|
Become a
|
Current NewsIMMEDIATE NOTICEERS BUDGET DEFICIT
All state employees, retirees and their families need to work to help prevent drastic cuts to our ERS healthcare benefits. You can do your part by contacting and communicating effectively with legislators and other state leaders immediately. AFSCME has recently informed state employees and retirees about this immediate threat to our healthcare benefits. It is important that all concerned state employees and retirees get involved to help prevent or limit any cuts to our health benefits. As AFSCME previously explained, we are facing the prospect of two cuts to our benefits, the first because of an unexpected budget deficit in the ERS health plan, and the second because state leaders are requesting all state agencies to implement an immediate 5 percent spending reduction plan to help prevent expected fiscal problems. AFSCME understands the need to be fiscally responsible, but the combined impact of these two reductions will be drastic and unreasonable cuts to our health benefits, and will impose a disproportionately large and inequitable financial burden on state employees and retirees. AFSCME is asking all concerned parties to respectfully communicate with your two local legislators (your State Senator and your State Representative), with Governor Perry, Lt. Governor Dewhurst, Speaker Straus and with the other members of the Legislative Budget Board. We are at the beginning of the election season, so this is a time when elected officials should be sensitive to their constituents’ concerns. Please contact the suggested legislative and leadership offices by phone, letter or email, or try to meet with them in person. The more contacts and communications, the more effective we can be, so keep it up until we have some resolution of this issue. As always, do not use state time or equipment to advocate with legislators. Please communicate respectfully, as anger will be counterproductive. The main points to communicate are:
Several sessions back most of us will recall when the legislative session opened with a $10 billion deficit and, to a large extent, the budget was balanced on the back of state employees. Hopefully, we can achieve a different outcome in the upcoming 82nd Legislative Session beginning January 2011. Haiti EarthquakeBy Toby Tobias, CEC 7January 15, 2010 January 12, 2010, 4:53pm CDT, at 7.0 earthquake struck one of our eastern neighbors, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and the world became aware of the absolute devastation, followed by the horror of the loss of life, estimated to run into the tens of thousands, and this included many Americans. As the following days unfolded the situation, as horrible as it was, became even worse. America the Beautiful responded with her prayers, aid, relief teams and an outpouring of supplies, medical teams and our very capable military. Still the media reported all of this help was not getting to those in need. Everyone interviewed asked for money, as quickly as it could be donated to the world organizations who respond to disasters of such magnitude it boggles the mind. Americans from every walk of life, every state, stepped up and did what we do best – opened our wallets, checkbooks and plugged in our credit cards- to meet the needs of a country whose people were actually living in a state of shock, mourning and wondering what happened to their world. The Correctional Employee Council of Texas, the union representing some 5,000 TDCJ Correctional Officers, approached its Executive Board to make a contribution up to the limit of our "Good and Welfare" fund to the American Red Cross. It was not a matter of conscious; it was a matter of reaching out and sharing with folks whose needs exceeded their mind’s ability to comprehend what happened. After all, isn't that what is expected of us? We encourage other employee organizations, associations and coalitions to help with what you can. "If not for the grace of God, go I." The Correctional Employee Council, CEC 7 Staff, Locals and our entire membership extend our condolences and heartfelt grief to the people of Haiti. New Mexico Correctional Officers Offer Their SupportHear what AFSCME did for them.AFSCME Continually Fights For YouWhen we talk, governors, congress, and the white house listen!We're working for you in your unit, in Austin, and in WashingtonWe've got your back.
When it seems no one will help, AFSCME is there. We're the correctional workers' union—the only employee group that represents correctional officers and staff in disciplinary hearings, grievances and mediations. And we're successful 75% of the time. We're the only group that regularly meets with the TDCJ executive director and the board chairman to discuss pay, training, the grievance process and other key issues. Management hears you loud and clear—because of AFSCME. In April 2009, AFSCME's CEC7 organized a "lobby day" in Austin, and dozens of COs visited their representatives and senators to push our agenda. At a rally on the Capitol steps, COs heard from Sen. John Whitmire, chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, and from TDCJ executive director Brad Livingston. Demanding professional respect!
When it seems no one will help, AFSCME is there. At the State Capitol in Austin, AFSCME is the only union demanding that you receive the professional respect you deserve. Because of the hard work last session of AFSCME's professional staff and members, TDCJ works received larger pay raises than any other state employee group—and the largest CO pay raise in a non-collective bargaining state. We won the fight to end banked overtime, and we won third-party mediation on termination, which no other public employees enjoy. Working with legislative leaders, our Austin staff waged successful efforts to create a new CO position and extend the career ladder. We've repeatedly defeated efforts to privatize the system. And we continue to fight to create professional certification for corrections officers. Battling for collective bargaining!Even with recent pay raises, TDCJ correctional employees are among the lowest paid in America. That's why AFSCME is pushing the U.S. Congress to pass the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (S.1611 / H.R. 413) to require most U.S. employers of public safety officers—including TDCJ—to enter into collective bargaining agreements with their employees for decent pay, long-term job security and better working conditions. If we win in D.C., the Texas Legislature will be required to enact collective bargaining into state law. AFSCME REPRESENTS more corrections officers than any other union or any so-called "employee association." We fight for tens of thousands of COs. And we get results. Join our effort to win professional respect for TDCJ's COs and staff so we can make TDCJ a good place to build a career and earn a good living you can raise a family on. CEC7: Fighting For You!Dear TDCJ Employee: Correctional Employees Council 7 is the Texas union local of AFSCME's nationwide Corrections United. Backed by thousands of TDCJ COs and staff who have joined our union, we've been working hard on your behalf—at your unit and in Austin—to improve your working conditions, your paychecks and benefits, your professional training, your grievance procedures and your personal safety. Corrections work is high-stress, underpaid work. That's why TDCJ loses one-quarter of its COs every year—and why our prisons are chronically understaffed. We're working to change that—to make TDCJ a place where more people want to build lone-term careers. We've made great strides and scored many successes, but there's a lot left to do as we fight for your recognition as corrections professionals—and for the pay and respect that go with that. AFSCME has the ear of the powers-that-be, but with you and thousands more of your co-workers at our side, we can win many more concessions and make TDCJ a much better place to work. Brian Olsen Legislature 2009When we learned that corrections was going to get a 7% pay raise we were obviously disappointed, but we were also realistic. Because we also learned other state employees (as well as the teachers) were to receive little or no pay increase. In the current political climate and economic condition Corrections was still at the forefront of the legislatures mind. This is the first time in Texas history that Corrections was not just an after thought, but; the focus of legislature attention. It must also be noted that in many other states CO's rarely received pay raises this year and in some pre-service we are now seeing CO's from other states coming here to work. California laid off 50,000 state workers recently and other states have had to lay off some CO's. We are not trying to gloss over our disappointment but we also see the troubled world around us and we appreciate the hard work it took to get this raise by the men and women of AFSCME. There is no question we will be back in the next Legislature to get the other 13% we now feel is owed to us. Stay tuned for further information about the few bills we have left in the legislature we are following. Resolution honored by Lois KolkhorstMarch 12th 81R2700 CBE-D
|
Roll CallView the newest edition online, Fall 2009 Can't view it? You need to download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader. |
