Service Workers United

A STRONG PARTNER IN OUR LOCAL FIGHTS HERE IN MAINE (draft home page)

2009-10-15T10:30:36Z

MSEA/SEIU Local 1989 and SEIU Celebrating Our 20-Year Partnership

At our convention this year, we will mark the 20-year anniversary of our powerful partnership with SEIU. What does that mean to us as individual members?

Stronger together yesterday
Folks who’ve been around a long time vividly remember some victories a lot of us take for granted. We have good health care benefits and retirement security because SEIU stood with us in years gone by.

“In the early 1990s, the governor wanted to take $10 million from our health care program. An SEIU expert came and found the savings that resulted in a better plan for employees, with paid prescriptions, free office visits, and free wellness check ups.”
-- Bob Glidden, MSEA-SEIU retiree member

Stronger together today
As the worst recession in our adult lives hit a year ago, SEIU immediately convened an emergency economic summit with leaders of public sector local unions, then pushed hard in Congress to win the economic recovery act. We’re receiving $1.2 billion in new federal funds over a two-year period, and our governor used about $100 million of that to plug holes in this year’s state budget.

“So many problems in the State of Maine are national problems that need to be nationally corrected – funding issues, the Social Security Offsets, health care, TABOR, the Employee Free Choice Act – and that’s why I think we should stay affiliated with SEIU.” – Steve Keaten, MSEA-SEIU state employee member, DHHS

“SEIU has helped my chapter tremendously. It’s such a big thing for home care workers to get to have a say in where the money goes.” -- Helen Hanson, MSEA-SEIU member and home care worker, Alpha One

“When we faced tough times this year, if you were involved in MSEA, you know SEIU was there with us. I’ve seen what SEIU can do, and I’m hoping we can do even more together.” -- Jonathan French, MSEA-SEIU state employee member, DOT

“The vote to affiliate with SEIU was the first vote I took as an MSEA member. It is as right now as it was then.” – Scott Austin, MSEA executive board member, and state employee, DEP

Stronger together tomorrow
In coming months we face both huge challenges and exciting opportunities. After another TABOR fight, will come a projected $80 million state budget shortfall, and one of the most closely-watched elections in the whole country. Our new child care and home care members are bargaining contracts with the state. We have a lot of work to do together, we need SEIU standing strong with us more than ever, and we need you more involved than you’ve ever been before.

“I’m sort of the new kid on the block but I have seen what being united in MSEA-SEIU can do for us that we would never have been able to do on our own. For the first time, child care providers finally have a voice with the state, they’re excited about that, and SEIU played a major role in making it happen.”
-- Penni Theriault, president, MSEA Kids First

MSEA-SEIU: Stronger Together for over 20 years (DRAFT)

2009-10-15T09:57:33Z

Current and Future Work Together 2009-2010:
•   MSEA Vision For the Future Plan support - member engagement goals can especially benefit from SEIU support
•   Cost savings on information services operations, by sharing services with other SEIU New England locals.
•   Next state budget fight - $80 million in cuts come January 2010; and SEIU will soon lead the charge on the next push for federal aid to states in an Recovery Act Part II, with the likely focus on human services
•   Maine governor's race is identified by SEIU as one of 16 most important gubernatorial races in the country - which will mean a huge amount of financial and logistical support here
•   We need credible political accountability strategies after 2009 budget fight - and they are better if coordinated with SEIU
•   Contracting out fight back strategies -- we are learning from other SEIU locals on this (CA, CT, NY), such as IT audits conducted by members, and new legislation requiring transparency in contracting
•   National healthcare reform to keep costs in line and take it off bargaining table - we are working with SEIU closely on this and we had 19 paid people here in Maine on it the past year

Key Support Last 2 Years 2008-2009:
•   More than $1.5 million to MSEA-SEIU Local 1989 from SEIU for everything from TABOR fights to staffing
•   Recovery Act funding of $98 million used to plug Maine's budget gaps, hundreds of state jobs saved, some furloughs averted; SEIU campaigned hard for this $787 billion bill and, in fact, SEIU Sec. Treas. Anna Burger is on Obama's recovery task force
•   Pro-working families political leaders elected: Pres. Obama, Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree and Rep. Mike Michaud
•   MSEA and SEIU together had a U.S. Supreme Court win on free speech and fair share, the case was one of the only pro-labor rulings in this past Supreme Court Session
•   We won on extending the SCHIP health coverage to more poor kids, and on making a down payment on healthcare reform in President Obama's first budget
•   Uniting more Public workers in MSEA for strength - Children's Division Services
•   We won collective bargaining rights for child care, and new legislation to strengthen the direct-care workforce, with SEIU providing staff funding for Care Division reps
•   Our Vision Plan, and leadership development both benefited from work through SEIU's Institute for Change
•   Communications - SEIU funding and staff support on video projects, ads, web strategies

Other Support Last 5 Years 2004-2009:
•   2006 the previous Palesky tax cap referendum was one of 15 TABOR-like initiatives SEIU defeated nationwide -- hundreds of thousands spent
•   2007 defeated the National Right to Work-supported decertification by AGEM with $60,000 in support and two staff people from SEIU
•   2006 elections, hundreds of thousands in financial support and 12 MSEA members paid by SEIU
•   Polling support - of membership and the public
•   Another case that was heard at the U.S. Supreme Court case on overtime rights
•   Uniting publicly funded workers: child care, home care, long-term care, and Child Development Services

Past 20 years
Early 90s - 2004:
•   During a state government shutdown, SEIU provided funding for emergency loans of up to $500 to MSEA members
•   SEIU provided a national expert on pensions to assist MSEA in defeating efforts to cut pension benefits by McKernan-appointed Blue Ribbon Panel
•
•   Successfully fought a proposal to cut benefits from the State Employee Health Insurance Program, with an expert from SEIU performing a comprehensive analysis of the plan so that despite a 10 percent cut in funding, benefits were not cut and the plan added new benefits
•   Established Employee Health Commission, labor-management equal voice
•   Northern New England Council has since 2007 received a cash grant, and a full-time staff position was paid by SEIU for more than 15 years, and regularly sent trainers to summer school meetings
•   Litigation strategies
•   Since affiliation every President of SEIU was elected by the SEIU convention to a seat on the International Executive Board
•   Since Affiliation MSEA has had a retiree member appointed by the Officers of SEIU to a retired members committee at SEIU
•   SEIU was instrumental in passing a Constitutional Amendment to protect public employees' retirement funds, stopping future legislatures from raiding the State Employee Retirement plan
•   Probation Parole "Fair Standards" lawsuit heard at the U.S. Supreme Court
•   Contract campaign when fighting McKernan, campaign money from SEIU
•   SEIU staff initiated a process that members later owned to protect state employee jobs as a result of any TQM initiatives
•   Trained the MSEA Bargaining Team on "win-win"/interest based bargaining-Sandy Polasky
•   Hundreds of thousands in support of electoral efforts in 92, 94, 96, 98, 20, etc
•   $48,000 grant to establish campaign call center at MSEA
•   Provided funding and technical assistance for development of pre-retirement planning training
•   Haz-Mat program (SEIU trained MSEA trainers, they did haz-mat training for thousands of Maine state workers)

Early 2000s:
•   Dirigo Health became a reality for low-wage Maine workers because of the close working relationship between MSEA, SEIU and the Baldacci administration.--
•   Organizing support for nontraditional MSEA members
•   MSEA member leaders are represented on the Public Services Division leadership boards and attend the Division's national leadership assemblies, large gatherings of leaders of public sector locals from all over the country

Remember The Lunch Ladies?

2009-09-15T15:49:21Z

You remember the lunch ladies, don't you?

Today, these women and men are called school food service workers, and with more children in poverty than ever before, they serve as the advocates for better and more nutritious school meals.

But in a few weeks, a piece of legislation called the Child Nutrition Act, which funds our school meals, is set to expire.

Now is the time to get the word out. Today, we're releasing a new video that explains the Child Nutrition Act and why it's important - in a retro style that you might remember from your own days at school.

Watch this and then sign our letter to Congress:

Even though the Act was first passed in 1946, many of the same problems still remain today.

Many school food service workers still don't have sick days, even as schools begin to prepare for the swine flu.
There aren't enough fresh and local foods for school food service workers to prepare a nutritious school lunch with. Canned foods remain the norm.
Due to inadequate access and eligibility, many children aren't ready to learn in the morning or afternoon...because they simply haven't eaten.

With the Child Nutrition Act expiring so soon, we need everyone - parents, teachers, educators, and nutrition advocates - to get behind a new, improved Child Nutrition Act.

Watch the video, and then sign our letter to Congress:

http://action.seiu.org/lunchladies

Remember The Lunch Ladies?

2009-09-15T14:55:55Z

Click here.

Budget cuts coincide with "Back to School"

2009-09-14T15:05:36Z

As kids, we associated back to school with a fresh start -- a new classroom, new teachers, new books and school supplies and maybe even a snazzy new outfit your Mom helped you pick out.

From the opposite end of the spectrum, the 2009 school year holds much different implications for public school staff employees in Los Angeles. LA and many other districts in CA and across the U.S. are dealing with searing budget cuts, furlough days, crowded classrooms and worst of all, layoffs.

In an LA Sentinel op-ed, SEIU Local 99's Executive Director Bill Lloyd considers the predicament of Bell High School night custodian Theresa Aguilar, who is facing a situation all too familiar to the thousand custodial, cafeteria, playground, and other essential classified positions were cut over the summer.

Every night, Theresa is responsible for cleaning the girls' locker room (including showers, restrooms, and the coach's office), the School Gymnasium (sweeping, light mopping, and restrooms), the boys' varsity field house (including the football players' locker room and restrooms), the faculty restrooms, the photo lab and graphic arts classroom, and the Assistant Principal's office.
The state budget cuts to education forced the Los Angeles Unified School District to lay off three of Theresa's co-workers in June. As a result, she now has eight additional classrooms and another small gymnasium added to her nightly workload. Among other things, she worries about being able to adequately sanitize all the surfaces to protect students and faculty from the Swine Flu.

Like many, Lloyd feels that that any furlough cost savings are a Band-Aid solution to a much larger problem. His point is this: California has been underfunding its schools for decades. With an education system that was once the envy of the country 30 years ago, they now rank 47th in per-pupil spending compared to other states--and furlough days are not going to be able to stop the elimination of student services and programs. Lloyd writes:

"We already know quality will be diminished...With fewer cafeteria workers at schools, fresh food prepared on-site won't be readily available. And, with most custodians handed workloads like Teresa's and directives from the District to only clean classrooms once a week, you can bet hallways won't be mopped daily, classrooms won't be dusted as often (parents, please keep an eye on your asthmatic children), and bathrooms won't be monitored as closely."

But the biggest problem in Lloyd's mind? This "slow-motion" school bus wreck has not ignited nearly enough collective alarm to lead to significant action to work towards investing more in their children's education. School workers and the District are working together to prevent more cuts.

To learn more about how you can help work to ensure that all children in need have access to hot meals, and how we can increase the federal reimbursement rate, click here. Sign this petition to support stronger standards in your workplace: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/cqsstandards.

School Food Service Workers = Superheroes?

2009-09-08T19:57:14Z

In both the worlds of fiction and reality, "lunch ladies" (or as they're professionally known as, school food service workers) are taking a stand to create a better tomorrow.

In fiction, it's in the form of an increasingly-popular "graphic novel," starring a lunch lady whose mission is "serving justice - and serving lunch." The stories, written for young readers aged 5 to 10, center around the lunch lady and her fellow food service workers foiling evil school-related plots (for example, stopping an unpopular teacher's scheme to win the "Teacher of the Year Award," or battling a group of librarians who want to destroy all video games).
The stories are becoming so popular that Saturday Night Live alumna Amy Poehler has begun to executive produce a movie based on the series.

In the real world, school food service workers are coming out to take a stand for better lunches. Here's a great clip from local news channel WITI in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, covering the issue:

If you're a school food service worker or a concerned parent (you're a superhero, too, trust me!), you can also take matters into your own hands by visiting our page on the Child Nutrition Act: http://campaignforqualityservices.org/a/schoolmeals/index.php

LA Times: "Congress May Bolster School Lunch Nutrition"

2009-08-28T19:29:00Z

First Lady Michelle Obama's White House garden, says the LA Times, is giving nutrition advocates "increased hope that Congress would bolster the school lunch program" when "it takes up renewing the Child Nutrition Act."

Ideas for improving the bill have many excited, with many different components being considered.

The LA Times reports that one of the portions "would give the Department of Agriculture authority to update decades-old standards" in regards to the types of food children can buy at stores and vending machines. The current standards are "inconsistent and often unhealthy," according to Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), who is the author of the U.S. House bill.

Other priorities include "expanding the breakfast program," because experts say that "starting the day hungry" affects "children's ability to behave and learn," as well as methods to "streamline the way students are deemed eligible for free meals" so that "more children qualify."

We've also weighed in on how reforming the Child Nutrition Act can help improve food safety, ensure that school food service workers are properly trained, and allows for sick days so that workers aren't forced to choose between preparing food while sick or losing a day's pay for their families. Take a look here: http://campaignforqualityservices.org/workers/

You can read the full article here.

"Back To School" Puts Focus on Healthy School Meals

2009-08-24T18:16:05Z

With young students and their parents fully in "Back To School" mode, local papers have started to swirl around the topic of school lunches and the Child Nutrition Act, which is set to expire at the end of September.

In today's Daily Comet, a local paper in Louisiana, reporter Thad Angelloz gives an overview of how important the National School Lunch Act was, and talks about the strides that their schools are taking to ensure a healthy school meal.

Monica Walthers, the child nutrition supervisor from that school district, says that the National School Lunch Program - which is funded through the Child Nutrition Act - changed the entire culture of school cafeterias.

"This happened as a direct result of the Depression. They (government) understood how important it was for them to provide meals to children attending school."

Walthers' district, especially, is trying to ensure that the lunches they put out are nutritious. Gumbo, for instance, is now made without oils and is made with turkey sausage.

Child-nutrition supervisor Lauren Fletcher added that the program "continues to get better." "There's always things you can change...but we think we're hitting the mark for our students."

Over in North Carolina another child nutrition director, Nicole Mayernik, is working hard to provide "a healthy start and a happy belly" to her students, says the Watuga Democrat. Among her tasks are meeting and exceeding federal guidelines for nutrition, and closing the eligibility gap that exists so that low-income students have access to school meals.

"We want to ensure we're meeting the needs of the community and the students. Right now, we're working hard on our free and reduced lunch applications to let parents know they can receive free and reduced lunches and breakfasts."

She also credits her staff of food service workers, recognizing the important role they play. "I couldn't do this job without the staff's hard work. They have a relationship with the children and school administration."

Ultimately, she thinks everyone would benefit if the school meals program provided more access to school breakfasts. Only half of the children eligible for free or reduced lunches - 10 million out of the total 20 million children - have access to school breakfasts.

"Unhealthy students cannot learn," said Mayernik. "We see that when students don't eat breakfast. Their test scores go down. We try to offer them something here. Something is better than nothing. Can we meet those needs within financial restraints? We'd love to, but right now in child nutrition, we're taking it one bite at a time."

Over at our partner site, the Campaign for Quality Services, we've been pushing the notion of an improved Child Nutrition Act that works to close the eligibility gap, expand the school breakfast program, and raises standards for food service workers. You can check out our plan and give your support here: http://campaignforqualityservices.org/a/schoolmeals/index.php.

Economy Causing More Kids to Enroll in School Meal Plans

2009-08-21T15:03:35Z

Record job losses and high unemployment will "push thousands more children into poverty," many for the first time, says Tony Pugh, a reporter for McClatchy Newspapers. The change could amount to a record number of children in the United States that will rely on free and reduced-price meals at school.

One indicator of the possible increased enrollment is the record number of families enrolled in the food stamp program, called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Children enrolled in that program are automatically eligible for both the school lunch and school breakfast programs. In May, 34.4 million people "used food stamps to buy groceries," an increase of 2 percent from April.

The increased enrollment is happening throughout the country. In central Florida's Polk County schools, there's been a 50 percent jump in the "number of students who pre-qualified for free lunches." In Illinois, Chicago public schools "have seen a 30 percent increase, going from 107,144 children eligible for free and reduced-cost meals at the start of last year" to a total of 139,417 this year."

Many of these students "will be newcomers to poverty," consisting of "the sons and daughters of laid-off energy and service sector employees or of relocated job seekers who've found it tougher than expected to find work."

While the districts currently receive a reimbursement from the United States Department of Agriculture in the amount of $2.68 per school meal, a report last year by the School Nutrition Association "found that the average cost to prepare a school meal was $2.90 in the last school year." It's a situation that leaves districts, who are already strapped for cash, in a difficult situation.

To learn more about how you can help work to ensure that all children in need have access to hot meals, and how we can increase the federal reimbursement rate, click here: http://campaignforqualityservices.org/a/schoolmeals/index.php.

Grist Magazine: Let's (Re)do School Lunch

2009-08-17T16:04:19Z

Published today in Grist is a fantastic commentary by Kurt Michael Friese, a chef in Iowa City and a member of the board of directors for an organization called Slow Food USA. His article discusses how, in the last 50-75 years, we've moved from an "understanding of foods, of cooking, and of the pleasures of the kitchen" and replaced it with "the language of the drive-thru, the shopping mall, and the convenience store."

Friese makes a good point when he says that "our children are what they eat," and raises the question as to whether or not our children can be expected to learn and grow on "fat, salt, and corn-sweetener-laden government subsidized surplus."

Food service staff, Friese says, is "restrained by inefficient kitchens, ludicrous time restraints, and a budget that is laughable at best." Pointing to the current federal reimbursement rate for school lunches, Friese asks, "how well would you expect to eat on" that kind of budget?

Friese concludes that we need "a paradigm shift" when it comes to school meals. Rather than "just throwing money at the problem," we need a real investment in "the health and well-being of our children and our community," and parents "must no longer choose to ignore the situation to the proven detriment of their country."

To read the full commentary, head over to Grist's website here, and check out Slow Good USA's "Time for Lunch" campaign here: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/our_partners/

Support Stronger Standards for Service Workers

2009-08-05T18:51:24Z

Click here.

Local Paper: "Lunch Ladies Go To D.C."

2009-08-05T18:42:51Z

The SouthtownStar, a local newspaper in Chicago, has an excellent article about our "lobby day" from a few weeks back, where we told our members of Congress that an improved Child Nutrition Act is needed to ensure that millions of children get the type of food that they need.

The article features two of our members, Laura Spiewak and Veronica Mendoza, who both work as food service workers for local high schools.

The article describes both as "women (who) take pride in bring food service workers," and argues that "students need more nutritional options and less of the processed stuff."

In the article, Laura Spiewak speaks about how much the visit mattered to her. "It was so empowering to think that someone like me - a lunch lady - could go there and possibly change things for the better."

Veronica Mendoza had similar sentiments, saying that she "(knows that) being a cafeteria lady isn't a very glamorous job, but it's important."

You can read the full article here: http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1689492,072909schoolfood.article

Childhood Obesity Rates Triple

2009-08-04T18:40:38Z

Childhood obesity rates in the United States have tripled, according to a new study by the Academic Pediatrics journal.

Using data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Survey, researchers looked at 12,384 children aged from 2 to 19 years, and were able to conclude that found that 3.8 percent of the children within the sample meet the criteria for "severe obesity."

Generalized to the entire childhood population of the United States, this could bean that nearly 2.7 million American children are severely obese.

Compared to data collected in between 1976 and 1980, the researchers found that the prevalence of severely obese children has essentially tripled in the last 25 years. Back then, only 0.8 percent of children met the criteria for severe obesity.

Among the groups that had the largest increases in severe obesity were children in families that are below the poverty level.

The study provides more evidence for the need of an improved Child Nutrition Act.

The findings in Academic Pediatrics show the need to ensure that healthy and nutritious school meals are available to our nation's children. Currently, there are far too many processed foods with even fewer nutrients in our school cafeteria menus. While the study concludes that more children need to be treated for obesity, we know that it's also important to prevent obesity in the first place, and that's exactly what good school meals can do.

But more importantly, the study also shows a huge need to improve accessibility for these programs. Currently, there are barriers to entry to the school meal program, and reducing them would be an excellent way to ensure that more children - especially those in need - are better able to access the nutritious and wholesome meals that this study shows they need.

Meet Leslie Williams, a School Food Service Worker

2009-07-28T17:41:24Z

Leslie Williams, a school food service worker, has been at the job for 20 years.

When she talks about her job, she lovingly refers to the children as "her babies." They rely on her to take care of them and cook them a wholesome meal during lunch. Sometimes, it's the only hot meal that they get that day.

"You know some of these children aren't going to get another meal until they come back in on Monday, and that's the hardest part of all," she says.

I had the pleasure of meeting Leslie just the other week, when she was in town for our Lobby Day, where she talked to Congress about the need to improve the Child Nutrition Act.

I was moved by her dedication and commitment to her job - and, even more, to the children that she serves. She speaks with a passion, whether she's talking about cooking, ensuring that every child is fed, or when she has a thought on how to improve school meals.

I wanted to share this video with you - it's from the conversation that we shared - because I feel that we have much to learn from her.

Here's the video:

You can help Leslie improve the Child Nutrition Act by writing a letter to Congress here: http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/nutritionact.

US Senator Gillibrand: Increase Reimbursement Rate for School Lunches

2009-07-22T20:46:29Z

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is using her clout to back legislation that would make school lunches healthier. Among her ideas is to increase the federal reimbursement rate for the National School Lunch Program, which currently stands at $2.68 for a free lunch.

With school districts facing budget cuts all over the country, it's more important than ever to ensure that there's enough money and resources available to provide children with well-balanced and wholesome school meals. Increasing the federal reimbursement rate for meals would enable schools to cover the rising costs of meeting dietary guidelines and to purchase fresh, healthy foods.

Senator Gillibrand agrees, says that by increasing the federal reimbursement rate, schools will be able to provide more nutritious meals.

Here's what Senator Gillibrand said to Buffalo's WNED:

"This is an investment. I think making sure that our children don't become obese, and don't become obese adults and cost our healthcare system $500 billion a year is a very important priority."

Gillibrand "is also proposing legislation that would ban trans fats in school lunches" and "would reduce the amount of junk goods and snacks available in schools."

You can support an improved Child Nutrition Act - which is set to expire this fall - by writing a letter to your member of Congress: http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/nutritionact

Service Workers United

A STRONG PARTNER IN OUR LOCAL FIGHTS HERE IN MAINE (draft home page)

MSEA/SEIU Local 1989 and SEIU Celebrating Our 20-Year Partnership At our convention this year, we will mark the 20-year anniversary of our powerful partnership with SEIU. What does that mean to us as individual members?

Stronger together yesterday Folks who’ve been around a long time vividly remember some victories a lot of us take for granted. We have good health care benefits and retirement security because SEIU stood with us in years gone by.

MSEA-SEIU: Stronger Together for over 20 years (DRAFT)

Remember The Lunch Ladies?

Remember The Lunch Ladies?

Budget cuts coincide with "Back to School"

School Food Service Workers = Superheroes?

LA Times: "Congress May Bolster School Lunch Nutrition"

"Back To School" Puts Focus on Healthy School Meals

Economy Causing More Kids to Enroll in School Meal Plans

Grist Magazine: Let's (Re)do School Lunch

Support Stronger Standards for Service Workers

Local Paper: "Lunch Ladies Go To D.C."

Childhood Obesity Rates Triple

Meet Leslie Williams, a School Food Service Worker

US Senator Gillibrand: Increase Reimbursement Rate for School Lunches

MSEA/SEIU Local 1989 and SEIU Celebrating Our 20-Year Partnership

At our convention this year, we will mark the 20-year anniversary of our powerful partnership with SEIU. What does that mean to us as individual members?

Stronger together yesterday
Folks who’ve been around a long time vividly remember some victories a lot of us take for granted. We have good health care benefits and retirement security because SEIU stood with us in years gone by.