NTEU CHAPTER 68 NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 NTEU CHAPTER 68 NEWSLETTER In this Edition From the Desk of the President January 2016 Edition Letter from our Chapter President Tony Reardon Appointed to Key Boards Upcoming Lunch & Learns Legislative Committee Steward Spotlight NTEU Parking Raffle Remember Hatch Act Rules First and foremost I want to take a second and wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year! It is hard to believe that we are in 2016 and already one month has gone by! NTEU Chapter 68 was very proud of the work we did last year and we are looking forward to the challenges and the events that 2016 has to offer. Among many other things, NTEU Chapter 68 will be bringing you lunch and learns on Reasonable Accommodations, Snow Leave, and FMLA. Last year s Labor Rec was also a huge success and we will once again be providing a cookout for all of our members. This year we pushed it to May 3rd because we wanted to try to include as many of our members as possible. The Health Fair was another important event that NTEU held. Sadly, the Agency decided to cancel the Health Fair and make everything virtual and on line. NTEU believes that being able to speak with someone face to face is the best way to get real answers to your questions. Your leaders at NTEU Chapter 68 decided to take action and hold a health fair for our members. There were chapters across the country who held fairs of their own, but Chapter 68 held one of the largest events which serviced over 600 NTEU members across all shifts. Chapter 68 was able to bring in vendors from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, VSP, Met Life and MHBP to answer questions for our members This year s date has already been established on November 19th and we are looking forward to expanding our vendor attendance to others who are able to attend. (Continued on next page)

2 (Continued from Page 1) Over the past year, NTEU Chapter 68 has also established this newsletter which gives employees information on local and national issues. We have also established the long awaited Retiree Committee who will be bringing our retired members back in the fold. For those of you who don t know, an employee can continue his/her membership with NTEU in retirement for just $42 a year. Why would someone want to do that? NTEU continues to fight for our retired members yearly. It is a consistent topic of discussion at every legislative conference that we attend where we speak with members of Congress. We are constantly fighting for cost of living raises and other areas that effect retirees. If you are planning on retiring in the near future, come to the office to see how you can retain your membership! NTEU Chapter 68 is looking forward to another strong year. As always, if you are a member, we thank you for your support and dedication. If you are not a member, you should consider joining. We consistently have non-members come to us with questions and concerns as well as wanting to attend events such as the health fair which is meant for members only. If what NTEU is offering is of worth to you, JOIN! Help us to bring you more benefits and more events! Our goal is 100% membership. We are proud that in 2015, membership increased dramatically as people saw what was being taken away and what NTEU was bringing them. Join us in the fight! For about $1 a day (Tax Deductible), you can be a part of our success and our success is directly linked to yours! In Solidarity, Gary Karibian, NTEU Chapter 68 President

3 Reardon Appointed to Key Boards Thursday, January Washington, D.C. The head of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has been appointed by President Obama to two key panels that impact federal employees. National President Tony Reardon is now a member of the Federal Salary Council and the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations. I am pleased to be appointed by the president to these two important groups, Reardon said. The issues of federal pay and having a chance to share thoughts and ideas for improvements in the workplace are important issues for federal workers. The Federal Salary Council is tasked with studying federal pay, monitoring and reporting on the gap between federal and private-sector pay, and examining and recommending locality pay areas in the federal government. President Reardon joins eight other experts including labor relations experts and representatives of other federal unions and employee groups. The National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations was established by an executive order and is charged with improving and fostering labor-management relations. It examines successful efforts and shares innovative practices. NTEU members have a seat at the table on these two critical issues. I am proud to represent them in these forums, President Reardon said. NTEU, the nation s largest independent federal-employee union, represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.

4 Newsletter Name Contest! We have a few names. We are asking for you to vote. Stop by the Union office and enter the name. We will then draw a name from the winning entry. This contest is for members only. The Advocator The Advocate Just the Facts The Pulse Beacon Express Communique The Way Forward Our Voices In Touch, In Tune The Forum The Guardian The Solidarity Hammer The Bottom Line Members Only Newsletter Name: NTEU Member Name: Phone#

5 MEMBERSHIP MEETING Don t miss our next membership meeting scheduled for Saturday June 11th, Details available this Spring

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8 1 st Visa Gas Card 2 nd NTEU 60 day Parking Pass! 3 rd Café Card

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13 Non-Bargaining Unit Union Membership Non-Bargaining Unit (NBU) employees can become NTEU members. Although they are not entitled to the biggest benefit of being a NTEU member, which is NTEU Representation, many NBU employees become members of NTEU because they support the cause. They believe in the work that NTEU does on behalf of all federal employees, such as fighting on Capitol Hill for a fair pay raise, benefits and more hiring. NBU NTEU members are also eligible to attend the United Benefits lunch-n-learns and one-on-one meetings where they learn and are able to apply for a variety of insurance such as short-term disability and universal life. NTEU members also enjoy the other benefits of membership such as professional liability insurance, auto and homeowners insurance, discounts on moving expenses, car rentals, hotel/motel stays and more. Also, as a NBU NTEU member, you are eligible to attend the NTEU sponsored Health Fair, which the Agency did away with in And you get all this for a yearly cost of $ If you are interested in becoming a NBU NTEU member, please contact one of the stewards or the NTEU office and complete the cash dues membership form, payable by check, cash or credit card.

14 Steward Spotlight Karen Mele has worked in Collections for 16 years on dayshift and has been an active union member since she started working at the IRS as a Seasonal Data Transcriber in She has been a Union Steward for almost 16 years, initially to protect herself, and her fellow BU Members. Karen believes educating Bargaining Unit Members about our contractual rights is a priority. Karen believes the best protection for BU Members is more contractual knowledge. BU Members may sometimes hurt themselves if they are not aware of their contractual rights with management. Karen s advice to BU Members is to join NTEU and strive to become an active union member. Karen believes that Without NTEU, we BU Members wouldn t have our awards, our raises, and, most importantly, our protection from management.

15 NTEU Parking Pass Raffle NTEU Members Only Please complete and drop form off form the NTEU office by 03/25/2016 NTEU Member Parking Raffle Name: TOD: Phone: