NOVEMBER 20, 1997

The 1997 BCEA Executive Board cordially invites all BCEA members to attend the Annual Meeting/Christmas Party on Wednesday, December 10, 1997 at the PSD Auditorium. The BCEA will once again be providing delicious all-you-can-eat In-N-Out Burgers. We will begin serving at 5:30 p.m. Immediately following dinner we will be having a short business meeting which will include a Trustees' Report, a Recreation Committee Report, Discussion and voting of Local Constitution and Policy Change(s), and the Swearing-In of the 1998 Executive Board and the new Stewards.

There will be a gift for every BCEA member who attends the meeting. We will also have lots of door prizes including a TV, VCR, a CD player, gift certificates, theater passes, and many, many more great items! We hope to see each and every one of you at this special annual event!

This year the BCEA will again be donating Christmas Baskets to eight (8) needy families in Burbank. We are requesting that every member bring either a non-perishable food item(s) and/or toys and/or clothing for children and/or a $2.00 cash donation to the Annual Meeting. Please do not wrap any of the donation items. You may also drop your donations off at the BCEA Office anytime prior to the Annual Meeting or the day after. Your participation in this program is necessary to assist those less fortunate families in our community. We appreciate any and all donations! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the BCEA Office.

We hope to see all of you at this special year-end event!

1997 OFFICER ELECTIONS
Per our Local Constitution and in accordance with the AFSCME International Constitution, an Election Committee has been appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board. The members of this year's Election Committee are: Chairperson Evelyn Perales (Library), Michael Castro (Public Works) Kevin Mitchell (PSD), Renee DeCastro (Police), Vi Lasky (Park & Rec), and Josh Jenzen (City Hall). The Nominations Meeting was held on Wednesday, November 5, 1997 at the Fire Training Center. As a result of this meeting, the following are the nominations for the 1998 Executive Board:

On November 7th the Election Committee mailed ballots to members at their home addresses. Instructions for marking and returning the ballots were enclosed in the mailing. Please follow the instructions exactly so that your ballot will be counted. Ballots must be received (via the U.S. Mail only) by November 30, 1997 at 5:00 p.m. The ballots will be counted at the BCEA Office on Monday, December 1st. Per our Local Constitution all candidates have the tight to have an official observer present at the counting of the ballots. Please consult your copy of the constitution or contact the Election Committee Chairperson if you have any questions. If you are a member in good standing and have not received your ballot in the mail or if there is a problem, please contact the Election Committee Chairperson or leave a message at the BCEA Office for the Election Committee. The 1998 Executive Board will be installed at the Annual Meeting on December 10th.

WELLNESS REIMBURSEMENT(S)
No Wellness reimbursement request(s) will be processed during the month of December. You may continue to submit your reimbursement request(s) to the BCEA and they will be processed in January. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the BCEA Office.

1998 UNION PLUS CREDIT CARD SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Applications for the 1998 Union Plus Credit Card Scholarship Program for union members, spouses, and dependent children are now available. Under the program, winners selected from applicants who meet the eligibility requirements will receive one time awards between $500 to $4,000.

Eligibility requirements and what the awards are based on are as follows: 1) Applicant must be accepted into an accredited college or university, community college, or recognized technical or trade school at the time of the award; 2) One year of continuous AFSCME membership is required at the time of the award; 3) Applicants are ranked according to academic achievement and potential, character, leadership, social awareness, career goals, and financial need; 4) Applications will be judged by a committee of impartial post secondary educators; and 5) Members need not be AFSCME Advantage Credit Cardholders in order to apply.

Members can obtain an application by sending a postcard with their name, address, phone numbers, and AFSCME Local number to:

Completed applications for the 1998 scholarship must be postmarked no later than January 31, 1998. The scholarship winners will be announced May 31, 1998. Winners will be notified.

UNIFORM PROBLEM(S)
All employees who are required to wear uniforms provided by the City's contractor are entitled to eleven (11) clean sets every ten (10) working days. The City is currently contracting with Mission Linen Supply for this service. The contractor is responsible for laundering and repairing all uniforms that it supplies to City employees. Laundering should take no more than a week and repairs can take as long as two weeks. Worn uniforms shall be replaced yearly if they are beyond repair.

The above paragraph describes how the uniform service should be according to the contract. I think that quite a few of you would disagree that this is what is happening. Uniforms are turned in for repairs and come back laundered and pressed but not repaired! Missing buttons are still in limbo, holes in pockets are still bottomless pits, belt loops are still unconnected, and tears in the cloth are not mended, but they are cleaned and pressed!

We are in the last year of a multiyear contract with Mission Linen Supply and it is the City's impression that the service is okay. I strongly encouraged anyone who is having any difficulty with their uniforms to let your supervisor or Jan Steese in Purchasing (x5466) know as soon as possible. I would also asked that you drop me a note or call and let me know so that when the contract comes up for renewal, I will have ammunition to make changes!

NEW M.O.U. SECTION
In the new MOU Exhibit H, page 109, there is a note attached to the Parks & Recreation Department Forestry Division Emergency Call-Out Procedure which states "Calling an employee al home for verbal assistance or job information and instruction is not appropriate. The employee is not required to discuss work-related issues during off hours. If the employee's knowledge is necessary to address an emergency response, then the employee is to be called in for a four hour minimum and shall be subject to the overtime rules in Article VIII, Section F of the Memorandum of Understanding." It is the BCEA's position that this applies to all BCEA-represented employees. The City is now saying it only applies to those employees in Forestry. The BCEA will be attempting to resolve this grievance as soon as possible but I would suggest in the meantime, that if your supervisor calls you at home for "Verbal assistance or job information" that you respectfully decline as you are off duty. If the supervisor will authorize paying you overtime then you are more than willing to accommodate him or her. Please also notify the BCEA Office of any of these occurrences so that we may resolve these issues quickly.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT - Kathleen Lindblom

I would like to encourage each and every BCEA member to attend the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, December 10th at the PSD Auditorium. Besides everyone's favorite In-And-Out Burgers, we will have a special gift for every member that attends. We will be installing a new Executive Board and some new stewards. We will have several committee reports. We will have some thank you's, some farewells, some surprises, and, of course, everyone's favorite door prizes. It should be a great time for everyone who attends and a great way to start off your holiday season. I would like to personally ask each and every member to bring in a donation for the Christmas baskets. This is a wonderful way to start the holiday spirit with giving to those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all BCEA members to attend all quarterly meetings, not just the Annual Meeting because there is free food and gifts. These meetings are held quarterly to inform you, the members, what is going on with the Union. It is also your opportunity to be heard and help run this Union. Motions that are made and passed during these meetings determine the direction the union takes. If you want something changed or don't like the way something is done, it is up to you to show up and speak up!

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has helped and encouraged me this past year as President. It has been a wonderful and exciting experience! I would also like to wish everyone the Happiest of Holiday Seasons and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Annual Meeting!

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