The Elections are over . . . now's the time to get down to business

771 will elect its new officers on November 22. A chapter meeting/election will take place at MSEA Headquarters in Augusta from 1-3 pm. 771 will have a door prize of a $50 gas card going to a lucky member. In order to win it, you must be present. Home Care for Maine members of 771 need to start thinking about their contract with HCM. That will also be discussed at the meeting on Nov. 22. If you're interested in being nominated for an executive office or a delegate, please contact me helen.hnsn@gmail.com and I'll pass the word to our organizers. Also, if you want to serve on the bargaining team for HCM, do the same, contact me helen.hnsn@gmail.com and I'll get the word to our rep. Here's the email I received from Owen about our bargaining team and upcoming negotiations. Helen, We need to start, if you all haven't already, putting together a Bargaining Committee for your next successor contract. Your current Collective Bargaining Agreement ends June 30, 2009. I suggest we put together a Bargaining Committee this month elected by your Unit's members to review the current contract to consider proposals from your unit members and Bargaining Committee members to amend or change it for the better. This may take a few meetings on the Bargaining Committee's part, but I would like to have suggested non-economic language changes regarding hours or working conditions (if any) completed by the first of the year but in no event later than January 31, 2009. Then I can mail our Demand to Negotiate Letter to Mollie Baldwin over at Home Care for Maine requsting financial information that we (our Bargaining Committee) would need to determine any suggested economic changes regarding wages. At that point, we would be well on the way to begin scheduling actual face-to-face bargaining sessions with HCM Management. Please share this email with anyone you know in your Unit who would be interested in being on this Bargaining Committee. ---Owen Sullivan, Field Representative MSEA-SEIU Local 1989