As of May 14, 2012, the State legislative session has come to an end. Boy that is a good thing! All of us have been witnessing that our Republican Representatives have been causing havoc at State, County and local levels. What has happened to the Republican Party?

 

The Tea Party has single handedly made the Party go towards the extreme. The Party has stripped itself from the working middle class and the general population and has attached itself to the major Corporations and wealthy, I believe they call themselves the 1%.  With much dismay I hope that the coming elections show the 1% that the 99% are fed up with their antics and arrogance.

I believe both parties have their share of fault in the economy and have allowed our nation to fall behind the rest of the world. It has only been 24 months since the financial institutions caused havoc on the general population and not one of the individuals responsible was held accountable. Yet, the Republican Party wants to continue to dismantle our benefits, wages and our voices. Our state legislature has gone astray and we the people, even the sane Republicans have to acknowledge that these representatives have gone too far. I urge everyone to Vote!!!

And get these self-centered representatives out of office. If we don’t get them out they will be back next session and the situation will get worse.

 

A new era has emerged and we are being displaced right under our noses.  Don’t be complacent, stand up and exercise your Right! VOTE! The current Republican platform has demonstrated that everyday working people are not of concern, only the Corporations and wealthy. The forefathers of this nation had recognized that Corporations were an evil back in colonialism, and legislated laws to prevent what we have allowed today. I am not suggesting that one Party is the only culprit in this moment, but Republicans’ want to take credit for their misleading and covert thinking and force us to live in it. NOT! Lets Show them that we Still have the ability to know the difference between right and Greed!

VOTE THEM OUT!

There are currently five bills we are watching at the legislature.  Four have a serious direct negative impact to public employees and their families, and come straight from the dungeons of the Goldwater Institute and ALEC.  The fifth is the Governor’s bill to make all state workers “at will” employees.  While this does not affect us today, if it passes, have no doubt we will be next. 

SB 1484-requires annual renewal of your dues deduction form.  This bill was passed in the Senate on 2/16/12 and has been sent to the House.  If you haven’t already, please contact your representative and give your opinion of this bill.  It will increase administrative expense to the government and will create an inconvenience for you.  Two things our government should not condone.  You can find your Representative here: Find my Legislator .

Two bills that didn’t see any movement recently are SB1485 and SB1487.  SB 1487 is very similar to SB1484 only more draconian. It bans all payroll deductions for public employees.  SB1485 bans collective bargaining altogether.  These bills were passed in the Government Reform committee but have not been passed by the full Senate yet.

SB1486 prohibits a public employer from allowing release time for union activities.  The Goldwater Institute is currently suing PLEA and the City of Phoenix on the issue of release time.  This bill will effectively eliminate employee run unions, increase costs to union members who wish to be represented and ensure that no actual employees of the organization provide representation.  This bill was passed on 2/28/12 out of the Senate and is now at the House.  As with SB1484, please use the link and contact your Representative by phone, letter, e-mail or all three.

The last bill is from the House.  HB2571 is Governor Brewer’s bill to eliminate the “merit system” for state employees.  This bill makes all employees at will.  It eliminates due process for state employees and makes their only avenue for relief suing the state in court.  If passed, this bill opens the door to cronyism and corruption as well as increased legal fees and workload for the courts.  This bill in its current form does not affect municipal employees, but it sends a bad message for what the future may hold.  If you are not familiar with our current system, our Civil Service process utilizes a five-citizen board to review disputed suspensions, demotions and terminations.  The only expense is the contracted hearing officer.   This method ensures the public has a voice to support, reduce or deny actions taken against employees.  It is democracy in its simplest form.

ASPTEA Chief Rep Jason Stokes spoke at the Government Reform Committee to oppose these bills prior to their passage.  He also participated as a stakeholder to discuss all these bills with their primary sponsor Sen. Rick Murphy.  While the dialog was appreciated, Sen. Murphy has been given his marching orders.

 

Jason also participated in a public mock Government Reform committee hearing on these bills hosted by the AFL-CIO and Senators Steve Gallardo, David Lujan, David Schapira and House Minority Leader Chad Campbell.  This meeting was held to have a public discussion on the merits and intentions of these bills.  Click here to read Jason’s statement: Statement to Government Reform Committee

The government reform committee met today to discuss 4 anti-union/public employee bills.  All 4 bills received a “Do Pass” recommendation by a 4-2 vote (one member was absent).  The Rules Committee has not yet voted on these bills. 

 

The committee is comprised of 5 Republicans and 2 Democrats.  The vote was down party lines as expected.

 

The rhetoric and claims were fast and loose.  Complete falsehoods were presented as facts.  Such as, “Employees are forced to join”, “Employees are not allowed to quit”, and “Employees don’t even realize that they have a payroll deduction”, etc., etc.

 

Each bill was introduced by a staff member.  In every case, the next speaker was a representative of the Goldwater Institute who then re-explained the bill.  All speakers opposing these bills were limited to two minutes.  In the case of SB 1484 – the bill that would require you to fill out a new deduction card every year to “reaffirm your commitment” to be a union member, Nick Dranius from Goldwater explained that THEY rewrote the bill to address the problems that prevented last session’s version SB1365 from being constitutional.  I didn’t vote for him and neither did anyone I know, because he wasn’t running for office.

 

Briefly, SB 1484 is designed to make union membership more difficult in the hopes that membership will decline.

 

SB 1485 Prohibits recognition of and bargaining with unions.

 

SB 1486  Eliminates release time.

 

SB 1487 Completely eliminates union dues payroll deduction.

 

This is clearly an attack on working families and the middle class funded by out of state corporations and millionaires.   The Goldwater Institute has unfettered access to the highest levels of the legislature.  They are also the highest bidder.  Have no doubt, dollars and greed are driving these actions and our opponents know that your ability to have a level playing field and equal voice is dependent on your ability to organize and bargain collectively.  This also negatively impacts their ability to make money.

Senate Rules Committee
Sylvia Allen	Member
Andy Biggs	Vice-Chairman
Olivia Cajero Bedford	Member
David Lujan	Member
John McComish	Member
Steve Pierce	Chairman

 

 

Please call, write and/or e-mail your State Senator and oppose these 4 bills.

If you have questions, need help identifying your Senator or formulating your message, give me a call.

 

Jason Stokes

Chief Rep

602-254-6320

Feb 1, 2012 Jason will join many other employee representatives to oppose Senate Bills 1484, 1485, 1486 and 1487.   These bills would end union release time, dues deductions and make Meet & Confer illegal.  They have been put on tomorrows agenda for the Senate Government Reform Committee and are scheduled to be heard at 9:00 a.m.    

The intent of these bills is to eradicate collective bargaining, employee rights and unions in Arizona.  These are the same east coast union busting tactics that have been seen in other parts of the country.

We need your help.

Please email or call these key members of the Arizona State Senate. Tell them to kill SB1484, SB1485, SB1486 and SB1487.

To read these bills click the link below.

http://www.azleg.gov/Bills.asp?FirstBill=SB1451&LastBill=SB1500

Please call the following members of the Arizona Senate Government Reform Committee NOW.

Sen. Frank Antenori 602.926.5683

Sen. Judy Burges 602.926.5861

Sen. Lori Klein 602.926.5284

Sen. Rick Murphy 602.926.4444

Sen. Steve Smith 602.926.5685

Senate President Steve Pierce 602.926.5584

Don’t let them bring Washington-style big government and bitter partisan politics to our cities. Don’t let them destroy individual liberties and drastically reduce individual freedom.

Take action today, please.

Jason Stokes – Chief Representative

602-254-6320

 

 

As you may be aware, Monday started the 2^nd regular session of the fiftieth legislature.  As you can imagine, there is still a great deal of anti-public employee sentiment floating around down at the Capitol.  ASPTEA is committed to keeping the membership up to date regarding bills that could negatively impact you and the community.

 

Even though the session has just begun, the influence of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is clearly noticeable.  Our web page has provided a great deal of information regarding ALEC.  If you are not familiar with the organization, click on this link, alecexposed.org.

 

Now more than ever, it is important to be active in letting your legislators know that we are involved, educated and vote!  We are good, hardworking people that are tired of having our character and livelihoods attacked by those wishing to impose state level solutions to local issues. 

 

As of Thursday afternoon, we are closely watching 4 bills.

 

SB1063: REFERENCE TITLE: unions; employer bargains; prohibitions

 

This bill requires “arms length negotiations” and appears to also prohibit union release time.  These issues may sound familiar as the “arms length negotiations” are a direct quote from one of our councilmen, who failed last week to garner majority support for this idea from the full council.  The prohibition on release time mirrors a Goldwater Institute lawsuit filed against Phoenix and one of the other unions.

 

SB1064: REFERENCE TITLE: municipalities; local liberty charter.

 

Here is a link to the actual text of the bill.  There is not enough room to list everything that is wrong with this bill’s attack on local control.

SB1064

 

Both of these bills were introduced by Senator Lori Klein (R) of Legislative District 6, Roughly I-17 to Cave Creek and Thunderbird to New River.  Here is the official map: Legislative_Districts 06

Both are also on the Government Reform Committee agenda to be heard on January 18^th.   The Government Reform Committee consists of:

 

 

 

Members	Position	Staff
Frank Antenori	Member	Republican Analyst:
Steve Gallardo	Member	Democratic Analyst:
Lori Klein	Vice-Chairman	Republican Intern:
David Lujan	Member	Democratic Intern:
Rick Murphy	Chairman
Steve Smith	Member

 

You can click on the names for contact information to call, write or e-mail your opinions to these legislators.  I recommend all three.

 

The next two bills are in the House of Representatives.  They are: HB 2317 REFERENCE TITLE: public employees; activities; unions; compensation and HB 2318: REFERENCE TITLE: unions; public employees; prohibitions.

 

HB 2317, introduced by several Representatives, seeks to prohibit any public entity the ability to negotiate “release hours” for union activity.  Here is the bill: HB2317

HB 2318 goes even further, prohibiting public sector unions and associations altogether as “illegal and unlawful”.  Take a look: HB2318

 

As I said earlier, now is not the time for complacency.  Be active, write, call and e-mail your legislators. 

 

There is a lot of information available at AZLEG.GOV.

 

If have questions or need help, call me.

 

Jason Stokes 602-254-6320.

Lt. Mark R. Hafkey, President
February 2, 2012

 

 

 Call to Action – Protect Your Pension, Your Pay and Your Benefits!

 

Republicans in the Arizona State Legislature first went after your pension benefits, and now, they’re after your collective voice.  If you haven’t heard, there are four Senate Bills making their way through the legislature designed to cripple your ability to maintain the pay and benefits you have.  

 

Senate Bills 1484, 1485, 1486 and 1487 passed through the Senate Government Reform Committee yesterday after heated debate and are now headed to the Rules and Committee and the Senate Floor.  These bills, written and brought by the Goldwater Institute (the same organization suing PLEA over bargained for benefits), are designed to put public sector employee associations out of business.   Legislators are being misled about Arizona bargaining rights and the Goldwater Institute is painting a picture of union rights that does not exist in this state.   Some of the important facts left out by the lobbyists for the Goldwater Institute include:

 

·         Arizona is a right to work state making membership in an association voluntary.

·         Municipalities are not forced to provide increase pay and benefits and have the final say on all negotiations.

·         Unlike the private sector, we can’t strike, and we can’t get involved in local elections.

 

Our bargaining process simply allows the City to get input from their employees through their respective labor association.   The process has worked well in Phoenix for 35 years without any interference from the State Legislature. 

 

This is an all-out attack on you and your rights to input on your pay and benefits.  What these legislators are conveying is that you can risk your life, and in some cases give your life, but just take what we give you and shut up!

 

Make no mistake about it, this is PPSLA’s top priority and should be yours.  Removing employee representation will result in diminished pay and benefits.  PPSLA is working with our national affiliate (NAPO), several state groups, and the other City of Phoenix employee associations to combat these malicious attacks.  We will continue fighting for your rights, but we need your help.  This is not the time for indifference; this is the time to act.   

 

If you don’t act now, don’t wonder later where your pay and benefits went.

 

Please contact your state senator and ask him/her to vote NO on these bills.  Let him/her know that we have taken voluntary concessions, we are doing more with less, and we are being seriously injured and killed at a higher rate than ever.  Ask them why you don’t deserve the same rights as every other worker in America?  Ask why are you a second class citizen? 

 

To find your legislator, follow this link: http://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp?Body=S. 

 

You can find additional information about the above bills at the links below.  See also the attached related article.

 

SB 1484  Paycheck Deductions

SB 1485  Unions; Public Employees; Prohibitions

SB 1486  Public Employees; Activities; Unions; Compensation

SB 1487  Government Employees; Union Dues; Withholding

 

Thank you for your support.