May 4, 1999

Thank you to those members who took the time to fill out and return the Negotiations surveys that were enclosed in the last newsletter. The surveys are being tabulated and this information will be included in our proposal to the City. Thank you to the members who attended the Part-Time Issues meeting last week. I realize that every part-time employee may not have been able to attend this meeting because of work schedules. If you have a suggestion or concern regarding a part-time issue, please jot it down and send it to me or stop by the BCEA Office in the next week so that these concerns can be included. The Team needs and uses your input - if you don't tell us what you want, then we can only guess! With the installation of the new City Council today, we hope to begin Negotiations in the next couple of weeks.

Lastly, I wanted to say that I just returned from our most recent BCEA-sponsored Laughlin trip. We all had a great time and I would encourage everyone to sign-up for our next trip and not miss out on any of the FUN!

1999 JERRY CLARK MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The 1999 Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship Program is available to the children of AFSCME members. This scholarship was established in 1990 in honor of Jerry Clark who was deeply committed to progressive social and economic ideals and who served for many years as AFSCME's Political Action Director. Under the program, the scholarship will be awarded to one student who is currently a sophomore majoring in Political Science. The winner will be selected by lottery from the applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and will receive $10,000 per year for the junior and senior years of study, as well as the opportunity to intern with the International Union's Political Action Department. Eligibility requirements include the following:

• The student must be the child or financially dependent grandchild or an AFSCME member.
• The student must have a grade point average of 3.0 or better.
• The student must be in his/her sophomore year of study.
• The student must be a Political Science major at an accredited college or university

For details and/or a copy of the application, please contact the BCEA Office. The deadline for submitting the application is July 1, 1999. The winner will be announced August 1, 1999.

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT - Vince Kieffer

The BCEA and the City will soon begin Negotiations on our next contract. One of the topics to be discussed will be uniforms. In the past, your UNION has lodged complaints about the uniform service (Mission Uniform), or the lack thereof. Mission Uniforms seems to be very good about laundering clothes, however they seem to have a problem when it comes to timely repairs to damaged shirts and/or pants.

My recent experience with attempting to get a new button sewed on a shirt is typical of the kind of service we receive. I tagged the garment as instructed with a description of the repairs needed and turned it in on the designated pick-up day. The following week the shirt did not come back. I assumed that this was due to it's needing some extra attention. I was wrong. I finally received the clean and pressed shirt back the following week with the button still missing and the wire from the repair tag still dangling from the button hole that I had affixed it to! What a total waste of time!

I have heard other stories of shoddy or non-existent repairs from other employees from different departments. The BCEA needs these examples to demonstrate to the City that their contractor is not doing the job they were hired to do. If you would do us the favor of writing down any problems that you have encountered with the uniform service and give it to your steward, drop it in inter-office mail to the BCEA Office, or drop it by the office, we would greatly appreciate it. The more incidents we have documentation on, the better our case will be when we discuss this at the bargaining table. As you know - no concrete examples then there is no problem!

THE LABOR MOVEMENT IS IN YOUR CORNER - Gaye Mains

Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you want to improve the quality of life for future generations too? Well, the labor movement is with you! There are several Senate and Assembly Bills that the labor movement is actively promoting to give a "leg up" for working families. Here are just a few:

• It's just a study, but it is a start! SB656 (SDI/Family Leave Study Bill) is a "foot in the door" to eventually getting PAID family medical leave because it requires a cost study of extending State Disability Insurance (SDI) to employees who have to take this leave.

• AB212 (Quality Childcare Workers). When childcare workers are not paid a good wage (they average $5.53/hr), then they move on to higher paying jobs as soon as they can, which affects the quality of care for your children. AB 212 provides stipends to child care workers who meet educational criteria and who stay in the childcare workforce for certain lengths of time.

• The same thing can be said about Elder Care. If caregivers for the elderly are not paid a good wage then it is harder and harder to get quality care. As the American population ages, soon there will be more elderly than young people and the demand for quality elder care will be "off the charts". That's why the labor movement is promoting AB16 (Elderly and Disabled Care Workers) which improves wages and benefits for workers caring for the elderly and disabled.

LABOR COUNCIL FOR LATIN AMERICAN ADVANCEMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Last year the Los Angeles Chapter of Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) established a scholarship program to assist high school students who are college bound and are in financial need Applicants must submit a 1,000 word essay on the topic of "How Has Labor Impacted The Political Movement The Last 60 Years." Scholarships will be given based on financial need. All applicants must be planning to attend a four year institution of higher learning. Applicants must also submit one letter of recommendation from a school official. For details and a copy of the application, contact the BCEA Office. The deadline for the application and essay is June 19, 1999. Winners will be announced in July.

HOW TO TAKE PART IN LOCAL UNION MEETINGS

The local union meeting serves to acquaint the members with the activities of the officers and stewards; problems facing the local; and plans for the future. It allows for democratic discussion and vote on where the local is going and the action it needs to take. The meeting gives the local a sense of unity and purpose which is then communicated both to the members and to management. One element of a successful meeting is the orderly consideration of business. This requires some basic rules.

How to Speak - You can speak at meetings like everyone else, however, you have to get recognized by the Chair. Raise your hand to signal the Chair that you want to speak. Then, wait until the Chair recognizes you. Only the person recognized by the Chair may speak. Everyone else must wait his or her turn. By having only one person speak at a time, we all get a chance to hear what is being said and not just those with the loudest voices are heard. When you speak, keep to the subject being discussed, or the Chair will call you out of order.

How To Make a Motion - Do you want something done? Make a Motion! The motion is the most important tool you have at a meeting to get your ideas considered. Motions can cover a wide range of actions from routing business matters at a meeting to major new activities by the local union. Major changes require time, effort, and often money. You will have to convince others that your idea is a really good one. Before bringing up your motion, in fact, before the meeting, talk to your fellow workers and the officers of the local to get their suggestions. At the meeting, to make a motion, raise your have and get recognized by the Chair, then say "I move that we..." Before the motion is taken up, there must be a second. Some other person will have to be recognized and say "I second the motion." The Chair will then ask "Is there any discussion?" The you or anyone else can speak, but only to the motion.

How To End Debate - After discussion both for and against the motion, debate may be closed by a person being recognized by the Chair and saying "I move we close debate" or "I move the previous question" or "I call for the previous question." Then there must be a second to this motion. Next, the Chair will ask the people to vote on whether or not they want to end debate. The vote must be carried by two-thirds of the meeting. After debate stops, there is a vote on the main motion. On this vote, majority rules.

How To Make an Amendment - Sometimes a motion isn't clear and you might want to add or change part of it. You can do this by an amendment. Again, get recognized by the Chair. Then say "I move we amend the motion to..." The job of the amendment is to make the main motion better, not to change it entirely. When it comes to voting, the amendment is voted on first. If it passes, you vote on the motion which now includes the amendment. If the amendment is not passed, then the main motion is voted on without the amendment.

How To Delay a Decision - Sometimes you do not want to decide yes or no. You may need more time to get information or you don't have enough votes and want to avoid defeat. There are two ways you can delay a decision. One is you can move to table the motion. If there is a second, the Chair will call for a vote without further debate. When a motion to table passes, the main motion is put aside, no action is taken, and the meeting goes on the other business. The second way to delay a decision is by referring a motion to a committee or the Executive Board.

When There Is A Problem - Sometimes you can get confused at a meeting. It can happen to anyone. Raise your hand and get recognized by the Chair. Then say "I rise for information." The Chair will ask you what you want and then you tell the Chair your question. A more serious issue occurs when, for example, there is a motion on the floor under discussion, and you feel that the member who has just been recognized is not speaking on that particular motion. In these kinds of cases, you can stand up and say "I rise on a point of order." The Chair will ask your point and once you have explained, the Chair must make a ruling. Another problem may occur if the Chair has made a ruling which you feel is clearly wrong. If you are convinced that the error was in fact serious enough to justify some action, you may appeal by rising and saying "I appeal the ruling of the Chair." The question of whether to uphold your appeal or to agree with the ruling of the Chair is then put to a vote by the members.

How To Bring A Meeting To An End - Raise your hand and get recognized by the Chair. Say "I move we adjourn." This motion needs a second. There is not debate and the motion is voted upon immediately.