You are right… our members do deserve better and YOU should know better. Richard Wilcox presents one perspective and what he has to say is in black. Allow me to present another:

"Before I explain what the proposal ACTUALLY says, I must explain that there are two components of our dues. The first is the percentage that is calculated. That percentage is currently 1% of gross wages." - Actually, I’m still paying 1.25% until January 2007, when my dues are supposed to return to 1% of gross. If the proposed motion passes, the .25 dues increase we were all assured would be temporary, will become permanent and gee thanks for adding a $75.00 cap, since none exists at present.

"If someone is a file clerk making $2,150 a month, their Union dues will be one percent, or $21.50 a month." - Allow me to correct your math $2,150 X 1.25% (the current dues rate) = $26.87 dues. Let’s suppose this file clerk received the 3.5% and his/her salary rate climbed to $2,225.25, so his/her dues would currently be $27.81. In other words, SEIU Local 1000 is already collecting 3.5% or 95 cents more from this poor file clerk, who’s counting on getting that .95 cents back in January.

"That is simple and straightforward." - Uh, not exactly.

"Where it gets complicated is the fact that we also currently have a "cap" which is the maximum amount in dues that a member pays per month. Right now, our dues cap is $45 per month."

Again, “Uh, not exactly”…. The $45.00 dues cap was suspended on the .25% dues increase.

"How that shakes out is like this: Our file clerk makes $2,150 a month, and pays 1% as dues, or $21.50 per month. Meanwhile, a staff attorney makes $7,500 a month. If that person paid a straight 1% his or her dues would be $75 a month. Because of the cap, however, the dues are only $45 a month, or only 3/5ths of 1% of the gross."

Well, now…. Staff attorneys are Unit 2 and not represented by SEIU Local 1000, so this comparison isn’t exactly appropriate. In Unit 21, SEIU Local 1000’s smallest and highest paid represented bargaining unit, members topped out at $6,498 in the previous contract, so let’s use them for a more appropriate comparison. With a 3.5% increase, our Unit 21 member, now making $6,725 is paying $84.06 a month in dues, since the $45.00 cap has been suspended for more than a year.

"As you can see, this puts an unfair burden on our lower-paid members, and constitutes preferential treatment of our higher paid members."

Really? Even though Unit 21 members make more money, does it cost that much more to bargain for them? Especially considering there are less than 700 Unit 21 members in the entire state! Under the current dues structure of 1.25% with no cap, our file clerk is paying $27.81 per month and our topped out Unit 21 member is paying $84.06 per month. The percentage is the same, but does it really cost over three times more to bargain for Unit 21 members than it does for Unit 4 members? Just because some members believe Unit 21 can “afford” to pay more, is it fair to ask them to pay more than triple for the same services?

"The proposal works like this:"

"• If passed, on January 1, 2007, the CAP will be raised to $75 per month. The vast majority of us make roughly $3,750 a month, so MOST of us do not make enough money to be affected by this."

Hmmmm…..Joe Average makes $3,750 and receives his 3.5% raise, now he’s making $3881.25 and paying 1.25% or $48.51 in dues, $3.51 above the currently suspended $45.00 cap. In January, “Joe Average” will be expecting his dues to drop back down to $38.81. Imagine his surprise! Meanwhile, our poor Unit 21 member, who also got the 3.5% raise saw numbers like this: $6,498.00 X 3.5% = $6,725.43 and would be paying 1.25 % or $84.06 in dues, except the $75.00 cap will give them a whopping $9.00 break. Unit 21 should be grateful! They’re the only ones who would see their dues go down to $75.00 due to the implementation of the cap. Sounds like we’re ALL affected by this!

"• On April 1, 2007, dues will be raised to 1.5% of our monthly gross. This is one half of one percent above what we pay now. Our file clerk will now pay $32.25 per month. The Cap will also be raised to $90 per month, which is 1.5% . of your gross if you make $6000 or more every month."

Our file clerk got that 3.5% raise too and is now making $2,225.25, right?  So their dues would go from $27.81 to $33.38. Our “Joe Average” making $3881.25 and will see his dues go from $48.51 to $58.21. Our topped out Unit 21 members will see their dues go from $84.06 to $100.88, except for the new $90.00 cap, so they get a $10.00 break. Wow! How generous!

"• In 2010, we will be asked to pay a further ¼ of 1% in dues, with the cap raised to $135. That is 1.75% of the gross on a salary of $7714 a month."

Okay, let’s do our own math: “File Clerk” making $2225.25 per month will be paying $34.98 in dues, “Joe Average”, making $3881.25 will be paying $67.92 and our topped out Unit 21 member, who’s making $6,725 will be paying $117.68. All of this before we’ve even negotiated our contract(s) for 2010! The new $135 cap does nothing for anyone represented by SEIU Local 1000, so it’s only there for show. They should just state the obvious – they’re eliminating any applicable dues cap.

Forgive me, but I haven’t the patience or the inclination to address the remainder of the “b-lls—t” contained in Mr. Wilcox’s purple sunshine message, but be assured, it is b.s.  Make sure your DLC president and G.C. delegates have heard from you prior to October 21^st, when they will be asked to vote this new dues structure into place.

"To break it down, at the end of the day in 2010, we will be paying ¾ of 1% above what we are paying right now, with a cap set at $135 so that our higher paid members share in the burden of the costs associated with our representation and bargaining efforts. Meanwhile, the new contract gives us a gain of 3.5% RIGHT NOW. Next year, we will gain a further 2 to 4% as a cost of living increase, based on the consumer price index. I will not add in the $1000 "bonus", which is the least the state can do for us for leaving us twisting in the wind without a contract for over a year.

Taken with the dues increase that is being proposed, this means that our members are gaining anywhere from 4.75% to 6.75%, depending on the cost of living adjustment next year under the provisions of the new contract.

There is more. Note that the proposal on the table is not fully in place until 2010. Meanwhile, we will be negotiating a new contract in 2008. We won this contract we have now largely on the courage of our members, who voted to approve a strike action even though our Union had no "strike fund" in place to offset the financial losses that would have been incurred by our membership had they been asked to walk a picket line. We defeated the Governor’s demand for concessions because we had helped finance an advertising campaign targeted against the governor's anti-labor Propositions. Those two campaigns, combined, cost us roughly $15 million. The sad reality of modern politics is that campaigns are expensive. Remember that number; it will come up in just a little bit.

Here is the good news about our 2008 Contract Campaign: With the dues proposal in place by then we will enter the campaign with a real "strike fund." This will mean that even more of our members than before will be willing to picket to assert their rights in the workplace and to earn a decent living wage. We will also have a fully staffed research department to hone our arguments more effectively when we have to take our message "to the streets" and the ballot box. We will have a fully-staffed member education and communications departments so that all of us can be more fully informed and mobilized more effectively. In short, we stand to gain a great deal in 2008, provided we have all the tools in place to get the job done. I believe that what is being proposed offers a lot of "bang for the buck", and I support it. Remember that I told you to remember that $15 million? The reason that I bring it up is the fact that our Union is currently 6.7 million dollars in the hole.

We had multiple campaigns over the course of the last year or so, and every one of them was crucial for our survival. Because we put the work and the money into every one of those campaigns, we won a contract that we can live with, without having our healthcare and pension costs increased, without having to take mandatory unpaid time off, without losing any of our paid holidays, and all the other claptrap that the Governor proposed. The reality, unfortunately, is that we did not have the money in our "war chest" to properly fund all these campaigns. We have also polled our members and have asked them how they want us to serve their needs in the future; I won't go into all the details of what they told us here (this bloody e-mail is long enough already, don't you agree?), but I can safely say that what our members ask does not come cheaply. I encourage you to research this issue; you can start on the SEIU Local 1000 website, which can be found at www.seiu1000.org . Among other things, you will find:"

• A report researched by an independent auditor outlining the current financial status of SEIU Local 1000.

• A PDF file of the report posed by the Union's 21st Century Committee, which conducted the polling of our members regarding what services they felt were needed to serve them in the future.

• A complete text of the Dues Increase proposal.

• A "dues calculator" that will tell you exactly how much you will pay per month under the new dues proposal

• Other documents that explain exactly how the union spends the money it currently has, as well as how we intend to spend it in the future....

• Other documents pertaining to the proposal.

Meanwhile, I want to thank you for your inquiry and interest. I am profoundly grateful that you have requested information on what you have seen and heard as opposed to making up your mind in the heat of the moment, without ascertaining all the facts of the matter.

Richard Wilcox

Chief Steward DLC 790

SEIU Local 1000