Jerry, Jerry, Jerry

Memo to Jerry Rankins: Business Agent for IBEW Local 21
From Blogmaster

Happy New Year Jerry. We sincerely hope you have enjoyed your year and that you are filled with cheer and good tidings for 2008. In order to help you better serve us we have composed a list of our biggest wishes for the new year. Here, in no particular order, are some of our primary concerns:

-a new contract Blogmaster prefers a contract that actually has some teeth. Enforcement provisions to PUNISH the city for failure to abide by its side. SANCTIONS so that when the city does not perform as required--and agreed to--there are consequences and accountability.
-OJT reform Either contractual or not, Blogmaster does not care. It hasnt been an issue lately, because there are no trainees, but it has not gone away. The city can keep its measly buck an hour most of us DO NOT want to train the newbies. It is not personal, it is about our own sanity and protection. Please provide us with a right of refusal. Unwilling trainers are bad for the newbies, citizens and field units, bad for coworkers, and bad for ones self.
-elected stewards How bout giving the membership a say in those who represent them to the union, management, and the city? Blogmaster has supported union elections and if the current reps stay, so be it. But how how bout letting us have a chance to vote for them? More than a few of us think that SOME of the reps may have their own agenda. It would also more accountability and better communications between the union and its membership. And that goes for the business rep and the area steward
-better information dissemination. Most of the time no one knows what the union has or hasnt done or what is going on. We thank those reps who try to inform us, but really Jerry this is a widespread systemic problem.
-accelerated grievance resolution 3 and 4 YEARS? there is nothing--not anything--Blogmaster can possibly think of to justify this backlog. Please Jerry, use your considerable charm to move on these. It is absolutely disgraceful and really really embarrassing for the union and really inconvenient for the affected employees. And inconvenient is about the mildest word we use here.
-more onsite meetings No reason, Jerry, for you to stay away from us. Blogmaster takes it personally when you fail to provide solid leadership and face time to the members. The union faithfully takes their money from our paychecks each month so please give us something tangible to show for that and provide a forum for discussions and communciations.
-a real and genuine attempt at exploring the possibility of splitting Unit 2 in half and separating IBEW from SEIU. Is this possible? If not, why? and if so what would it take? Blogmaster would be willing to support the union wholeheartedly in an effort to figure out if this could be done. We are TIRED of a contract not specifically tailored to us, given how important we are to the city, and we are SICK of subordinating our real interests to accommodate city employees that we have nothing in common with. It is a drain on our resources and takes away time and effort at constructing a practical contract geared with OEMC, and only OEMC, in mind.

So Jerry, what do you say? Blogmaster knows its a long list and it won't be easy. But it is a new year, new people to work with at OEMC, and anything can happen. Right?