CHARLES TOWN, WV - Employees of Willow Tree Manor late Wednesday evening voted to accept a new three-year contract that allows workers to continue to provide the highest quality care and wellness for the residents of the nursing home.

"We pride ourselves on working together to do all that we can for the residents of Willow Tree Manor," said Debbie Brode, an employee of Willow Tree for 24 years and Executive Board member of the Service Employees International Union, District 1199. "This agreement will allow us to provide quality care to our residents and affords us the opportunity to earn a livable wage to support our families during these hard economic times."

The new three-year contract provides employees with a wage increase each year, improved starting pay for new employees and enhanced contract language.

SEIU District 1199 WV/KY/OH represents nearly 100 employees at Willow Tree Manor, a 104-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility located in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Pursuant to Article X of the By-Laws of SEIU District 1199, the Executive Board of SEIU District 1199 recommends and initiates the adoption of the following amendment to District 1199's By-Laws and directs that it shall be submitted for a vote by the general membership, to be held concurrently with the upcoming election for delegates to the 2012 SEIU International Convention.

Following is the proposed amendment in bold type:

Section 5 (NEW) Delegates to the International Conventions:

a) Delegates and Alternate Delegates to regular and special conventions of the Service Employees International Union shall be elected by vote of the membership at large pursuant to procedures determined by the Executive Board.

b) Delegates and Alternate Delegates shall be elected by a plurality of those voting.

c) Any member in good standing may be a candidate for Delegate or Alternate Delegate upon submission, pursuant to procedures determined by the Executive Board, of a nominating petition signed by at least 25 members in good standing.

d) All Delegates and Alternate Delegates shall be elected District Wide.

e) The membership shall be informed of the dates and location of the election by notice mailed at least fifteen (15) days prior to the election.

f) Voting shall be by secret ballot.

This is the official notice of the election to be conducted for Delegates to the SEIU Convention which will be held May 29 - 31, 2012 in Denver, Colorado.

The following procedure was adopted by the SEIU District 1199 Executive Board, in accordance with the SEIU Constitution, at its meeting on January 13-14, 2012.

SEIU District 1199 will be sending a delegation of 33 Delegates and 4 Alternates. Any member in good standing can be a candidate.

To be placed on the ballot, a member must submit to the designated Election Officer a nominating petition signed by at least 25 members in good standing. Petitions will be made available through the Union's offices, or a member may create her/his own petition by writing the words, "We, the undersigned, nominate _____________ (name) to be a Delegate/Alternate (circle one) to the 2012 SEIU Convention". Candidates will designate whether they are running as Delegate or Alternate. A candidate not so designated will be deemed a Delegate candidate. Petitions containing original signatures must be received by the Election Officer on or before February 24, 2012 at the following address. Fax or electronic copies will NOT be accepted.

The Election Officer must be notified by the February 24, 2012 petition return date of any candidate wishing to run as a slate, and of the designation (name) of the slate.

Elections will take place during the month of March, 2012. All elections will be by secret ballot. Members presenting proper identification may vote at any of the voting sites across the District. Voting times will also be available in the Union's Columbus, Cleveland and Huntington Offices.

Results will be posted on the Union's website at www.seiu1199.org.

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Prof. Joseph McCartin writes in the Los Angeles Times, "For 20 years after Kennedy's order, public sector union rights were not controversial. To the contrary, they enjoyed bipartisan support."

In the past year, public sector workers have become a popular scapegoat for government fiscal problems. Last year, Ohio legislators attempted to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights based on the unfounded claim that it would save the state money. Similar legislation was passed in Wisconsin, while public sector workers in Michigan and Indiana have also endured attacks by legislators.

According to McCartin's figures, the facts don't support that thesis, citing that North Carolina, a state without collective bargaining is projected to have a 10% budget deficit for 2013, compared to the more densely unionized state of New York, which is projected to have a 3.5% deficit. Furthermore, studies show the largest part of the federal deficit increase has come from Bush-era policies such as the wars and tax cuts, as well as the effects of the recession.

Read the entire article at ThinkProgress.org.

In 2011, our communities came together to defeat Senate Bill 5 and protect the rights of Ohio's middle class. Now, our coalition - known as We Are Ohio - is giving back to those communities.

Today, We Are Ohio announced that they will make contributions of $10,000 to Toys for Tots and $10,000 to the Ohio Food Bank to bring joy and comfort to families in Ohio who are feeling the pain of the slow economic recovery and lack of good jobs.

"The People of Ohio stood up for our proud workers across the state and today's donation to Toys for Tots and the Ohio Food Bank is just our way of giving back and saying Thank You," said Becky Williams, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) District 1199. "As we reflect and celebrate with our families this holiday season, these charitable gifts will echo the appreciation of Ohio's workers to those in need."

For more information on We Are Ohio's announcement, visit: www.weareohio.com.

SEIU 1199/RSC APC Meeting
August 9, 2011
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Minutes

1. Review of Last Meeting's Minutes

2. Rumor Mill

a. RSC is discontinuing telecommuting

i. NOT A RUMOR

1. Why discontinuing? The Agency stated that it goes along with its philosophy of serving consumers in the community. Because RSC employees don't serve consumers in houses, everyone possible should be embedded in the communities they serve.

b. Each counselor will be getting a personal signature pad, portable scanner, portable printer and a roller case to carry it all in i. NOT A RUMOR

1. Delegates were concerned with employees that might be unable to carry all of this due to disabilities. Agency said accommodations will be made for people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, go through James Clinksdale (EEOC) and follow the procedure for reasonable accommodations.

a. Due to the uncertain amount of time it takes to receive a reasonable accommodation, Delegates should spread the word that if employees think they'll need reasonable accommodations, they should start the application process sooner rather than later.

ii. Timeline?

1. Agency does not yet know when all the equipment will arrive and be distributed because it is such a large order.
2. Agency reminded everyone that these are not meant to hassle counselors. The equipment is meant to help.

3. Any layoff updates?

a. When will the percentage for the VRP3's will be announced? (According to the weekly focus a few weeks ago, all positions were being looked at).

i. How do the VRP3 contracts play in to layoffs? Bobby explained that when layoffs occur, the Agency does not look at the person in the position, it is only concerned with the position.

b. Seniority Credits

i. Why were seniority credits recently sent out? Bobby also explained that any time there might be layoffs, RSC has to send out seniority credits for all employees, regardless of which positions will be laid off.
ii. What is happening on August 11? This is the last date the Agency gave to fix seniority credits. Nothing else is happening on August 11; although there have been rumors that various events will occur like layoffs. Not true. RSC must give 1199 notice of layoffs; no notice given. Agency won't walk in one random day and say you're fired.
iii. Social Security Numbers: These will be used for people with ties in seniority. Delegates asked if Agency could send a version of seniority credits that they can rearrange/sort. Bobby will look in to this.

4. Flexible Schedules

a. Area manager told staff in a meeting that employees are expected to stick to their schedules for now on, so employees can no longer flex their schedules. Those who already work on a flexed schedule are expected to stick to that flexed schedule. This is in violation of the CBA.

i. Agency's response

1. Agency stated that no area manager said this in a meeting.

2. Whatever is set as employee's default schedule, that is her set schedule, and she cannot deviate from it. So if employees want to flex time, and they have personal leave available, then the Agency wants employees to use this rather than allow people to flex for personal reasons

3. Agency doesn't want people taking time off just because they want to do so. Also, the set, approved schedule has been looked at so that operational need is met. If people submit different schedules on a weeky basis, it makes it too difficult for supervisors to figure out if there will be operational need on a weekly basis.

ii. The Union strongly disagrees with this practice, as it violates the CBA. If an employee requests a flexed schedule and is denied based upon the above information, the employee should grieve the denial

.

5. Itinerary Expectations

a. Standards for Outlook Calendar information and visibility

i. Some HR staff had specific information about grievances and discipline meetings on their calendars that were visible to employees, including 1199 Delegates. Bobby was unaware of this and stated that he would take care of it immediately.

b. Why do so many people at RSC need access to employees' calendars?

1. One reason given is that any manager in any area might receive a complaint or question from a consumer. This is one of many examples when a manager needs immediate access to an employee's calendar.

6. Training session on the new attendance policy

a. Clarification

i. Trainer mentioned that most employees will not be disciplined for being late unless there is a pattern. But the policy says late arrivals can only be approved with proof of mitigating or extenuating circumstances.

1. Management reminded everyone that policy is the policy, and if members have particular questions then they should ask HR.

7. Investigations:

a. Privacy i. Some employees have been inappropriately given information about other employees being investigated.

1. Delegates have heard more than one employee state details of another employee's investigation in which the first employee had no involvement. Some employees even know information before the Delegate does.

2. If supervisors are the ones spreading this information, then other employees need to address it with HR based on the particular supervisor or the employee who knows the information.

8. Caseload Sizes

a. How does RSC plan to address the growing caseload issue? i. Counselors keep hearing 75, yet no one is sticking to this.

1. Not everyone has the same eligibility model, so 75 active cases may not be a similar amount of work for different Counselors.

2. Delegates asked whether this could be revised to consider the particular model a counselor works on.

a. Agency agreed that the current practice does not create an equal amount of work. Management has a vision of moving toward a more consistent model, so all consumers can expect the same timeframe for a decision...eventually. That's where the 30 days comes from. Right now the 75 is like guide or target, but the Agency knows some counselors won't have this many. So the offices that are able to have 75 active cases, should.

b. Problem, though, is people are being released from the waiting list and given to people who aren't at capacity of 75 active, so they're given more cases when they already have the same amount of work as others with 75 active.

i. Management acknowledged this and stated that from the Director's level this is being using it to gauge where the Agency is at capacity.

ii. Supervisors should be meeting with Counselors on regular basis to assess

1. Agency stated individual supervisors and employees need figure out together whether an employee is at capacity. That's the only way this can be done efficiently.

2. Union asked whether Supervisors are discussing caseload sizes with Counselors. Some Delegates said yes some said no.

iii. What about use of a formula for capacity based on various factors each Counselor might meet?

1. The Agency has been discussing something like this, and it is continuing to consider various ideas. Even if it creates a formula, though, it still won't work for every person's caseload.

b. Issue of which bureau referrals should go to

i. Some cases that have never gone to a particular bureau are now going. It's gone back and forth in the past. ii. RSC has taken note of this.

9. APC Minutes on Intranet

a. Still not there

i. Actual problem is when you click on April, it takes you to February minutes. ii. Bobby will look and figure it out.

10. New Policies

a. New phone issuance policy:

i. What if the only way to get ahold of a Counselor is by her cell phone because when anyone calls the office, the call is forwarded to her?

1. Agency said they have it set up that way, and it is fine.

b. Texting:

i. If an employee has consumers, such as deaf consumers, that use texting to communicate, the employee needs to tell Supervisor so this message gets to right person and right plan.

ii. Same process if employee is often in places where he can't make a call, but he's able to text (low cell service areas).

c. IT Policy

i. Agency stated that it is monitoring Internet usage more than it used to. ii. Cannot use computer for personal use on breaks. Can only be on for personal use at lunch. iii. When the policy says "scheduled" lunch, it includes employees who take lunch at different times every day. iv. Can employees use computers before and after work?

1. NO

v. What if employee accidentally leaves a window open from personal use during lunch?

1. If you accidentally leave it up, IT can tell that. 2. If there's a question about an employee's internet usage, someone will ask the employee.

d. General

i. RSC is working on getting rid of old policies, so that when someone searches online for a current policy, he does not have to search through old, revised policies

11. Home Visits

a. Requests rising

i. If a counselor is going to a home and is uncomfortable with anything about it, he should be able to take someone with him.

ii. Union requested that Agency discuss how to handle ECs going to home visits and asking for someone to go with them every time.

iii. Agency responded that in profession of RSC, employees need to be able to go in to consumers' homes. It is important that RSC get back to doing that more often.

12. Date of Next APC Meeting: Monday, October 24, 2011