Brothers and Sisters the new N.I.S.T. job description is done and the district is moving forward as we have discussed previously. I have included both the job description and the signed letter of understanding for all of you to view.
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Brothers and Sisters this is the signed letter of understanding that explains the terms and conditions of the reduction in force / layoff as agreed to by the district and the union. This letter of understanding pertains only to the DCSMEC trades groups.
Click here for Letter of Understanding.
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Brothers and Sisters the following are the letters that will be sent out to the employees that will be affected by the reduction in force / layoff. The first letter explains the options that the employee may choose. The second letter or letter of intent must be filled out and returned to Abby Walker in Human Resources Facilities Operations on or before May 9th. Failure to return this letter may result in termination of your employment with the district.
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Brothers and Sisters the following is the list by trade group and the number of affectted employees in those trade groups as provided by the district to the union.
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Click here to view the seniority list.
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Brothers and Sisters
As of this time their is not a list of people who will be affected by the layoff. The list may in fact be weeks in the making. As soon as we have a confirmed list we will advise those members. Please during these difficult times do not listen to or spread rumors.
In Solidarity,
Keith Love
Business Agent
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Dear Members:
I have had the honor of being your representative for going on ten years and I am very heart-sick and concerned about the reports we are receiving after last nights emergency General Membership meeting (April 6, 2011). Unbelievably only 176 of our 600 members showed up and therefore it is no surprise that there is a great deal of misinformation being circulated throughout the system. So I ask you to please let me try to explain the facts as best I can. On March 28, 2011 Keith Love (your Business Agent) and I received an urgent request from Enid Weissman, Executive Superintendent of Human Resources to meet with her. Keith and I attended this meeting with her and the entire Superintendents’ Cabinet later that afternoon where we were told there would be a Board Agenda, Item (D-25) on the next School Board meeting April 13, 2011 to reorganize and balance the Capital Budget. In this item were the RIF (Lay-Off) of approximately 300 DCSMEC positions from the Maintenance Department, 129 in OIT and several more in the Capital Task Force. The initial impact to DSCMEC was over 500. Although this was shocking news to Keith and me there was a glimmer of hope offered. We were told that if in the next two days if DCSMEC could come up with ideas or suggestions to help save 5 million dollars of funds from our unit that the Superintendent would reallocate 10 million dollars to keep from laying off the maintenance workers. He has said many times publicly that he needs to keep the boots on the ground and the employees with tool belts working and he was standing by his word by giving us this chance.
DCSMEC called an Emergency Executive/Negotiating Board meeting the following night. Every scenario was explored, we consulted our Attorneys’ who strongly cautioned against opening the contract (which was not actually offered by the District) and in the end the decision was unanimous to use existing contract language which would allow the employees who were already scheduled for layoff to “Transfer to a Lower Pay Rate in Lieu of Layoff”. Fortunately we already had a lower pay rate in the contract and we could therefore produce the 5 million dollars and save the jobs of virtually all of the Maintenance and Capital Task Force employees. This allowed us to meet the two day deadline without opening the contact which in the current environment could have exposed us to far greater threats. Additionally we were able to get a written agreement with Management that this is a temporary salary reduction only effective through the 2011-2012 fiscal year, and that any of the affected employees would not be subjected to any other School Board financial cuts, plus if an employee at 100% leaves the system that opening will be back filled by one of the employees on 80%.
I believe that our Officers have tried to mitigate the circumstances (that were not caused by us) in the best way possible and make the best of a horrible situation. This was not an easy decision for me or any of your elected Officers but we feel our job is to protect your job and this Union.
I know that many of those who are affected by this temporary pay reduction are upset but I ask you to not forget that without the intervention of DCSMEC YOU would have lost your job!
Yours in solidarity: Joe Cortese
This newsletter has been reviewed and distributed with the consent of Keith Love.
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DCSMEC NOTICE
To:DCSMEC MICROTECH EMPLOYEE MEMBERS ONLY!
You are hereby being notified that your DCSMEC Union will be holding an Emergency General Membership meeting on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at the FIREFIGHTERS HALL, 8000 NW 21ST STREET, MIAMI, FL 33122 from 5:00 pm until 7:30 pm. The reason for this meeting will be to discuss an impending layoff.
Please have your DCSMEC membership card with you.
Fraternally:
Keith Love
Business Agent
4/4/11
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To:DCSMEC MAINTENANCE EMPLOYEE MEMBERS ONLY!
You are hereby being notified that your DCSMEC Union will be holding an Emergency General Membership meeting on Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at the FIREFIGHTERS HALL, 8000 NW 21ST STREET, MIAMI, FL 33122 from 4:30 pm until 7:30 pm. The reason for this meeting will be to discuss an impending layoff.
Please have your DCSMEC membership card with you.
Fraternally:
Keith Love
Business Agent
4/4/11
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Rep. Chris Dorworth, R-Lake Mary, on Monday sold his bill that would prohibit payroll deduction of union dues for public workers and require annual approval to use dues for political purposes as one that will “empower” union members. That claim prompted derision from union leaders and Democrats, but the bill was approved by the Republican-heavy House Appropriations committee. It now heads to the House floor. Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, is sponsoring similar legislation in the Senate.
Dorworth said he doesn’t believe governments should be in the business of handling payroll deductions for union dues. That can be taken care of by private vendors, he said. And the written approval for political expenditures, he said, gives individual union members control over how their money is spent.
Democrats criticized the move as politically motivated and a waste of time.
“How many jobs is it going to create? How is it going to reduce our deficit? What is the public good that’s going to be served by this bill?” asked Franklin Sands, a Democrat from Weston who earned applause for calling Dorworth’s proposal a “union busting” bill.
House Democratic leaders Ron Saunders from Key West pledged to make a stink about the politics at play when the bill comes up for debate on the House floor. “Why are we here on a bill that is supposedly to protect union members and not a single union member has spoken in support of it?” Saunders said. “I don’t see the reason for this bill.”
Indeed, as has happened as the proposal has been discussed in recent weeks, several union members expressed outrage and disgust for the measure.
“I don’t know who everyone thinks the union is. The union is the membership. They vote to take positions. They vote to spend their money on things. And if they don’t want to, they opt out of it,” said Lisa Henning, legislative director for the state Fraternal Order of Police. The bill, she said, “is a true blue attempt at shutting us up.”
Others called attention to the bill’s staff analysis, which concluded it would be more difficult for unions to collect dues.
Source: http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/content/union-dues-bill-headed-house-floor
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Myriam Marquez speaks with Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho about education funding.
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