Membership Update | UAW Direct Election & Unit Updates
All,
I want to provide everyone with an update regarding the upcoming UAW International Officer Direct Election, along with several important updates from your Unit Committee.
There is quite a bit of information in this update, so I have broken everything into sections to make it easier to review.
IN THIS UPDATE:
- UAW International Officer Direct Election
- Understanding Our UAW Structure
- Candidate Information & Debates
- Facility Cleaning Update
- Peer Support & Resiliency
- RCOG Board 4% GWI Decision
- Mid-Year Membership Survey
- Communicating Issues & Weingarten Rights
- Committee Education & Training
UAW INTERNATIONAL OFFICER DIRECT ELECTION
IMPORTANT ELECTION INFORMATION
Ballots Begin Mailing: On or about August 21
Ballot Return Deadline: Ballots must be returned in time to be received by October 5
Ballots Are Mailed To: Your home address on file with the UAW
Verify Your Information: myinfo.uaw.org
Voting Method: Direct mail-in ballot
Why This Election Matters
All eligible UAW members have the opportunity to directly elect the International Officers who lead our Union.
This is different from our Unit or Local Union elections. Instead of delegates or another governing body selecting International Officers, eligible members have the opportunity to cast their own ballots under the UAW's one member, one vote system.
Our goal should be simple:
Every eligible member of our bargaining unit receives a ballot, and every member has the opportunity to make their voice heard.
Achieving 100% participation from our membership is ambitious, but it is absolutely something worth striving for.
Make Sure You Receive Your Ballot
The UAW has made significant efforts over the past several months to ensure members' information is current. You may have received a postcard or an email asking you to verify or update your contact information.
If you have not received a postcard, have not updated your information through the website, or have not seen an email regarding your membership information, please take a few minutes to verify your information.
You may have an outdated address or incomplete mailing information on file.
Verify or update your information at: myinfo.uaw.org
Do not wait until ballots begin arriving to discover that your address is incorrect.
UNDERSTANDING OUR UAW STRUCTURE
The structure of the UAW can sometimes be confusing, particularly if you have never participated in an International election.
Here is where we fit:
Lucas County 911 Dispatch Unit
↓
UAW Local 12
↓
UAW Region 2B
↓
International UAW (IUAW)
Our Unit
We are the UAW Local 12 – Lucas County 911 Dispatch Unit.
We are an amalgamated unit of UAW Local 12, meaning Local 12 represents employees from multiple employers and bargaining units rather than representing only Lucas County 911 employees.
Our Unit Committee handles much of the day-to-day representation specific to our bargaining unit, including contract enforcement, grievances, disciplinary representation, workplace concerns, and labor-management matters.
UAW Local 12
Our Unit is part of UAW Local 12, along with other bargaining units represented by the Local.
Local 12 provides additional representation, resources, education, governance, and support to its various units and membership.
UAW Region 2B
Local 12 is part of UAW Region 2B.
The Region provides support to Local Unions and bargaining units throughout its geographic jurisdiction, including servicing representatives and additional resources for negotiations, grievances, organizing, education, and other representational matters.
International UAW
Finally, the International UAW provides leadership and resources across the entire Union.
The upcoming Direct Election determines several of the International Officers responsible for that leadership.
Your ballot will include:
- International President: Vote for 1
- Secretary-Treasurer: Vote for 1
- International Vice Presidents: Vote for 3
- Region 2B Director: Vote for 1
CANDIDATE INFORMATION & DEBATES
Choosing between candidates for International office can be difficult, particularly when many members do not regularly interact with International leadership.
Your Unit Committee wanted to make that process a little easier.
We developed a candidate questionnaire containing questions specifically selected around issues we believe are relevant to our membership and workers within the UAW's TOP/Public Sector.
Read the Candidate Questionnaires
Candidate responses are posted there for membership review.
Not every candidate chose to participate. Candidates who did not provide a response are identified accordingly so members can see who did and did not respond.
Watch the Candidate Debates
International Officer candidate debates can also be viewed through the Jenner & Block YouTube channel:
Who Should I Vote For?
Your Unit Committee is not going to tell you who you should vote for.
Our responsibility is to provide our membership with information and resources that can help each member make an informed decision.
I encourage everyone to read the candidate responses, watch the debates, ask questions, and ultimately vote for the candidates you believe will best represent you and the membership of the UAW.
If you have questions about the election, UAW structure, or candidates, you are welcome to speak with any of your Union representatives.
FACILITY CLEANING UPDATE
The Union recently received several complaints regarding the facility's cleaning service.
There were multiple days where routine cleaning was not completed, resulting in bargaining-unit members having to go beyond their normal responsibilities to remove trash and restock toiletries.
The issue was promptly brought to management's attention and was quickly addressed.
If you notice additional problems:
1. Notify a supervisor so the immediate issue can be addressed.
2. Notify a Union representative so we can continue documenting and monitoring the situation.
We want to know if these issues continue or develop into a pattern.
PEER SUPPORT & RESILIENCY
The Committee continues exploring additional mental health and wellness resources specifically geared toward the unique challenges of working in emergency communications.
Peer Support
We have been having discussions with outside resources, including the Northwest Ohio Critical Incident Stress Management (NWO CISM) Team, regarding the potential development of an in-house peer support program.
The intent would not be to replace our existing EAP or professional mental health resources.
Instead, peer support could help bridge the gap by giving members another resource and the opportunity to speak with appropriately trained peers who understand the realities of emergency communications.
Resiliency Training
With the assistance of our International Representative, Jason Barlow, and resources available through the International Union, we are also exploring the possibility of bringing resiliency training to our membership.
Emergency communications is a difficult career. Our members routinely experience situations most people will never encounter, often one call after another.
We want to continue identifying meaningful resources that acknowledge those realities and give our membership additional tools to manage the challenges that accompany this profession.
RCOG BOARD 4% GWI DECISION
The Union continues to review the recent action by the RCOG Board of Directors that resulted in a 4% General Wage Increase (GWI) for non-bargaining employees, including directors, administrative staff, managers, supervisors, and support staff.
That increase is 0.5% higher than the 3.5% GWI negotiated by both our bargaining unit and the RCOG IT bargaining unit.
To be clear:
The Union is not disputing the Board's authority to establish wages for non-bargaining employees.
Our concern is with the factual basis and justification presented for providing the additional increase after both bargaining units negotiated their respective wage increases through collective bargaining.
We believe the reasoning behind that decision deserves further review and clarification.
The Union continues to look into this matter and will provide additional information to the membership as appropriate.
MID-YEAR MEMBERSHIP SURVEY
Once again, thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in our Mid-Year Membership Survey.
The information provided is an invaluable resource for your Committee.
In several areas, the results confirmed concerns we were already hearing from members. More importantly, the survey provides something extremely valuable when we bring these concerns forward:
Data.
Rather than simply telling management that "members are concerned about this," we can demonstrate where concerns exist across the bargaining unit and support our discussions with actual membership feedback.
We will continue using the survey results to establish priorities and guide our conversations with management.
COMMUNICATING ISSUES & KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS
This is probably one of the most important reminders in this entire update:
Your Union representatives can only address problems we know about.
If something is happening in the workplace, please communicate with us.
That includes:
- Potential CBA violations
- Policy violations or inconsistent application of policy
- Disciplinary or investigatory matters
- Requests for written statements
- Staffing concerns
- Training concerns
- Workplace safety issues
- Inconsistent treatment
- General workplace complaints
- Other situations you believe your representatives should know about
Not Every Complaint Is a Grievance
It is also important to understand the difference between a grievance and a workplace complaint or concern.
Generally, a grievance requires an alleged violation of our Collective Bargaining Agreement, applicable employer policy, established rights, or law.
Some workplace concerns simply do not meet the requirements necessary to pursue a formal grievance.
That does not mean you should not tell us about them.
Your Committee can still raise concerns with management, identify patterns, advocate for changes, discuss issues through labor-management, and attempt to resolve problems before they become larger issues.
Remember Your Weingarten Rights
If you reasonably believe that a meeting, interview, questioning, or request for a statement could result in discipline, request Union representation.
You have the right to say:
"If this discussion could in any way lead to my being disciplined or terminated, or affect my personal working conditions, I respectfully request that my Union representative be present at this meeting."
If you are unsure whether you need representation, contact a representative before proceeding.
Know your rights. Know your CBA. Ask questions when you are unsure.
COMMITTEE EDUCATION & TRAINING
Finally, I want to recognize two members of our Committee who recently took advantage of educational opportunities through the UAW.
Bargaining Representative Makenzie Navarre
Makenzie recently spent a week at the UAW's Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center at Black Lake attending the Workplace Justice Conference.
Vice-Chairperson Danielle Lazenby
Danielle recently attended a one-day educational conference covering FMLA and pregnancy-related worker protections.
Both invested their time in becoming better educated and better equipped to represent our membership.
As additional educational opportunities become available, we fully intend to continue developing the knowledge and skills of your representatives.
Just as importantly, representatives attending these programs will bring that information back to the rest of the Committee so the knowledge gained benefits the entire bargaining unit, not simply the individual representative who attended the training.
Our Committee will never know everything, but we can continually work to become better educated, better prepared, and more effective advocates for our membership.
As always, if you have questions, concerns, or something you believe the Committee needs to know about, please reach out to one of your Union representatives.
Thank you for staying informed, staying involved, and supporting your fellow members.
In Solidarity,
Chad Eickholt
Chairperson
UAW Local 12 – Lucas County 911 Dispatch Unit
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