ANTHEM BLUE CROSS ON SEIU PAYROLL?; Hooray for Hollywood!; Prez responds!; SEIU 721 NEWS ROUNDUP; WALMART UNDER SIEGE
SEIU721REFORMERS
Guys,The following letter was sent to me personally from SEIU 721 member, Arturo Diaz and I wanted to share this information with you although I am neutral in the sense that I do not know all of the facts and so I cannot take sides on this matter.However, as custodian of SEIU721R...@gmail.com I would like to point out that I think it will be interesting to see if this article will be listed in next weeks SEIU 721 NEWS ROUNDUP.Let's see if SEIU 721 Staff will address this matter publicly and clear the air.RafeFROM: ARTURO DIAZTo all,The questions to ask are, "Whose decision was it to hire this person?, Who determined his salary?, How long will this person continue to be paid by SEIU?, Are the Locals in California being billed for his services?, Why was this person hired? and Did his hiring have any connection to the new, more narrow (a shorter list of available medical providers) health plan option being offered to L.A. City members/employees, effective January 01, 2013?Is this some more of the transparency of its activities that SEIU offers its members?Our dues money is responsible for the very exsistence of SEIU! They cannot continue to make decisions, that directly impact our families lives, in a vacuum, and not expect us to question their motives!If you are not, already, be pissed about such activities and demand answers!ArturoLos Angeles Times: SEIU Is in Bed with Giant Insurance Company in California
Los Angeles Times: SEIU Is in Bed with Giant Insurance Company in California
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Los Angeles Times: SEIU Is in Bed with Giant Insurance Company in California
An article in the Los Angeles Times is shining more light on the cozy relationship between SEIU and the giant corporations that dominate California’s healthcare industry.In earlier reports, Tasty described the infamous “partnership” between SEIU-UHW’s Dave Regan and the California Hospital Association (CHA), which is the Chamber of Commerce for the state’s multi-billion-dollar hospital corporations. In June, Regan teamed up with the CHA’s CEO, Duane Dauner, to wage a secret attack designed to roll back California’s nurse-to-patient staffing laws.So what’s the latest?According to the LA Times, a senior executive from Blue Shield is working as a lobbyist for SEIU’s top officials in California! Blue Shield is one of the largest health insurance companies in California and currently has $10 billion in annual revenues and 1.3 million patients. Here’s an excerpt from the LA Times:[Dave] Low isn't the only person with union ties pulling double duty for Blue Shield. One of the insurance company's senior executives also works as a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union, which represents nearly 300,000 government workers statewide.So who is the Blue Shield “senior executive” and how much is SEIU paying him?During the past 18 months, SEIU paid $240,000 to Mark Weideman, the Vice President of Government Affairs at Blue Shield, according to records from California's Secretary of State. The payments were reportedly arranged by SEIU's Dave Kieffer, the Executive Director of the SEIU California State Council.The Times cites various experts who describe their ethical concerns about SEIU’s cozy relationship with Blue Shield:Experts say those close ties between Blue Shield and key labor unions may give the nonprofit company undue influence over multimillion-dollar insurance contracts for public employees. It's common in California for a joint panel of labor and management officials to pick the winning insurance bidders and set many of the terms."This raises red flags about conflicts of interest and self-dealing," said Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor who studies public corruption. "It really starts to feel offensive when the public money at stake is so huge."Another expert describes his concerns about possible bid-rigging by SEIU and Blue Shield:….some experts expressed concern that Blue Shield's chief lobbyist is allowed to simultaneously represent the SEIU, a big union that participates in health-benefit decisions involving public employees and insurers."The question is, does Blue Shield have access to insider information through these unions?" said Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. "It doesn't look right."Or, as one reader noted in an online comment that’s posted on the LA Times website:Someone should say to them, in the words that every worker will recognize, "Which side are you on?"
Riordan plans ballot measure on L.A. city pensions
LAWRENCE K. HO / LOS ANGELES TIMES
Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan says his plan would save hundreds of millions of dollars a year by 2017, in part by phasing out government pensions as new employees come into the city workforce.
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BY DAVID ZAHNISER,Los Angeles Times
October 13, 2012Richard Riordan, Los Angeles' millionaire former mayor, plunged deeper into the fray over public pensions Friday, announcing he is finalizing language for a ballot initiative that would move newly hired workers into 401(k)-style plans and freezeretirement benefits for existing workers.
Riordan and his advisers said the proposal would save hundreds of millions of dollars a year by 2017, in part by phasing out government pensions as new employees come into the city workforce.
The announcement set the stage for a ground war between Riordan, who has warned that retirement costs would push the city into bankruptcy, and an array of employee unions influential in city decision making. Riordan would need nearly 255,000 signatures to get the measure onto the May municipal election ballot, according to the city clerk's office. Labor leaders want to keep that from happening.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council are already moving forward with their own plan to roll back pension benefits for future civilian employees, such as librarians, clerks, groundskeepers and mechanics.
But Riordan and his allies say that does too little and are countering with a more expansive plan that targets benefits given to police officers, firefighters and employees of the Department of Water and Power — whose unions are known for their heavy involvement in city elections.
Riordan contends that city retirement costs are growing at a rate that will leave money for public safety and pensions and little else. The former mayor initially said he would file ballot language for his proposal Friday. But backers of the measure postponed the submission until next week so they would have more time to go over the wording, said Jonathan Wilcox, Riordan's spokesman.
Union organizers promised to stand outside supermarkets in coming weeks to try to discourage voters from signing petitions to put Riordan's plan, dubbed the Fair Share Pension Reform Act of 2013, on the ballot.
"The plan is wrong-headed, based on made-up numbers and just plain mean," said Bob Schoonover, president of Service Employees International Union Local 721, which organized an emergency meeting Saturday to discuss the proposal.
"There's nothing fair about it," he said. "Riordan's plan would destroy retirement security for tens of thousands of middle-class L.A. city workers by gambling their futures on risky 401(k)s."
Attorney and San Fernando Valley civic leader David Fleming, who is working with Riordan on the measure, said he was not worried about a union push back against signature gathering. "That was done in San Diego. It was done in San Jose," said Fleming, referring to two cities where voters approved rollbacks in city employee pension benefits earlier this year.
Backers of Riordan's proposal say it will stop double-dipping, the practice of giving an employee a pension from one city job and a salary from another. The measure would also require that existing employees contribute more toward their retirement, but with the rate of increase capped at 3% a year, said Alex Rubalcava, an advisor to Riordan on pension matters.
The City Council voted two weeks ago to raise the retirement age for newly hired civilian workers who are not employed by the DWP from 55 to 65. That plan, backed by Villaraigosa, seeks to keep employees in the workforce longer and would dramatically reduce pensions for those who seek to retire at age 55 after 30 years of city employment.
Villaraigosa said he shares Riordan's concern about rising pension costs, but he questioned whether any plan that cuts pension benefits for existing employees would withstand a legal challenge.
"The reason why we haven't done that in the past," the mayor said, "is because our lawyers have made it absolutely clear that you can't change current employee pension benefits without giving them something of like value."
Councilman Paul Koretz, a close ally of the city's civilian unions, said the Riordan measure could cost the city money if approved. Once new employees are moved into a 401(k) plan, they would no longer contribute revenue needed to cover benefits of existing workers, he said.
"I think the idea is absolute idiocy," he said. "Because then we have no way to fund our current pensions. It actually winds up costing us more and is very counterproductive."
Villaraigosa's plan is awaiting a final City Council vote. City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said that plan would save $30 million to $70 million over a five-year period.
Rubalcava challenged that estimate, saying it would save nothing during that period.
Time staff writer Kate Linthicum contributed to this report.
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Dear Friend:
Today, the L.A. Times reported that multi-millionaire former mayor Richard Riordan is going to launch a ballot measure to slash the pensions of all current city workers and give future workers 401(k) plans. It's a major attack on all of us and we have a plan to stop it.
Join us to discuss what SEIU 721 members will do to defeat Riordan's plan at tomorrow's SEIU 721 LA/OC Cities Emergency Membership Meeting. We'll also talk about important changes to L.A. city healthcare benefits and how you can help pass Prop 30 and defeat Prop 32. I strongly encourage all LA/OC Cities members to attend.
Saturday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
SEIU Local 721, Auditorium
Dear SEIU 721 Member,
Every month, in accordance with the SEIU 721 by-laws, I submit a report on your union's activities to the Executive Board. We post the President's Report to the SEIU 721 website. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve member communications, we are emailing it out to you as well. If you like getting it in your email box or if you have comments on it, let me know. Send me an email at president...@seiu721.org.
Oct. 12, 2012
Working to Make Retirement Secure...For Everyone
Here’s a disturbing figure: Seventy-five percent of Americans nearing retirement age in 2010 had less than $30,000 in their retirement accounts. Can you imagine trying to retire in Los Angeles on $30,000? I can’t either, which is why, as a Local, we are committed to using every possible resource at our disposal to ensure that our members can retire securely after a career of service.
But not everyone shares our goals. In the City of Los Angeles, where we represent about 10,000 members, Mayor Villaraigosa and the City Council just railroaded through a two-tier retirement plan for new hires that would leave city workers in the poor house after they finish their careers.
Many of you have probably read our response in the papers and seen some of the interviews I and other representatives of the Local have given on TV. If so, then you know that we consider the Mayor’s and the Council’s actions to be illegal and unjust. We will challenge this attack on our pensions in court and we will fight it at the bargaining table.
Also, we will open up new fronts in this battle. For example, I am very happy to tell you that Governor Brown has just signed into law SB 1234, the California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program. This groundbreaking legislation will allow millions of Californians without access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan to enroll in a voluntary retirement plan with guaranteed benefits to supplement Social Security.
SEIU 721 members worked hard to get this bill through the legislature and onto the Governor’s desk. Why? First, because it is in our members’ interests to ensure that all Californians share the dream of being able to retire with dignity and security. Second, because it’s the right thing to do. Here’s another fact for you: almost half of middle-class workers, 49 percent, will be poor or near poor in retirement, living on a food budget of about $5 a day. If we allow this trend to continue, that percentage will steadily rise. Cat food and ramen noodles will become the norm for seniors and our communities will suffer.
What do you think? I want to hear your thoughts on secure retirement and other topics that you think are important to working people. Send me an email at president...@seiu721.org.
Representing Our Membership
Compton DCFS Victory: SEIU 721 members at the Compton Dept. of Children and Family Services office won a major arbitration award that requires management to reduce caseloads for generic Clinical Social Workers. The arbitrator found that the Department repeatedly violated our members’ MOU by repeatedly assigning cases over the yardstick on more than a temporary basis and by assigning cases over the caseload limit. Several member leaders testified on their behalves. I’m proud of the members and organizers who worked hard to fight for the rights of social workers in Compton. The next arbitration on caseloads is scheduled for the West Los Angeles DCFS office, where I’m certain our members will also prevail.
Ventura Hospital Housekeepers Block Unfair Schedule Changes: When Ventura County hospital housekeepers learned that management planned to put them on a disruptive rotating schedule, they immediately contacted their worksite organizer and went on the offensive. I am pleased to report that, after several meetings and a day of purpling up, management has backed away from its plan. VCMC Housekeeper Mike Lopez explains the situation well, saying this fight was “for my coworkers, our patients and the community.”
Celebrating Latino Heritage: On Sept. 15, the Latino Caucus held its annual Latino Heritage Celebration. Over a hundred members attended the event. Best of all, many brought their families. Everyone got to sample food from all over Latin America, like papusas and tamales. You might think only Latino members turned out, but organizers like Caucus Coordinator Rosie Martinez spotted lots of members from the African American caucus, Pacific Islander caucus, and others. Rosie said afterward, “The event was fabulous. It showed our union’s commitment to celebrating the diversity of its membership.” I couldn’t have put it better.
LA City Changes FLEX Benefits: For some time now, the City of Los Angeles has been looking to reduce health care costs. As a result, some changes are being made to the FLEX benefits program. All city workers covered by Anthem Blue Cross’s HMO plan will be moved to a “narrow network HMO,” called Select HMO. This will eliminate certain high-cost providers from the network. Because of this change, there will be no increases in deductibles and copays. But there will be a significant reduction in premiums. The changes to the Blue Cross plan will keep the City from balancing books through layoffs and other staff reductions. The City Council will take this up in the coming weeks and address how and when the full network plans will be available to members who want them. Please note that members enrolled in any Kaiser Permanente plans will not see any changes to their benefits.
Defined Contributions Conference: On the subject of retirement, I recently attended the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators in San Diego. My commitment to defined benefit plans is absolute and unwavering. Yet many of our members have supplemental defined contribution plans and I am a trustee of this important organization. The conference focused on subjects like best practices for selecting defined contribution plans, investment strategies and government policy trends.
Announcing Our New Riverside Office: I am happy to let you know that the new SEIU 721 Inland Region office is now up and running at 6177 River Crest Dr., Suite B, Riverside, CA, 92507, located off the 60 and 215 in the Box Springs area of Riverside. The new building provides us with more space for meetings and conferences, a member lounge and resource center and better parking. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with recreation ticket sales from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. daily.
A Note from SEIU 721's Chief of Staff, Gilda Valdez
As Chief of Staff for Local 721, I oversee the day-today operations of the men and women who work for you, the members of this Local. My commitment, and the commitment of the whole staff, is to serve and represent you to the best of our abilities. I’ll be using this space regularly to update you on the internal workings of your Local. This month, the leadership of the Local is working closely with United Union Professionals (UUP), the union that represents our staff-members, on our new Advocacy Committee. The committee’s job is to make recommendations to ensure excellence in representation. Likewise, staff development is always a priority at Local 721. Again, working with UUP, we are striving to improve our staff-member’s skills and to increase accountability, promote growth through training and ensure cooperation across departments and regions. I look forward to updating you on the progress of these initiatives in the coming months.
Election Central 2012!
Volunteer for the Election: This election could be won or lost by only a few hundred votes…Your actions will make a difference! Sign up today to Phone Bank and/or Precinct Walk to help pass Prop. 30 which will help fund public services and schools. Make a call to help defeat Prop. 32 which takes away our voices and gives political control to billionaires and CEO’s.
Here's how you can get involved in Los Angeles County, in the Tri-Counties and in Riverside. There are some great incentives for member volunteers, including a raffle for two airline tickets and two nights of hotel accommodations to attend President Obama’s Inauguration in Washington, D.C.
SEIU 721 Candidate and Issue Endorsements: In some races, the winner may be determined by only a few votes. This fall, SEIU 721 members will be voting to protect our rights, working families, and for those we serve every day when we vote NO on Prop. 32 and we will be voting on what type of community we want to live in when we vote YES on Prop. 30.
For more information and to volunteer before Nov. 6, call your Worksite Organizer or the 721 Member Connection at (877) 721-4968.
In Solidarity,
Bob Schoonover
SEIU721 President
Date: Wed, Oct 10, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Subject: This Week's SEIU 721 LA/OC Cities Media Round-Up
To: Ian Thompson <Ian.Th...@seiu721.org>
Hello everyone:
It’s never a slow week for SEIU 721. The plan of LA city leaders to slash public pensions for new hires is still in the news. There are also many stories about city politicians and the upcoming elections.
SOMETHING SIMPLE YOU CAN DO TO DEFEAT PROP 32:
Also, Prop 32 is down in the polls, which is a sign that our collective efforts to spread the word are working. Check out our new daily posts on Prop 32 at SEIU 721’s Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/seiu721. We are featuring original content with different city and county workers each day. Check it often and please LIKE and SHARE each post. Also, if you want to be featured, email me a headshot (can be from your smart phone) and a short quote on why you oppose Prop. 32. Attached is today’s photo, featuring LA city engineer and SEIU 721 Executive Board member Nady Maechling. Email me a photo and quote to help make sure the city workers are well represented!
In solidarity,
Ian Thompson
LA/OC Cities Communications Specialist, SEIU 721
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HANDS OFF PUBLIC PENSIONS!
(1) OC Register Editorial, 10.2: ‘L.A. takes baby steps on pension reform’
This editorial lacks analysis (the OC Register is maybe one of two newspapers in the state to come out in favor of Prop. 32), but does quote SEIU 721 member and LA City tree trimmer Art Sweatman:
"We all have to stand up to this attempt to chip away at our collective-bargaining rights," said tree trimmer Art Sweatman. "Time to tell the mayor that we won't let him turn Los Angeles into Wisconsin."
Raucous protesters from Service Employees International Union Local 721 compared Mr. Villaraigosa, a former union organizer and head of the Los Angeles chapter of a national union for government employees, to Gov. Walker, a Republican who ended collective-bargaining rights for most public workers, then survived a bitter recall campaign this year.
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/city-373284-workers-employees.html
(2) CityWatch: ‘Is Union Prez $850 Million Savings Claim Just Another LA Urban Myth?’
Takes issue with correct numbers cited by SEIU 721 President Bob Schoonover before City Council.
http://citywatchla.com/lead-stories/3870-is-union-prez-850-million-savings-claim-just-another-la-urban-myth-?utm_source=General+CityWatch+List&utm_campaign=310bf3c6b2-CW108010_4_2012&utm_medium=email
(3) Huffington Post, 10.5: ‘Chicago Pension Reform: Rahm Emanuel Hopeful For Big Changes In 2013’
Another Democratic mayor beating the anti-union drum of pension “reform.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/05/chicago-pension-reform-rahm_n_1944033.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago
LOS ANGELES POLITICAL NEWS
(1) CBS: ‘Mayor Extends Tax Holiday To Draw New Businesses To LA’
The city’s priorities are backward: cutting retirement benefits for city workers while giving businesses a multi-million dollar tax break.
“Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Friday extended the welcome mat to prospective new businesses in Los Angeles through 2015. … Villaraigosa said that rather than a loss in revenue from diminished gross receipts taxes, the city has seen a net increase from new business, sales and hotel taxes, with over 1,200 new firms grossing $500,000 and above taking advantage of the tax loophole in 2012.”
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/10/05/mayor-extends-tax-holiday-to-draw-new-businesses-to-la/
(2) LA Daily News, 10.3: ‘City Controller Wendy Greuel to review Building and Safety billing practices’
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_21692607/city-controller-wendy-greuel-review-building-and-safety
(3) LA Daily News, 10.9: ‘Exclusive: AEG sale expected to top $10 billion’
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_21731649/aeg-sale-may-top-6-billion-sparking-interest
(4) LA CityWatch, 10.1: ‘Los Angeles: What You Can Do About Our Dwindling Middle Class’
http://www.citywatchla.com/lead-stories/3845-los-angeles-what-you-can-do-about-our-dwindling-middle-class?utm_source=General+CityWatch+List&utm_campaign=e0361eceb1-CW107910_1_2012&utm_medium=email
(5) LA Curbed, 10.4: ‘The Average LA Worker Still Can't Actually Afford to Live in LA’
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/10/the_average_la_worker_still_cant_actually_afford_to_live_in_la.php
(6) LA Daily News, 10.8: ‘L.A. hoping to save shelter dogs and cats with ban on pet-store sales’
Maybe something pertinent to 721’s Animal Control workers: The Los Angeles City Council this month will consider a three-year ban on the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores. The idea is to steer prospective pet owners to local animal shelters to alleviate overcrowding and reduce the number of animals euthanized.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_21721517/l-hoping-save-shelter-dogs-and-cats-ban
ELECTED OFFICIALS
(1) LA Daily News, 10.9: ‘L.A. Councilman Bill Rosendahl won't run again, recounts his accomplishments’
http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_21733498/l-councilman-bill-rosendahl-wont-run-again-recounts
(2) LA Times, 10.9: ‘L.A. councilman burns political bridges in speech to colleagues’
Cancer-stricken Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl came to City Hall on Tuesday to formally announce that he would not seek reelection to a third term. But in a long speech to his colleagues, he focused less on his health than on enumerating his disappointment with various elected leaders and their policies.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/10/bill-rosendahl.html
(3) LA Times, 10.3: ‘L.A. Councilman Richard Alarcon and wife ordered to stand trial’
On 17 felony counts.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-alarcon-20121003,0,3629577.story
(4) LA Times, 10.7: ‘Newton: The bitter battle for L.A. city attorney’
On why Carmen Trutanich’s star has ostensibly fallen.
· A much more gossipy LA Weekly article 10.9 which is a demonstration on how not to communicate with the press. Now, folks, we are reaching the level of soap opera: http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/10/john_shallman_exit_memo.php
EL MONTE’S SUGARY SODA TAX
(1) LA Daily News, 10.9: ‘El Monte to spend roughly $100,000 to place `soda tax' on special election ballot’
Without the additional revenue, El Monte officials have painted a bleak financial future. The city faced a $2.3million budget deficit this current fiscal year, but plugged the hole largely with a 6.5 percent cut across all city departments. However, city leaders say they need to address long-term budget hurdles posed by deferred salary increases, plummeting sales tax revenues and the expected rise in employee and retiree medical costs.
If voters approve the soda tax, it could generate between $3 million and $7 million annually in general fund revenue, according to city estimates.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_21729197/el-monte-spend-roughly-100-000-place-soda
WALMART WALK-OUT
(1) Salon, 10.9: ‘Walmart strikes spread to more states’
This is a great development. I hope our members are relating to these actions, especially with the Pico Rivera Walmart workers.
“On Thursday, as first reported at Salon, southern California Walmart store workers staged a day-long walkout of their own. Organizers say over sixty workers from nine stores signed in as on strike. About thirty of them were from the same store in Pico Rivera, where strikers and supporters rallied with labor leaders, clergy and politicians.”
http://www.salon.com/2012/10/09/walmart_strikes_spread_to_more_states/singleton/
PROP 30 IN THE NEWS
(1) LA Times, 10.3: ‘Prop. 30 compounds state's bad tax policy, but we need it anyway’
Opinion piece by George Skelton endorses Prop. 30.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap-taxes-20121004,0,6888027.column
PROP 32 IN THE NEWS
(1) NY Times, 10.2: ‘Battle over unions moves to California’
The battle to curb labor’s political clout has moved from Wisconsin to California, where wealthy conservatives are championing a ballot measure that would bar unions from donating to candidates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/us/politics/battle-over-unions-moves-to-california.html?pagewanted=all
(2) Chico Enterprise-Record, 10.9: ‘Who's who of rich and powerful behind Proposition 32’
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_21733898/whos-who-rich-and-powerful-are-behind-proposition
(3) Great letter to the Editor published in the Redlands Daily Facts newspaper on the ‘Reasons to oppose Prop. 32’:
http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/letters/ci_21727911/reasons-oppose-prop-32
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Ian Thompson
SEIU 721
Communications Specialist
1545 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Direct: (213) 738-8413
Cell: (213) 446-7946
Facebook.com/seiu721
Twitter.com/seiu721
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Friend,
Two weeks ago, USAS members joined Walmart warehouse workers on a 50-mile “Walmarch” to protest the company’s serial abuse of workers’ rights. Now, we’re proud to stand side-by-side with workers as they strike the largest private employer in the world. In solidarity, Billy Yates United Students Against Sweatshops at UT-Austin | |||||
USAS: Organizing for Student and Worker Power | | ||||
SEIU Local 721 Reformers is an email address attempting to share information with SEIU Local Members, Stewards, Officers, Staff and Officials.
Rafe Garcia, Steward, is the custodian of this email address.
Those of us sharing, exchanging and participating in this forum are attempting to engage the membership to further the concept of a member driven Union.
We, you and all the rest of us have the best interests of the rank and file members, over 70,000 strong.
FOUNDED AUGUST 31, 2008
