Monthly Archives: July 2015

Are You Serious?

Posted on

Volume 2 / Issue 14

Mission Statement

To provide quality service to the REAP members with integrity and respect, understanding the member is the priority.

With the elections over and 2016 the next best chance to make another change, there’s no doubt a lot of union money was spent on the mid-terms. During the 2014 mid-term Election, SEIU contributed over $12 million dollars to get their candidates elected and propositions passed. Did the strategy work? Depends on who you ask.

In June of 2014, IE Regional Director Julie Butcher decided to call it quits. Once word of Julie’s pending retirement hit terminated Sheriff Department Dispatcher Wendy Thomas’s ears, she was probably on cloud nine…until she was handed yet another slap in the face by Bob Schoonover…lucky guy! Yes, Bob bypassed Wendy and gave the job to an individual who doesn’t carry as much baggage. As you can see from her 2010 bio, Esme Alamillo is not new to SEIU. She made a very comfortable $109k as a worksite organizer.

Esmeralda Alamillo (Grubbs) is the 3rd and latest appointment to the IE Directors seat in the past 2 years…and then there’s Wendy…doing what it is that Wendy does best…creating discontent between members and staff alike, so wanting to be important.

Several members of REAP continue to foster relationships with SEIU staff members in the Los Angeles office. From the information we’ve been able to obtain from our connections, Wendy & Esme are not the BFF’s they’d like you to think. It even sounds as though there may be some hostilities between the two…Careful Esme…Wendy is sure to have a bucket of dirt on Bob & Gilda so your tenure may be short lived…how else can a private citizen hold the office of Vice President? Please refer to the Local Bylaws, Article 4, Section B. Office Holders must be employed within a bargaining unit…Bob must have missed that one…

and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better…

REAP has also learned from our L.A. sources that two work site organizers/representatives are having their local hotel bill paid for by SEIU. Why is this you ask? At one time SEIU was utilizing the services of retired LA County workers Rosie Martinez and Harold Sterker. Their job was to roam the halls of the Riverside County Regional Medical Center (RCRMC) and antagonize County employees. SEIU found they were in violation of labor laws so they fired Rosie and Harold (imagine that…following the rules) and opted for the two working the hospital now. Question? Why doesn’t SEIU hire enough staff necessary to represent ALL members of SEIU in Riverside County? Do you think their meals are paid as well?

REAP 19510 Van Buren Blvd. F3-197 Riverside, CA 92508 951-202-8058 / 951-858-6759 https://reap4us.org/ [email protected]

Immigration has been a hot topic over the past 8 years. Regardless of your personal beliefs on immigration, there should be no question as to who is behind the push. The 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States is very clear in the description and purpose. There are some that would like to mold this amendment to fit their personal needs. Simply put…with over 3.5 million illegal immigrants in the United States (by the way…they are not all from the south), let’s deal with the current situation. Secure the borders, for now, and re-evaluate our immigration protocols prior to 1965.

Finding information on SEIU’s corrupt practices is not hard to find. I’m including a few links within this blog so readers can determine for themselves if this is an organization they really want to be a part of. REMEMBER – SEIU WILL SPEND YOUR MONEY THE WAY THEY CHOOSE. Don’t be fooled into thinking they’re working for you, you actually work for them. They have their own agenda and it doesn’t include you!

If you are a dues paying supervisor within Riverside County, your MOU allows you to get out of SEIU in April of each year. That’s only four short months away…information will be posted soon on our site and we can help you get out. The best part…you still get to reap the benefits of their contract with the County. Contact REAP for more information.

Retired Public Employees Association – Your REAP Interim Board members have developed a relationship with RPEA – the Retired Public Employees Association of California. Whether you are retired or are currently employed by the County of Riverside, you are eligible to be a member of RPEA. For those of you who are currently working for a CalPERS employer, RPEA has one great offer for you that you can add to your list of things to be thankful for this year. RPEA is offering you a 50% discount off their annual membership fee, not just this year but for every year until you retire!

The discounted annual rate is just $27.00! What benefits are available to you as a RPEA member? You will be eligible for discounted rates on dental and vision plans, long term care/home health care insurance, Auto & Home Owner’s insurance, Cancer insurance, life insurance, identity theft solutions, legal Club of America, Veterinary Pet Insurance, Apple products, La Quinta Inn & Suites, 1-800-Flowers, Government Employee Travel Opportunities and much
more! To see a full list of benefits and to enroll as a member, go to their website: www.rpea.com.

We’d like to know what you think…

Until next time…

Looking towards the future

Why WE Need to Decertify SEIU…

Posted on

Volume 3 / Issue 8

Mission Statement

To provide quality service to the REAP members with integrity and respect, understanding the member is the priority.

Since the inception of REAP, representation to Riverside County employees in the Professional, Para-Professionals, Supervisory, RN, Parks and Open Spaces and Waste Management bargaining units, has been, and continues to be our vision.

Removing an “exclusive” labor organization (SEIU) is not easy. Its done through the DECERTIFICATION process and you can believe SEIU won’t go without a fight, and it will be a fight. The way they’ll fight you is with your money. SEIU will parachute people from all over the country to harass you at work, they’ve also been known to show up at your home…and the most irritating part…SEIU will give them your home address! It will truly be David vs Goliath. REAP WILL NEED YOUR HELP!

The County of Riverside’s Employee Relations Resolution 99-379 (ERR) specifically defines when a decertification vote can take place. This normally coincides around the same time the existing “exclusive” labor organization initiates contact to enter contract negotiations with the County.

Speaking of contracts…Do you remembered how the last contract negotiations went? Wendy Thomas thought she had the County’s negotiator, Brian MacArthur, in a headlock. She wasn’t going to budge come hell or high water. And to prove her point, we were going to strike! Remember that? I guess we showed them, didn’t we? Well, as it turns out, what SEIU didn’t put on their website was that while we were walking around the CAC Building, LIUNA was signing the exact contract SEIU could have had…Oops,! Wendy?? Did you forget to tell the members this useful piece of information?

In December of 2012, Wendy Thomas had been terminated as a Dispatch Supervisor from the Sheriff’s Department. In March of the following year, she was elected as a VP to the Executive Board of SEIU in the Inland Empire, on SEIU President Bob Schoonover’s slate. How does this even happen? Regardless of her position with SEIU, and due to her termination from the County, her seat should have been vacated. This is the President’s job to handle. He ALLOWED her on his slate knowing she had been terminated…so one could conclude that somebody knows something about somebody else (Just speculation at this point…). This is HIS mess and HIS Executive Board should hold him accountable!

Since her termination, here are just a few of Wendy Thomas’s accomplishments:

  1. Wendy Thomas signed a side letter which TOOK overtime pay away from our 911 Dispatchers.
  2. Wendy Thomas signed a side letter which TOOK $2.00/hour from the Respiratory Care Practitioners. (The RCP would receive the pay during an “Emergency”? When is it not an emergency for these folks!!)
  3. Wendy Thomas signed a side letter which TOOK members money to generate revenue as SEIU’s cash flow continues to dwindle. She amended Article 23 of your MOU, Agency Shop.

It seems Wendy has a knack for being remembered for how she’s harmed the member, financially, rather than how she’s helped the member. She’s already shown has no vested interest in your future! Did you know…the current SEIU contract was NEVER signed by the negotiating team because they didn’t support it?

REAP 19510 Van Buren Blvd. F3-197 Riverside, CA 92508 951-202-8058 / 951-858-6759 https://reap4us.org/ [email protected]

Good news is coming…or so we thought. According to the SEIU IE Director, Esme Grubbs, Wendy’s “responsibilities” with County employees has ended. Ms. Grubbs shared with three REAP Board members in front of the SEIU building, that once Wendy completed her negotiations for employees in the City of Hemet, she would be offered a different position within SEIU. So Esme?? Is Wendy still the VP? Did she
bulldoze over you like she did to Julie Butcher and Patrice Castillo? What are you waiting for? Recently, Wendy has been sited at several events involving the County. Ms. Grubb’s also told those same three REAP EB members, SEIU WILL have a dues increase in the IE. Be warned – If SEIU is not decertified, a dues increase will be hidden in the contract. For every raise you receive, SEIU will take 1.5%…just keep that in mind when the ballots come out!

How does the disclaimer go? Results are not indicative of past performance…in SEIU’s case, their performance is very consistent and very predictable Honesty will never be a virtue for SEIU.

According to the ERR, any decertification process can ONLY begin between 180 days and 150 days before the end of the contract. What this means is this – REAP will begin its decertification petition drive on June 4th, 2016. We
will have until the end of business on July 4th, 2016 to gather the necessary signatures. Signatures can be
collected via email and REAP will provide those to everyone who registers on our site at reap4us.org. Please be specific in your information. For security purposes, ALL information is required.

REAP wants to be your labor organization. We use Professionals in Labor/Contract Negotiations and Representation. With over 110 Associations throughout California, the City Employees Associates (CEA), has been contracted by REAP. The staff at CEA are all professionals in their fields…from negotiators to attorneys versed in California Labor Laws, REAP has the members in mind.

One of REAP’s core values is transparency. Honesty and transparency go hand in hand, you can’t have one without the other. Why do you think SEIU International TOOK the International Bylaws offline…Could it be that honesty issue? It’s there, but you’ll have to go through 24,900 results to find it. I couldn’t find it. (According to Google, it’s there) In the month of September, REAP will be having General Membership meetings in Indio, Temecula, and metro Riverside. Watch your email and keep checking the REAP website for dates in your areas. Bring your coworkers! REAP was started by members for members! SPREAD THE WORD!!

Next month we’ll remind you where your SEIU dues dollars are
going and how they’re really spent!

Follow REAP on Face Book – Regional Employees Association of Professionals.

Looking Towards the Future!