Public Employee Free Speech Clause

Post date: Sep 20, 2015 3:49:28 PM

Clayton Bradt, one of our Stewards in the Labs, member of the Labs Local Labor/Management Committee, and member of the Civil Service Committee has asked me to post the following for the members who were not at the most recent Council meeting. Please take some time and read what he has proposed. If you have anything you would like to add, communicate OUTSIDE OF WORK via email as Clayton has requested. If you do not have his email, you may send something to me and I'll pass it along.

Attached are my suggested amendments of contract language which I am submitting to the contract team requesting that they add these to their negotiating position. I am also requesting, as discussed at the previous Division 205 meeting, that the division council as a whole make a similar request to the contract team​. Such an action would require a vote of the stewards at the next Division Meeting and I am hoping you will all read and consider the attached before then. (They are short.) I am asking Myron to post the attachment on the Division 205 web page so that all those whose email addresses I do not have can also see a copy.

As I mentioned briefly on Thursday evening, these contract changes have ZERO budget ​impact so the administration can't plead poverty in rejecting them. I will request that the PEF negotiators at least get something tangible in exchange for them. In the off chance that they do make it into the contract, these new provisions will be a boon for members attempting to blow the whistle on corrupt practices. They are in essence anti-corruption measures - something that the voters have been clamoring for. The union should publicly tout these new contract provisions as part of PEF's commitment to fight government corruption. We are on the public's side on this issue and we should position ourselves as fighting a corrupt governor by offering these reasonable and COST-FREE proposals.

Please, let's have a conversation about this - via email - so that everyone can make their views known.

Clayton