In
my June 2007 report I mentioned our relations with
management of several departments. We continue to do all we
can to break down barriers without compromising the rights
and protections of our membership – it seems that we are
making progress and there is always more work to be down in
this arena. We are in the final stages of contract
negotiations for our Soldotna Chapter; just beginning
negotiations for our AST/APFO Chapter; gearing up for
negotiations for our Ketchikan Chapter; and, are at impasse
negotiating with the City of Unalaska – the Arbitrator
selection process is underway.
With our recent affiliation with AFSCME we
committed to increase our service capacity to the
membership. To this end we have, jointly with ASEA, hired
an additional Business Agent based in Juneau. This Business
Agent, Penny Beiler, comes to PSEA/ASEA with many years of
experience employed by the State of Alaska in capacities
including Department of Administration’s EEO/AA program,
Human Resources with Department of Education, Department of
Labor, Alaska Human Rights Commission, and two Governor’s
staffs. We are excited to welcome Penny to our team and
believe she will be a valuable asset. Meanwhile, TK
continues to be very busy aggressively representing our
members. Many have appreciated the assistance she has
provided. Again, when, and if, you are the subject of an AI
or Inquiry, inappropriate or excessive disciplinary actions,
or hostile work environment please contact TK or Penny at
the earliest opportunity. This will enable them to provide
the best representation possible.
The Board of Directors was pleased when
reviewing our 2006-2007 annual budget and expenses. We
finished the year in the “black” having contributed 5% into
our reserves and initiating a number of new services
including Annual Representative Training, AFSCME
affiliation, and additional staff. Despite our financial
health we recognize that we have a limited budget and are
doing all we can to keep our expenses to a minimum while
adding service capacity for the membership.
The 2007 PSEAAnnual Representative
Training will be held at the Anchorage Hilton November
29th and 30th followed by Board and
Member Meetings and our Annual Christmas Celebration
December 1st. We encourage all Chapter Board
members to be in attendance. In keeping with last year’s
tradition there will be up to 10 openings for PSEA general
membership to attend the training at PSEA expense. This
year’s training will build upon last year’s material but
it’s not necessary to have attended last year for the
training to be meaningful. AFSCME representatives will be
assisting with this year’s training. Members interested in
attending must apply to
pseapresident@psea.net by close of business October 24,
2007. Applications should include name, PSEA Chapter, and a
brief explanation why attendance is desired. We look
forward to some excellent training again this year and hope
that many of you who didn’t make the Celebration last year
will be able to this year.
By majority member vote PSEA has
affiliated with AFSCME effective July 1, 2007. AFSCME
has already assisted us with a number of efforts and are
working on more – mostly focused on contract negotiations
and political action. AFSCME (American Federation of
Federal, State, County, and Municipal Employees) has 1.4
million public sector employees, including over 40,000 law
enforcement officers and 85,000 corrections workers, on
their roles. Clearly, with this affiliation and partnership
with ASEA, we have expanded the service capacity of PSEA
with no additional cost to our membership while maintaining
our autonomy. I encourage you to log onto the AFSCME
website and see what is now at your fingertips – you can get
there by following the AFSCME link from the PSEA website.
Wasilla Proposition 1 passed on October 2,
2007 – Congratulations Wasilla! Proposition 1 adopts
a new city ordinance bringing the City of Wasilla under the
Public Employees Relations Act (PERA) which gives the city
employees the right to organize into a union for the
purposes of collective bargaining and binding arbitration.
This is an historic event for Wasilla and the State of
Alaska. Wasilla is the first Alaska municipality to opt
into PERA. Naturally, PSEA did all we could to assist in
this effort and we’ve been busy working to organize Wasilla
Police Department. There has been an interesting set of
events surrounding this effort. Teamsters Local 959 has
also been working to organize the Police Department so
things have been a bit tense at times. Each employee will
have the opportunity to vote for the union from which they
seek representation and PSEA has successfully collected
enough Representation Petition Cards from WPD employees to
be included on that ballot. We will be conducting a series
of meetings with and for the WPD employees so they will be
well informed when voting. We look forward to meeting with
WPD employees and believe the outcome will be positive for
them and PSEA.
I am trying to meet with our membership as
often as finances and my schedule permits. I have
thoroughly enjoyed my time with you and your families. I am
ever interested in your concerns, struggles, vision and
desires. I am also appreciative to those who take the time
to call or e-mail me with this information. I do my best to
respond in a timely manner and include your input in our
strategies. I know that I still owe correspondence and
answers to a number of you and I am working on it. Please
continue to communicate with me and your Representatives and
stay connected to the Association. May we continue to pull
together for the common good. Thanks and stay safe!
