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Post by Drauka on Apr 17, 2013 19:14:37 GMT -5
I am 99.9% sure we have more dues coming in than PBA does for their State Officers. Just look at the numbers of Officers regardless of a higher % of membership in the PBA State Officers. PBA made huge cutbacks when they lost us. Well I'm 100% sure you're wrong. Prove your assertion. Doesn't matter how much you tell them the retention problems when we have the Teamsters business agents/lobbyists not doing what they have to do to get us extra. What do those idiots do - they focus on a 7% fantasy bill for all state employees that never really had any chance to pass instead of working behind the scenes to secure us compression raises like the PBA was openly telling their Officers they were doing weeks before the initial budget was released. Those collective bargaining meetings dont get seniority raises - the main players get it in the budgets. They focused on that initially because they were told compression raises were off the table for the House. As soon as it became apparent that they were back on the table for discussion, tactics were changed. They haven't been focusing exclusively on the 7% for months now. Compression raises have been a priority for lobbyists (according to Jeff Edmiston) for the last 3 months. How do you know they arent doing what they have to do? Are you there? They are doing their best to get what they can, but we've been told over and over by friendly legislators that we are constantly being thrown under the bus during discussions by the PBA. They want us to fail so they can say 'told you so' and maybe get us back. I think thats just plain dirty, these two groups are fighting each other and we're in the middle getting screwed. The Teamsters (business agents on up) are a disgrace imo with how they pushed all their lies like conning people in the parking lots that they would get them overtime for time getting their equipment before a shift filing that frivelous lawsuit to push themselves on us in the news knowing that was settled case law for FL already and now telling people to blame the PBA basically if we don't get the compression raises. As long as we have them and how they spend the dues we will always be no better than the average state employee in the line to get anything extra most likely. That is reality probably but like I have said I hope besides their joke representation we can still pull the same compression raise as the PBA people. If not I hope they are ousted as quickly as possible because their results will have sucked big time in a good budget year like this.The business agents have nothing to do with lobbying at all, except asking for e-mail campaigns and other offsite things like that, they work exclusively on institution level issues like discipline (PDC's). They conduct meetings and disseminate information to the membership, but they aren't the ones in Tally dealing with legislators. You are just regurgitating things you've heard from others that don't really know, and propaganda from the PBA who still cant believe we dumped them and want us to come crawling back. If not for the PBA being slated to get compression raises, we wouldn't stand any chance whatsoever to get them either....with PBA (potentially) getting them, we can use that as an argument for us getting them too. We definitely need to use the unfair disparity in treatment as a point in discussions with legislators, as part of 'doing what we have to' to get a raise. What are the Teamsters doing with the DOC dues money ? - ask them to show you who got what in the FL Legislature and that is probably a big part of the problem also. At least the PBA knows how to play the game a little no matter who is running things and tries to get extra for their people with the dues money.If you really want to know what dues money is being spent on, ask them. I have no idea dollar for dollar any more than you do. You simply choose to believe the worst because you have a hard-on against them. Nothing the Teamsters ever do will make you change your tune, and thats fine by me. Keep on doing what you do, I'm tired of rehashing the same things over and over. I'll just watch until this session is over.
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Post by lawton on Apr 17, 2013 19:27:30 GMT -5
I am 99.9% sure we have more dues coming in than PBA does for their State Officers. Just look at the numbers of Officers regardless of a higher % of membership in the PBA State Officers. PBA made huge cutbacks when they lost us. Well I'm 100% sure you're wrong. Prove your assertion. They focused on that initially because they were told compression raises were off the table for the House. As soon as it became apparent that they were back on the table for discussion, tactics were changed. They haven't been focusing exclusively on the 7% for months now. Compression raises have been a priority for lobbyists (according to Jeff Edmiston) for the last 3 months. How do you know they arent doing what they have to do? Are you there? They are doing their best to get what they can, but we've been told over and over by friendly legislators that we are constantly being thrown under the bus during discussions by the PBA. They want us to fail so they can say 'told you so' and maybe get us back. I think thats just plain dirty, these two groups are fighting each other and we're in the middle getting screwed. The business agents have nothing to do with lobbying at all, they work exclusively on institution level issues like discipline (PDC's). They conduct meetings and disseminate information to the membership, but they aren't the ones in Tally dealing with legislators. You are just regurgitating things you've heard from others that don't really know, and propaganda from the PBA who still cant believe we dumped them and want us to come crawling back. If not for the PBA being slated to get them, we wouldn't stand any chance whatsoever to get them either....with PBA (potentially) getting them, we can use that as an argument for us getting them too. We definitely need to use the unfair disparity in treatment as a point in discussions with legislators, as part of 'doing what we have to' to get a raise. What are the Teamsters doing with the DOC dues money ? - ask them to show you who got what in the FL Legislature and that is probably a big part of the problem also. At least the PBA knows how to play the game a little no matter who is running things and tries to get extra for their people with the dues money.If you really want to know what dues money is being spent on, ask them. I have no idea dollar for dollar any more than you do. You simply choose to believe the worst because you have a hard-on against them. Nothing the Teamsters ever do will make you change your tune, and thats fine by me. Keep on doing what you do, I'm tired of rehashing the same things over and over. I'll just watch until this session is over. If you are 100% sure prove me wrong. Look at the number of CO and PO total to State PBA Officers. Of course I am against them representing us. They are now costing me big time in my wallet if we dont get this changed. Actually their representation of us has been terrible with the special comp stuff - not knowing how to play the game to delay at minimum and now with the compression raises if things don't change. We will have the same legislature for the next 3 years at least almost guaranteed and this useless union so far with the legislature needs to go. I hope people arent crazy enough to let their money keep funding a bunch of stuff that isn't a priority for us. Results Matter and look at their joke results in the initial budget when the state has well over a billion extra lying around. Maybe they can file another frivelous lawsuit to fire the troops up if we lose out this session.
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haze
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Post by haze on Apr 17, 2013 22:26:38 GMT -5
So many PDC's where the staff were "guilty as can be" and the teamsters got them reduced from suspension to wr? Now that is something to be proud of. No wonder the sorry staff stay on board. Defend the guilty, just to get the dues.......... Like the Guinness commercial says: BRILIANT!!!!
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Post by Drauka on Apr 17, 2013 22:55:47 GMT -5
So many PDC's where the staff were "guilty as can be" and the teamsters got them reduced from suspension to wr? Now that is something to be proud of. No wonder the sorry staff stay on board. Defend the guilty, just to get the dues.......... Like the Guinness commercial says: BRILIANT!!!! Well, since you dont know what they were guilty of, that's a heck of an assumption. They were guilty of being sick 3 times in 90 days. Two were facing discipline even though they were eligible for penalty free leave under FMLA, one was sick two days in a row (and went to the emergency room), then called in again 87 days later, and the last was out on 3 separate days, but the timekeeper made a mistake on the timesheet so it was tossed. Maybe you're right, they all should have just fired them as a lesson to everyone else.
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haze
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Post by haze on Apr 18, 2013 7:54:00 GMT -5
I never said anything about termination. Quit being such a typical union steward. If they are missing work (3+ in a 90 day period, which are not in consecutive days, as we all know that those are counted as one occurrence by HR and they wont process it), then some form of progressive discipline needs to start.
Staff that come to work as they should are getting burnt out, and it is only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt. I know that your response will be some type of spin on staffing, but stick to the attendance issue. We all have staff shortages, but this is only made worse by staff that don't come to work.
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Post by Drauka on Apr 18, 2013 10:35:32 GMT -5
I never said anything about termination. Quit being such a typical union steward. If they are missing work (3+ in a 90 day period, which are not in consecutive days, as we all know that those are counted as one occurrence by HR and they wont process it), then some form of progressive discipline needs to start. Staff that come to work as they should are getting burnt out, and it is only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt. I know that your response will be some type of spin on staffing, but stick to the attendance issue. We all have staff shortages, but this is only made worse by staff that don't come to work. Sorry, that was sarcasm...we really do need a sarcasm font here. Institutions have been told (we think by DMS) to no longer count them as a single occurrence, and they have processed two like that at my camp so far. We fight those based on there being 24 hours notice of the second absence making it scheduled sick....and since scheduled sick leave cant be reasonably refused outside of an emergency, that should work. One of the 4 we fought they argued that since we were short staffed it was an emergency, and the 24 hour notice didn't apply since sick leave can be refused for emergencies. We argued that based on the extended workday policy (which is not restricted) saying "(1)The department may require that correctional officers work an extended workday in times of critical staffing shortages or emergencies."...if staff shortage were an emergency it would say "...or OTHER emergencies" instead. We argued that when the employee called in for the two days, they should have used the extended workday roster to fill the position and alleviated the non-emergency that way. Not sure if it would have worked, because we fought that one from a couple angles and it's my opinion that the FMLA reasons were the more compelling argument...but it may have worked by itself. We also fought that same one based on the laughable violations they claimed she committed, all by calling in sick (including willful negligence, disobeying a verbal order, disobeying policy and procedure, improper care of inmates and a few others)....that was the weaker argument of the 3 or 4 we made for that employee. My view is that discipline for attendance needs to be on a case by case basis, rather than a strict 3 in 90 (or 4 in 90 as some do). If the employee has a reasonable excuse for it, then leave him alone. If he/she is abusing it, they'll continue to do so and you'll end up with a mountain of evidence no one could reasonably deny. Sometimes you just have a bad year, and shouldn't be punished because of it. I agree that our 92% (or less) staffing levels make the leave issues seem worse, but we cant take that out on people who need to stay home because of an illness. I'd rather someone with the flu stay home, than come in an infect half the shift. I came in, rather than calling out, when I had strep throat last year (I average 1 call in every couple of years and I'm used to getting strep so I muddled through). I was told, angrily I might add, that if I did that crap again he (OIC) would murder me on the spot. Over the next 2 weeks half the shift got it, and most banged in at least once...including the OIC. I'm super contagious apparently There's a huge difference in a 2 year veteran who has called in 3-in-90 7 times in his career and a 15 year vet that has gone 3 years with no call-ins doing it once or even twice. There's a huge difference between a 25 year old single guy and a 45 year old diabetic widow with 3 kids too. Luckily my institution now has a Warden that understands that, and has really tried to fairly review reason for leave use before opting for discipline. I've only had one PDC since he got here, and that one was the one thrown out for a technical reason....and he's the one that found the mistake and chose to throw it out rather than proceed. I hope he stays here for a long long time (or fast tracks to Tally where he can do some good)! I don't know about how other stewards proceed with PDC's, but it's been policy in region 2 to fight EVERY PDC. We've been told to not worry about win/loss records regarding PDC's, we wont win if we dont fight. If they're asking for 30 days, thats the worst they can give you, so if we fight and lose you still just get what they asked for....if you dont fight, thats what you get too. Our view is why not fight since the penalty can only stay the same or go down as a result. The hardest thing right now is convincing staff to tell us immediately when they get the PDC packet, and to ask for representation when they are called in to be talked to BEFORE they answer anything. We have staff that pay for membership, then get disciplined and complain we didn't help them...and they never told us about it! The administration sure isn't going to call us!
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haze
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Post by haze on Apr 18, 2013 13:28:55 GMT -5
Glad we discussed this. I totally agree with you. We also got a new warden last July and he has been nothing but fair with all staff (unlike the last one we had); he deals with the problem staff and is understanding to each persons issues. We also hope he gets to stick around here for a while. Although we work quite a bit of overtime, at least he is seen on the compound with us all of the time.
Stay safe!
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Post by lawton on Apr 21, 2013 16:28:26 GMT -5
Show me one news article or one video Drauka where prior to the initial Senate budget coming out the Teamsters were pressing for compression raises for us (not just in meaningless collective bargaining meeting statements/releases) and not just pushing that 7% fantasy bill that had almost zero chance. I can show you a bunch where the PBA was for their officers. Then please do, I'd like to see them. Must have missed this before - here is a Feb 6, 2013 article and Puckett has been saying this in his weekly updates on their site for months on pushing for compression raises from the people controlling the budget. blogs.tallahassee.com/sen-joe-negron-whipping-up-proposal-for-state-law-enforcement-raises/Sen. Joe Negron whipping up proposal for state law enforcement raises February 6th, 2013 | by Arek Sarkissian II | 0 Comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal giving state workers more than $330 million in one-time bonuses was seen again as a good start toward ending the 6-year drought on raises for state workers. But like other lawmakers and collective bargaining units, Senate Appropriations Chair Joe Negron said the plan needed a little fine tuning to help state law enforcement. Negron said officers in agencies like the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the state highway patrol with a decade or more of experience are facing the same pay as rookies. “I think issues like that need to be addressed,” Negron said. “I’ll be putting my own plan together.” Scott’s budget chief Jerry McDaniel gave the Senate’s budget committee a primer on the governor’s $74.2 million budget during its Wednesday meeting, which included an array of bonuses for state workers. Those who received a satisfactory rating or better on their most recent evaluation will receive a $1,200 bonus, which is 3 percent of a $40,000 salary average. The estimated 35 percent of the state workforce who received a commendable or exceptional rating will receive an additional $2,500 or $5,000 bonus, McDaniel said. Florida Department of Corrections workers would be offered separate raises, with corrections officers receiving $1,000 bonuses and others receiving $500. Also, all public school grade school teachers would receive $2,500 raises. Aside from a handful of inquiries into the details of the raises plans, questions from the Senate Committee were less than those asked by the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. McDaniel offered that committee a similar presentation, which generated criticism from its chair, state Rep. Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland. He said Scott’s varying degrees of compensation for teachers and state workers was an uneven solution. “The teacher piece was not a merit system, the correctional piece is relative to I think a state report on recidivism,” McKeel said. “They’re just three different ways, and I’m concerned that’s a defensible mechanism for dealing with employee payroll.” The three Democratic members of the Leon County legislative delegation all have said the state worker bonuses were a good start, but they would work toward an across-the-board pay increase. The same was said by Florida Police Benevolent Association Director Matt Puckett, who said state law enforcement deserves more to combat high turnover.
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Post by Drauka on Apr 27, 2013 17:50:54 GMT -5
A chance to voice your opinion on the direction the Union should be taking.
MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTICE
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POMPANO Teamsters Local 769 Pompano 13855 Andrews Ave. (SW 12 A Pompano, FL 33069 Wednesday July 17th -6:30pm
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NAPLES Beef O’Brady’s 3883 Tamiami Trail Naples, FL 34112 Tuesday June 11th– 12:00pm
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Post by highlander on Apr 27, 2013 21:12:23 GMT -5
The direction they should be going is out the darn door!
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Post by Drauka on Apr 27, 2013 22:46:20 GMT -5
The direction they should be going is out the darn door! You're an idiot. If they go, so does what little we have in our contract. The PBA isnt coming back. They havent even tried. No one else will touch us with a 10 foot pole. Once we have no bargaining unit, we're really and truly screwed....way more than you think we are now.
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Post by highlander on Apr 28, 2013 4:06:12 GMT -5
Who says the PBA doesn't want us back? I've emailed them and they'd love to have us as soon as we regain our senses.
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Post by Drauka on Apr 28, 2013 4:39:30 GMT -5
Who says the PBA doesn't want us back? I've emailed them and they'd love to have us as soon as we regain our senses. The fact that they haven't sent out a single blue card calling for a vote? The fact that they haven't been in front of the institutions trying to whip up support since they lost us? The fact that the corrections chapters VP works at my institution and I haven't heard so much as a whisper of any campaign to regain us whatsoever? Speaks volumes to me.
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haze
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Post by haze on Apr 28, 2013 6:31:55 GMT -5
I agree that the PBA has not shown their interest in being our bargaining unit again, but I also know one thing is for certain......
The teamsters SUCK as a law enforcement bargaining unit. I'm giving myself a law enforcement pay raise and dumping them tomorrow morning.
At least the PBA always fought for raises for us, and when $ was available we always got something. Thanks for nothing teamsters.
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Post by Warren on Apr 28, 2013 7:51:47 GMT -5
Fla. legislators agree to state worker pay raises
The Associated Press Published: Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 7:32 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 7:32 p.m. TALLAHASSEE — Florida's rank-and-file state workers will be getting their first across the board pay raise in seven years.
Legislators racing against a looming deadline agreed on Saturday to a package that would offer a $1,400 raise to all those who currently earn less than $40,000. State employees who earn more than $40,000 will get a $1,000 raise.
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