SEIU on MNPS Privatization: "This Will Tear the Community Apart"
SEIU Local 205 President
Doug Collier talked to WKRN News 2 about Dr. Register's proposal to layoff, outsource, or privatize some 700 support staff jobs at Metro Nashville Public Schools.
"You see them either without health insurance, without retirement benefits and it's devastating to the community, and one thing we don't need here in Nashville is more people under employed or unemployed," Collier said.
Get the full story
here.
Posted By: Mark Naccarato on 3/6/2010 12:56:00 PM
Jesse Register
,
Metro Schools
Register Proposes Outsourcing 700 Support Staff @ MNPS!
Today, Dr. Jesse Register presented his proposed budget for the Metro Nashville Public Schools. Register's plan would outsource or privatize over 700 custodians, groundskeepers, maintenance, and clerical staff. In addition, the proposal would reduce the number of hours per day and days per year that bus drivers work. The full budget proposal is available for download at the
MNPS website.
In response, SEIU Local 205, who represents MNPS support staff, and United Steelworkers Local 9426 are encouraging MNPS employees, their families, and concerned citizens in the community to voice their opinions on this issue at a Public Hearing on the budget proposal. That hearing will be
this Thursday, March 11 at 5:00 pm at the school administration building, which is located at 2601 Bransford Avenue (37204) in Berry Hill.
Also, if you are interested in speaking at the Public Hearing, you may sign up to speak by
contacting the Board adminstrators. Speakers are allotted no more than two minutes.
Thank you for your support and please spread the word!
Posted By: Mark Naccarato on 3/5/2010 3:48:00 PM
Jesse Register
,
Metro Schools
TN Right-Wingers Distort the Truth About Union Elections
Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel reported yesterday that "a bill declaring that voting on union representation must be conducted via secret ballot failed on a 3-3 tie vote today in a state House subcommittee. All three Republicans on the Employee Affairs Subcommittee voted for the bill by Republican Rep. Susan Lynn of Mount Juliet. All three Democrats voted against it."
The GOP bill is a response to national legislation called
The Employee Free Choice Act, which would close loopholes in our labor relations policy and make it easier for workers to form unions without fear of threat, intimidation, and termination from employers. But as expected, the Tennessee Republican Party put out a misleading press release about the issue and claims that the legislation would "preserve workers' right to a secret ballot union election in the workplace".
Read More
Posted By: Mark Naccarato on 2/4/2010 10:16:00 AM
EFCA
,
State Politics
,
union rights
TN Dems Stand Up to Supreme Court Decision That Lets Corporations Buy Our Democracy
From
The Tennessean blog:
In the wake of the
horrible U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Citizens United v. FEC, Tennessee Democratic legislators are responding by filing bills that would require corporations to publicly disclose all political donations in Tennessee.
The pair of bills from Rep.
Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro) and Sen.
Andy Berke (D-Chattanooga) would require corporations “to file a disclosure statement including the names and addresses of all corporate officers, directors and shareholders; names and addresses of lobbyists employed by the corporation; a detailed list of lobbying expenses; and the contracts the company has with state or local government.” Corporations would also have to include a tag line at the end of advertisements stating that they paid for a political ad.
SEIU is opposed to the Citizens United decision and strongly urges Tennessee legislators in both parties to support Coleman and Berke's bill.
Posted By: Mark Naccarato on 1/30/2010 11:22:00 AM
elections
,
State Politics
Music City Center Passes: What It Means to SEIU Members
A statement from
Doug Collier, president of SEIU Local 205:
On Jan. 19, a majority of Metro Council members voted in favor of the Music City Center, which is expected to cost close to a billion dollars. This is bad for Metro employees and taxpayers in general for many reasons, including...
- Some $14 million that the city relies on for police and fire overtime, MTA, and other programs will either be cut or replaced in order to pay for the MCC by dipping into the General Fund (which is what pays Metro employees' salaries and benefits).
- The MCC will have to rely on taxpayer money through a General Fund Pledge if the city's projections are off by even as little as 15%. For the record, the projections done by HVS in its feasibility study are almost always off, as evidenced by what we know about their past track record.
- Goldman Sachs has predicted that the city's bond rating will be likely be lowered because of the MCC.
- The convention industry has been in major decline for close to a decade and nobody who works in the industry can credibly say that it will return to what it once was.
- 72% of Davidson County voters wanted to see this project put up for a vote by the people. Not only did council members vote for the MCC, they voted against allowing you to cast a vote on a project which will be the most expensive single public project in Tennessee history.
Over the last few months, your Union fought hard to stop the Music City Center by helping conduct a city-wide petition drive to put the MCC up for a referendum by the voters. We urged union members to call or write their councilmember. We turned out members to the various community meetings on the MCC across the city and to speak at the Council’s public hearing. And we lobbied our elected officials. But our work was not enough. The Chamber of Commerce, once again looking to line its own pockets instead of doing what is in the best interests of the city, spent nearly a million dollars to get the MCC passed. Our strongest weapon, our members, simply did not come out in force enough to overpower the Chamber’s money.
This should be a sobering lesson as we get ready for another budget season and an election year in 2011. Metro employees simply will not get ahead until they decide to get involved through the Union to get what they want and what they deserve. That’s something to think about as Metro employees face a third straight year without a raise. As more layoffs bear down on workers to balance the budget. As General Hospital braces for another subsidy cut. And as our schools now face a $38 million budget shortfall.
SEIU will continue to fight on city employees’ behalf, but if we can’t get more members involved, our hands are tied. We ask that you pledge to do more throughout the year to help us beat back more cuts, more layoffs, and more corporate welfare.
Posted By: Mark Naccarato on 1/20/2010 4:17:00 PM
Convention Center
,
Karl Dean
,
Metro Council
,
Music City Center
,
Nashville Chamber of Commerce