ANCHORAGE CHAPTER’S PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Hello Anchorage!

I’m looking forward to my pay raise and watching for other changes.

I hate it when bad things pop up first.  I feel that the most significant looming issue on the horizon that must be confronted is “Privatization.”  It is also known as “Outsourcing” or “Contracting Out”.  It  means state employees’ work is being given away….and state dollars are going outside to pay for the work.  Soon the state will pay a rate higher than that of state employees doing such work.  In the end…the quality of work drops when the contract is entrenched with the provider.

When states are in the cost containment frame of mind it usually means some powerful group wants to reduce the total amount of dollars paid in wages to government employees.  It doesn’t seem to matter that the work still needs to get done…or that some things, ethically, can not be shifted to the private sector.  The cost still gets shifted into an administrative budget.  In a short time that cost will grow beyond what it would cost for state employees to do the work.  This kind of shift seems to be kind of like a pendulum.  Once it gets going it is hard to stop until it gets to the other side.

It seems that eventually this pendulum of cost shifting goes back the other way.  I may not have the full picture, but it appears that the shift is far more dramatic in states with small populations.  Perhaps it is just easier for me to see in those states because those are the ones we have a lot in common with.

The pendulum will swing back the other way.  The problem is that, in between, a lot of lives are affected.   State employees lose their jobs to privatization; dollars are shifted into the private sector until the price is too high; then they lose the contracts and state employees get the work back.  That is not a very efficient way of shortening the length of that pendulum swing. It should not be done solely because someone in power wants it to be true.

Privatization usually starts with a low dollar bid. The cost rises and continues to rise…and rise.  The quality of work goes down until some lowly bureaucrat puts his/her reputation on the line by saying and proving that the cost is way beyond what is reasonable.

What can we do?! We can do a lot.  Do your job well.  Be excellent in performing your tasks.  Be proud of the job because you know you do it well.  Stay educated on current issues.  Make it part of your job as a state employee.    Watch for opportunities to strengthen your Union.  AFSCME has experts that can and do help us deal with these very real problems.  Know your Representative and Senator on a first name basis.  Introduce your self to them as a state employee. Vote in every election.  Vote for politicians that understand who you are and what is important to you.  Get involved in your community organizations.  Be a “can do” person.

You don’t have to do it all.  Just stay up on current issues and be involved in the community.  We all will benefit in the future from your efforts today.

In Solidarity,

Patrick W. Morrow
Anchorage Chapter President
ASEA/AFSCME Local 52.
 
 

LETTER OF AGREEMENT RATIFICATION/ AFSCME CONVENTION DELEGATE VOTE

The Statewide Elections Committee conducted a count for the Letter of Agreement ratification and for the selection of AFSCME Convention delegates. This count was conducted on June 15th/16th. Results are:

• The Letter of Agreement was ratified by a vote of 1597 to 150.

For convention delegates:

• Kelly Brown     959 votes
• Vincent O’Connor   890 votes
• Janet Cook    859 votes
• Gordon Glaser    857 votes
• Sue Layton    821 votes
• Paula Parsons    812 votes
• Barbara Karl    808 votes
• Christopher Pace   698 votes
• Peter Yan    692 votes
• Mario Ayerdis    585 votes
• Sunsu (Sonny) Ledoux   508 votes

ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

Larry Nakata, of our Statewide Election Committee, reported that the AFSCME International has completed the hearing on whether or not we need to conduct a new election.  As a result of appeals filed, the AFSCME hearing officer, John Sefarian, found that there were grounds to require a new election for the positions of President & Technical Representative to the Statewide Executive Board, and for the position of Fairbanks Judicial Panel Member.

The essence of the decision is that a number of our members did not get their ballots in time to vote and be counted.  The number of people was high enough that the result of the election could have been affected by those missing ballots.  This was the combined result of technical and human error.

Consider the candidates and vote for the person who you think will do the most for you, the Anchorage Chapter, and the Alaska State Employees Association.       But do be sure to vote.

SUMMER MEETINGS

The Stewards will not have meetings for the months of June, July and August.  The Executive Board will continue to meet in these months.  A summer picnic is being planned for our Anchorage Chapter membership to be held in late July or early August. A committee chaired by Mario Ayerdis is making plans for this summer picnic…a time for all of us to enjoy.

This summer picnic will also double as our next GGU membership meeting. At our June GGU meeting, discussed was the need for our Anchorage Chapter members to be well rounded on health care benefit issues. Approved at the June Anchorage Executive Board meeting and at the June Anchorage GGU membership meeting was funding to send two Anchorage Chapter members to formal training to classes in the lower 48. Health care benefits includes a wide variety of expertise; medical, accounting, legal, management, personnel, etc.  We have many Anchorage Chapter state employees that have expertise in one or more of these fields.  Few, if any, have expertise in all those fields.  These June meetings came to the consensus that it is wise for our Chapter to work towards becoming knowledgeable in the field of health care benefits since this will become an important issue shortly.  Proposed and approved was the decision to select two Anchorage Chapter members to get training that will be put to use in  helping our Chapter as our local experts. Such selection to be made as a Chapter election process.  As time and money permits more people may be trained in this field. Details on the training sessions can be answered contacting your Anchorage Chapter Board members.

Accordingly, this is a formal announcement for interested Anchorage Chapter GGU members to submit your names for such training. You must be an Anchorage Chapter member in good standing. To submit your name, we ask that you submit a letter requesting stating your desire as an applicant for such training. The letter must be submitted to the ASEA-AFSCME Local 52 HQ office/ Address: 626 “F” Street, Anchorage, 99501/ Attn: Larry Nakata- Health Benefits Training . Such letter to be submitted by mail or hand delivered to the union office by no later than close of business (5 PM) on Monday, July 17th.  Selection of the two members will be made at our GGU Summer picnic/Anchorage Chapter meeting as a vote of our members in attendance.

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT

The Anchorage Chapter Scholarship Committee of ASEA/ AFSCME Local 52 is pleased to announce that they have awarded scholarships to eight young men and women for the 2000-2001 academic year. The students are dependants of our Anchorage Chapter union members and have demonstrated excellence in academic achievement, community service, and commitment to union ideals. A total of $6000 was awarded to:
 

• James W. Bales, Chugiak High School. James’s mother, Johanna Bales, works for the Dept. of Revenue. James plans to go into the medical field in neurosurgery and has applications with universities in Washington and Oregon.
• Terra Bingham, Western Oregon University/ Monmouth, Oregon. Terra’s mother, Elaine Thomas, works for DNR, Div. of Mining, Land and Water. Terra will be a sophomore next fall, majoring in Business with an interest in Finance.
• Nick Faulkner, University of Alaska- Anchorage. Nick’s father, Wayne Johnson, works for DHSS. Nick is pursuing an economics major at UAA and plans to earn a masters degree and PhD.
• Jessica Lee Johnson, Wasilla High School. Jessica’s father, Wayne Johnson, works for DHSS, Div. of Public Assistance. Jessica plans to attend UAA/Matsu College in Palmer, and plans to major in Business Administration.
• Richard O’Connor, Dimond High School. Richard’s father, Frank O’Connor and Richard’s mother, Kris, works for DNR. Richard will be attending the University of San Francisco, majoring in Business Administration at the McLaren School of Business.
• Rosalind P. Phelan (“Rozzie”), Rick’s College, Idaho. Rozzie’s father, Albert R. Phelan, works for DHSS at the McLaughlin Youth Center. Rozzie plans to attend Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, majoring in Sociology and Communications.
• Garth Tan, University of Washington. Garth’s father, Ron Tan, works of the DOT/PF. Garth completed his second year at the University of Washington in Seattle, majoring in Electrical Engineering- digital systems.
• Mandy Yan, Dimond High School. Mandy’s father, Peter Yan, works for DHSS. Mandy plans to attend a university in either Washington or Alaska, pursuing a major in Elementary Education with a minor in Psychology.

The Scholarship Committee, consisting of Chris Ulmann, Kathy Means, and Mario Ayerdis, was very impressed with this year’s applicants. We wish them the best in their academic pursuits. The awarding of scholarships  under the Anchorage Chapter’s “Linda Laflamme Scholarship Program”, is one way that ASEA contributes to bettering the lives of our members.

FROM MEMBER ART GOLDBERG

Dear Brothers and Sisters:   I am asking you NOT to do business with the Marriot Hotel and it’s subsidiaries here in Anchorage.

The Marriot has engaged in a variety of anti-union activities. Doing business with them will only encourage others and will eventually contribute to you losing more wages and benefits.

Marriot has refused to allow an organizing campaign by the Hotel and Resturant Employees Local 878 at their Anchorage facilities. (All other major hotels are union.)

If you belong to church groups, clubs, veteran groups, youth groups, etc, please try to steer them to another union hotel. We do not need to give business to a hotel that works against unions.

The Anchorage Chapter has passed a resolution that we will not do business with Marriot Anchorage until they are a union house.

The Hotel and Restaurant Employees Local 878 backed us in our efforts to get our contract funded. Now is the time for us to help them…Sholom….Art Goldberg.