I have been thinking about this for a bit. I see more people getting fired now, and frankly it sucks. Mostly because the people don't realize that they must be calm and collected. In a union we fight terminations, and when the evidence supports it we can win. Lets be real for eight minutes while I talk about some strategy and hints if you might be getting fired. It may just help you get your job back.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Thank You. Pre-election.
In case I don't win on Saturday, I wanted to say thank you to everyone that has worked with me along the way. It became very real today that on Saturday my Union life may become a lot different. When you run for one role and you don't have any extra time on the clock, this election for me seems to have the most significance.
If the past is any indication of this election I have estimated that nearly 500 mail-in ballots were returned. That isn't bad. It is better than before <optimist in me>. In an big election year with bargaining I was hoping for more. it also isn't great with the shear volume of people running. So with that being said let me first off wish everyone luck, and second may the best person win.
Considering the stakes this could be either a very stable election of sorts or a complete change over.
If the past is any indication of this election I have estimated that nearly 500 mail-in ballots were returned. That isn't bad. It is better than before <optimist in me>. In an big election year with bargaining I was hoping for more. it also isn't great with the shear volume of people running. So with that being said let me first off wish everyone luck, and second may the best person win.
Considering the stakes this could be either a very stable election of sorts or a complete change over.
- 5 Bargaining team members will be elected.
- 3 of the five Table officer will be elected.
- 3 of the 6 Executive-at-large will be elected.
All in all some big changes could come down, and I might not be around to help with the transition.
So before the election is over, thank you to all that have followed me and supported me. I have made some enemies, but that doesn't bother me too much. It goes with the territory.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
$75 Leather Work Boots
My Department already beat me to it but it bares repeating. You should see $75 on your paycheck this month. It is supposed to cover boots. Which we all know that must be over 4 years cause $75 will only buy you Walmart special pricers. If you are like me and go for the $200+ models this helps with the cost but doesn't fully cover it.
Never the less it is a requirement for almost all of our members to have steel toed workbooks on. In some cases there are other criteria, like ankle coverage, etc. While I do agree that $75 doesn't cover one half of a good pair of leather boots, it is something. So make sure it is on your paycheque, and if it isn't call the hall. There are only a few reasons why it wouldn't be. Could be you are one of the few that get boots purchased for you. Could be other reasons. In either case call the hall for more info.
Never the less it is a requirement for almost all of our members to have steel toed workbooks on. In some cases there are other criteria, like ankle coverage, etc. While I do agree that $75 doesn't cover one half of a good pair of leather boots, it is something. So make sure it is on your paycheque, and if it isn't call the hall. There are only a few reasons why it wouldn't be. Could be you are one of the few that get boots purchased for you. Could be other reasons. In either case call the hall for more info.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Boom Group Trial
Thanks to the people who showed up last night. We went over quite a bit in 90 min.
One thing to note, we were approached and have approved a new member reward program with a company called Boom Group. They scout out and obtain offers from companies to then provide those possible savings from companies to their members. I think of them as a Groupon, or a Coupon Redemption code provider. They have an app, and all of our Card Carrying members will get a card to allow them deals to the services. It will cost us a two year contract with them at $5.05 a member per year.
Which means it will be a trial of sorts. We will need to know if our involvement with Boom Group is actually saving us the sign up costs. Total costs will be about $32,000 for this trial. So if you are able to get the $1,600 savings they suggest per member we should be able to save the membership nearly $4,800,000 dollars. Which I suspect is just marketing. However if we can help our members save $50 each that means 10x more than just our investment.
Consider this. At one time, (if we are honest still today) you could get a City Corporate Discount when you bought from companies that also offered the discount with the employer. You just had to show you worked for the employer. There have been a few changes as of late. We have some members getting disciplined for Code of Conduct violations where they benefit from the discount offered. Unless you pay in cash, it is possible that the employer could track and take offense to you using this business relationship they have fostered for your personal life purchases.
The equation is a simple one. If our members have a thoughtful and evidence based argument it could cost upwards of $10,000 dollars to fight a discipline of this nature. If over two years three of these situations lead to legal opinions upto arbitrations we could reach the cost of what this Boom Group might offer. Or we spend more than this on Hats, Pins, Pens, Shirts, etc. If we were to reduce in this area we would more than save our members on things they may personally want to invest in. Rather than the branded items we get. That would mean reducing the amount we spend in order to get this card of sorts.
I voted in the minority against this last night. I didn't have enough information to feel comfortable with saying I am for this. However it was a majority yes to going through with this trial. I am not a fan of paying for things that our members don't really need. Not knowing what sort of discounts and what companies are available to the members is like handing $30,000 to a snake oil salesman. I'm not saying that is what this is. You have to but the membership before you know who is in their savings program. Normally we get three quotes on things like this. I don't know if there are three companies that do this sort of thing.
Some would say anyone can haggle a 10-15% deal from a sale if they bargain. This company takes the haggle out of it for a cost.
We will have to figure out a distribution method for the cards, and tracking. Our retiree members are lifetime members so we could have far more than 3000 cards issued. Then there is the tracking of the service. The boom group doesn't track how much we spend, just the possible savings to a member in theory. We will be told how many cards are activated, but we don't know who is associated with what cards. I am cautiously optimistic. It could be a great savings, or it could be a great cost for little return.
Stay tuned and if you are not a card carrying member, I would suggest you become one. The voting rights are the main reason, but this new savings/reward program might be another.
Also elections ballots have been mailed out. All 2078 of them. Please take the time to vote. It really means a lot to those of us running. It also shows that mailed out ballot work better to get the message from the members than having to physically show up. We had about 400 show up last time. While that is much better than 50. I would like to see over 1000 come in.
One thing to note, we were approached and have approved a new member reward program with a company called Boom Group. They scout out and obtain offers from companies to then provide those possible savings from companies to their members. I think of them as a Groupon, or a Coupon Redemption code provider. They have an app, and all of our Card Carrying members will get a card to allow them deals to the services. It will cost us a two year contract with them at $5.05 a member per year.
Which means it will be a trial of sorts. We will need to know if our involvement with Boom Group is actually saving us the sign up costs. Total costs will be about $32,000 for this trial. So if you are able to get the $1,600 savings they suggest per member we should be able to save the membership nearly $4,800,000 dollars. Which I suspect is just marketing. However if we can help our members save $50 each that means 10x more than just our investment.
Consider this. At one time, (if we are honest still today) you could get a City Corporate Discount when you bought from companies that also offered the discount with the employer. You just had to show you worked for the employer. There have been a few changes as of late. We have some members getting disciplined for Code of Conduct violations where they benefit from the discount offered. Unless you pay in cash, it is possible that the employer could track and take offense to you using this business relationship they have fostered for your personal life purchases.
The equation is a simple one. If our members have a thoughtful and evidence based argument it could cost upwards of $10,000 dollars to fight a discipline of this nature. If over two years three of these situations lead to legal opinions upto arbitrations we could reach the cost of what this Boom Group might offer. Or we spend more than this on Hats, Pins, Pens, Shirts, etc. If we were to reduce in this area we would more than save our members on things they may personally want to invest in. Rather than the branded items we get. That would mean reducing the amount we spend in order to get this card of sorts.
I voted in the minority against this last night. I didn't have enough information to feel comfortable with saying I am for this. However it was a majority yes to going through with this trial. I am not a fan of paying for things that our members don't really need. Not knowing what sort of discounts and what companies are available to the members is like handing $30,000 to a snake oil salesman. I'm not saying that is what this is. You have to but the membership before you know who is in their savings program. Normally we get three quotes on things like this. I don't know if there are three companies that do this sort of thing.
Some would say anyone can haggle a 10-15% deal from a sale if they bargain. This company takes the haggle out of it for a cost.
We will have to figure out a distribution method for the cards, and tracking. Our retiree members are lifetime members so we could have far more than 3000 cards issued. Then there is the tracking of the service. The boom group doesn't track how much we spend, just the possible savings to a member in theory. We will be told how many cards are activated, but we don't know who is associated with what cards. I am cautiously optimistic. It could be a great savings, or it could be a great cost for little return.
Stay tuned and if you are not a card carrying member, I would suggest you become one. The voting rights are the main reason, but this new savings/reward program might be another.
Also elections ballots have been mailed out. All 2078 of them. Please take the time to vote. It really means a lot to those of us running. It also shows that mailed out ballot work better to get the message from the members than having to physically show up. We had about 400 show up last time. While that is much better than 50. I would like to see over 1000 come in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)