July 17, 2008

Progress at the Bargaining Table
On Thursday of last week, the SPSE-UPTE Skilled Trades bargaining team met with management for another round of bargaining talks. The sides came to an agreement that will provide employees who were laid off in January with additional severance pay and preferential re-hire rights.  On Thursday, we began talks around eight articles of the contract. These include health and safety, hours of work, non-discrimination, temporary light duty, holidays, probation, release time for bargaining, and respectful treatment.  Our team presented proposals to management and started the discussion.  Our next meeting with management is set for July 24th. Don't forget to wear your black UPTE t-shirt that day to support the bargaining team. If you don't have a t-shirt, contact your bargaining team rep or call the SPSE-UPTE office at 925-449-4846 to arrange to pick one up.

Unit Meetings
Members of the skilled trades unit meet every Tuesday night to talk about developments in the campaign to win a fair contract, mobilizing, and negotiation strategy. To hear the latest or to get involved, feel free to come by. We meet from 5-6:30 pm, Tuesday nights, at the SPSE-UPTE office which is located at 4047 First Street, Suite 200 in Livermore.

Membership Makes Us Stronger
If you are not yet a member of SPSE-UPTE, now is the time to join. Although every skilled trades employee is part of the bargaining unit, only around 50% have signed up. This is a no-risk offer; UPTE will not deduct any dues until the unit contract is negotiated and voted into force. Membership gives you the right to vote on key decisions during bargaining including an up or down vote on the final contract. The higher our membership, the stronger we are, and the more united is our position with management. To join the union, click here. You can mail the completed form to the address at the bottom of the form, or return it to one of your bargaining team members.

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How to Unsubscribe
SPSE has had access to Lab-wide e-mail for some time and aims to make prudent
and responsible use of the method of communication. However, if you prefer to be
deleted from our list send us an email at spse@spse.org
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Society of Professionals, Scientists & Engineers
Local 11 University Professional and Technical Employees, CWA Local 9119
P.O. Box 1066, Livermore, CA 94551
(925) 449-4846 voice
(925) 449-4851 fax
Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8am to Noon
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Visit our web site at http://www.spse.org