Become a
Member Today!

By Phone:
1-800-374-9772

By Email:
afscme7@wt.net

By Mail:
Membership Application

Director's Page

Executive Director Brian Olsen
AFSCME/CEC 7

September 12, 2011

In the upcoming elections the Tea Party has already stated they not only want to cut Social Security and Medicare, but they want to completely eliminate it. I don't know about anybody else, but I want and will need Social Security when I retire. Social Security is viable until 2035. I recently went to a SS seminar put on by the Feds. Social Security has been robbed for years by both Democrats and Republicans who have been in power. Had they left this program alone, and not taken money out of it, it would be fine. Just replace the money taken. The Tea Party now sees this as an opportunity to hurt middle class America. If they cut Social Security, 50% of all retirees in America will be in extreme poverty. Just think of all the people who you know on Social Security that could lose it all, where would they be? I don't want the elderly eating out of garbage cans and living on the streets, do you? This country is changing and we must stand up as state employees or the powers to be will take the benefits and pay you now have. We saw what can happen across the country and it surfaced here in Texas as well. We have learned that Texas will have a 20 billion dollar short fall in money for the next legislative session. This means the Tea Party legislators will come after TDCJ employees again. One of the ways to stick it to state correctional officers is to try to privatize state run prisons again. They tried in 2011 with Rep. Erwin Cains bill, that would have privatized all state jails and inmate transportation. Stay alert as these attempts to privatize come up, we will inform you. In solidarity ...

Unprecedented Attacks on Public Employees

April 27, 2011

We have seen numerous types of attacks on public employees this session that are very disturbing.

The first one was the bill by Tan Parker to stop employee organizations from representing their members in Austin. No lobbying for employees, private or public. This was an awful bill to say the least. He tried to muzzle employees in Texas. So far he can't get his bill HB 2986 out of the elections committee.

The second one is the Furlough Bill HB 2720. This bill gives agency directors the ability to furlough state employees without pay if there is a budget short fall. Balance the budget on your backs again.

There are numerous anti-state employee bills but these are the worst.

Also HB 2954 and HB 3168. These two similar bills would eliminate longevity pay for state workers. This would effect all non-hazardous duty employees in all state agencies. Again, cutting the throats of state workers. The other attack was a privatization attack on TDC. Rep. Erwin Cain district 3 in North Texas, with the Buster Cole and choice moore units in his district. Cain tried to pass an amendment on to HB 3386 to privatize all state jails and TDC transportation. After a huge ugly fight we were able to get his amendment stripped from the bill. He is bent on getting part or all of TDC privatized. The privatization of state jails has been stopped for now but the privatization of inmate transportation and TDC freight is still up in the air. We will do our best to kill any privatization. We believe privatization equals corruption because they sure as hell do not save money; they just screw their employees. These bills must be stopped and we need your help in doing so. Call or write your state Reps and Senators and just say "NO" to balancing the state budget on your backs.

Get Loud and Proud

March 2, 2011

... but be professional at all times. Currently the State of Texas is asking for a roll back of the last pay raise of 7% for TDC unit employees. They are also trying to freeze the career for two years with the hundreds possible lay offs, including correctional officers.

AFSCME/CEC7 is at the forefront of trying to negotiate over these issues. 550 employees will be laid off by April, mostly administrative, but do not relax. The budget process is just beginning for the 2012-2013 budget and as Senator Whitmire put it, "Everything is on the table." That means, COs pay and jobs. 100,000 education employees will lose their jobs, so TDCJ employees need to brace themselves.

AFSCME has fought many years for "professional respect now", and now as the budget problems unravel it's very ugly, and as one state representative put it, "This session is going to be a blood bath." No one is safe. Help us to help you. Join while you can, to help us help stop these possible disasters before they happen. AFSCME is the only employee organization that is standing in front of this awful freight train coming down hill at 100 mph; we are it! Join now online to get involved with fighting for your future.

Don't Panic, But Get Ready to Bend Over

February 9, 2011

The word is getting out about the upcoming possibility of layoffs and wage cuts at TDCJ. Some of the old veterans are saying, "It ain't going to happen." Well, they better wise up, because it is going to happen. The Appropriations bill is stating at this time, that there will be a 7% roll back in wages for all TDC unit staff September 1, 2011, and there will be a two year career ladder freeze beginning September 1, 2011. This is currently in the bill. It is up to the union to try and change that. I expect at least 1,500 non-uniform employees and possibly 1,000 COs to get a pink slip by September 1, 2011. This is not conjecture but facts. I constantly state that COs and other TDCJ employees need to join AFSCME to give us the resources to fight for these jobs. Most of the time it falls on the deaf ears of the employees who just want all the problems to go away. They are part of the problem. Non-members give the legislatures the excuse to kick TDC's butt on pay cuts, because the employees will not fight back. AFSCME/CEC7 fights back I promise you. We are raising hell right now about these cuts. If we don't, no one will. The resources we need are not just membership dues, but people. People just like yourselves who say, enough is enough. I heard a CO the other day saying that the state better not touch the "Rainy Day Funds." What a fool! That money is set aside to help the state in a crisis. Well, believe me, it's a crisis Now! The rainy day money will help keep TDCJ employees from getting laid off and getting pay cuts. I believe that is important. If you don't agree that COs and their families are important, meet me in the offices rear parking lot. I would love to discuss that issue with you. Time for messing around is over; the cold, hard facts are out. It's time to raise our opposition to getting slammed by politicians, who just don't care. If you are a member, get involved. If you are not, join and help us in this monumental struggle. God Bless Texas.

Privatization Attack

January 12, 2011

AFSCME has been informed by TDCJ insiders and Texas politicans, that the privateers are looming around like vultures circling overhead. The political climate in Texas and the Nation is becoming very anti-employee. Unfortunately that means Texas state employees including correctional officers and other TDCJ employees.

Several years ago the privateers almost got a bill through that would have privatized 18 units, and had an opportunity to take over the units as time went on. This would have been the death of TDCJ. We were able to build a grass roots program with our members to stop this corruption. It was tough, the privateers spent over 2 million dollars trying to get those bills passed. It almost happened, and would have if not for this union. Some of the areas they are drooling over are 1. Food Service 2. Maintenance 3. Laundry Service 4. Industry 5. Transportation, and Medical. Once they get their foot in the door security would be next. Believe me if the Governor and the legislature want it, it could happen, unless we stand in the way we are preparing the effort to withstand the privatization efforts and the laying off of correctional employees. The last RIF was just non-security this RIF will include security.

Part of our six pronged attack is to get the state to use the "Rainy Day Fund". This fund was set aside over the last few legislative sessions to be there when the state gets in trouble financially. Well that time is now. We are seeking the legislature to use all the rainy day funds to help balance the state budget. Texas is in trouble and it looks even worse than what California is still going through, and Texas CO's are still 48th in pay nationwide. Its time for correctional officers and non-security to come together under one banner to fight together to not just get through this legislative session but survive a national anti-public employees attack. Sign a friend up into AFSCME, look on your unit because we now have our membership application dispensers on most units. Ask personnel where they are and sign a friend.

Legislative Session 2011 Outlook

This is the first time I have seen such a dire potential in an upcoming legislative session. We have been meeting with numerous agency leadership as well as state senators and representatives to try and keep abreast of all that is happening, and could happen with the upcoming state budget cuts. These cuts are indeed looming above all state employees and this is the most serious I have ever seen it. The Governor and the legislative budget board are now asking for a 2 to 3% agency cut right now ( Nov. 2010), to offset current budget shortfalls totaling 3-4 billion dollars. This must be cut within the next 9 months. Each agency must comply with these cuts. We are on the cutting edge of what is happening now and where the agency must go for the upcoming legislative session. We are going to the state reps. And senators all over the state to make sure our voices are, and will be heard in the upcoming legislative session AFSCME is the barrier between major layoffs and stopping the massive hem ridging of lost correctional employees. There is no question this union must stand in front of this huge freight train coming down hill at 100 miles an hour. Make no mistake we are up to this challenge and we will not flinch, but we need your help. Join with AFSCME today. We will soon have our membership applications on each and every unit in Texas, so pick one up and help us to fight the good fight.

Letter to the Editor

"I was very disturbed, and very disappointed that Governor Perry vetoed HB 2103 (Kolkhorst), corrections employee tuition reimbursement. This bill had virtually no fiscal note, and would have done so much for the morale of an agency suffering a huge turnover rate, primarily due to being 47th in pay nation wide, and continually put on the back burner by the legislature. This was a visionary bill that looked 'outside the box', by Rep. Lois Kolkhorst. This bill would have helped this agency develop the 'managers of the future' for TDCJ. This bill was a pilot program that if it worked would have expanded to other state universities. Thanks to Rep. Kolkhorst for thinking of these hard working Texans, and shame on Governor Perry for his thoughtlessness and being out of touch."

Brian E. Olsen
1-936-661-4610

Over Time Banking Gone

Because of our testimony on SB 909 and HB2053, sunset bill, TDCJ will never be able to force Banking of overtime again. How did this happen? During my testimony on HB 2053 I stated that we were concerned about negotiations with TDCJ and we wanted more teeth in those negotiations. To ensure situations like the banked overtime never coming back. We had negotiated to stop the banking just before the 80th legislature began, but I was worried that it could be re-implemented again after the session was over. We felt TDCJ may intentionally have changed this policy to avoid us filing a bill to stop the Overtime banking. I did not want overtime to ever come back. During my testimony I brought up the possibility that overtime banking could come back, Rep. Haggerty El Paso, was out raged at all the unfounded overtime amendment on our behalf to make it a state statuette on SB 909, that it can never be re-implemented ever. Done deal. We were very pleased Rep. Haggerty stepped up to help all TDCJ staff that have or will work overtime, and I thank him. That being said what do we do about this overtime on the books? We have come up with what we think could work.

  1. pay out banked overtime, the legislature did not fund this. This leads us to either managing the current Overtime money to hopefully have surplus at the end of the fiscal year to possibly pay some banked overtime. This may or may not happen, if not we will file a bill in the next session to get this over time funded.
  2. keep overtime on the books till leaving the agency. They would have to pay the overtime when leaving at the pay grade level when you leave.
  3. keep it on the books and use it as time off, we will see what we can do to get the funding done. Stay tuned.