Employee Rights/Steward Trainings Announced

Friday, February 03, 2012

Redding HQ - UPEC Has scheduled member orientations and training for the first half of the year. A member orientation is scheduled in the Glenn-Colusa Region for Thursday, February 16th. THe time and location in Willows is pending. Employees Rights/Steward Training is scheduled in Redding for Saturday, February 25th beginning at 8:30 am - 4;30 pm and a second training on Saturday, March 24th in Capitola at 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. These trainings cover Employee rights in the workplace, Memorandums of Understanding and Steward rights and duties. All members are invited to attend the trainings and orientations. Business Manager Chris Darker and Senior Labor Relations Rep. Steve Allen are the instructors for the course. Each member receives a certificate of training. Please contact Patti Wyatt at UPEC 530-245-1890 or 800-241-1890 or by email . 

Executive Board Appoints Two Board Members

REDDING HQ - The UPEC Local 792 Executive Board Appointed two (2) new Board members to vacancies on the Board at their regular monthly meeting on January 21, 2012.  Executive Board member for the Butte Region, Holly Pearson resigned in October 2011 when she accepted a job offer outside Butte County. Holly had served as the Butte Regional Representative from 2007 - 2011. Pearson is replaced by Robert Thomas who is the current President of the Butte PRofessional Employees Association in Butte County.
Executive Board member for Shasta Region, Ralph Winstead was no longer eligible to serve when the Coleman Fish hatchery members voted to decertify from UPEC in December 2011. Ralph served since 2007. Winstead was replaced by Teri Bono who is a steward for the SHasta County General Unit and delegate to the Five Counties Central Labor Council in Redding. Business Manager Chris Darker administered the oath of office.  “This gets us back to having a full board with the exception of the Siskiyou Region” said Darker. Former Siskiyou DSA President Mike Karges resigned in July 2011.

UPEC Supports AB 1208

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

REDDING HQ - Business Manager Chris Darker announced this morning that both Local 792 and Local 777 are supporting AB 1208 Calderon. This bill has to do with Superior Court funding. The Bill would delete the existing way the Judicial Council allocates funding for trial court operations, and would instead require that the amount allocated to each trial court from the amount appropriated for trial court operations be equal to the pro rata share of the prior fiscal year’s adjusted base budget. Existing law provides that the Judicial Council retains the ultimate responsibility to adopt a budget and allocate funding for the trial courts,and authorize a trial court to carry unexpended funds over from one fiscal year to the next.  This Bill would delete those provisions and would instead provide that unexpended funds shall be the funds of that court, which may carry those funds over from one fiscal year to the next. This bill would prohibit those funds from being reallocated or redirected without the consent of the management of the trial court.
“This Bill will give our local trial courts local control and the ability to manage it’s own money without having to spend down their funds. We believe this will provide better stability for our members”, said Darker.

UPEC Case Updates

Redding HQ - Members can go to the Business Managers Page for new case updates.

UPEC Files Representation Petitions

Monday, January 30, 2012

REDDING - UPEC local 792 files two (2) Petitions with the Shasta Mosquito Control and Vector District last week. The Petitions cover the Technical Unit and Supervisory Unit. Employees contacted UPEC in November 2011 to discuss representation. The District Board recently prepared and passed Employer-Employee Relations Rules (EERR) that address employee-employer relations in November 2011. District employees have never before thought of forming a union but recent events prompted they organize.
UPEC Business Manager Chris Darker said, “We are happy to have the support of the employees at the Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District”. Darker has begun preparing proposals for a first contract for both bargaining units. 

Political Candidate Forum

REDDING - The first of several Candidate Forums is scheduled for February 4, 2012. The Saturday event will begin at 10:00 am at the Redding Headquarters of UPEC Local 792. All members are encouraged to attend this event.  Members of the Redding Joint Political Action Coordinating Committee (JPACC) will interview six (6) candidates for Assembly District 1, Senate District 1, Shasta COunty Board of Supervisors District 4. This event is open to members and their families.