Do We Want A Fleet of Vehicles?
With the
ever increasing price of gas the issue of requesting agency vehicles
has come to the forefront, especially amongst the social workers who
do the bulk of the driving of any of our members. Though I sympathize
with our members in the social services department, I think that this
issue has to be looked at more closely.
When a fleet of vehicles is obtained by an agency such as ours, the
usage is determined by management and not by the union. What that means
is that there is no guarantee that these vehicles will be issued to
a particular employee for their use only, so you may have no control
over the condition a vehicle assigned to you on any given day. With
your own vehicle you have complete control over its working condition,
as well as how it is maintained both inside and out.
Another concern I know you have is the cost of running your own vehicle
for company business and whether the reimbursement amount provided by
the agency is sufficient to keep your car in good running condition.
I looked at this and put together an example of the amount of reimbursement
an individual would receive if they were to drive five hundred (500)
miles a month for work related activities. The figures are as follows:
500 miles per month at a reimbursement amount of $.505 per mile = $ 252.50
$252.50 a month reimbursement times 12 months = $ 3030.00 for the year
500 miles at 15 miles per gallon = 33.33 gallons times $4 per gallon = $ 133.32
$133.32 a month for gasoline times 12 months = $ 1599.84 for the year
$3030.00 a year reimbursement minus $1599.84 a year gasoline cost = $ 1430.16
$1430.16 a year remains for vehicle maintenance
As you can see from the example used, being reimbursed by the agency at a per mile amount is more than enough to be compensated for our business related driving, besides the fact that you know the condition of the vehicle at all times. So, after examining this issue further, I have decided not to pursue the matter of requesting agency vehicles any further.
Matt Guthorn
President
CWA International News
A Long Time Coming
For many years, union members
in New Jersey have been lobbying for an insurance program that will
provide coverage for those who are unable to work because they just
had a baby, adopted a child or are caring for an ill loved one. With
the extra stress on the family of another mouth to feed or the increased
expenses involved in caring for a relative who is very ill, this is
a piece of legislation that is badly needed.
Well, that day will soon be here. With the passage of the Family Leave
Insurance Act by both the New Jersey Assembly and Senate, and the assurance
by the Governor that he will sign it into law very soon, our waiting
is over and another battle in the war to save the middle-class has been
won.
For details on the new law you may go to the New Jersey Citizens Action
website at www.njcitizen.org.
Matt Guthorn, President
OCBSS EMPLOYEES ASKED TO REPORT WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
All OCBSS employees are being asked to report any and all workplace violence. These incidents would include but not be limited to the following:
Threats of future injury to others
Swearing or shouting at someone
Intimidation
Harassment
Obscene phone calls
Assault
Please, this is a serious matter and any and all incidents that occur should be reported to any elected official.
Union Meeting 7/17/08
The general membership meetings will resume on 7/17/08 at the union hall.
Let’s Be Part of the Solution
For many years, the Union
leadership has been involved in making sure our agency is a safer place
to work. We’ve negotiated a joint management/union safety committee
to make sure any safety issue we have may be addressed with management.
We have also been involved in doing research and making suggestions
to management, which will make for a safer work environment.
One of the suggestions we have made was to have the visitors who come
to our agency be given passes, so we know who is authorized to be in
certain areas of the facility. In order to make this plan work so that
safety may increase for both employee and client alike, we as union
members need to help “be part of the solution” by wearing
our identification badges. This will make it easier for our security
personnel to do their job in keeping us all a little safer. Thank you
very much for your anticipated cooperation!
Matt Guthorn, President
Lin Mills Chosen to Serve on Judiciary Negotiation Committee
The contract for our Judiciary Chapter expires on June 30, 2008. In preparation for negotiations, our Local 1088 Executive Board reviewed the surveys from our members and forwarded their requests to the Judiciary Council of Affiliated Unions (JCAU) Executive Board so they could incorporate them in their proposal to the State. We also requested the appointment of Lin Mills, our Judiciary Chapter Vice President, to serve on the negotiation committee.
Last week, I received notice from the CWA District One Office informing me that Lin was chosen to serve on the negotiation committee. We as a local should be very proud of her appointment to the committee. I am confident that she will do an excellent job in this position and she deserves all of our congratulations!
Matt Guthorn, President
2/20/08
This is Your Union
Over the
past few months I have noticed that the Union Meeting attendance has
been down. I know we have a small office, but if we need a larger space
to meet in we will locate it.
One of the reasons I am so concerned about this issue is because the
Union does not belong to the Local 1088 Leadership, but to the members.
Before I became President, I spent quite a bit of time studying the
CWA Constitution and our Local 1088 Bylaws. What I found out is that
we have one of the most democratic organizations I’ve been a part
of. This means a large amount of the control of the Local is in the
members’ hands, as a body.
Most decisions made by me as President, or as a member of the Executive
Board are subject to the review by the Local Membership. This is not
to say I and the rest of the Executive Board Members are looking to
avoid our responsibility as your elected officials and representatives,
but the meetings give you the opportunity to be part of the decision
making process.
So I hope to see you soon at the Union Meetings so you can provide your
input to the Local 1088 leadership. Thank you.
Matt Guthorn
President
YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR AN INSURANCE REBATE
The Governor has
signed into law legislation that would provide an opportunity for those
public employees, other than the State of New Jersey workers, who receive
their health benefits through State Health Benefits Program to opt out
of their employers coverage if they are on someone else’s policy.
As a result, the employer would rebate up to 50% of your annual premium
back to you. Right now, this would only be available to the Lacey and
Board of Social Services members.
The Union is trying to find out how many employees are interested in
opting out of their employee health benefits plan for a premium rebate.
Just a few things about the law you should know. One is that if you
no longer receive health benefits under another person’s policy,
you can be put back onto your employer’s plan. The other is that
if you receive and spend the rebate and later have to be put back onto
your employer’s policy, you will have to pay a pro-rated amount
towards the premium for the rest of the year.
In our negotiations with management, the Union will push to have the
rebate paid after June, so if you have to go back on your employer’s
health insurance plan, they will already have the premium amount for
the last 6 months of the year.
If you want to opt out of your health insurance for a premium rebate,
please e-mail me at local1088@aol.com
or fax me a note at 732-920-4626. Thank you.
Matt Guthorn
President
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