Incredible: (conservative ruled) Fresno, Ca: 4,000 Fresno County workers to begin strike Monday 1/23

[annm4peace]

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/18/2688500/fresno-co-seiu-workers-will-walk.html#storylink=omni_popular

"Last month, union workers were subject to a 9% pay cut or higher, and pleas to reconsider the reduction went unheeded by county managers.

Management has insisted that concessions are necessary to help balance the county's budget. Other county employees also have seen wage cuts and many have been laid off.

The union's case got a boost Wednesday when the state labor board issued a complaint against Fresno County for unfairly negotiating with employees."

"The complaint, which came after the union filed a grievance with the California Public Employee Relations Board, accused the county of improperly forcing concessions on workers, not giving labor talks time to work out and interfering with employee protests."

** You know the Freepers and actually also Fresno's only talk radio (hate radio) KMJ is going to foam at the mouth against them.

You can already see it by the comments on the Fresno Bee site.

To have 4000 walk out is going to be amazing.

I hope Union members from other cities send their support to the County union workers. The will need your prayers and positive thoughts.
It is a very couragous thing for these workers to do.


The labor movement was the principal force that transforme­d misery and despair into hope and progress. Out of its bold struggles, economic and social reform gave birth to unemployme­nt insurance, old-age pensions, government relief for the destitute and, above all, new wage levels that meant not mere survival but a tolerable life. The captains of industry did not lead this transforma­tion; they resisted it until they were overcome.


and if you don't belong to a union.. get this union shirt. I love mine:
https://store.labornotes.org/troublemakers-union-t-shirt.html

[Zorra]

1. Big KnR for solidarity! nt

[Starry Messenger]

2. k&r

[annm4peace]

3. OH my gosh it just gets better

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/01/20/2690958/nurses-union-to-join-fresno-county.html



Nurses union to join Fresno County strike


The union representing Fresno County's public health nurses decided today its members will strike Monday, joining the larger Service Employee International Union in a three-day walkout.

County nurses, who provide health services at public clinics, the county jail and juvenile hall, will stage the demonstration in protest of recent pay cuts.

Union leaders said the county did not negotiate the nurses' new contract fairly, a claim the state labor board has begun to investigate. The county denies the allegation.

The roughly 75 nurses represented by the California Nurses Association join roughly 4,100 SEIU employees who could walk off the job starting Monday morning.

County officials say they have a contingency plan in place to deal with the strike, though widespread reductions in services are expected.



If you know fresno, you now how incredible this is. Now if the Teamsters joined that would be a Amazing

[Zalatix]

9. Bring in the scab nurses! Let them serve the sick Republicans.

If the nurses up and leave Fresno, they'll learn real fast how tough it is to replace nurses and how stupid it is to replace them with scabs.

[Brickbat]

4. K&R for solidarity.

[annm4peace]

5. wow.. library volunteers have become scabs

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMPH) -
Fresno County Librarian Laurel Prysiazny says volunteers will help staff as many libraries as possible if union workers go on strike Monday morning.

County officials announced Thursday that all libraries would be closed next week in anticipation of the SEIU strike, but now it looks like that won't happen.

"Our priority is to maintain service levels to the greatest extent possible to continue to meet people's information and educational needs. The Library is the one-stop-shop for many, including using Internet access to apply for jobs, e-mail with family in other locales, and conducting research for school assignments. Ensuring everyone, including children and their families can continue to use our libraries is our top priority during the SEIU strike," said Prysiazny.

If you would like to volunteer at your local library, contact Roberta Barton at [phone] or Susan Mann at [phone].

It's not known which libraries will remain open. An updated list of open branches will be available after 9 a.m. on Monday, January 23. You can access the list by visiting www.fresnolibrary.org or by calling [phone].

Stay with KMPH News and KMPH.com as we continue to follow this story.

[Zalatix]

10. Yeah, unpaid volunteers to replace librarians, how long will THAT last?

I don't work for free, fsck that. Good luck with that, Fresno.

[annm4peace]

6. Fresno County workers prepare to strike: “I am not afraid, I’m mad!”

http://www.seiu521.org/2012/fc-county-workers-prepare-to-strike/

Thousands of Fresno County workers will strike for three days, starting Monday, Jan. 23. The strike is because the Board of Supervisors refused to negotiate in good faith and imposed a contract even while workers were voting on the county’s offer.

“Now it’s time to draw a line in the sand and take a stand,” said Kevin Westbrook, a juvenile corrections officer and member of the bargaining team.

Westbrook and other members described a bargaining process that the county treated as a joke. One member of the county team spent whole sessions texting on her phone. And the county started by introducing a package of 700 proposals that they said had to be accepted all together or not at all.

“It’s just outrageous how much they’re not willing to negotiate,” said Diana Calderon, a bargaining team member and eligibility worker.

It’s so outrageous that even the state Public Employee Relations Board, made up of two Republicans and two Democrats and rarely willing to call a county out for its failure to bargain fairly, has announced charges against Fresno County.

If we don’t strike now, the Board of Supervisors will just attack workers again in a year, said Richard Solis, bargaining team member and a mental health specialist.

The hundreds of members who turned out in Fresno Thursday night are ready to give up three days’ pay to demand respect.

As eligibility worker Carol Neff put it, shouting from the audience, “I’m not afraid, I’m mad!”

[annm4peace]

7. Fresno Co. SEIU strike may delay burial process

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8513599&rss=rss-kfsn-article-8513599&status=ok


(hummmmm .. maybe the neo-cons in Fresno are starting to realize maybe they need County workers)

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Valley funeral directors are hoping a planned strike by some Fresno County workers, will not delay the burial process for Valley families.

Related Content
STORY: 4,100 Fresno County workers set to strike
MORE: ABC30 Neighborhood News
Members of SEIU say they are prepared to hit the picket lines Monday, and funeral directors say if an arrangement isn't made now, it could be another headache for those already grieving.

Planning a funeral is a complex process. Aside from the services, there's official paperwork that also must be filed. 24 hours ago local funeral directors found some unsettling news that has them scrambling for a solution.

Michael Rabara is a local funeral director whose job is very unique. His customers are often crying, upset and facing difficult choices. So when he heard about a looming strike and how it could delay burials, he immediately became concerned.

Michael Rabara said, "It threw us into a tailspin yesterday, we didn't realize it was going to affect our industry."

The issue is getting death certificates and applications for burial permits processed in a timely fashion at the Fresno County Health Department. The current process is electronic and the clerical workers who file the paperwork are set to go on strike.

Michael Rabara said, "It's important because the politics that are around this strike obviously it's a ripple effect, it's going to affect the families that we serve and obviously the family is distraught when they come into our care and we want to make this as smooth as possible."

Friday funeral directors held an emergency meeting with Fresno County officials, to work on a plan that would allow the process to continue.

The concern is that burials could be held up by several days if the process must be done manually. Not only that, some families with specific religious beliefs require burial within a certain time frame after their loved one has passed away.

Funeral directors hope they won't be put in a position to deliver more bad news during such an emotional time.

Late Friday afternoon, the Funeral Directors Association offered to help assist one supervisor to help get these documents registered and filed. But, now the supervisor must become certified through the state to be able to file these death documents.

(Copyright ©2012 KFSN-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

[annm4peace]

8. Fresno Co Supervisors

Call or write your supervisors at the addresses and telephone numbers listed below.

Phil Larson, District 1
559-488-3541
Assistant - Jean Barlow
[e-mail]

Susan Anderson, District 2
559-488-3542
Assistant - Christy Bourbon
[e-mail]

Henry Perea, District 3
559-488-3663
Assistant - Patricia Pinedo
[e-mail]
( Democrat )


Judy Case, District 4
559-488-3664
Assistant-Dia Beigi
[e-mail]

Debbie Poochigian, District 5
559-488-3665
Assistant-Kathy Burrows
[e-mail]

[stevedeshazer]

11. Fresno being Freeperville and all, that's remarkable.

It just goes to show that there are good hard-working folks everywhere who just want a fair shake at a decent job and life.

+1

[annm4peace]

12. just found out more from a comment on the article at the begining

the Board of Supervisors freely admitted that they had already met their budget shortfall and the budget was already balanced.

So to take 9+ percent from some of the lowest paid workers is just ridiculous.

And many Departments are facing much larger pay cuts. Staff who are charged with protecting abused & neglected children in Fresno County are facing between 11.5 & 17% cuts.

The Board of Supervisors clearly does not value the work we do for this County.

And what the news is not reporting is that many of our jobs are paid by State & Federal monies and not even paid for by the county. And in one Department of the county, FORTY new employees are starting jobs this month.

Why does the county continue to hire new employees if they can't pay their current employees a fair wage. Its not that the workers were not willing to help out the county.

The county has continued to raise the cost of health insurance, and has implemented furloughs and we have not complained. In addition, the union was willing to give a 6% cut in pay that would be graduated over the course of a couple years.

[Quantess]

13. Lots of happenings in Fresno.