Communication Corner!
Email: news@slocea.org
As requested by the membership, the SLOCEA Communications Committee is answering your questions each month in this column. Our Committee is composed of members from both the SLOCEA Board of Directors (BOD) and the general membership. Currently we meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Our goal is to help communicate what’s happening with SLOCEA, and we want to hear from you! Send your questions to news@slocea.org and we will answer them as quickly as possible. Communication is the key!
September 2010
Q: An issue was raised recently concerning SLOCEA's contribution to the 401k retirement accounts of SLOCEA staff. Could you clarify what that contribution is and how it compares to the County employees' retirement fund?
A: SLOCEA contributes 20.73% of base pay to each SLOCEA staff member's 401K retirement account. By way of comparison, the County contributes 27.74% of base pay to each member of the Big Unit's retirement plan, and 31.02% to each member of Trades and Crafts. In real dollars, if you make $20-an-hour in the Big Unit, the County is contributing $11,500 annually to your retirement. If you're in Trades, that number increases to almost $13,000. By comparison, a SLOCEA staff member making $20-an-hour receives an $8,600 contribution. It's also worth noting that the SLOCEA 401K is a defined contribution plan, as opposed to the County's defined benefit plan. This means, of course, that while County employees can count on a set monthly return at retirement (defined benefit), SLOCEA staff are subject to the whims of the market (defined contribution). Come retirement, their nest-egg could be worth far less than they've put in, as so many people learned in the recent financial meltdown.
Q: What is the latest on the Trades and Crafts election issue?
A: There is much more about this elsewhere in the Blade (and on the SLOCEA website), but the long story short is that that ballots will be mailed out by State Mediation on September 13, 2010. They will come with a postage paid return envelope and your completed ballot must be received by State Mediation by October 1, 2010. As a member of the Trades & Crafts Unit, casting your vote in favor of SLOCEA is absolutely critical! Your representation will be determined by which group receives the majority of the votes cast.
August 2010
Q: I’m confused on the money that is owed to us from last year. How much are we going to get? Is this the 1.88% I’ve been reading/hearing about?
(This question refers to the “Big Unit”; Clerical, Public Services and Supervisory Units only)
A: Some of you may have seen an email that went out talking about the 2.28% deferral from the 2009/2010 FY COLA. Of that 2.28%, .4% has been deferred again for this FY 2010/2011 in the interest of saving 14 employees. How does this affect you? If you make $20 per hour this equates to .08 cents per hour that employees are deferring to saving those jobs.
The remaining balance of 1.88% from the 2009/2010 deferred COLA is still owed to the employees. The dispersal of this 1.88% is currently being negotiated. Keep in mind the Negotiations Committee is using the most recent SLOCEA priority survey as guidance for how it will be dispersed.
Q: Why aren’t the results of the “Negotiations Priority Surveys” published in the Blade or otherwise shared with the membership?
A: Once the surveys are tabulated, the results are treated as confidential information during the negotiations period. As you might expect in complex negotiations, it is in the best interest of the membership to keep the specifics of the bargaining priorities confidential until the process is complete. That said, the survey cards are retained in the SLOCEA office and can be reviewed by members after negotiations come to a close. In addition, the survey results are posted on the SLOCEA website.
Q: Did SLOCEA staff keep their VEBA when the members lost it?
A: SLOCEA staff does not have a VEBA (Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association) plan and the members did not LOSE their VEBA. It was frozen for six months and you should now see the benefit resumed in your paycheck by the time this issue of the Blade is published. Look at your paystub for $50 on line item PEHP (Post Employment Health Plan).
Q: Will Trades and Crafts still get their Boot Allowance?
A: Yes, the $200 Boot Allowance will be reflected in a July paycheck.
July 2010
1. Why doesn't the BOD answer questions presented by members during member comment at the BOD meetings each month?
SLOCEA follows its bylaws, which require that it conduct meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Unfortunately, this does not allow for a question and answer session. The member comment period is used for just that…member comment. The BOD does want to answer your questions, that’s why the Communications Committee is here. Based on the number of questions we’ve received, we are looking at other communication avenues as well.
2. While I have attended BOD meetings I have noticed that if a member makes a statement or asks questions that Board or General Manager does not agree with, the BOD wants a copy of what was said or asked. Why is it that if someone gets up and gives praise to the BOD or General Manager they never ask for a copy? What is the difference?
With the increase in attendance at the BOD meetings, more members are exercising their right to speak up during member comment. The Board has a responsibility to provide a record of what is said at the meetings. In order to accurately include a member’s comment or questions into the minutes, the BOD is asking more often to get a copy of the member’s statement. In many cases members have already prepared a written statement. For the future, the BOD is trying to consistently request copies of all statements for the minutes.
3. Can a member be on a committee? Why are all the BOD chairing committees and not the membership?
Yes, members can serve on SLOCEA committees. In fact, your participation is encouraged and SLOCEA would love to have you on board. Two of the five members of the Communications Committee are members from the general membership. Fourteen of the twenty people on the Negotiations Committee are members from the general membership. However, as stated in SLOCEA’s Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 3, only a Director can chair a standing committee.
4. Why can’t we vote on what’s being negotiated?
You do! At the beginning of every negotiations term, the SLOCEA office sends out a “Survey” and “Committee Ballot” to all full members (fair share fee-payers do not have a vote in the survey). This survey is the official document the Negotiations Committee uses to track members’ priorities. The survey results are tabulated then double and triple checked. This past year, the Survey and Ballot were titled “2010 SLOCEA Contract Negotiation Input.” The form noted: “This is your ‘vote’ on your priorities for the negotiations committee to pursue.” There were nine questions that members answered which became SLOCEA’s priorities for negotiations. Members elected 17 representatives who now make up the Negotiating Committee. The Negotiating Team is made up of six members of the bargaining units. This Team is currently at the table with the County.