459 UpdateLocal 459 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union, AFL-CIO

In This Issue

Page 3 Nurses Council

Page 4 From the

President’s Desk

Page 5 Executive

Board Action

Backpack Drive

Page 6Grievances

Settled

Page 10 Steward

Spotlight

Page 11 Roses

Life Insurance Benefits

Page 12Local 459

Executive Board Nominations

Phone: (517) 887-8844 or

(800) 833-1103

E-mail Address: local459@local459.org

Website:

www.local459.org

July - Sept 2015

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Contracts Settled

United Way of Genesee

Local 459 and United Way of Genesee reached a three (3) year contract with several improvements for members. The United Way CEO, Jamie Gaskin was at the table and this resulted in very cordial talks. The two sides agreed to undo what had previously been a two (2) tier system on wages and benefits. Neither side thought that system was fair.

Improvements in the contract included:

• Removal of the 2 tier wage scale

• Part-time employees will now receive holiday pay

• Longevity bonuses added based upon years of service

• More annual funding of the Health Savings Accounts

• Three percent (3%) match for retirement accounts

• Three percent (3%) across the board wage increase

• Ability to carry over an additional week of Paid Time Off

The bargaining team was Mary Bishop, Elaina Conklin, Janet Cotton and Diane Woodruff. They were assisted by Service Representative Lance A. Rhines.

Janet Cotton,Diane Woodruff and Mary Bishop

459 Update2

459 Updateis newsletter published by Local 459 of the Office and Professional Employees International Union, 838 Louisa Street, Suite A, Lansing,

Michigan 48911-0214. (517) 887-8844 or (800) 833-1103. Bulk rate U.S. postage paid in Lansing, Michigan. Permit #975.

Local 459• On the Web: www.local459.orgPresident ...................................................................Sharon TaylorVice President ..........................................................Neal WilenskyLayout Editor ........................................................Melissa Cogswell

ContributorsBrenda Densmore • Jeffrey Fleming

Joseph Marutiak • Lance Rhines Pat Smith • Charles Terry

Laura Sandberg • Julie Murray

Reproduction of any or all material herein is permitted and encouraged in the interest of worker’s education.

St. Vincent’s Catholic Charities Fight to keep Steps

After eight (8) months of bargaining, a three (3) year contract was reached with St. Vincent’s management. The contract was ratified by a vote of twenty-five (25) to zero (0).

The reason negotiations took so long is because the Union team was fighting for fair raises. Currently, and in the new agreement, we have a scale that provides for yearly step increases of three percent (3%). Non-Union employees at St Vincent’s do not have steps. Management wanted to eliminate the Union step scale and just give employees the same raises as non-union. That would have meant a two percent (2%) raise this year instead of three percent (3%) step. The bargaining team fought off this concession and the step scale will remain intact.

Secondly, the team wanted to see some type of additional wage increase on

top of the steps. Management did not want to agree to one, and considered that proposal “double dipping.” Management said they had no money for raises. They claim that the agency has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and that this has been the worst year since 2010. Still, the bargaining team pushed for a raise.

Finally, after bringing in both State and Federal mediators, an agreement was reached. Besides the step scale, management agreed to add three small raises. We will receive raises of ten (10) cents per hour in year 1, five (5) cents per hour in year 2, and an additional ten (10) cents per hour in year 3 of the contract.

Other changes in the contract include:

The removal of disciplines from the employee’s file after twelve (12) months, it was fifteen (15). Also, prior disciplines will not be counted while imposing new disciplines after twelve (12) months.

The definition of a full-time employee is changed from seventy-two (72)

hours to sixty (60) hours per pay. This just means that employees will get full-time benefits even if they work less hours. It will not affect the number of hours employees currently work or are scheduled.

All employees who punch in for scheduled meetings shall receive at least two (2) hours pay.

Added step and foster parent or someone who stood in for parents under the bereavement benefit.

The bargaining team members are Jeanine Eno, Denise Fase and Brandon Tilson. They were assisted by Service Representative Lance A. Rhines.

Touchpoint Macomb Gets First Contract

The 174 new members of Local 459 at Touchpoint Macomb ratified their very first contract on August 5th by a vote of 52-6. These employees organized in an overwhelmingl vote for the Union in December 2014.

Touchpoint is part of a huge International company and is contracted by the St John’s Hospital System to provide their dietary and housekeeping services. Normally organizations subcontract work to avoid Unions. In this case Local 459 has followed the work and now represents Touchpoint employees at two (2) St John’s hospitals, Oakland and Macomb. Touchpoint employees at other St John’s Hospital are discussing forming their own Unions.

The new one (1) year contract for Touchpoint Macomb includes:

Brandon Tilson, Jeanine Eno and Lance Rhines

(Continued from page 1)

Contracts Settled

(Continued on page 3)

July - Aug 2015 3

The OPEIU International Nurses Council (ONC) met in June. Chief Steward Julie Murray and MGL RN Steward & bargaining team member Kyra Keusch attended to represent Local 459. OPEIU nurses from all over the country meet yearly for educational opportunities and discuss issues important to the profession. The Council members shared what each Local is dealing with around the country.

Murray was voted in to the position of ONC Vice-Chair in a contested election. This is the number two (2) position in the council.

The council strategizes how to move legislation that impacts nurse’s practice. It produced a video about safe staffing ratios to support federal legislation that would require each hospital to implement safe nurse patient ratios. This proposed federal law would hold hospitals accountable when they violate the ratios. The ONC video can be presented to community groups to encourage people to contact their representatives and

put pressure on them to support this important legislation. A legislative report was given by Murray.

The meeting lasted for two (2) days and included a presentation on Labor and the American Dream by Jeff Grabllsky, Associate Director at The Worker Institute at Cornell University.

It was an informative historical overview of the labor movement and the evolution of the American Dream from what it started out to be when our country was formed to what it means to us today. It showed how closely connected the labor movement is tied to our American Dream and the establishment of the middle class. He presented on how our current economic crisis has eroded the American Dream and the middle class.

Jonathon D. Rosen MS CIH with AJ Rosen & Associates facilitated a workshop on Infectious Disease Preparedness: Ebola and beyond. Also on the agenda was a presentation titled Understanding the Ebb & Flow of Arbitration: Achieving Due Diligence from Arthur T. Matthews, J.D of Mathews and Matthews Consulting Faculty,Cornell University and NYU. The Council also heard from Richard Lanigan, OPEIU Vice President, on the subject of Building Bargaining Power.

OPEIU Nurses Council

Julie Murray being sworn in as ONC Vice Chair by International Vice President Richard Lanigan

• All employees move to a minimum wage of $11.00 per hour. Currently about half the members make less than $11.00 per hour (most of them are at $10.00 per hour).

• A 2% General wage increase for all employees who are paid over $11.00 per hour.

• A “cash out” provision on unused Paid Time Off (PTO).

• Uniforms and Uniform Allowances.

• A Discipline Article with a just cause standard.

• A grievance procedure with binding arbitration.

• A Leave of Absence Article with an additional six (6) months medical leave (on top of FMLA).

• A Representation Article that allows for a Chief Steward and four (4) Stewards. The Chief Steward shall be entitled to ten (10) hours of paid Union time per month and the Stewards shall have four and one-half (4 ½) hours per month.

• A bargaining team of the Chief Steward plus four (4) members paid for by the Hospital.

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Contracts Settled Local 459 is proud to have these new members as part of our Union.

The bargaining team was Blenda Coward, Clinton Howard, Debbie Oldani, Deanna Ramsey and Kathy Thompson. They were assisted by Local 459 Service Representatives Lance A. Rhines and Charles Terry.

The Touchpoint Macomb team: Lance Rhines, Blenda Coward, Debbie Oldani and Charles Terry

From the President’s Desk

459 Update4

By Sharon Taylor, Local 459 President

Why We Continue to Organize

The Local 459 staff and officers have been working hard on organizing new groups for the past year and many of you have read the articles in our newsletter about this. I’ve had multiple questions about this and have been asked why, at this particular juncture, we’ve begun organizing again? There are many good reasons to organize.

Unions help level the playing field. When a steward walks into a meeting with a manager that steward is an equal of that manager in that meeting. They are there to protect that employee and are allowed to engage in robust debate that might be considered insubordination in a non-Union work place. In a unionized environment, workers are allowed to have a steward present to help protect their rights in any situation that could reasonably lead to discipline.

There are still many people out there who are not being treated fairly by their employers; they don’t have a voice in their workplace; they are being paid far less than their worth and they need help advocating for themselves. Every single worker deserves these things. Local 459 needs to do its share to help the unrepresented in Michigan. But organizing new members doesn’t just help them, it also helps our current members.

If workers in non-Union settings are paid less, it makes it harder for us to negotiate higher wages for our members. Employers are always pointing at non-Union employers and arguing that they won’t be competitive if our members make more. The only way to get true bargaining power and security is to organize as much of an industry as possible. It is also important to help workers outside our industries.

If the average worker is to get their fair share, we need to strengthen not only Local 459, but the Labor movement in general. This means working together and organizing. We need to bring as many workers into a Union as possible. The way to do this is to seek out groups that are not being treated fairly, find leaders within those groups who believe that they can make their workplaces better if they work together and to support and grow that feeling among the workers.

Local 459 has been able to organize several new groups during the past year including Hurley Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners, McLaren Greater Lansing Cardiovascular, Cardiothoracic and Holt Family Practice, and Touchpoint Macomb Dietary and Environmental Services. These groups each heard about the work that Local 459 was doing and approached us about representation.

Every worker deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. They deserve to have someone in their corner. They deserve to work in a safe workplace. They deserve to know what the rules are in their workplace. These are just some of the things that are generally put into place when negotiating a collective bargaining agreement and we believe in all workers’ rights to these basic fair standards. These are the reasons that we organize new groups. It is the right thing to do. It also helps our current members.

On a related note, the Local 459 Executive Board and staff want to congratulate our newest members at Touchpoint Macomb on ratifying their first contract. (see page 1) While we fight for every contract in this day and age, a first contract remains one of the most difficult to negotiate. We look forward to each of you becoming members of this great Local and we hope to continue to grow our membership.

EXECUTIVE BOARD ACTION

Backpack Drive

July - Aug 2015 5

The Local 459 Executive Board is made up of members elected by the membership. The Board meets at least monthly. It is at these meetings that many of the decisions regarding Local 459 members are presented, discussed, and decided.

Executive Board decisions made during the period of May 2015 to July 2015 of possible interest to the membership are outlined below. Decisions which have been discussed elsewhere in this newsletter are not included.

ARBITRATIONS Arbitration is the final step in the grievance process. The vast majority of grievances are settled prior to reaching arbitration. Both the Union and management present their case before a neutral arbitrator who makes a binding decision based on the merits of the case. Arbitration is an expensive and time consuming procedure. Local 459 has limited funds and cannot afford to arbitrate every grievance. Therefore, all unresolved grievances are presented to the Executive Board for review.

A total of three (3) grievances were presented to the Executive Board. Three (3) were approved.

• MGL POST – Step 3 Discipline

• Hope Network – Serious Violation Discipline

• Hope Network – Termination

BUSINESS The Executive Board appointed Stewards and Alternates at Hope Network, MGL, NEM CMH, Red Cross and Touchpoint Macomb where only one (1) member expressed an interest in the position.

The Executive Board approved pay up to $2,000 to develop a new monthly accounting report system.

APPEAL PROCESS The Local 459 Constitution allows the membership to modify or overturn any action of the Executive Board but any such decision must be done at a membership meeting in which a quorum is present and which is held or properly requested within one (1) calendar month of the Executive Board action.

A special membership meeting may be called upon a request submitted to the President by not less than three percent (3%) of the members in good standing. Currently, there

are 2,712 members so a petition would require approximately eighty-one (81) signatures. Petitions are available from the Local 459 office.

For reviewing a decision to arbitrate or not to arbitrate a grievance, a special meeting may also be called by three quarters of the members in the bargaining unit in which the grievance arose. For some bargaining units this is less than three percent (3%) of all Local 459 members in good standing

The regular meetings of the Executive Board are held the second Tuesday of each month. Draft minutes of the meeting are available no later than two (2) weeks following the meeting.

Please see the Constitution for specific details.  Copies of the Constitution are available from the Local 459 office and on the Local 459 website.

QUESTIONS? If there are any questions or concerns about these decisions, please feel free to contact President Sharon Taylor by phone at (517) 887-8844 (Greater Lansing area) or (800)-833-1103 (outside Greater Lansing) or by email at staylor@local459.org .

Local 459 Nurses Council sponsored a Stuff-a-Back-Pack drive again this year in conjunction with Child and Family Charities’. Members from several units participated and were very generous. Their donations helped children in the foster care system. This is another great example of Union members helping the less fortunate in the community.

Local 459 staff help sort the school supplies

Grievances Settled

459 Update6

The members, stewards and staff of Local 459 settle many grievances each quarter. There is insufficient space to publish all of them. Grievances which are unique or affect a large number of members are more likely to be published. If you would like to publicize a grievance you have settled, contact your Service Representative.

American Red CrossShort Staffing Leads to Extra Pay

The contract between Local 459 and the American Red Cross (ARC) Blood Services division provides for adequate staffing at all blood drives. The goal of the blood drive is the determining factor as to how many staff are necessary.

In January there was a blood drive in Stevensville that was “short staffed.” A grievance was filed by Kalamazoo Chief Steward Kelly Brust. The demand on the grievances is that the employees who were on the drive split the wages of the number of staff who should have been on the drive.The grievance was granted in February and the following members split a total of $142, Brianne Edmonds, Amy Holysz, Erik Kendziorski and Kathy Nisbet.

In May there was a Flint area blood drive that was not staffed for the goal. A grievance was filed by Lansing Steward Penny Jugovich. The grievance was recently granted and the following members split a total of $102, Kristine Adler, Melissa Drane, GarredKasprzycki and Jennifer Pogue.

In June there was a drive held in Rosebush that was not given enough staff for the goal. A grievance was filed by Lansing Steward Penny Jugovich. The grievance was granted and the following members split a total of $102, Nicole Hudson, Heather Lytle, Michele Morgan, Jodie Miller and Sue Nelson.

American Red CrossStaffed Short and Paid Late

Our members at the Red Cross pursue staffing issues even if it takes months.

In September 2014 a drive in Albion was not staffed according to the goal. A grievance was submitted by Lesley Thibault. It took until July 2015 for the grievance to work its way through the system but it was granted and five (5) members recently split the $102.

In January there was a drive held at MSU that was short staffed. A grievance was filed a few days later by Amber Holton. It was denied but the members continued to pursue it. It was recently granted and three (3) members split $204.

MGL RNsPushed Too Far!

Sometimes too much is asked of a nurse and they can react in a negative fashion. This happened to a nurse at McLaren Greater Lansing (MGL) who was required to work far beyond her budgeted hours and refused to break down

and put away some patient charts at the end of her extra hours. It just seemed to her a bit ridiculous to pay an RN time and one half to do work that could have waited until the morning when the Unit Assistant could have easily done this without paying anyone overtime. She did admit that this could be considered insubordinate but she wanted to make a point. All the RNs on her unit are working too many hours above their budgeted hours and she had just had enough. The HR department and her manager did their investigation. They decided she may have posed a HIPPA violation by not breaking down the charts and was insubordinate by not doing this task before she went home. They issued her a very harsh discipline by giving her a step three with a 2 day suspension which would put her one step away from termination. She would also not be eligible to transfer to another department which she hoped to do.

Chief Steward Julie Murray filed a grievance on the RN’s behalf. She pointed out that when the charts are broken down at the end of the day, they go into a basket which is on top of the ledge at the nurse’s station to be picked up by medical records. This department is not a twenty-four (24) hour operation. As this was on a weekend, medical records would not have made rounds until sometime on Monday. This made the protected patient information unprotected from Saturday until Monday. Murray countered that at least she secured the charts in a protected place in the desk. She also argued that this punishment certainly did not fit the crime. This discipline was reduced to a step 2 which would allow her to transfer and not put her employment in immediate danger.

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Grievances Settled

July - Aug 2015 7

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MGL RNsThere’s a Hole in the Schedule

Dear Liza, Dear Liza?

MGL PACU Greenlawn and SDS Greenlawn nurses are very familiar with mandation pay. They have filed many grievances to fight for this double time guaranteed by their Union contract.

The contract states if there is a hole in the schedule that results in someone having to stay past their shift, they should receive double time. The hole can be created because someone called in sick or had a PTO day. If the manager doesn’t fill the hole with another employee, then it is considered a mandation. Chief Steward Julie Murray has been to the well many times with this hole in the bucket. She had to go again recently.

PACU RN Tracy Flamme was awarded two (2) hours, Jan Denby received one half (½) hour and SDS RNs Sherry Owens and Steward Ruth Malefyt each got one (1) hour.

MGL RNsI Got it Covered!

Virginia Lee is a MGL weekend Baylor RN on 4 main. She followed the appropriate timelines to submit for a prime time vacation on the 4th of July holiday. Her manager told her, because she was a Baylor, she could not ask for a vacation day when it falls on a weekend. The manager and HR argued that Baylor contract language says PTO requests can’t supersede the unit’s holiday requirements. If the holiday falls on a weekend they are expected to work it.

The MGL RN contract does allow a nurse to find their own coverage as long as that employee would not incur any overtime. Lee did find her

own coverage and the holiday was granted. As a weekend Baylor, she is only allowed two (2) extra days off per quarter and HR agreed that this would not count as one (1) of those extra days off.

MGL RNsWhose Hours Are They Anyway?

Ellen Harmon, MGL 2 East Ortho RN, wanted to have her hours restored as other nurses on her unit had. On one occasion she asked her manager if extra hours would be offered while she was on vacation. Despite being told this wouldn’t happen, the hours were posted while she was away and she missed out.

Up until this point, the hours had been posted and given to the high senior RN who was interested. When the next hours became available for Harmon’s shift, management used a different method to award them. They called this an “individual schedule change” and gave the twelve (12) hours to the low senior RN.

Chief Steward Julie Murray filed a grievance on Harmon’s behalf. She argued this was contrary to how every other extra hours had been awarded. HR countered there was nothing in the contract that prohibited them from doing this.

The Local 459 Executive Board approved the grievance for arbitration. With a hearing looming, MGL got serious about settling the matter. An agreement was reached where Harmon was awarded the twelve (12) hours and received $2,750 to compensate her for the pay she lost for not getting the extra hours in the first place. Fortunately, 2E’s volumes had grown enough that the other RN was able to keep her hours.

MGL RN A Failure to Communicate

When a nurse on MGL 6 South was contacted by the scheduling department, prior to the start of her shift and asked if she would like to be on call instead of working, she told them “no” she either wanted to work or be completely off. The scheduler then told her she would continue to look for people to be on call as they had too many nurses working. The scheduler even asked the nurse if she wanted to use PTO for that shift.  Since the nurse thought she was cancelled for the day, she took her kids to the park and left her phone in her car.

When she returned to the car she discovered a missed call from the hospital. It was from a different scheduler asking where she was as they were expecting her to be at work. The nurse called right back and explained that she had been cancelled. The scheduler said she would look into it and that was the end of the conversation. The next time she worked her manager issued her a Step one discipline for a no call/no show.

Chief Steward Julie Murray filed a grievance on her behalf and argued that there was obviously a miscommunication between the scheduling office and this nurse. She has had no prior history of any attendance issues or any type of discipline prior to this situation.  The grievance was settled by HR reducing the active period of the discipline from nine months to five months and going forward it was agreed the scheduling office would be counseled to be clearer.  The nurse understands that in the future she may want to ask “are you taking me off the schedule?.”

459 Update8

CEI CMH RESIDENTIALUnjust Termination Overturned

Ashley Seals, a CEI CMH Residential Technician, was terminated for a number of alleged performance issues. The discipline claimed she had not turned in an accurate report for purchases, she failed to appropriately document missed medications, she was missing narcotics from a medication count and she incorrectly administered urine drug screens. Steward India Hudson filed a grievance on her behalf. During the grievance hearing, Hudson presented information that refuted management’s assertion that she did not turn in an accurate purchase report. The Steward also noted that management incorrectly cited missing narcotics. In fact, from the medication counts, there were actually extra medications than what should have been there. This indicated a far less serious issue of a miscount as opposed to missing medication.

Additionally, Hudson stated that there was no information presented in the grievance hearing and no information given to the Union that would validate that Seals had administered a urine drug screen incorrectly. The grievant did admit that she signed for medications without doing a medication count to confirm that she had given the medication. Hudson argued with the large amount of medications that are passed to clients at her worksite, this is a relatively minor infraction certainly not warranting termination. Based on this information, Seals was returned to work with full back pay and benefits by the Chief Human Resources Officer. Her discipline was reduced from a termination to a verbal warning for the incorrect signing of the medication.

CEI CMH LARGEDisciplined for Not Taking a Call

Jamie Schnepp, CEI CMH Mental Health Therapist working at one

CEI CMH LARGEWork Assignments Can be

Awarded by Seniority

Sandra Davis, Community Support Technician at Clinton Eaton Ingham Community Mental Health(CEI CMH) Transitions North day program, approached management to request a change in her work assignment. The assignment that she had been performing included working on a cleaning crew which required her to stay later in the day and she wanted to be able to get out of work earlier. Davis knew that someone that worked the same amount of hours as her had recently left their position which created a possibility for her to have a schedule that ended earlier in the day.

Management stated that they were required to formally post the opening and that she would have to apply for the position and compete with other candidates for this job. Davis countered that other employees within her department were allowed to move into different team spaces when openings occurred without having to formally apply for the positions. Davis even cited some examples of previous employees that worked in her specific position that were allowed to change their work assignments without having to apply for the positions. Chief Steward Laura Sandberg had several conversations with management to resolve the issue. Management agreed that, although they have discretion in assigning work for programmatic reasons, an employee can request that change and it will be granted on the basis of seniority as long as there are no concerns with an employee moving into a different team space,

of the co-location sites in the Ingham County Health Department, received a verbal warning for performance issues. The discipline cited Schnepp for not taking a call when one of the Health Department Staff asked her to. The discipline stated that Schnepp “refused” to take the call.

Steward Gwen Williams filed a grievance on her behalf. Williams argued that Schnepp did not refuse to take the call. In fact, Schnepp had been interrupted to come out of a session with another client to take the phone call. She believed that there were other mental health professionals available to assist. Additionally, Williams argued that Schnepp had asked for clarification a number of times from management regarding protocol for issues that came up as there were conflicting policies between CEI CMH and the Health Department. After being heard by the Chief Human Resources Officer Schnepp’s grievance was granted and her verbal warning discipline was removed

CEI CMH LARGE UNITPersonal Leave Notice

CEI CMH ACCESS department employees were given written guidelines for taking time off and filling out their time card. The employees noticed that the guidelines stated that they needed to give notice and get authorization to use personal time by 1:00 p.m. the previous day. Past practice did not require employees to give advance notice for using personal time. President Sharon Taylor reported the concern to Chief Steward Laura Sandberg to investigate. After discussing this issue with Chief Human Resources Officer Sharon Blizzard, the written guidelines were revised which requested that employees give as much notice as possible. This concern was resolved without the need to file a formal grievance.

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July - Aug 2015 9

MGL POST Disciplined for Taking a Call

Nicole Gonzalez is an Emergency Room Technician at MGL. Gonzalez had a family issue and needed to take a phone call during work hours. When she first arrived at work she asked for permission from the Charge RN to take that call. It was granted. The call came in and Gonzalez finished the task she was involved in and then returned the call.

The Service Line Administer for the Emergency Room called Gonzalez into the office and issued her a discipline for leaving the department to make a personal phone call without notifying management. Gonzalez notified Chief Steward Brenda Densmore to grieve the discipline. During the grievance meetings Densmore argued that the employee had permission to take the phone call and the discipline should be removed. MGL refused to remove the discipline. The Local 459 Executive Board approved the grievance for arbitration. Once the case was scheduled for a hearing and reviewed by their attorney, MGL HR made an offer to grant the grievance and make Gonzalez whole in every way.

MGL POSTSeeing is Believing

Jane Hepfner an MGL Sterile Processing Technician had volunteered to work Thanksgiving Day and was granted the shift. But management mandated her to also work on Christmas day. Hepfner went to Chief Steward Brenda Densmore to see if she could be required to work two (2) holidays in a row. In the verbal step grievance process Densmore pointed

out the POST contract language to the department manager which states that the Employer cannot require an employee to work two (2) consecutive holidays in the same calendar year.

The manager requested a copy of the POST Contract Holiday section and once he received it the grievance was granted and the employee was removed from the Christmas day work schedule.

MGL POSTHR Agrees - Mandating During

Vacation is Wrong The employees of the Food and Nutrition department at MGL followed the contract language when asking for vacation time and were award time off by the department Director. Some of those employees were mandated by the Director to work on their vacation day. Steward Monica Artis met with the Director several times in an attempt to resolve the situation. When those attempts failed, the grievance was taken to Chief Steward Brenda Densmore and a written grievance was filed with the HR department.

Artis and Densmore argued that once an employee was awarded a day off by the contract they were no longer part of the equation for being mandated in to work. The grievance was settled when HR sent this statement “we would agree not to mandate employees to work on days that they have approved PTO scheduled.  This would not be applicable in a situation where the employee has PTO approved pending it being in the bank.  Only when fully approved.  This makes sense to us in HR and management as people do make plans around their approved PTO. This settlement would be applicable to food and nutrition and is non-precedent setting. “ This resolved the grievance.

HOPEDid Ask, Didn’t Yell

Trinell Payne is a Residential Instructor (RI) at the HOPE Alpine Grove Program, where she works the second (2nd)

shift. When she got to work she was approached by a co-worker about an unfavorable change to start times for some of the second shift (2nd) workers. The co-worker was a relatively new worker at Hope but she knew that Payne was a Steward in the Program and she wanted to know if Payne was aware of the changes and if Hope could make those changes. Their conversation was overheard in the program and reported as being loud and disruptive by someone who was in a non-union position but not management. Payne received a discipline.

Payne contacted the Union and a grievance was filed. It was argued at the first step that the co-worker had every right to bring it to the attention of the Steward and that the conversation between the two (2) workers was not disruptive to the Program or the consumers. The grievance was settled by Payne discipline being removed and replaced with a non-disciplinary tutorial memo.

Touchpoint – OaklandNo One to Pass to

Deaunte Johnson is a food service worker in dietary for Touchpoint at St Johns Oakland Hospital. Johnson was working as a tray passer and took a tray up for a patient. When he got to the floor there was no one around and he was unsure which room the patient was in so he left the tray at the nurse station and left the floor. One of the nurses found the food tray and called administration to complain about the tray not being delivered to the patient’s room.

Johnson was suspended while being investigated for poor customer service. Chief Steward Louversa Fair went with Johnson for his investigation and was able to point out that he did his job and was not negligent in his responsibilities. The suspension was removed and Johnson was paid for any and all work time lost.

Steward Spotlight

459 Update10

Gina Carter LAFCU

Gina Carter works in Card Services at LAFCU Credit Union in Lansing. She has been at LAFCU since 1997. She has been a Union Steward for ten (10) years and now is Chief Steward. Carter says she likes the challenge of being Chief Steward and she likes to help her co-workers. She was also a member of the most recent bargaining team.

Carter has two (2) sons, Kodi who is twenty-two (22) and Mason who is six (6). She also has one granddaughter Kinsley who is ten (10) months old. And, she has twin grandsons on the way!

Carter enjoys NASCAR and her favorite driver is Denny Hamlin. She also enjoys spending time at her mother’s house on Houghton Lake.

Carter says she is very proud that despite Right to Work laws, LAFCU’s member participation is 100%!

Sarah Corgan MGL RN

McLaren Greater Lansing RNs depend on their stewards to keep the lines of communication open between Local 459 and the hospital. They are the contact person that nurses can count on to answer contract questions or file a grievance. They work closely with their Chief Steward Julie Murray to make sure the contract is being followed. The Steward for 6 south is Sarah Corgan who says it never even occurred to her to not join the Union. She feels McLaren is a great organization but there are checks and balances that the Union provides to make it “an amazing place for patient care.” Her role as a steward allows her to be proud that she works hard for her patients and can keep them safe and advocate on their behalf. While she is able to do this, her Union is working hard to keep her and her fellow members safe while advocating for their rights. Corgan says she is proud to serve as a Union steward. “It is an extension of what I already do. I am always happy to be a resource and advocate for my coworkers. If I can make even a small difference, I feel as though I have accomplished something big.”

When she was asked why she became a nurse Corgan said that it was for the same reason most people become a nurse, to make a difference. Nurses do make quite a difference in their patients’ lives. She notes that this is proving more difficult with the ever changing times we are experiencing in health care today, but what keeps her passionate is knowing nurses are needed for this more than ever now. “It is a difficult job for all of us. Requiring long hours and sacrifices in our own lives, but worth every moment when you get to see and experience those life changing moments, both good and bad, alongside our patients and their family members.”

Corgan earned her degree from Lansing Community College in 2001 and immediately began working for McLaren as a med/surg nurse. As nurses do have such a challenging job, balancing work life with personal life is crucial. Sarah likes to take every free moment and devote it to family time which helps her relax after a long work week. As she says “I see the best and worst humanity has to offer, and therefore can appreciate all the love, health and happiness that my life has been truly blessed with.”

Melissa Pickens,Trudy Mitchell, Sarah Corgan and her daughter Isabella

Roses

OPEIU Life Insurance Benefits

July - Aug 2015 11

ROSE Bob Sheehan

At eighteen (18) years Robert Sheehan has been the longest serving Executive Director as Clinton-Eaton-Ingham Community Mental Health (CEI CMH). The next closest contender only stayed ten (10) years. Sheehan’s tenure is coming to an end in October when he will start his new position as the Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards – the organization that lobbies for all Michigan CMHs. His new job is a natural fit given how politically active he has been while at CEI CMH.

His predecessor adopted an antagonistic attitude towards the employees and their Union. Contract negotiations are inherently conflictual as each side often has different priorities. Sheehan pioneered a more cooperative method where the Union and management worked together to solve common problems. He extended this

philosophy outside of bargaining and established a number of joint labor/management committees to give staff more input into decisions. He worked together with HR staff to find creative ways to resolve grievances. Not a single grievance from the hundreds that were filed during his tenure needed to be decided by an arbitrator. All were settled prior to reaching that point.

Sheehan has demonstrated integrity as an Executive Director. Some leaders like to give non-Union employees bigger raises. His philosophy has always been Union and non-Union staff ’s raises should match. He extended this principle to himself when he turned down the significant raise the Board of Directors offered him in 2011. This is a departure from many other top executives. The most recent public filing show the McLaren corporate CEO was paid $8.8 million.

He strongly believes in working with staff at all levels. He has spent a great deal of time communicating with employees to insure they were aware of what was happening at all levels of the agency. Sheehan is known for his strong engagement with staff. In fact, employees joke that he knows the name of every one of the agency’s 1,000 employees.

CEI CMH has gone through very challenging times over the last eighteen (18) years. Sheehan had to deal with budget deficits for

most of the years he has been in charge due to inadequate State funding. CEI CMH transitioned from a fee for service to managed care payment system. More than one governor has threatened to privatize the public mental health system including the current one. Most agencies would have been fortunate to survive these struggles. Sheehan understood that forming a partnership with staff and their Union was the only way he could steer it through these troubles. Under his leadership CEI CMH not only survived, but thrived and grew to a 1,000 employee organization.

We are awarding Sheehan a Rose for the example he set in creatively finding ways to strengthen ties with employees and their Union and the many benefits that go along with it.

Late in 2013 OPEIU International introduced two new benefits – a $2,000 death benefit and $2,000 accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) benefit. These life insurance benefits are being provided at no cost to OPEIU members. Only active members are eligible for these benefits.

If you have a specific person that you want these benefits to go to you need to complete a “Designation of Beneficiary”. If you do not complete one of these designation forms the benefit will go to the person considered under law to be your next of kin and they will have to complete additional

forms to be designated as such. “Designation of Beneficiary” forms are available through the Local 459 office. Simply call us at (517) 887-8844 or email us at local459@local459.org.

Local 459 Executive Board Nominations

459 Update12

Members at Large

The Local 459 Executive Board is elected by the Membership for two (2) year terms. There are seventeen (17) positions to be filled. This process began at the August 11, 2015 Local 459 membership meeting.

The election is conducted by a three (3) person Election Board. Four members were nominated for the Board. Gina Carter (LAFCU), Elizabeth McGwin(American Red Cross Lab/Clerical/Distribution) and Gwen Williams (CEI CMH Large Unit) were elected by the members present to serve as the Board.

At the meeting, the following nominations were made and timely accepted for the Executive Board seats.

Officers

President: Sharon Taylor & Wendy Yaney

Vice-President: Neal Wilensky

Secretary-Treasurer: Jill Weber

Recording Secretary: Kim Olney

Sergeant-At-Arms/Trustee: Robert Potts

Trustee (2 positions): Jonathon Brock & Kyra Keusch

CEI CMH Large Unit: Juaquin Sanchez

CEI CMH Residential: India Hudson

LAFCU: Marjorie Rodgers

Red Cross Collections: Cindra Krieger

MGL RN: Theresa Wing

MGL POST: Kendra Moore-Carthen

& Ricky Bailey

All Other Units: Jose Salinas

There was one (1) person nominated for MGL Technical Member-at-Large seat but it was not accepted within the Constitutional time frame.There was no one nominated for the Member-at-Large positions for Hope Network or for St Johns Oakland Hospital.

There are two (2) positions that are contested; President and Member-at-Large MGL POST. The Local 459 Constitution does not allow sticker or write-in candidates

The election of the Executive Board will be held at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at the Local 459 office (838 Louisa St, Lansing). Members can also vote by mail if a completed Request for Absent Voters Ballot form is received by Local 459 no later than midnight September 13, 2015. Call Local 459 at (517) 887-8844 or (800) 833-1103 to ask for a Request for Absent Voters Ballot form. After submitting your form, we encourage you to call the Local to confirm that your name in on the list of members to receive an Absent Voters Ballot form.

PRESORTEDSTANDARDU.S. Postage

PAIDLANSING, MICH

PERMIT No.975

Office and Professional EmployeesInternational Union, Local 459838 Louisa St., Suite A Lansing, MI 48911-5207