Posted: July 06, 2010
Dear Local 1032 Member,
As you know, voting on the Strategic Media and Public Education Fund
was
suspended last month after numerous problems with the voting process.
Since
that time, CWA has worked closely with the American Arbitration Association
(AAA) to address our concerns with all voting procedures. After correcting
mailing lists and putting in place procedures for members to acquire
PINs
and vote, the referendum on creating this fund is set to go forward.
We
apologize for the inconvenience but we wanted to be sure that all members
had the opportunity to vote and we wanted to guarantee that the integrity
of
the vote was preserved.
AAA is mailing voting instructions to all members TODAY - July 6, 2010.
Full Members should receive their voting instructions and PIN by the
end of
this week. The envelope will come from AAA and will have a CWA logo
prominently displayed on the front. The envelope will also say: "CWA
Strategic Media and Public Education Fund Referendum. Electronic Voting
Instructions Enclosed." If you have not received your ballot by
Monday,
July 12, please contact your staff representative or the Local (800 882
1032) and they will assist you. The voting will close at 12 noon on Monday,
July 26th.
Members who voted last time MUST VOTE AGAIN! This is a new vote and
your
previously cast vote will NOT be counted. Therefore, please take a couple
of
minutes and once again cast your VOTE in this very important matter.
Local 1032 Leadership strongly supports the creation of this fund and
encourages all members to VOTE YES!
We are very proud of the fact that the MOA negotiated last year has
held
firm. As part of the FY 2011 State Budget signed last week, the negotiated
raises in July and January will be paid. We were successful in protecting
our members jobs through the remainder of this year. However, there is
no
question that we are in the fight of our lives. Governor Christie has
made
clear what his priorities are: privatization; the elimination of our
civil
service protections and collective bargaining rights; the destruction
of
public employee pensions and demands for higher contributions towards
the
cost of healthcare; the implementation of wage freezes; and the elimination
of the vital public services we provide. We must be in a position to
effectively build our power as a Union in order to counter Governor
Christie's narrative of destruction and communicate our priorities if
we are
going to be successful. That is the goal of the Strategic Media and Public
Education Fund.
The next few months will see the Legislature deliberating Governor
Christie's toolkit proposals, all of which are designed to weaken our
rights
as workers - whether they are our civil service rights or our collective
bargaining rights, these proposals are an all out attack on the union
and an
attempt to take back that which we have fought for over the years.
We also anticipate a major fight over privatization in the coming months
as
well. At any moment, Governor Christie's Privatization Task Force will
release its report and we can expect proposals to privatize many services
currently provided by Local 1032 members. This Local has long been a
leading voice in the fight against privatization. We have sought to tell
the truth about the real costs of privatization and, as our recent efforts
to implement Side Letter 42 at the DOT show, we have fought against efforts
to privatize services that can be more effectively and efficiently performed
by state workers.
Next year we will also be negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement
in what will be a very difficult and hostile environment.
This is the fight of our lives and we must be in the strongest possible
position to FIGHT BACK!
NOW is the time that we must develop the resources to tell our side
of the
story when it comes to each of these important issues. That's why we
are
asking members to contribute an additional 1/10th of 1%, an average of
$2.50
more per pay period, towards the cost of this fund. With both of our
3.5%
raises in place for FY 2011, this is a small amount to pay in order to
fight
back, tell our side of the story, and protect our jobs, our pensions,
and
our future.
The details of the Strategic Media and Public Education Fund for New
Jersey
State Workers are as follows:
1. The purpose of the fund would be to pay for media and public education
in
defense of our members' jobs, the services our members provide, their
working conditions, due process rights and benefits.
2. The cost of the fund would be 1/10th of 1% of pay. This cost would
be
added to dues and make the dues 1.25% of pay instead of 1.15%. Non-members
will continue to pay 85% of the dues rate and so they will also pay a
portion of the cost.
3. All of the money will be used for New Jersey State Workers alone.
4. The elected State Worker Local Presidents will democratically decide
how
the money will be spent.
5. None of the money will be used for political contributions.
6. Expenditures from the fund will be reported to the membership annually.
7. If the money is not needed for Strategic Media and Public Education,
it
will be allowed to accumulate. If the fund reaches $10 million, the
additional assessment of 1/10th of 1 percent will stop. If the find drops
below $8 million, the assessment will begin again.
Please continue to visit our website for additional information
and to view and listen
to ads already produced.
VOTE YES!
In Solidarity,
Patrick
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