Saturday, February 12, 2022
Good Morning to all McAllen Transportation Specialists,
Last night’s Zoom meeting was great. SPFPA had all the necessary representatives participate to ensure that all questions were answered. SPFPA International President, David Hickey, Region 3 Vice President Ryan Kelly (Negotiator) National Organizing Director, Dwayne Phillips, Western Organizing Director, Maria Gamon, and our Lead Attorney, Scott Brooks.
We feel it’s very important that TS’s have all the information necessary to make the best decision (VOTE YES) when they receive their ballot from the NLRB.
MVM claims in their latest notice that they were asked: Why should I care if the SPFPA gets in? I’ll wait and see whatever they get me, plus they said they will give us a “special dues rate.“ SPFPA believes that all TS’s should care because now you will have a voice in the working lives, and your involvement is vital to the success of negotiations.
** Paying Dues is YOUR CHOICE! No one can force you to pay if you don’t want to. It’s the law.
Here are the Facts! Before your Union campaign, MVM had complete control and, without question, could reduce wages, benefits and change working conditions anytime they wanted without any notice or reason. Right now, if management were to make any adverse changes in any of mentioned items, an Unfair Labor Practice would be filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), SO YOU ARE PROTECTED! ** They can’t make one-sided changes during the period leading up to the election. That’s the Law!
During negotiations, the parties must agree for changes to occur, and there’s no way your elected Bargaining committee and SPFPA are going to agree to any take-aways. HOWEVER, management continues to talk about losing… Are they going to propose a reduction in wages and benefits during bargaining? Why would they even want to talk about something that would hurt their employees and their families?
When you STAND UNITY STRONG and VOTE YES, you WIN REAL POWER!
The power you will gain by winning your election is the only reason why MVM is fighting so hard to keep you from the bargaining table. Remember SPFPA was invited with solid support to assist the San Antonio, McAllen, and Phoenix Transportation Specialists, and that’s why we are here. Isn’t it suspicious that management has taken a sudden interest in you?
Let’s look at the cost of WINNING the RIGHT to Collective Bargain with your Employer:
Vote YES = ZERO DOLLARS! Dues don’t automatically start, and paying Dues is ALWAYS your choice!
Negotiations = ZERO DOLLARS! SPFPA doesn’t charge to work with your committee at the bargaining table.
SPFPA has vast experience negotiating contracts for employees working under the Service Contract Act. We believe it is highly unlikely, but it costs you ZERO DOLLARS if there’s no contract is reached during negotiations.
You make your Employer their money, and your work pays the salary of the managers who are working so hard to keep total control by getting you to vote no. It is a safe bet that MVM managers negotiated their terms and conditions of employment… WHY SHOULDN’T YOU HAVE THE SAME RIGHT!
We’ve heard promises about pay increases and better benefits. How will you get the company to agree? SPFPA respects the intelligence of the Transportation Specialists and has made no promises that there will be increases in wages and/or benefits. However, individuals have little to no power. Standing together SPFPA strong, your voice becomes a powerful force that will be heard.
What if the company says “no” during bargaining? How specifically do you plan to make the company agree? Negotiations must be done in a good faith matter under Federal Law. The Employer cannot just say no to shut down a proposal. The Employer can’t just go through the motions. Our experienced negotiators will identify these tactics and, if necessary, will have to file charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Furthermore, before negotiations even start, SPFPA will file the proper forms with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, which will assign a government agent to oversee negotiations and conduct periodic checks in with the parties to get updates on the status of negotiations. As you see, the Employer’s power to just say no is gone!
How long do you expect bargaining to take? We have seen research that indicates it takes on average over 400 days to reach a first contract. Are you certain we will get a contract? As stated in the answer to the last question – negotiations must be conducted under Federal Law. All parties must enter negotiations in good faith – not with the mindset that a contract won’t be reached. If necessary, the Union can use lawful tactics, like informational picketing (NOT a Strike), to apply pressure to the Employer to reach a fair agreement. Informational picket can involve contacting media outlets to get news coverage on what’s going on with negotiations. Something that Employers don’t want!
Can you guarantee in writing that we will not lose anything we have now? The union brochures we’ve seen are not specific to us. Present at the bargaining table will be an SPFPA experienced negotiator and the bargaining committee of Transportation Specialists – Who will not agree to any take-aways. Why would your Employer propose taking away anything from their employees – whose work makes them their money. Is this just a question or a fear tactic to scare voters? Remember, they can change anything now without any reason or warning. As the Employer has said, with a Union, everything has to be negotiated, so its PROTECTED! They no longer hold absolute power! And that scared them!
What if we don’t like the deal you reach with the company. Will you show us the proposed contract and allow us to vote whether to accept it? Your bargaining committee must agree unanimously to take the tentative agreement back to the bargaining unit, so they can vote to accept or reject it. The tentative agreement will be made available for review. If rejected, the parties can return to the bargaining table with the aid of the Federal Mediator. If necessary, we can use the pressure tactics like informational picketing. If the Employer is telling TS’s that they won’t get to vote on the tentative agreement, they are incorrect. The SPFPA International President has prepared a written guarantee, SEE BELOW.
Will you personally be our representative if we bring in the Union? If not, who will represent us, some local SPFPA union? How can we vote for the Union when we have no idea who will represent us? Full-time, experienced representatives represent all SPFPA locals. We have a full-time office in El Paso staffed by full-time SPFPA Director Maria Gamon. SPFPA has numerous established Locals in Texas with experienced Local leaders. All SPFPA units are assigned to Regions, and each region has a full-time Vice President and Regional Director(s).
Who exactly from the Union will be negotiating our contract? We want to hear from that person directly what will be accomplished during negotiations. The Regional Vice President will negotiate your contract with the necessary assistance of the bargaining committee. The bargaining committee will be selected by their fellow TS’s. We will send out bargaining surveys to make sure all Transportation Specialists have an opportunity to submit what they would like on the bargaining table. SPFPA will also hold meetings that TS’s can attend to give their input and get answers to their questions.
Here’s an email sent by SPFPA to the McAllen Transportation Specialists to answer an email put out by MVM Management shortly after your San Antonio Brothers and Sisters won their election.
Greetings to all McAllen Transportation Specialists,
It didn’t take long for MVM management to continue their campaign of confusion, doubt, and fear hiding behind what they call the facts. Your Brothers and Sisters in San Antonio won their election by a majority vote! It’s not our business why others decided not to vote, that their business, that their choice. MVM management put them through intimidation, mandatory meetings, surveying the bargaining unit members – trying to get a “read” on how they were going vote so that they could prepare for McAllen. The union filed charges that are still ongoing. I am sure they hadn’t shared with you that MVM management terminated one of your fellow McAllen Ts’s for something that happened last year – SPFPA has filed a charge with the NLRB against their wrongful termination.
Management states in their email sent yesterday that the San Antonio election shouldn’t impact your decision of how you are going to vote – that’s true. How you vote is your business. Unfortunately, management will most likely use the same Union-Busting tactics as they did in San Antonio to get you to vote their way. I use the phrase “their way” because a no vote is a vote for management to keep total control over every aspect of your working life. Why was management so quick to push their idea that you should wait and see what happens in San Antonio because joining them would increase your bargaining power. Unity scares Employers. The last thing they want is to deal with their Employees at the bargaining table.
Here’s something to keep in mind – If it was true that collective bargaining does not give workers POWER, then why does your employer go through all the expense and time to keep you from winning that right. The NLRB will mail out ballots on the 9th, and when you get your ballot, It’s your choice! SPFPA is asking for your support to give us the privilege of representing you and your fellow officers. Join us at the bargaining table. We have the knowledge, skill, financial base, and strength in numbers to get the job done! SPFPA is dedicating our complete resources to this priority! Stand With San Antonio! VOTE YES!
Together We will Succeed! Questions? Call Maria Gamon at 915-328-3114 or Dwayne Phillips at 586-872-5634. Thank you.
