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MOSES General Membership Meeting
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MOSES holds nine General Membership meetings a year at
various locations around the state. All MOSES members in
good standing are invited. Dinner is provided. Come to learn
what’s going on with your Union, to meet old friends, or to
make new ones.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Common Market Restaurant
Willard St. Quincy
Tel. (617) 773-9532
Dinner at 6 P.M. and meeting to follow.
Directions:
From North: Take 93 South to exit 9 (West Quincy/Bryant Ave.exit). Take
2nd left. At the 1st set of lights, The Common Market is on the corner to your
left.
From South: Take 93 North heading toward Boston and get off at exit 8
(Furnace Brook Parkway exit). Enter the next roundabout and take 1st exit onto
Willard St. The Common Market is on the left 0.9 mile down on Willard Street.
From West: Take 128 South and then get on 93 North (heading toward
Boston). Get off at exit 8 (Furnace Brook Parkway exit). Enter the next
roundabout and take 1st exit onto Willard St. The Common Market is on the left
0.9 mile down on Willard Street.
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February 12, 2010
MOSES MEMBERS VOTE TO ACCEPT FURLOUGHS
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The MOSES members from the Commonwealth and from MASSDOT
voted to accept the proposed amendment to their contract.
More than 1800 members participated in the vote. The vote on
the Commonwealth side was 628 in favor, 136 against, with
121 challenge ballots: the vote on the MASSDOT side was 497
in favor, 273 against and 183 challenge ballots. For a total
breakdown of how each voting location voted please click on
the following links:
>>
DOT Vote Tally Sheet
>>
Ratification Vote Tally Sheet
Thanks to all who participated
in this important vote.
Enjoy the weekend.
-Joe
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JANUARY 29, 2010
Get
our contract funded, avoid health insurance increases and
save jobs
Ratification vote set for February 11, 2010
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The MOSES Collective Bargaining teams have
reached a tentative agreement amending our 2009-2012
contract to provide funding for wage increases. This may be
our only opportunity to get this contract funded. The final
decision in accepting this agreement will be up to YOU, the
members. Please read the summary of the agreement below and
click on the additional documents at the bottom of this
notice to help you make this important decision. You should
receive a copy of these documents in the mail in a few days.
Tentative Agreement Amending
MOSES Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Period July 1,
2009 through June 30, 2012
SUMMARY
This is
MOSES best chance of getting our contract funded!
NO
FURLOUGHS or concessions will occur WITHOUT LEGISLATIVE
FUNDING OF the Agreement’s WAGE INCREASES !
This Tentative
Agreement was entered into to:
1. SAVE
negotiated contract increases
2. NEGATE
Health Insurance Increases: prospectively to
6/30/11 and retroactively to 11/20/09
3. SAVE
unit 9 jobs
Negotiated Contract Increases
Due to revenue
shortfalls the legislature has not and is not willing to
fund the previously negotiated increases. The provisions of
this agreement would secure legislation that provides for
our increases with a 1 year delay:
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1% |
6/30/10 |
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3% |
6/30/11 |
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2.5% |
6/30/12 |
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.68% |
for Step 11
6/30/12 |
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(permanent
increase to the step) |
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.86% |
for Step 12
6/30/12 |
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(permanent
increase to the step) |
Neutralizing Health Insurance Increases
Unit 9 members
would be reimbursed for increases retroactively to November
20, 2009.
Unit 9 members
would pay no increases in co-pays and deductibles through
2011.
The Commonwealth
will neither seek nor support an increase to employee
premium percentage contribution through June 30, 2011.
Saving Unit 9 Jobs
The cost savings
achieved through furloughs and wage increase delays will be
used to mitigate future layoffs of employees in Unit 9.
Furloughs
All employees:
shall receive credit for
furlough time already voluntarily contributed.
may specify whether salary
reduction is taken all at once or over the remainder of the
fiscal year.
shall be required to contribute
3.6 furlough days. Furlough days may be taken as: no
work/no pay; or work in exchange for personal leave which
must be used by 12/31/10.
Additional Information:
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DECEMBER 23, 2009
MOSES DENTAL ENROLLMENT EXTENDED
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The MOSES Health and Welfare Trust has extended the
enrollment period for selecting a dental /optical plan from
12/21/09 to 1/8/10. If you elect ALTUS or DeltaCare before
1/8/10, you can be enrolled for January, 2010.
You may also choose ALTUS or DeltaCare after 1/8/10 up until
1/31/10 but the change will not be effective until February,
2010.
ALTUS is a new choice being offered this year and is
accepted by approximately 4000 dentists in Massachusetts. If
you or your family anticipates large dental expenses in
2010, you may wish to consider enrolling in ALTUS or
DeltaCare. Call Janet Vitiello at the MOSES office
(617-367-2727 ext 319) for details on enrolling in ALTUS or
DeltaCare.
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STEM AMBASSADORS NEEDED for “DIGITS” PROGRAM
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MOSES is seeking volunteers for a program to increase middle
school student interest in science, technology, engineering
and math. (STEM)
MOSES, as representatives of the science and engineering employees of
the Commonwealth and MWRA has a chance to be involved in the
program and is seeking volunteers (ambassadors) for this
program. This could be an opportunity to promote public
service and to highlight the professional employees of the
Commonwealth and MWRA.
Six Massachusetts technology associations piloted a program last June
and found that the information provided to the students had
a positive impact on the student’s perceptions of science,
technology, engineering and math. MOSES has contacted the
“DIGITS” program coordinators to see how members of MOSES
could participate.
If you want additional information, contact Alex Smigliani at 617-212-8122.
>> Information and
Sign-up
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ATTENTION MOSES MEMBERS
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Dear MOSES members:
The Commonwealth has withdrawn the ERIP as part of the
package I wrote to you about last week. MOSES will continue
to meet with the Commonwealth to seek an acceptable proposal
for the membership.
Sincerely,
Joe
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A MESSAGE TO MOSES MEMBERS
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Dear MOSES members,
After intense negotiations with the Commonwealth's Office of
Employee Relations (OER), the Executive Office of
Administration and Finance (A&F) and the Governor, MOSES has
reached a tentative agreement with the Commonwealth. The
Collective Bargaining Committee met twice and voted to send
to the membership the following package if and after an MOU
is finalized with OER.
Most of you already know that the Commonwealth is suffering
from a deficiency in the 2010 budget which, as the Governor
has announced, necessitates the lay-off of 2000 state
workers. In an attempt to mitigate some of these lay-offs
the Governor is asking that the union membership take
furloughs.
MOSES members would agree:
To delay their pay raise by 1 year. (The legislature has not
yet funded our negotiated agreement.) The 1 year delay would
mean that we would get 1% July 2010 followed by 3%, July of
2011 and 3%, July of 2012. (The contract expires June 30,
2012)
Take furloughs in the following manner (Several options
under discussion)
An example:
$0-$49,999 0 furlough days
$50,000-$69,999 3 furlough days
$70,000-$89,999 6 furlough days
Furloughs can be served as follows: No work-no pay or
work and take a comp day before December 31, 2010.
In return for these two requests the Commonwealth would
agree to:
Fund the MOSES contract with a one year delay in salary
increases. If revenue goals (yet to be determined) are met,
funding will be delayed 6 months instead of a year.
Legislation must pass and be signed by the Governor.
Implement Early Retirement (ERIP) legislation adding 5 years
to your age or 5 years to your length of service.
Legislation must pass and be signed by the Governor.
Insure no increases to the employee's premium contribution
percentage to health insurance or increases to their co-pays
and deductibles, either by GIC or by legislation, through
6/30/11.
Do a thorough analysis of the use of 03 consultants; private
contractors; 120 day appointments and the ratio of
management employees to union employees and, as analysis
reveals, act in accordance with it.
MOSES has communicated to Secretary of Administration and
Finance and to the Office of Employee Relations that without
the early retirement plan; the guarantee of no increase to
insurance premium percentages and co-pays; and without a
review (and appropriate response) of the use of 120 day
employees and 03 consultants and the ratio of management
positions to union employees; and if our contract is not
funded, there will be NO DEAL. If and when a final agreement
is signed by MOSES and the Commonwealth, you the members
will have the opportunity to vote to ratify the changes to
our current contract.
Joe
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A MESSAGE TO MOSES MEMBERS
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Dear MOSES members,
As some of you are aware, the past several months—and,
especially, the past two weeks—have been a whirlwind of
activity for MOSES and the other state (and turnpike)
unions. Two major issues have dominated all of our
schedules at MOSES. First, and impacting all MOSES members,
the latest news on the state’s economy has not been
favorable, resulting in a series of meetings with the Office
of Employee Relations and, ultimately, Secretary of
Administration and Finance Jay Gonzales and Governor
Patrick, himself. Equally significant to all of our members
at MHD and many at DCR has been the flurry of activity
regarding the new MassDOT, culminating in meetings with
MassDOT Director Jeff Mullan, MassPike management and
Unions, MHD and DCR officials, the Executive Office of Labor
and members of the House and Senate leadership.
The Governor, initially through his Office of Employee
Relations (OER) and, this past Friday morning, in a meeting
with his Secretary of A&F, himself, various management
representatives, and all of the Executive Branch Unions, has
requested that state employees consider collective
bargaining concessions in order to assist with the most
recent ($600 million) budget shortfall and to decrease his
estimated need for 2,000 employee layoffs.
At an October 20, 2009 meeting between the Office of
Employee Relations and all state unions, we were advised
that the Governor was open to suggestions for closing the
deficit which might alleviate the number of projected
layoffs. It was suggested that the Unions agree to
permanently delay their contractual pay increases by one
year and consider mandatory furloughs of five days per full
time member. OER indicated that the Administration would,
in exchange, seek to guarantee legislative funding for the
delayed salary increases as well as a moratorium on all GIC
increases (to premiums, co pays, prescriptions, etc.)
through at least June 30, 2010. While all state unions
contemplated these proposed concessions, Governor Patrick
requested a meeting for Friday October 23, 2009 with the
unions’ leadership.
The October 23rd meeting was much more open and productive
than anticipated. Although renewing its request that we
consider the permanent one year delay on salary increases,
and furloughs in exchange for funding of those increases and
the GIC moratorium on increases discussed earlier, the
Governor and Secretary Gonzales agreed to seriously consider
several suggestions that would significantly decrease the
number of employee layoffs required and, thus, the number of
furlough days requested. Among those proposals currently
being explored by the Governor, Secretary of A&F and OER
are: an early retirement incentive program; a delay in
executive branch payments to the retirement fund deficiency;
a thorough review of the number and use of consultants and
120 day (retiree) appointments and, if necessary, a remedial
reduction in same; and a thorough review of the ratio of
management to non-management employees and, if unnecessarily
excessive, a reduction in management employees. Many of
these ideas were relayed to me through your many emails and
telephone calls during the last couple of months.
I am hopeful that the Administration will seriously review
and offer some, if not all, of the above alternatives, in
order that MOSES may bring a reasonable and less draconian
resolution to the budget shortfall to its membership for a
vote.
Joe Dorant
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MOSES
Votes to
Ratify Contract
Through 2012
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MOSES members working for the Commonwealth voted to accept
the proposed collective bargaining agreement covering the
period from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2012.
1,020 members voted to accept the contract out of
a total of 1,387 voting.
I would like to thank Co-Chairs Paul Hoey and B. Marie
Cunningham, Attorneys Jim McDonagh, Eric Klein and Paul
Donahue and the entire Collective Bargaining Team for all
their hard work to bring a proposal that was acceptable to
the members.
Joe Dorant
MOSES President
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Proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement (State)
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The wait is over!! For the last
eighteen months, the MOSES Collective Bargaining Committee
has been meeting with the Office of Employee Relations to
negotiate a successor collective bargaining agreement. I am
pleased to inform you that an agreement has been reached.
After several months of negotiation, the Collective
Bargaining Committee agreed to what it believes are the best
gains possible given the economic climate. We also managed
to obtain what we believe are significant language changes
that will open the door to greater improvements in future
negotiations.
The agreement will cover the periods from the date of
execution to June 30, 2012. The agreement will be presented
to the Unit 9 membership for ratification vote. A summary
of the changes is as follows:
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Effective July 2009-Across the board (ATB) increase of 1
% with the possibility of greater ATB increases if tax
revenue benchmarks are met.
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Effective July 2010-3 % ATB increase.
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Effective July 2011-2.5% ATB increase for all members.
Additionally, members at Step 11 will receive an
additional 0.68% increase, while members at Step 12 will
receive an additional 0.86% increase. Steps 11 and 12
will remain at those increased values thereafter.
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Increase the State’s contribution to the dental and
optical trust
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Improved Article 17A language to address salary
disparities in comparable titles, including those
outside of state government.
- A
one-time increase of FMLA leave to 52 weeks in the event
of a catastrophic illness. The agreement also allows
agencies to extend FMLA for shorter periods for FMLA
qualifying situations where appropriate.
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Expands the use of "family sick" time from 30 to 60
days.
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Vacation "buyback" provision for up to 7 days of accrued
vacation leave.
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Bereavement leave days no longer required to be used
consecutively. Additionally, 7 days now available in
the case of a deceased child or spouse.
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"Mutual respect" provision to foster a respectful work
environment and prevent "bullying" behavior.
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Increased air quality testing.
- A
Labor-Management Committee to discuss telecommuting,
four day work weeks and additional energy saving
endeavors.
We expect to have a ratification vote scheduled shortly.
MOSES will contact you with all necessary information
regarding ratification vote as soon as a date is set.
Please note that for 2008-2009 there were no changes to the
existing contract.
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