UD Election Results

Election Results reveal that 70% of the membership has no interest in weakening our CBA and the Membership has instructed the Executive Board Members that it is their desire that we enforce the Union Security Language as soon as legally possible, We Will Comply with The Members Wishes, In Solidarity!
CONGRATULATIONS BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
Special Thanks, to Secretary Treasurer, Ernie Lopez,, Officers, Members and Staff of Teamsters Local 630
GCC/IBT District Council 2 Trustee, Nick Caruso, Gen. Rep. Mike Maddock and the delegation of supporters from DC2 that walked in Solidarity and witnessed the vote count during these elections.
AND THANKS TO "MARO" FOR BRINGING "TROUBLE" TO THE L.A. TIMES!
FRATERNALLY, AND IN SOLIDARITY!
Ronnie Pineda, President, GCC/IBT Local 140-N

Great !!!!!!!! well done Members of Local 140n we have together defeated another effort to compromise the integrity of our Union... The Vote was 70 to 38 in our favor. We need to Thank  Local 630 for standing by us while we were under attack .They have opened up their arms, their shop and supported us in our time of need.We need to thank the international reps Marty Keegan and Rick Putnam (sorry Rick if i spelled it wrong ) for walking us thru what needed to be done This is what being brothers and  Sisters is all about !! 
Your Brother C. Reney

Whats at Stake by

Rig Rally!

Rig Rally by Ronnie Pineda

MEETING REMINDER!

All members are requested to attend this Mondays meeting scheduled for 2:00 pm. at the Hall.
750 Stanford Ave. Los Angeles, Ca. 90021

 The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the upcoming election and the proposed dues structure recommended by the Constitution and By-Laws Committee. This is the second of the Constitution required 3 meetings needed to approve or reject the proposed Dues amounts. Next month we will hold a 3rd meeting at which time all eligible members will vote in favor of, or against the Committee's recommendations.

We will also be discussing the importance of voting no in the election, or just plain boycott the election and not vote at all! The petitioners need 50%+1 of the bargaining unit, not of just those that vote, but if you do decide to send a message and vote, then a no vote will tell the freeriders that you have had enough of subsidizing their dues and enable the Local to enforce the Union Security once and for all!

Part-time and Apprentices are invited to attend and provide their input so be sure to make them aware or better yet, carpool and bring them along. Parking is available in the lot in back of the Hall on Gladys St. If you decide to park on the street around the hall, it is limited to one hour, so be aware and avoid a citation.

In Solidarity!

Vote no
             vote no  
                          Vote no   


 


 

Dues Meeting

A meeting has been scheduled for Monday, January 28, 2013 @ 2:00 pm to discuss the upcoming election and to also discuss the dues structure recommended by the Constitution Committee.

This type of election effects only the Union Security language of our CBA

This is the final avenue that the freeriders have at their disposal to avoid their obligation to pay their fair share. Let's show them that this is a big mistake and plays into managements hands by  crippling our Local financially.

Plain and simple, if we do not have the finances to fight management, hire Legal representation or pay our monthly obligations, we cease to exist. That is exactly what management and a former Supervisor hope for.

That would serve both of their interests and ignore your interests completely by placing your future back in the hands of  a management team that has proven to be concerned only with discipline of the workforce for being a Union Shop.

We are awaiting a very important Arbitration decision and it would be foolish to throw away all the hard work and time that went into the Operator Seniority grievance especially when we feel very strongly about the potential outcome and it's potential application on future grievances regarding seniority.

Now is not the time to allow this certain individual, with ulterior motives to rob you of your voice just so he can continue to avoid paying his dues. The Executive Board is very aware of the fact that the membership wants the Union Security language to be enforced as stated in the CBA, and it will be.

Please make every possible effort to attend, it is your future!

"Why should I pay union dues?”  A good answer to that question is to think of the Union as an Insurance provider, and your dues as the premium.  Like insurance after a disaster, the Union will work to be there for you when you need it. 

NOLA Times-Picayune on 60 Minutes

The New Orleans Times-Picayune’s 2012 move to three-day-a-week publication and increased emphasis on 24-7 news coverage on its NOLA.com website was the subject of a story on Sunday’s (Jan. 6) edition of “60 Minutes.”

According to the Paper “The Times-Picayune’s parent company, privately held Advance Publications, announced the changes, which included staffing cutbacks and a corporate restructuring, in May. The publishing schedule of three days a week – with an early Sunday edition distributed on Saturday, day-after tabloid coverage of New Orleans Saints games and special holiday issues – began in October.”

As I watched the program, I was very impressed with the outpouring of community support for a daily paper. While each interest group had their own concerns, the lack of high-speed internet access is a major, yet understated problem, was a common denominator.

According to a new report by the Federal Communications Commission, about 19 million Americans still have no access to high-speed Internet. About 14.5 million of those without access, or about 5 percent of the total population, live in rural areas, where Internet providers do not offer service because "there is no business case to offer broadband.”

Nearly a third of residents on tribal lands lack access to DSL or cable broadband and about 80 percent of schools and libraries receiving federal funding for Internet service say their connections “do not fully meet their needs," according to the report.

It is more than about just access, however. Only 40 percent of Americans who have access to DSL or cable Internet service actually use them. Those who don’t get high-speed internet list the following reasons: lack of affordability, a lack of digital literacy, and “a perception that the Internet is not relevant or useful to them,” according to the FCC report.

How does this bode for informing the public on an all-digital format? Not much I fear.

California Vacation Law

California Labor Law protects your right to keep vested vacation pay. Under California Law, vacation and PTO are wages that have been earned, but not yet paid to the employee. As such, once you earn the vacation, it can not be taken away, and "use it or lose it" policies are illegal.
There is no requirement that your employer have a vacation policy or plan. However, if they do have one, it must comply with the law.

California Labor Law for Vacation

California Labor Code Section 227.3 states that:
Unless otherwise provided by a collective-bargaining agreement, whenever a contract of employment or employer policy provides for paid vacations, and an employee is terminated without having taken off his vested vacation time, all vested vacation shall be paid to him as wages at his final rate in accordance with such contract of employment or employer policy respecting eligibility or time served; provided, however, that an employment contract or employer policy shall not provide for forfeiture of vested vacation time upon termination. The Labor Commissioner or a designated representative, in the resolution of any dispute with regard to vested vacation time, shall apply the principles of equity and fairness.

Probation Periods and Caps

The employer is allowed to establish a probationary period in which you do not earn any vacation. This period can be as long as the employer wants -- 6 months, 1 year, 10 years, anything. The law only applies to your vacation once you have started to earn it under the policy implemented by the employer.
The employer is also allowed to implement a cap on how much vacation you earn without taking it. For instance, an employer can set a policy that you can only accrue 4 weeks on vacation. From that point on, you will not accrue any new vacation until you actually take some vacation. This policy is legal because it is not a "use it or lose it" policy. It is a "use it or stop getting more until you take it" policy. Thus, an employer is allowed to stop you from accruing more vacation, but they can not take away what you have.

Examples of Illegal Policies

A policy that requires that you take all your vacation within the year or lose it is illegal. However, if they employer pays out the unused portion at the end of the year, then that is legal.
A policy in which you lose your vacation if you quit or otherwise leave employment is illegal. All unused vacation time must be paid out upon termination.
A policy that uses "floating holidays" that can not carry over to the next year is illegal. It does not matter what the employer calls the vacation time. They can call it PTO, they can call it Floating Holidays, they can call it Quiet Me Time. If the time is to be used for personal reasons of the employee and scheduled at his convenience without restrictions on the use, then it is vacation time and must be treated as such.

Typical Problems or Issues

Sick pay and fixed holidays are not considered vacation time. Sick days can be separate from vacation days. Because sick days are subject to restrictions on taking them -- namely, you must be sick, they are not considered vacation days. An employer can have a policy of allowing you only 5 sick days a year that do not carry over. Such a policy for vacation would be illegal, but legal for sick days.
If the employer lumps both sick and vacation together into "PTO" or some other type of general leave plan, then all the time will be considered vacation time and must roll over from year to year and be paid upon termination.
Vacation must be accrued in a pro-rata fashion. That is, if your employer has a policy of accruing "12 days a year," each month you would accrue 1 day, each week you would accrue approximately 1/4 of a day. Any policy in which you accrue the full amount at the end of they year would be illegal. Each pay period that you work in, you accrue a pro-rate share of the vacation