DID YOU KNOW?

I have been listening for some time to members of MSEA wondering what the union has done for them. I would like to attempt to provide some of that information to you. First of all, contrary to belief, MSEA is a member organization and can not operate without the members being active. From the first contract to the upcoming negotiations members have been at the table presenting the wants and needs of fellow members. This is a rewarding and yet at times unappreciated volunteerism that your co-workers do for each of us. Your vacation time, sick time, paid holidays, stipends for dangerous work, mileage reimbursement, longevity pay, personal time and other reimbursement and time issues are in the contract because someone cared enough to negotiate those for you. Who you ask represents you. Why it is the Steward in the work site. Training is provided them two times a year. They have a large network of other Stewards and Chief Stewards as well as staff to help you. Members like you and me, go to chapter meetings, check the union website www.mseaseiu.org and keep ourselves informed. We get elected to positions in our chapters and attend our annual convention (council meetings) where we as members set dues and a course for our union to go into. We elect fellow members to sit on the Board where they are responsible for adhering to the councils wishes and to administer the budget that the council approved. Those who have been providing their volunteer services need your help. We should be standing together with support and understanding. These are bad times and they are not getting any better. We need more volunteers. At a recent meeting to start the bargaining process early an election was postponed in order to try to involve more members. Yes, it was a nice sunny Saturday and there was something else to do. It is becoming harder and harder to find funds for a good contract. Please find some time to help yourself and fellow members and get involved. It is rewarding and you can actually make new friends. Let me ask a question in a different way. What would get you interested in attending meetings and getting involved? You can't complain that the Union doesn't do this or doesn't do that if you don't ask. Remember YOU are the Union and if the Union isn't doing something you want part of the responsibility is yours. Although not all of this pertains to 771, the membership involvement does. I too get asked what has the union done for us. If you don't like the way things are going, get involved. I took this from UnionMaine's blog.