (This is the opinion of your Chapter president, Larry Rabideau, and not that of the Chapter).
 
 Dear Members:  By the time you read this newsletter you will have noticed $27 missing from your paycheck. This money is half of the $54 additional health care insurance premium that the state will be charging you every month.
 
 You will be paying the extra $54 every month until next year…and then it is predicted you will pay an additional $54 ($108 more per month over what you paid in June, 1999). The next year after that (July, 2001) still another $54 is predicted ($162 more per month over what you paid in June, 1999).
 
 Why?! That is what the state administration says it will charge you for increased health care costs.
 
 Why don’t they pay it?!  The state administration says the Legislature won’t let them.
 
 Isn’t this supposed to be a benefit to offset our lower pay?!’
 
 Your ASEA Negotiations Committee came up with at least three ways around this increase and presented them  at the bargaining table. The administration (the state’s team) rejected all of our ideas.
 
 On every issue involving money (as you will see in this newsletter) the state administration will not give you “one red cent”.  We have made progress in some issues- but nothing on money issues.
 
 So we come to a “fork in the road”. You will have to tell us, the Leadership, which way you want to go: “FIGHT” or “FLIGHT”.
 
 Do we want to tell the Governor and the Legislature that we are willing to strike, do it if we must, & carry out that threat if we must?! OR Do we go the other way…and PAY and PAY and PAY?!
 
 I would like to say we fight but I can only do what you tell the Leadership to do.
 
 We have just come back from five days of leadership training in Juneau. We know how to organize, how to fight, and how to win. But we cannot go forward without your permission and your physical support. YOU WILL  HAVE TO GET INVOLVED!!
 
 It is highly probable you will be asked in the near future on whether to authorize your negotiating team and Statewide Executive Board to call a strike if they see the need and feel the time is right. I want to point out that this vote gives us permission to call a “strike” sometime later. We cannot legally “strike” at this time.
 
 But the ultimate choice is yours:  “FIGHT” or “FLIGHT”.
 
 You can tell the administration “NO! We are not going to just pay and pay forever”…..OR…..we can tell the administration “We will not fight over this issue in which case we will PAY and PAY and PAY.”
 
 It is your choice on what you and your family can afford.
 
 We feel that what we are asking for on the contract is only “fair and just”.
 
 I want to personally thank Al Kegler (the Juneau Chapter President) and the Juneau Chapter for being such wonderful hosts for this conference. I am truly overwhelmed.
 
 Thanks a million to our union’s staff and the Statewide Executive Board for putting together a fine event. Thanks go to these great people who represent your Leadership…people ready to lead you in the direction you want to go……Larry R. Rabideau.

FROM YOUR EDITOR

Our contract negotiations committee is trying to make a determination on the matter of conversion of annual/sick leave to personal leave. The decision that they must make is whether or not this should be “put on the table” as part of our negotiations.

Two of our Anchorage Chapter members have submitted “pro” and “con” positions on this matter of conversion to personal leave.

It is also my understanding that a poll is being taken of our ASEA membership on this issue.

For your consideration……..

ANNUAL/SICK LEAVE vs. PERSONAL LEAVE

From Michael Scott Christy:

I favor switching over to Personal Leave for the following reasons:

  1. Why give away $20,000 to $30,000 when you leave state service in un-cashed out sick leave.
  2. Why punish the conscientious workers and reward sick leave abusers.
  3. Why encourage and reward ($) GGU members to switch over to the supervisory union.
I use sick leave when I am sick.  This use has included substantial time off for knee surgery, rehabilitation, and a broken collar bone.  Even with that leave use I have over 800 hours accumulated in 15.5 years of state service.  I feel it would be a great loss to donate that leave to the same state that does not want to give me a cost of living increase, nor pay for my health benefits.  Some people say that we have given up enough and going to personal leave is somehow giving up more.  It would only be a reduction if you use every hour of the sick leave, but it is a great gain upon retirement to cash out your personal leave.  Some say they are worried they may need extra hours of sick leave for themselves or to care for  a loved one.  If we convert to the same personal leave system other state employees enjoy,  you could tap into your unconverted sick leave hours (kept in a bank) when you run out of personal leave.  Thus you never lose those unconverted hours, they become your disaster backup hours.

In all the recent surveys, I am aware of about 60% of GGU members favoring conversion to personal leave.  I believe that number would be even higher if members knew about the disaster use of the unconverted hours, and if they calculated the potential dollar value of cashing out the much larger personal leave vs. unused annual leave upon retirement.  I had a boss who cashed out a full year’s worth of his accumulated personal leave when he retired.

In addition, I believe it would improve harmony in the work place if conscientious workers did not have to take up the slack while some of their co-workers abuse sick leave and are frequently out of the office when they are not really sick.

Please spread the word and let your union negotiating team know how you feel…..Michael Scott Christy.

From Janetta Pritchard:

When the idea of conversion to the personal leave system was first introduced, I was in favor of it. But now I am questioning whether or not it is the “good deal” I originally thought it was and whether I would want to take it if afforded the chance.

I have been with the state for many years and accrue 9.38 hours of annual leave and 4.69 sick leave hours a pay period. This is 28.14 hours of leave a month or 3.752 days. Although my kids are grown with families of their own, I find that I still use my sick leave take care of the adult kids after surgeries or serious illnesses.  In addition, I have aging parents with health problems. I find that I use more leave these days to go to doctor appointments with them, taking care of them when they are ill and spending time at the hospital when they are in for tests or hospitalized.

This does not take into consideration my occasional personal health crisis and the new problems associated with my own aging process. What a reality!

Do I really want to give up the 28.14 hours a month to go to Personal Leave? I am sure the state will not offer us a deal that would benefit the employee. Looking at what they have offered to other unions, I am sure we will not be able to convert all of our sick leave to personal leave so some of it will be “banked” in case there is a catastrophic illness.  I don’t believe it would be a very good deal for me when I take into consideration the parents, kids, and my own aches and pains. The loss of sick leave in itself could be catastrophic to me.

I understand that personal leave may be a great deal for people who do not have elderly parents, kids, or their own illnesses (yet).  I also understand that it only takes one illness or having a minor surgery go awry to burn up lots of sick leave and to be thankful for the split between the sick and annual leave.

To me the Personal Leave is not a very attractive option. Perhaps if I could retire next year (and not just dream about it) I would look at it closer. But I have a good 7 years until I will retire and I want to keep my sick and annual leave separate until then.  Unless they are willing to give me 28.14 hours in Personal Leave!

The ideal situation would be to allow the sick leave to be rolled over when you retire to add to your years of service, similar to what the Anchorage teachers are able to do. I doubt the state would agree to this since they look at sick leave as a type of insurance and not a benefit. I also think that people would remain with the sick and annual leave if they knew they would not lose it when they retire.  I do not want to lose mine either but I want the bigger cushion of sick and annual leave versus just personal leave in case I do need it.

Each system, in its own right, would be beneficial to different groups of people depending on their perceived needs. It is a matter of personal judgement which system you think would work for you….Janetta Pritchard.
 

FROM YOUR CHIEF STEWARD

I would like to congratulate all of those stewards who have passed their Union Steward certification, and those returning stewards who passed their Union Steward re-certification tests.  These stewards put a lot of work into their knowledge of the contract and the duties of a steward.

The following is a list of these stewards who have passed their test.

I would like to say my thanks to these stewards for a doing a great job…..Judy Morris.

Note: If I missed your name and you have taken the test please accept my apologies.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  CONTEST FOR ANCHORAGE CHAPTER LOGO

Needed:  An official logo that represents and exemplifies our Anchorage Chapter. Such a logo would give our chapter identity and be prominently displayed on our Chapter newsletter and WEB page.

Accordingly, this is an announcement for a contest amongst our Anchorage Chapter members for a winning logo design. The winning design will receive $150 in movie pass certificates to Century 16 Theatres.

The design of the logo will require the following components:

Submittals for the logo must be on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper. The submittals to be turned into our ASEA union office (Attn: Larry Nakata- Anchorage Chapter logo) by no later than September 1st. The winning design will be selected at our ASEA membership meeting on September 8th.

Good luck and we want to see a lot of good designs……..

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

 
Scholarship Committee Member Mario Ayerdis (left) presenting scholarship awards to Erica Wilson, Christina DiMaria, and Terra Bingham (right).
It’s always a pleasure for the ASEA Anchorage Chapter to award our yearly scholarships to members and their children.

This year the Anchorage Chapter awarded some $3000 in scholarships to children of 4 of our Chapter members.

This year’s scholarships went to:

Congratulations go out to these well deserving recipients of these scholarships.

Thanks also go out the Scholarship Committee of our Anchorage Chapter in interviewing and making the difficult decisions in awarding this year’s scholarships.  (Editor’s Note:  This is what unions are about!!).






“Major Areas of Dispute as of July 1, 1999 on the Priority Issues”
 
ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 Proposal
State of Alaska’s Position
Article 21- Wages
  • 7.5% Increase 7/1/99
  • New G Step to schedule
  • Longevity changed to merit and received every year (no 3, 4, 5 year waiting periods)
  • Eligible for two step merit increases
  • Full Cost of Living (COLA) 2nd and 3rd year of contract.
  • Severance package for layoff of $1,000 per year for each year of service.
Article 21- Wages
  • No Wage Increase/ NO COLA
  • Wage Re-opener in 2000
  • Wage Re-opener in 2001
  • Impact of NO INCREASE is an accumulated loss in purchasing power of 20% in the past 15 years.
Article 19- Health Insurance
  • Employer maintains current level of benefits at no cost to employee and add additional services.
Article 19- Health Insurance
  • Maintain current level of benefits with contribution rate of $488.50. 
  • No increase in contribution for Employer. 
  • Employee portion rises to $138.50 per month during the first year. 
  • Employer projects continued 11% rise in Employee contribution to $284.00 per month by the third year (1st year $1662, 2nd year $2,490, 3rd year $3,408.00).
Article 12- Layoff
  • Expansion of layoff rights to secondary layoff rights:

  • 1. Recall rights to lower levels in same class series.
    2.  Recall rights to parallel job classes.
Article 12- Layoff
 
  • No Change
Article 13- Contracting Out
  • Some improvements.
  • Health benefits for 6 months and moving assistance if laid off due to contracting out of services.
 Article 13- Contracting Out
  • No change with exception of new language that exempts program receipts funded programs from contracting out restrictions.
Article 25 and 26- Leave Proposal
  • One time option to choose Personal Leave or remain on Sick and Annual Leave.
  • 60% conversion of sick leave balance to personal leave.
  • 40% remains in employee specific bank.
Article 25 and 26- Leave Proposal
  • No Change
Article 22- Overtime
  • All time in pay status will count towards meeting the 37.5 hour threshold for overtime calculations.
  • Increase stand by pay.
  • Compensatory time for overtime ineligible members.
  • Holiday pay for overtime ineligible members.
Article 22- Overtime
  • No Change- only hours worked count towards meeting the 37.5 hour threshold.
  • Reduction in recall rights.
  • No comp time for overtime ineligibles including hours worked on a holiday.
Article 24- Holidays
  • Restore Lincoln floater, employee birthday, and any holidays proclaimed by the President.
  • Add Day after Thanksgiving. 
Article 24- Holidays
  • No Change, including continued loss of employee birthday, Lincoln floater, and any holidays proclaimed by the President.
Article 27- Shift Assignment
  • Shift assignment shall be by seniority and by job status (i.e., full-time, part-time, long-term, short-term, on-call).
Article 27- Shift Assignment
  • No Change.
Article 30- Travel and Per Diem
  • Increase Long-term lodging rate to $50.00.
  • Non-commercial rate: Where adequate lodging is not available, employees paid $100.00 per day. Increase Meal and Incidental Expense to $45 per day. 
Article 30- Travel and Per Diem
  • Meal and Incidental Expenses will be determined by the State Administrative Manual in effect at the time of travel.
Article 32- Parking
  • Employer required to provide parking at no cost to employee.
Article 32- Parking
  • No Change- Employer required to make good faith effort to make parking available.

 

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