LA City Criminalist Lisa Schliebe wrote this summary of the recent LA/OC Cities Stewards’ and Leaders’ Council Meeting held on Feb. 19.
Next Stewards’ and Leaders’ Council Meeting:
Wednesday, March 19
5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
SEIU 721 Headquarters, Room 1A
1545 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles 90017
RSVP here.
On Feb. 19, LA City Stewards met at the SEIU 721 headquarters to have our monthly meeting.
The meeting started with a training scenario dealing with grievances and then followed with a discussion on the difference between a Grievance and an Unfair Labor Practice.
We then enjoyed a visit from Liz Greenwood, a city worker and LACERS Board member who is currently running for re-election. Wall Street types want to push her out because she supports our members and wants to keep our futures secure without kowtowing to big banks and corporate interests.
We also had a great presentation by SEIU 721 Political Coordinator Devin Osiri about what the union does to strategize and promote our communities’ interests during election campaigns. He was very helpful in explaining the need for Committee on Political Education (COPE) donations and what unions can and cannot do during an election.
Lastly, we had an update on our upcoming bargaining campaign. The key points to remember are that the voting ballets for the Bargaining Team will be mailed out in early March. They can be mailed in directly, turned in at the union, turned in to a steward who can take them to the union, or dropped in one of the collection boxes that will be scattered around at the larger facilities. Remember, all ballots must be filled out and sealed regardless of form of submission.
As a reminder, bargaining will begin in early April.
We closed with the reading of a quote by Molly Ivins: “Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts.”
For more information, contact the 721 Member Connection: (877) 721-4968.