eNewsletter - June 20, 2008
Oakland Members Speak Out Against Furlough
Since late May, Local 21 members at the City of Oakland have been speaking out against proposed adjustments to the City's mid-cycle budget, which included a mandatory 12-day furlough for all employees performing "non-essential City services." The furlough was intended to make up the City's budget deficit by cutting employee wages by 5%.
On Tuesday, June 17, over 60 Local 21 members gathered at a special budget hearing to protest cuts to City services and employeesÕ wages, and offer alternatives for closing the deficit while protecting OaklandÕs residents and employees. That evening, the Oakland City Council formally approved mid-cycle adjustments to the FY 2008-2009 budget with a reduction from 12 days to 5 furlough days between Christmas and New Year's, with an option to recover one day. The Council made no cuts to the funds budgeted for cost-of-living adjustments. The reduction in furlough days would not have been possible without the work and participation of Local 21 members and CAT team representatives who came to numerous Council meetings, sent emails to Council members, and helped make our voices heard!
Local 21 members were featured on the KTVU Channel 2 news speaking at the May 29th Oakland City Council budget hearing. Click here to see them in action!
June Election Huge Success For Endorsed Candidates
The June 3rd election has come and gone and in the end, Local 21-endorsed candidates and propositions were very successful across the Bay Area.
In Santa Clara County, Dave Cortese nearly won the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Nonetheless, he had a strong showing which will propel him into the November runoff election. In San Leandro, long time supporter Jim Prola was victorious in his run for District 6 seat as were Oakland City Council candidates Jane Brunner and Nancy Nadel. In San Francisco, nearly every proposition endorsed by Local 21 was triumphant, including Props. A and B. In Hayward, Barbara Halliday, Olden Henson, Bill Quirk, and Francisco Zermeno were all successful - unfortunately Steve Bristow was not. Also of note is the defeat of California Proposition 98 and the passage of Proposition 99.
Looking ahead, November will be just as busy and important for all of us to get involved. Visit our Political Action page to stay informed about political happenings at Local 21.
SF Court Reporters Win First Step in Health & Safety Battle
The San Francisco Official Court Reporters Association (SFOCRA) has recently won a first step in a long battle to have adjustable, ergonomically correct equipment in the Hall of Justice court rooms. Court Reporters experience a host of medical problems due to a lack of access to ergonomically correct furniture, including carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic back pain.
Court practice has been to review and install ergonomic furniture in work spaces for a Reporter only after an injury takes place. The equipment installed to support Court Reporters who have already sustained injuries is provided to ergonomically support only that individual. The Union's goal is to have fully adjustable work stations at every location so whichever Reporter is assigned to that area - regardless of work pattern, past injury, or body type - they will be safe. Our objective is to prevent injuries from occurring rather than fixing work and individual stations after an injury has already occurred.
Local 21 and the SFOCRA are awaiting an implementation date. There are also serious problems with the Superior Court's hesitation to commit to installing adjustable ergonomic equipment in other Court Reporters worksites where it is much needed, including the Civic Center Courthouse, Youth Guidance Center, Polk Street Annex. Future discussions will deal with Court Reporters' office desk spaces.
Delegate Assembly examines Political Wins and Budgetary Challenges
Local 21's most recent Delegate Assembly took place on June 7 in San Francisco. Almost 80 Local 21 delegates and members were present to discuss a number of issues including the budgetary challenges many chapters are currently facing.
The assembly featured a presentation by Bob Brownstein, former City of San Jose Budget Director and current Policy Director of Working Partnerships in the South Bay. Brownstein spoke about the politics of government budgets and gave delegates a tutorial on taking proactive steps to analyzing government budgets and developing better strategies in dealing with budget deficits both at and away from the bargaining table. He discussed common misrepresentations in budgets and tactics used by governments to hide funds. Brownstein stressed the importance of being involved in the budgetary process year-round rather than waiting to take action after governments have already allocated funds and presented their draft budgets for adoption.
Delegates also heard a report from Local 21 Executive Director Bob Muscat, who called on all chapters to increase their membership involvement and visibility in bargaining campaigns. The political action report featured a post-election analysis of winning propositions and candidates endorsed by Local 21 and a presentation on HR 676, the U.S. National Health Care Act. Guest speaker and San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi also addressed the group and spoke of the need for local governments to make sustainable fiscal plans and decisions to avoid chronic budgetary crises.
The next assembly will be on September 20 in Oakland. All delegates and any members attending should mark their calendars.
Valley Transportation Authority Celebrates Asian Heritage Festival
Local 21 members at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority hosted the second annual Asian Heritage Festival on May 28. The event celebrated the rich and diverse histories and cultures of VTA members who have ties to a variety of Asian countries and communities including India, Vietnam, China, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Middle East. The festival featured food, art exhibits, and cultural performances including music, dance, and a pan-Asian fashion show.
The success of the festival would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of all VTA employees involved in the planning process, including VTA Engineers & Architects chapter President Rajwinder Sehdev and Local 21 member Thang Nguyen, who served on the Festival's organizing committee.
L21 Express is the bi-weekly email publication of IFPTE Local 21. Local 21 represents more than 7,000 Bay Area professional public employees. Main Office Phone: 415.864.2100 South Bay Phone: 408.291.2200
