Homehttp://www.unitedforla.org/home/en-US2010-03-16T21:23:32ZSquarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/)LA City Professionals Sit Down With City Council to Say Furloughs Making Problem Worsehttp://www.unitedforla.org/home/la-city-professionals-sit-down-with-city-council-to-say-furl.htmlUnited for L.A.2010-03-12T03:27:00ZMarch 11, 2010—A message to LA City professionals from Michael Hunt of the Department of Transportation, an MOU 17 bargaining team member: 

I joined more than 400 SEIU members at City Council on Feb. 24 to tell them about the negative impacts furloughs have on our jobs and to get the City moving on bargaining. Here's some of what I told them:

"I'm special funded and my furloughs do nothing to help solve the budget problem.  Who's going to explain to all of these people that their concerns aren't going to be addressed because the city is furloughing people they don't need to?"

After my testimony, Councilmember Bill Rosendahl immediately pulled me out of the audience to discuss this issue in more detail. He assumed that because we had joined SEIU back in Nov. 2009, that we were no longer being furloughed.  He was unaware that we're still beholden to the furloughs with our old contract.  He wants to see this issue resolved as soon as possible and will assist any way he can.  He asked me to keep him informed of our progress. Read more at SEIU721.org.

]]>Star Studded Event at Mayor's Mansion Spotlights LA City Serviceshttp://www.unitedforla.org/home/star-studded-event-at-mayors-mansion-spotlights-la-city-serv.htmlUnited for L.A.2010-03-05T17:36:00ZMarch 5, 2010—LA City workers held a mock red carpet event and an awards ceremony Thursday, March 4, honoring the best in City services, spotlighting the impact that thousands of layoffs and drastic service cuts will have on the entertainment industry.

More than 75 workers from SEIU and the Coalition of LA City Unions gathered outside the Mayor's mansion as he hosted Hollywood celebrities at a pre-Oscars party. But it was engineers, librarians, chemists, animal service employees and street and tree workers who stole the spotlight. View a photo gallery on Flickr | Read more at SEIU721.org

]]>LA Professionals: "We're Joining the Fight for City Services"http://www.unitedforla.org/home/la-professionals-were-joining-the-fight-for-city-services.htmlUnited for L.A.2010-02-05T23:45:00ZFebruary 5, 2010—LA City professionals pressed the LA City Council to put off a harmful plan to lay off 1,000 employees. But Mayor Villaraigosa is pushing ahead with his plan. On February 4, he pledged to speed up implementation of the Coalition of LA City Unions agreement for early retirements and transfers—but also threatened to move forward with 1,000 layoffs.

"The impact of not implementing the Coalition's Contract Agreement is the ripple effect it has on more than 2,000 city professionals including engineers, criminalists and scientists." -Chad Doi, Structural Engineering Associate, Building and Safety Department.

 

]]>In Tough Times, City Professionals Made the Right Choice with SEIU 721http://www.unitedforla.org/home/in-tough-times-city-professionals-made-the-right-choice-with.htmlUnited for L.A.2010-02-02T00:17:00ZFebruary 1, 2010—A blog post by Terry Keating, City of Los Angeles engineer and MOU 8 bargaining team member

After years of alleged legal victories that always disappointed, we are seeing proof that our reasons for moving out of our old union, Engineers and Architects Association, were absolutely right. Working together, member to member, to forge shared objectives and strategies, standing up for ourselves, and speaking with our own voices is getting the job done right, right now.

Read the full 'One to One' blog post at seiu721.org.

]]>LA City Engineers and Professionals Begin Day 1 of Contract Negotiationshttp://www.unitedforla.org/home/la-city-engineers-and-professionals-begin-day-1-of-contract.htmlUnited for L.A.2009-12-17T00:14:00Z December 16, 2009—Just three weeks after officially becoming members of SEIU Local 721, City of Los Angeles professionals and engineers on Tuesday presented their initial bargaining proposals to the City and demanded a comprehensive budget overview from the City.

Core principles of the proposals include:

▪ An immediate end to furloughs
▪ No layoffs, cuts, takeaways or steps backward
▪ Ensuring public work is done by public workers
MOU8_275x175.jpg

MOU 8 bargaining team members, from left: Terry Keating, Chad Doi, Nady Maechling, Bryan Low, Patricia Huck, Azar Nejad, John Hawkins, Eric Maya. Not pictured: Kris Flaig. ]]>Election Results: MOU 8 Members Elect Bargaining Teamhttp://www.unitedforla.org/home/election-results-mou-8-members-elect-bargaining-team.htmlUnited for L.A.2009-12-03T01:36:07ZDecember 2, 2009 — Members of MOU 8 have elected a bargaining team (seven members and two alternates) to negotiate with the City of Los Angeles starting later this month. Here are the results of the ballot tally conducted earlier today at the Public Works building:

Public Works - Nady Maechling
Building and Safety - Chad Doi
Proprietary - Bryan Low
ITA/PD - John Hawkins
Transportation - Eric Maya

 At-Large - Terry Keating
At-Large - Azar Nejad
Alternate - Patricia Huck
Alternate - Kris Flaig


Questions? For more information, send a message or contact Kevin Ihrke at 213-321-7522.

]]>It's Official: SEIU 721 Is the Union for MOUs 8 and 17http://www.unitedforla.org/home/its-official-seiu-721-is-the-union-for-mous-8-and-17.htmlUnited for L.A.2009-11-23T19:38:00Z

City of Los Angeles engineers, professionals and supporters celebrate the Employee Relations Board's certification of SEIU as the official bargaining representative for MOUs 8 and 17.

November 23, 2009—November 23, 2009—The City of Los Angeles Employee Relations Board officially certified SEIU Local 721 today as the bargaining representative for MOUs 8 and 17, which clears the way for contract negotiations to begin in December.

As they celebrated the Board's decision, members of MOUs 8 and 17 said they looked forward to going into contract negotiations, and working together with their City colleagues to make real improvements.

]]>Voting Begins to Elect MOU 8 Bargaining Teamhttp://www.unitedforla.org/home/voting-begins-to-elect-mou-8-bargaining-team.htmlUnited for L.A.2009-11-17T17:39:00Z MOU 8 Bargaining Survey

November 17, 2009—Voting begins this week for the MOU 8 bargaining team election. MOU 8 members: Return your completed ballot by mail or hand-deliver it to Local 721 no later than Tuesday, Dec. 1. Ballots will be counted on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at SEIU 721, 500 S. Virgil Ave., Los Angeles.

If you haven't received your ballot at home by Friday, Nov. 20, call 213-321-7522 or send an email to request a replacement.

Meet the candidates for MOU 8 bargaining team (pdf).
]]>SEIU Membership Meeting Update and Important Documentshttp://www.unitedforla.org/home/seiu-membership-meeting-update-and-important-documents.htmlUnited for L.A.2009-11-09T20:43:06Z

Meeting Handouts:

Meeting Minutes:

November 9, 2009—What an exciting time as MOU 8 builds a new union. This past Saturday, Nov. 7, was the first SEIU MOU 8 General Membership meeting where members learned about the bargaining team structure, how to be nominated on the bargaining team ballot, and the timeline for the bargaining team elections. 
 
Now is the time to get involved in shaping this union the way you want it. As the city continues cutting pay by 10% and with layoffs still pending, it is crucial MOU 8 has a bargaining team in place and ready to fight for a strong contract. Let's press on and shape this new union together. 
 
Be excited and of course, be involved! Information from the meeting, including handouts and meeting minutes, is available here.
]]>MOU 8 Launches Effort for a New Contract in First Meetinghttp://www.unitedforla.org/home/mou-8-launches-effort-for-a-new-contract-in-first-meeting.htmlUnited for L.A.2009-10-30T21:45:10ZOctober 30, 2009—Three dozen MOU 8 members representing their coworkers recently came together at SEIU for their first leadership meeting. They took the first steps to bargain a new contract together with SEIU. They established the bargaining team nomination process, including how to structure the bargaining team, and set the date for a bargaining survey to be ready at the membership meeting on Saturday, November 7. Download a bargaining team nomination form here (pdf).
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