Maine Stater : February 1984

i> t/0 CD £> y> m £> X n

\7 u t i t

S H E D

BY

T H E

M A IN E

V ol. XIX No

O

b

a i r

S

e

o

C

l

t t l e

m

E M P L O Y E E S

A S S O C IA T IO N

F e b ru ary , 1984

s t a c

F

S T A T E

U P S 7 0 9 -7 0 0

A

J t

e

n

t

By Jack Finn, Chief Negotiator The current stalemate in negotiations with the State for new collective bargaining contracts^ revolves around a number of issues. Among these issues are, of course, terribly inadequate offers by the State in the area of wages and benefits. The State has offered pay increases of 2Vz% and 3% in a two year contract, with­ out retroactivity, and a dental plan that provides a min­ imum of coverage and would likely cost an employee more for dependent coverage than that employee would gain by the pay increases offered.

But there are also other barriers to settlement.

Among those ether barriers are a number of proposals that the State put on the table and that the State is in­ sisting on which would be seriously detrimentai to the interests of employees. The State proposes: 1. to take away sick leave, vacation and holiday ben­ efits from employees out on Workers' Compensation; 2. to remove the just cause requirement for cases of client/patient/resident physical abuse and make dis­ missal automatic regardless of circumstances: 3. to exclude patient/client/resident/student abuse, neglect, mistreatment matters from the contractual provisions permitting removal of disciplinary materi­ als from personnel files; 4. to take away non-standard pay from some em­ ployees in non-standard and to permit the State to shift non-standard employees on and off non-stan­ dard pay periodically during the year at its sole discre­ tion; 5. to permit the State to require doctor's certificates whenever it chooses, at its sole discretion, before ap­ proving utilization of sick leave; 6. to take away the recently negotiated right of em­ ployees on promotional registers to be certified out for more than one vacancy at a time; 7. to reduce compensatory time earned by law en­ forcement employees who work over 8 hours on a hol­ iday (increases comp time for those working under 8 hours).

8. to take away the present contractual right of law enforcement and supervisory employees for personal use of their assigned state vehicles; Continued on page 3

I N

S I D

E :

'

L e g i s l a t i v e u p d a t e .................... P . 4 C o r r e c tio n s E m p lo y e e s S p e a k ................................................... P . 6 S c h o l a r s h i p A p p l i c a t i o n . P . 11 J

State pilot Everett Welch looks at the list of jobs cut — including his own — at an MSEA meeting of Fish and Wildlife employees on February 16.

C

I n

r i s i s

l a n

I n

d

F

D

i s h

e

p

e

a

r t m

r i e

s

As the Stater went to press (Feb. 28) the several week-old fight over proper funding for Maine's De­ partment of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to forestall severe program cuts was still alive. Action is expected in the next week.

The storm blew up in the Legislature after Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Glenn Manuel suddenly announced layoff of 25 workers at a Feb­ ruary 9 committee hearing. The Department had been in increasingly difficult straits for some time, but Ma­ nuel’s action — taken without advance notice to Leg­ islators or the Union — has aggrevated its problems.

Governor Brennan approved of Manuel s recom­ mendations, but many others did not.

"I think the time has come for him to resign,” said Senator Michael Pearson (D-Old Town) of Manuel.

Pearson chairs the Audit and Program Review Com­ mittee. Pearson told Manuel that the Legislature was well aware of the Department’s problems, but that ‘‘the issue, as far as I'm concerned, is that I sat with you in your office and asked you not to issue any press releases until we talked things over, because this com­ mittee was trying hard to get some money for this de­ partment.^_____ \ ........... .

e

a

n

n

t

d

o

W

f

i l d

l i f e

Sen. William Diamond (D-Windham), also angry, agreed. “He didn’t even give the Legislature a chance to react, and they’ve been listening very carefully the last few weeks,” Diamond said.

Many legislators were as outraged as MSEA at the press-release announcement of the layoffs, which did not include a new staff attorney position at Fisheries and Wildlife at the same time a number of 25-year em­ ployees were given layoff notices.

A “freeze” on the layoffs was under Legislative con­ sideration, but Governor Brennan opposed using gen­ eral funds to salvage the Department's deteriorating financial condition and brought legislators into his office to ttell them so. Still, the controversy continued.

Neil Rolde (D-York) House Chair of the Audit and Program Review Committee, after meeting with the Governor, commented that “I think our morale and concern are about as bad as morale in the depar ment.”

MSEA held a packed meeting of Department em­ ployees in Augusta on February 16 to discuss the impact of the layoffs (and bumping rights), and the Continued on page 3 i«Ar%

n 4fVA A

P a g e Tw o

P

M an*

r e s i d e n t ’s C

By Gerry Stanton

o l u m

has succeeded in making employees aware of the issues that create frustration and anger. That anger is creating heat all around the state of Maine. That heat is being directed at the source, and rightfully so.

Just look around you and listen, pick up the paper and read all about it, talk to your fellow employees and understand, call your chapter leadership and the answer is there. You have just become one of those participating in what’s happening to you and your feilow employees.

What are the issues that are creating heat? How about 25 brothers and sisters being laid off from the Fish and Game Department, with an additional 60 or so layoffs possible this summer after the Legislature’s gone home. Or closing of 36 so-called “non-profit ’ liquor storescand laying off more brothers and sisters.

Or one we certainly aren’t forgetting, which is spend­ ing the cupboard bare while MSEA contracts are still outstanding. Or trying to kill L. D. 525, the pay rates bill, so we can’t negotiate over pay rates, comparable worth or management’s new pay grade survey.

If that’s not enough to create heat, how about the Governor’s continuing to attack retirement through the special retirement plans? We all know that the Governor wants control of that retirement fund, and us under social security. Is that enough? I guess

n

T h e H e a t ’ s O n January and February are behind us, and spring seems to loom just around the corner, especially after the recent warm spell. The weather forecasters come up with all kinds of technical and high-falutin’ reasons for all this unaccustomed warmth, but actually it’s quite simple.

The reason there’s so much warmth is the Governor

O

p

e

n

E

n

r o

l l m

e

Effective March 15,1984 there will be a 30-day Open Enrollment period to allow state em­ ployees who previously chose not to join MSEA to do so.

Because of the number of such applications their February 24 meeting decided to implement the open enrollment period.

n

t

T

o

J o

i n

M

S E

(USPS 709-700) is published monthly for $1.80 per year by the Maine State Employees Association, 65 S ta te S tre e t, A ugusta, ME 04330. Second-class postage paid at Augusta, Maine and ad­ ditional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Maine Stater, MSEA, 65 State Street, Augus­ ta, ME 04330.

A

you’ve got the picture, and I hope an eye on the ther­ mometer, because the peat’s .on.

The next obvious question is, “What can I as a union member do to help myself and my brothers and sis­ ters?” The answers are obvious: (1) attend meetings; (2) become informed; (3) call your legislator; (4) become more involved; (5) become involved in politi­ cal action. Five simple keys to a successful year.

What is the Board doing to make this a better year for us all?

(1) January-Board Training to learn brainstorming techniques and goal setting; (2) Working with MSEA chapter leadership and staff to set chapter goals; (3) Developing better lines of communication; (4) Urging people to get involved in political action; (5) Looking toward more training with staff and with other labor organizations; (6) Serving on many committees to make sure the full Board as well as membership stays informed.

There is absolutely no way the staff of MSEA or Elected leaders can effectively deal with all these issues without your support and assistance.

As we move into March the issues are there to be dealt with. Each of us carries the responsibility for success.

S t e w

a r d

S e s s i o n s Those who sign up for MSEA membership during the open enrollment period must follow the normal procedure for Income Protection coverage, if they choose to have it (in other words, there is no “open enrollment” for Income Protection; those who apply must provide rnadical evidence of insurability).

C o rre c tio n Two names were inadvertently omitted in last month’s Stater listing of the Comparable Worth Com­ mittee. They are: Linda Sawyer, representing MSEA; and Lisa Merrick, representing the State.

T H E M A IN E S T A T E R John V. Oliver, Editor Don Matson, Managing Editor

F e b ru a ry , 1984

fa te *

O F F IC E R S PRESIDENT Gerald Stanton P.O. Box 9 So. Windham 04082 VICE-PRESIDENT Robert Ruhlin 10 Shadow Lane Brewer 04412 TREASURER Brad Ronco R.F.D. #1 Haliowell, 04347 SECRETARY Norma H. Arnold R.F.D. 5 Augusta. 04330

D IR E C T O R S AREAI Wellington Noyes Robert Dugal Jonesboro, 04648 21 Teague Street Caribou, 04736 Ervin Huntington George Burgoyne P.O. Box 205 228 Center St. Bangor, 04401 Bangor 04401 AREAII Anne Farrar Robert Kelley R.F.D. 1 R.F.D. 3, Box 12 Jefferson, 04348 Gardiner, 04345 Maynard Morrison Ed Wheaton Box 95 RFD2 Windsor, 04363 Pittston 04345 AREAIII Allen Bickford DavidBolz Old Cape Rd. 2 Deerwander Lane Kennebunkport Sanford, Me. 04073 04046 Sgsan Deschambault Carol Gould 9 Porter Street 470 Court St. Biddeford, 04005 Auburn, 04210 RETIREE DIRECTOR Helen Cyr 8 Hancock St. Augusta, 04330

T r a i n i n g S c h e d u l e d

MSEA Education and Training Coordinator Wanda Ingham has scheduled six steward train­ ing meetings around the state for March. Dates and locations are listed below.

March 5 — Presque Isle — Keddy's, Houiton Rd. March 6 — Bangor — Ramada Inn, Odlin Rd. March 9 — Waterville — Howard Johnson’s, Main St. March 14 — Saco — Three Thieves Inn, 63 Storer St. March 15 — Brunswick — Golden Fan (for­ merly Holiday Inn), Cook’s Corner March 20 — Ellsworth — Holiday Inn, High St. All sessions are scheduled 7:00-9:00 p.m.

STA FF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR John V. Oliver ASST. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Phil Merrill CHIEF COUNSEL John J. Finn DIRECTOR, FIELDSERVICES Roger Parlin DIRECTOR, FINANCE &ADMINISTRATION Joan C. Towle ATTORNEYS INSURANCE Ann Gosline COORDINATOR Shawn Keenan Ethelyn Purdy RESEARCHANALYST MEMBERSHIP Stephen Leech Barbara Chaffee COMMUNICATIONS ACCOUNTCLERK Don Matson CarmenGardner EDUCATION/TRAINING SUPPORT STAFF Wanda Ingham.

Steven Butterfield Doris Clark FIELD Donna Davis REPRESENTATIVES Eric Davis Ron Ahlquist Sandy Dionne Roger Dunning Terri Duley John Graham Margaret O'Connor Chuck Hillier Carol Wilson Carol Webb TimWooten

65 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04330 Tel. (207)622-3151 1-800-452-8794

F e b ru a ry , 1984

P a g e T h ree

M a in e S ta te r

C R I S I S Continued trom page 1 problems now faced by Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The day before, employees had addressed an “open letter’’ to legislators asking to be heard about the drastic effects of the proposed Department cuts.

“What we would hope you would be able to do would be to give us a forum to make the case for what we do. To give us a chance to explain the effects of the cuts, not on us, but on the programs we carry out . . . for the pepple of Maine,” the letter said in part.

Many public groups, including the Sportsman’s Alli­ ance of Maine, oppose the Department cuts, and have vowed to mobilize members urging a general fund ap­ propriation.

The House Republican Caucus also came out in support of General fund money for Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

“That department is going to be open and accoun­ table,” said Rep. Thomas Murphy (R-Kennebunk). “We kind of have to set the Commissioner off to the side and forget about him and deal with the problems in the Department.”

MSEA hasn't seen an issue in recent years with as much Legislative contact by people concerned over the impact of these cuts, which if they stand will turn the clock back on Fisheries and Wildlife resources.

The Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Com­ mittee has voted unanimously for legislative action to forestall the cuts and strengthen the Department’s fi­ nancial condition and more public hearings will follow. The storm is by no means over.

B S T A C L E S Continued from page 9. to take away bargaining rights from “acting ca­ pacity” employees with 6 months or more of state ser­ vice; 10. to radically restrict the time limits for employees to file grievances, increase the technical hurdles for employees in the grievance procedure, and seriously restrict the employees' rights to obtain information relative to their grievances; 11. to remove the present contractual right of either party to require the other to meet to discuss contract administration and to pursue unresolved disputes through the grievance procedure; and 12. to require that MSEA waive all bargaining rights during the term of the contract, presumably giving the State a free hand to change working conditions at will.

The State’s proposal for automatic dismissal in cases of client/patient/resident abuse is one of the most dangerous to employee protection. It would even prevent an employee's recourse to a neutral arbitrator for consideration of mitigating circumstances. Em­ ployees in work situations where abuse claims are most likely to arise know full well the jeopardy in “au­ tomatic dismissal” rule would place them in.

Circumstances under which abuse claims can arise are as varied as there are incidents. Many situations are very ambiguous. Many situations are very difficult to handle, and the State provides very little training for handling difficult clients. It is not rare for patients of mental health institutions and inmates of correctional facilities to try to set up employees for abuse charges.

Can you imagine what an incentive there would be for that if patients or inmates thought employees they didn't like would be automatically discharged?

Presently, there is a “just cause” standard for deter­ mining the appropriate discipline in abuse cases. If dismissal is warranted, it can be imposed under that standard. But it also allows for consideration of cir­ cumstances. Most importantly, it permits an employee to have a neutral arbitrator review those circumstanc­ es and modify the penalty where warranted. (Unbe­ lievably, AFSCME has agreed to the State’s proposal in their recent settlement and surrendered that right for Institutional Services employees.)

The State’s proposals would make serious inroads on employee rights and benefits. The bargaining teams and Statewide Bargaining Committees have been strongly determined to protect those rights and benefits and MSEA fully supports them. There can be no acceptable settlement with such an impact on the employees-

O

A

v e r a g e

S t a t e

W

a g e s

One of the main issues in MSEA collective bargain­ ing is the need for a fair wage increase — central to that case is the loss of “REAL” purchasing power which Maine State Employees have suffered due to in­ flationary erosion since the implementation of the Hay Salary Plan in 1976.

The bar chart below traces the pattern of both Cur­ rent and Real Average Wages for the period and con­ cludes that the Average State Employee Wage must be increased by approximately 9% in order to recov­ er the same level of purchasing power enjoyed in 1976.

V S .

I n f l a t i o n

While inflation had moderated considerably during the last half of 1982 and 1983 (3.9% and 3.8% respec­ tively), inflation for January 1984 jumped to an annua­ lized rate of 7.8%. Hopefully the year ending rate for 1984 won’t be that high but, all indications are that in­ flation will rise 6 or 7% at least. Without a fair wage in­ crease in this contract. State Employee purchasing power will continue to decline below the level it al­ ready has over the last eight years.

IN ORDER TO RE-ESTABLISH 7/76 PORCHASING_POWER OF iVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS s r IN“ lUf^TlYE W j,

7/76

7/77

7/78

Average Wage

7/79

7/80

7/81

= Real Dollars

7/82

7/83

1/84

1/84

Page Four

Maine Stater

February, 1984

Legislative Up d ate

Key Legislative Issues Still To Come W ith ro u g h ly six weeks to go in the second session, m uch of M SEA’s 1984 Legislative pro g ra m is now in the hands of the 111th L e g is la tu re ’s C om m ittees. So are a num ber o f B rennan A d m in is tra tio n proposals af­ fe ctin g the jo b s and b a rg a in in g rig h ts of Maine state w orkers.

Legisla to rs are also s tru g g lin g w ith the cris is c o n ­ fro n tin g the S ta te ’s D epartm ent of Inland Fisheries and W ild life , w here m oney is sh o rt and 25 em ployees have received layoff notices.

B ills co n c e rn in g active em ployees are h ig h lig h te d b elow ; progress of the tw o retiree b ills is described elsew here in this Stater. Proposed fu n d in g fo r the De­ p a rtm e n t o f C o rre ctio n s is exam ined in a special c o r­ re ctio n s em ployee perspective on pp. 6-9.

L. D. 525, "An Act to Clarify the Negotiability of Pay Rates under the State Employees Labor Rela­ tions Act.” M SEA’s Pay Rates bill, held over fro m the last session, restores to state w o rke rs the rig h t to bar­ gain over rates of pay, in c lu d in g re cla s s ific a tio n and range changes.

The Pay Rates bill also a ffe cts the MSEA C o m p a ra ­ ble W orth S tudy o f jo b s in M aine S tate governm ent.

The results of th a t study — w h ic h w ill in d ic a te if there is any sex bias in M aine State em ployee pay rates —

m ust be im plem ented th ro u g h the b a rg a in in g p ro ­ cess.

The Pay Rates b ill has presently been reassigned to the L abor C om m ittee.

Declassification of state jobs — the G o vernor has developed a d ra ft of L e g isla tio n , ru m ored to be s p o n ­ sored by House S peaker John M artin (D-Eagle Lake), Senate P resident G erry C onley (D -P ortland) and Rep. Pat P aradis (D-Augusta), w h ich is a fu rth e r atte m p t to d eclassify presently cla ssifie d state jobs.

MSEA w ill review them all, and o b je c t to p o sitio ns w here experience, tra in in g , and ju d g e m e n t, are m ore im p o rta n t fa cto rs than p o litic a l lo y a lty ,’’ a cc o rd in g to MSEA A ssistant E xecutive D ire c to r Phil M errill.

State Liquor Stores. A Brennan b u d g e t proposal now before the A p p ro p ria tio n s C om m ittee, pertains to the c lo s in g of 36 State L iq u o r S tores in Maine.

The G o v e rn o r’s spokesm an R ichard Davies has tes­ tifie d th a t the proposal is "a business d e c is io n " w hich w ill n o t lead to “ any loss of c o n tro l" over liq u o r sales.

The D ire c to r of the Bureau of A lc o h o lic Beverages, Guy M arcotte, also te s tifie d in s u p p o rt of the clo sin g s.

B ut Rep. H arold Cox (D-Brewer), ch a ir of the Legis­ la tu re ’s Legal A ffa irs C om m ittee, te stified against the proposal as p o te n tia lly leading to increased d rin kin g .

MSEA also opposed the bill, n o tin g that the State store system "is a trem endous revenue p ro d u ce r fo r M aine."

The C om m ittee vote is expected to be close; su p ­ p o rt fo r the G o ve rn o r’s proposal in both the House and Senate d o e s n ’t seem to be there.

Special Retirement Programs. MSEA has m et re­ cently w ith law e n fo rce m e n t em ployees and em ­ ployees from a lT C o rre ctio n a l in s titu tio n s to go over the u p co m in g su b co m m itte e re p o rt recom m ending a b o lish m e n t of special re tirem ent program s fo r sever­ al categories of state em ployees.

MSEA w ill be oppo sin g this Legislation on tw o bases: (1) n e g o tia tio n of re tirem ent issues does not belong in the Legislature; (2) the G o ve rn o r’s legis­ lation does not take into c o n sid era tio n the need fo r younger em ployees in those jobs, given the nature of the w ork.

"T h is proposal is ju st one exam ple of the A d m in is­ tra tio n ’s e ffo rt in fo ru m after fo ru m to weaken state em ployees’ a b ility to p ro te ct and c o n tro l th e ir ow n re­ tire m e n t system ," M errill said.

UNION LEADERSHIP GATHERING, 1984 The M aine State Em ployees A sso cia tio n held its sixth annual leadership tra in in g m eeting on January 28 in A ugusta. 85 state w o rk e r leaders fro m all over M aine p a rticip a te d in the d a y’s agenda.

MSEA veterans and new ly-elected leaders w ere on hand fo r the event, w h ich co m b in e d tra d itio n a l leader­ sh ip skills w ith w o rksh o p s on 1984 issues. A new MSEA Leadership Handbook m ade its firs t appear­ ance, addressing fa m ilia r to p ic s like ch a p te r o ffic e r and stew ard re sp o n sib ilitie s , h o ld in g su cce ssfu l m eet­ ings, and the MSEA co n ve n tio n process — in a m ore c o n cise way.

MSEA P resident G erry S tanton opened the session by in tro d u c in g him se lf and e m p h a sizin g the im p o r­ ta n ce o f ran k-a n d-file w o rk e r p a rtic ip a tio n in un io n business.

In m o rn in g w orkshops, Joe Mackey, fo rm e r A ssis­ ta n t E xecutive D irector, and C harles Priest, gave law­ ye rs’ perspectives on w o rk e rs ’ co m p e n sa tio n fo r the p u b lic w o rkfo rce . Research D ire c to r Steve Leech spoke on the m yriad o f jo b c la s s ific a tio n p io b le m s in M aine State G overnm ent and the D epartm ent o f Per­ s o n n e l’s new pay study — an a tte m p t to d e fin e those p roblem s in s tric tly m anagem ent te rm s and avoid bar­ g a in in g over u n fa ir pay rates.

A ssistant E xecutive D ire cto r Phil M e rrill reviewed 1984 le g is la tio n a ffe ctin g state w o rke rs and led a q u e s tio n -a n d -a n s w e r se s s io n on M SEA p o litic a l action, c ru cia l in th is e le c tio n year.

A fter lunch, M SEA leaders broke up in to g ro u p s to debate w hat MSEA ch a p te r goals sh o u ld be, and how m em bers sh o u ld try to m eet th o se goals.

Jack Finn spoke ab o u t C o n tra c t talks, now in a rb i­ tra tio n , and w h a t the a rb itra tio n panel — headed by A rn o ld Zack — is likely to look hardest at w hen m aking fin a l decisions.

At the end o f the day, the su b je c t was the cu rre n t MSEA e le c tio n cam paign to represent M a in e ’s In s titu ­ tio n a l em ployees. An MSEA w in w ill mean a m uch s tro n g e r united u nion fo r all; already m any MSEA m em bers are h elping o u t in the (cam p a ig n , and m ore sig ned up at the m eeting.

M SEA le a d e rs w o rk in g o n th e is s u e s a t T ra in in g S e s s io n in A u g u s ta .

A n d ro s c o g g in C h a p te r P re s id e n t W ayne Ho/lin g s w o rth m a k e s a p o in t.

L is te n in g to o th e r vie w s : o n e o f m a n y im p o rta n t le a d e rs h ip s k ills .

MSEA MEMBERS MAKE IT WORK!

Maine Stater

February, 1984

Page Five

ISU Election Update Hard to believe it, but Institutional Services workers filed MSEA authorization cards for a union election nearly a year ago — last April 22 — and still no elec­ tion! But it’s coming.

Labor law moves slowly, in Maine and across the country, but with sureness. ISU workers have a right to an election and they’ll have an opportunity to exercise that right.

In January, the Maine Labor Relations Board denied a Teamster request to split the ISU unit, carving out Corrections employees. The Teamsters appealed, and a hearing was held on February 14. Follow-up written arguments — briefs — are due February 29, and re­ plies to those arguments (i.e. by Council 74, and the State) are due the first week in March.

Then the Board will make a final determination on the appeal. Assuming the appeal is denied, by early April the Board will schedule an election date. That election date should be within 6 weeks or so, which brings all of us to June.

It may seem like a long, hard pull to have the right to vote for a new union, but for M aine’s Institutional Ser­ vices workers, it will be worth it. All the issues will have had plenty of exposure; minds should be made up. W ebster’s Dictionary defines “ union” as “ an act of uniting two or more things into one,” and MSEA is the one.

AMHI Workers Win Work Schedule Grievance________ On December 23 of last year, mental health workers /c a s e m a n a g e r s w e r e g iv e n 1 4 -d a y n o t ic e o f a w o r k

schedule change. MSEA, with the help of Steward Doris Rowe, argued that the change involved a "class” of employees and therefore had to be negoti­ ated, management disagreed.

LETTERS To The Editor The M aine S tater welcomes letters from MSEA members on issues of general concern to the mem­ bership!

One resolution passed by MSEA delegates to the 1982 Convention called for MSEA to “ determine pos­ sible handicapped barriers to Headquarters” and do something about it.

Shown above is the completed handicapped access ramp to MSEA at 65 State Street in Augusta.

A grievance file on behalf of case managers re­ sulted in a concession by the Department of Mental Health and Retardation that the change should havebeen negotiated. The workers affected were returned to their original schedule; each case manager also will receive either one hour’s extra pay or two hours’ com­ pensation time for each weekend day worked during the change.

AMHI recently notified the union that they will pro­ pose weekend rotation for case managers, to go into effect after negotiations have been in progress for thirty days.

Most work schedule changes require negotiation prior to implementation. Employees should contact an MSEA steward or field representative before agreeing to any schedule changes!

To the Editor: A Union of State employees. 10,000 people paying dues to belong to this great Union. For what? Income Protection; I hope not, not because of an insurance policy. I hope it is because of solidarity. A solidarity between our brothers and sisters in State service. A Union of people striving to defend and protect our rights as workers, as employees and as individuals.

We were formed because of this need and because there is “strength in numbers.” We have now grown to great numbers.

We all share acom m on bond by belonging to MSEA and we owe it to ourselves, our friends and our co­ workers to become better aware of the good that MSEA does.

We now have the power to control our own destiny and we owe that all to the dedication of those people who have given their best to this cause. For these people I sincerely thank them and promise that be­ cause of their dedication, perseverance, and enthusi­ asm that I too shall spread the word and encourage all of you to become, if not active, at least aware of the good that MSEA does and to support it with you all.

Sincerely, Jim Webster President George Leadbetter Chapter

Maine Roads: Better Safe Than Sorry!

Last November, a tragic auto accident took the lives of two women driving on Route 15 near Dover-Foxcroft during a snowstorm. Some people living in the area directed their anger and frustration toward DOT highway workers, blaming them for the conditions, which led to the accident. In a letter to the Bangor Daily News and other local papers, the highway crew in the area responded (see below).

MSEA lobbied hard in support of successful 1983 legislation for a 5<P gas tax increase to raise $69 million in state revenue for “a much-needed program to im­ prove Maine highways and roads.” No one likes to see tax increases, but this was a vital one. Work on Maine roads is underway. As past MSEA President Dick Trahey wrote in the February 1981 Stater, “State legis­ lators across the nation are recognizing the immedi­ ate need to update the levels and methods of funding transportation programs.”

The Highway improvement program now in pro­ gress could not save the lives of these accident vic­ tims, but it can and will make Maine roads safer, winter and summer. And DOT employees, who work hard at their jobs on behalf of Maine citizens, will be an integral part of that improvement.

To the Editor: I am writing in response to recent letters, edi­ torials and a petition that has appeared in this area.

I work for the State of Maine at the Guilford maintenance lot with 15 other men. It is our res­

ponsibility along with supervisory personnel to maintain, plow and sand Route 15. Out of Guil­ ford and Shirley maintenance lots we not only plow and sand just from Monson to Guilford, but from East Outlet bridge to the railroad tracks in Dover; Route 150 from Guilford to the ParkmanCambridge town line, and Route 23 from Guil­ ford to North Dexter.

None of us here disagree with the fact that the road in question needs to be ditched, paved and maybe have some reconstruction in places, but all these roads need money spent on them.

The accident that happened on Nov. 29, which took the life of two Greenville women, was tragic. Believe it or not, we all feel a loss. Since 1961 there have been 17 fatalities from East Outlet bridge to Dover-Foxcroft. Four were on the wrong side of the road, four were speeding, two were OUls, one was due to faulty pedestrian action, one to inattention, one was blinded by the sun, one was blinded by headlights, one was due to road conditions. And then there was the accident on Nov. 29.

It seems some people are blaming us for what happened. On that day the truck that plows and sands from Monson to Abbott was broken down.

We moved the truck that plows and sands from Abbott to Dover-Foxcroft up. The driver had from Dover-Foxcroft to Monson, about 36 lane miles. That’s not an easy route in any storm.

But is it our fault that it was storming, or that we had a truck broken down, or that the road

has such wear troughs that they can’t easily be cleaned out with a plow?

We as a group are out in every storm in the winter, and feel that any unnecessary travel is unnecessary. We all place a value on human life that cannot be assessed by dollars and cents.

It’s not easy working in the public eye and we all do the best we can. If it were possible we would invite anyone to come out in a storm, not just one but a week of stormy weather. Since the week beginning Nov. 28, w e’ve all worked at least one 30-hour stretch a week without sleep.

The procedure that is used to call us out at the beginning of a storm, the length of time w e’re out, and the way we plow and sand is the same it has been in the past. This year our supervisors did change the plow routes to equalize the mile­ age. Out of the five trucks that plow and sand from East Outlet bridge to Dover they average 18 miles round trip. The State of Maine has a winter road policy and we feel that we maintain the roads above the standard which this policy calls for.

W e’ll be glad to show anyone a copy of it if they’re willing to stop by the Guilford mainten­ ance lot weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Joseph Vernott (The above was also signed by members of the local crew: William Roberts, Tracy Lord, Don Campbell, Carl Dow, Bernard Larrabee, Philip Kimball, Harold Kimball, Peter Applebee, Frank H illm an, Dana H atch, Ernest King, Kenny Howard, and Robert E. Morrill).

Page Six

Maine Stater

February, 1984

Employees ’ Perspective

Corrections— The Righ “ We have to cope w ith the day-to-day situ a tio n , but so o n e r or later those in the system w ill be back in so­ ciety. People should th in k ab o u t th a t.”

C aptain Rudy H am m ’s co m m e n t at M aine State P rison squarely addressed a g ro w in g p roblem . Like m any others across the cou n try, M a in e ’s C o rre ctio n a l System suffers from serious o v e rc ro w d in g and a need fo r m a jo r physical im provem ents. W o rkp la ce stress fo r C o rre ctio n s em ployees is an everyday fa ct of life; as salesm en used to say ab o u t a to u g h se llin g job, “ it goes w ith the te rrito ry .”

B u t w h ile M aine C o rre ctio n s jo b s are often d iffic u lt and som etim es im possible, the system provides an es­ sential service fo r M aine citizens w h ich m ust c o n tin ­ ue, and — if it is to w o rk effe ctive ly — m ust im prove.

A s ig n ific a n t o p p o rtu n ity exists th is year to make needed im provem ents — in h irin g m ore staff, in p ro ­ v id in g m ore beds fo r inm ates, in in cre a sin g sta ff tim e fo r p ro p e r tre a tm e n t — th ro u g h a $2.3 m illio n state b u d g e t su p p lem e n t now before the L e g isla tu re and a $7 m illio n bond issue proposed fo r the voters to c o n ­ sid e r next Novem ber. The fu n d in g requests are aim ed at re d u cin g the prison o ve rc ro w d in g problem , b lo w ­ ing o ff steam in the incre a sin g ly stressful system , and saving state m oney by re d u cin g th e high co st of over­ tim e pay. M aine State em ployees th ro u g h o u t C o rre c ­ tio n s very m uch w ant to see the fu n d in g go th ro u g h . It w ill h e lp make th e ir jo b s less d iffic u lt and m ore p ro ­ d u ctive in the care and tre a tm e n t of those w ho pass th ro u g h th e system .

M aine taxpayers ju s tifia b ly lo o k at the d o lla rs and ce n ts re q u ire d in the state b u d g e t fo r fu n d in g of such essential services. B u t they also need to lo o k to w a rd a system th a t w orks. C o rre ctio n s em ployees have a jo b to do fo r those outsid e the w alls, to o , and they do th a t jo b best w ith p u b lic support.

In February, MSEA talked w ith m any em ployees th ro u g h o u t the C o rre ctio n s System a b o u t th e ir jobs and how c u rre n t C o rre ctio n s p ro b le m s a ffe ct th e ir w o rk lives. They recognize d the tra d itio n a l p u b lic ske pticism to w a rd spendin g m oney on C o rre ctio n s; b u t em ployees also fe lt stro n g ly th a t the p u b lic needs to be m ade m ore aware o f m any c irc u m s ta n c e s in the system they may n o t w ish to k n o w about.

Skip Spurling, Probation and Parole.

CORRECTIONS NEEDS L. D. 2051 — requests a sup p lem e n ta l a p p ro ­ p ria tio n fo r the C o rre ctio n s D epartm ent fo r the c u rre n t o ie n n iu m , e n d ing June 30, 1985. P ublic hearing was held by A p p ro p ria tio n s C om m ittee on February 16, 1984; Key item s requested: (1) Funds to pay fo r u nscheduled overtim e at Maine State Prison. Many overtim e hours were w orked due to inm ate counts, trip s, and co n ­ s tru c tio n crews, th o u g h the num ber of overtim e h o u rs was reduced by 13,400 th is past year.

(2) Funds fo r w o rk e rs ’ c o m p e n sa tio n costs.

Twelve o ffic e rs are now o u t due to in ju rie s sus-

Probation and Parole An A ugusta g ro u p g a th e rin g of p ro b a tio n and parole em ployees, w hose jo b s are to w o rk w ith people you n g and old at the b e g inn in g and end of M a in e ’s c o rre c tio n s process, pro d u ce d a consensus on p u b lic awareness.

"E d u c a tio n of the p u b lic sh ould be on how the system w orks, n o t ju s t the fu n d in g ,” said John W alker, a P ro b a tio n and Parole D is tric t S upervisor.

P & P O ffic e r Jane S taples discussed the e ffe c t of p rison o ve rc ro w d in g on her w ork.

"P ro b a tio n and Parole is e x p lo rin g a c o n c e p t of ‘in ­ tensive s u p e rv is io n ’,” she said, "d a ily s u p p o rt and c o n ta c t w ith the person back in the c o m m u n ity. But everyone's caseloads have increased — a big change in the ju ve n ile system has m eant my c a se lo a d ’s gone fro m 50 to 70 ju ve n ile intake — and b u d g e t co n s tra in ts have reduced o u r tra v e l."

R egular c o n ta c t w ith those on th e m argins of the system is " a real p rio rity in a k id ’s life ,” she said.

Juvenile C asew orker M ark B oger picke d up on the p oint. “ We tend to h andle th in g s in a c ris is s itu a tio n . W hat happens w hen you have a high caseload, you ju s t d o n ’t have tim e and e n o u g h to g e t involved in a p a rtic ­ u lar case th e way you s h o u ld .” Many fa c to rs c o n trib -

Jane Staples, Probation and Par ole.

tained by accidents or at the hands of inmates.

(3) Seven new po sitio ns at M aine C orrectional C enter (five C o rre ctio n s O fficers, a Nurse, and a m edical Secretary). Sixteen new p o sitio ns at M aine State Prison (ten Guards, one Nurse, one C ook, one S w itch b o a rd O perator, one W oodshop forem an, one M aintenance M echanic, and one seasonal w o rke r fo r the prison farm).

M ajor o ve rcro w d in g and capital im provem ent issues w ill be addressed in a proposed bond issue, h o p e fu lly endorsed by L egislators this S pring, fo r voters to co n sid er next November.

ute to the increasing p ro b a tio n and parole caseload, but an overw orked staff is less able to make c o n s tru c ­ tive, lasting im pact on clients.

P robation and Parole w o rke rs have absorbed added duties in recent years. "W e now help judges convert suspended sentences and fines to p u b lic service w o rk ,” S taples said. " T h a t’s tim e c o n s u m in g .”

Many pressures, in c lu d in g a larger p o p u la tio n c o n ­ victed of serious offenses e n tering the c o rre ctio n s system w eigh against Probation and P aro le’s philoso­

phy o f p ro vid in g " th a t m easure o f su p p o rt and super­ vision needed to insure adequate adjustm ent, w h ile at the same tim e, developing and m a in ta in in g the in d i­ v id u a l’s sense of in d e pe n d e n ce .”

"W e feel w e ’re d o in g a good jo b ," said " S k ip ” S purling , " b u t it ’s the preventive kinds of things, w o rk in g w ith kids, th a t we c a n ’t do anym ore.”

Maine Youth Center S outh P o rtla n d 's Y outh C enter em ploys 220 state w orkers, m ost involved in daily c o n ta c t w ith the over 210 adolescents sent there by the courts, and another 120 o u t in the com m unity. Y oungsters are co m m itte d to the Y outh C enter fo r every kind o f crim e, large and sm all. An u n fo rtu n a te percentage — guesses range fro m 15 to 40%, are am ong those w ho “ feed the system ” by eventually arrivin g in the M aine State

Rick Moores, Maine Youth Center.

February, 1984

Page Sev<

Maine Stater

:Time To Improve System

D ic k P e lle tie r, M a in e y o u th C e n te r

Prison or M aine C o rre ctio n a l C enter. The percentage is g ro w in g .

R ick M oores, a tra in in g sch o o l c o u n s e lo r at the Y outh C enter, described em ployee goals.

"W e o ffe r alternatives; it ’s th e ir choice. Kids need to in te rnalize the c o n stru ctive goals we have. If they d o n ’t, they o ften end up in tro u b le and com e b a c k ."

M oores and in s tru c to r D ick P e lle tie r talked a bout the problem s o f to o m any p eople in a co n stra in e d system. > "W e d ire c tly experience o v e rc ro w d in g in the c o t­ ta g e s," M oores said. Y outh C enter u n its n o rm a lly house tw elve people. T h e re ’s an increase in the p ro ­ pensity fo r d a n gerous situ a tio n s to o ccu r. Now w e ’re m ore s e cu rity-o rie n te d tha n o rie n te d to w a rd tre a t­ m e n t.”

P elletier em phasized th a t th e Y outh C enter " is the only ju ve n ile c o rre c tio n a l fa c ility in the State. The c o u rts are try in g to w eed o u t the very to u g h e s t of a de­ lin q u e n t p o p u la tio n and send them h e re .”

"E very stu d e n t here is c o u rt-o rd e re d . Even if w e ’re

B i ll J a c k s o n in th e S e c u rity T reat­ m e n t U n it

fu ll up, we take th e m .”

A t the S e cu rity T re a tm e n t U nit, w here real p ro b le m kid s spend th e ir tim e, U n it D ire c to r B ill Jackson had fu rth e r com m ents.

"W h a t we really need a ro u n d here is sta ffin g . T re a t­ m ent has g o n e d o w n h ill because l e ^ s t a f f j s available fo r co u n se lin g .

"T h e kid s co m in g in are having many m ore e m o ­ tio n a l p roblem s. If s o m e th in g can be done at th is level, m aybe p ro b le m s w o u ld n ’t o c c u r at h ig h e r levels.”

"W e ’re s till an in s titu tio n w here the s ta ff is in c o n ­ tr o l," Jackson added. "B u t y o u ’re seeing m any m ore h a rd -co re people co m in g in .”

Maine Correctional Center The C o rre c tio n a l C enter in S outh W indham is an in ­ s titu tio n at th e heart o f th e o v e rc ro w d in g p ro b le m , a p o in t w here pressure com es w hen th e system is fo rc e d to c o n tin u a lly operate beyond its means. It’s here th a t the b u lk o f the c o rre c tio n s fu n d in g — fo r ca p ita l im p ro ve m e n ts, personnel, and beds — w o u ld go.

Ron

M c E lro y , C e n te r

M a in e

C o r r e c t io n s

D esigned as a "m e d iu m s e c u rity ” fa c ility fo r 208 in ­ mates, the C o rre ctio n a l C enter now has 251 prisoners, m any in fo r serious, v io le n t crim es and long sen­ tences.

MSEA m em ber Ron M cE lroy, a vo ca tio n a l trades in­ s tru c to r, led a w a lkin g to u r th ro u g h the C enter. Em ­ ployees at each stop had stro n g views.

"W e need the m oney desperately fo r new bed space,” said M cE lroy. "W e ’ve even opened a te m p o ­ rary dorm fo r inm ates in w h a t was a con d e m n e d b u ild ­ in g .”

The p o p u la tio n p roblem starts in the C e n te r’s Re­ ceiving area, w here new inm ates firs t arrive fo r p ro ­ cessing in to the system . R eceiving shares space w ith the In firm a ry and o th e r o ffic e s on the second flo o r of the m ain b u ild in g .

B ill Stetson, a C o rre c tio n s O ffic e r II fo r fifte e n years, described his jo b , w h ic h he does w ith the help o f a sin g le inm ate assistant.

"E ve rytim e th e re ’s a ‘m o ve m e n t’ m ade inside (a C ont. on Page 8

Page Eight

M ain e Stater

February, 1984

Corrections

Continued from page 7 change in an inmate’s status), it reflects here. In 1981, there were 16,000 different ‘movements’ which in­ volved receiving record-keeping.”

Stetson works in a small storage-like room jammed with prisoners’ belongings and file cabinets. “ We had forty-five new inmates come into Receiv­ ing in December,” he said. “ That’s a good monthly av­ erage.” He processes them, too.

Next door in the Infirmary, registered nurse Barbara Wilkinson and LPN Carol Kennie hold down the day shift, "trying to keep things moving.” That includes performing all their own clerical work along with at­ tending to inmate’s medical needs.

"In the medical department, we have the whole pop­ ulation to care for with a skeleton staff,” Wilkinson said. A doctor is on call and visits during the week, but the job is always busy.

One flight up in Receiving is where new inmates live, generally for their first 30 days waiting for space in the Dorms — the Correctional Center’s main resi­ dential buildings. Corrections Officer James Hunter works in the large central room, which has cells along three of the four walls to provide sleeping space for eighteen.

Eleven additional inmates sleep on mattresses on the floor of the central room. At one point last year, over twenty were on the floor. “ It’s bad for security,” said Hunter. "We have offi­ cers who have to wander down through the mat­ tresses at night. Now we have two on at night rather than one, all the time. That’s losing the state money right there.”

The inmates here are strangers living head to toe in always-crowded quarters. Hunter notes the problem.

"It’s bound to increase uneasiness and incidents with such a crowd in here. When we had twenty-one on the floor, it was unreal. Twelve finally moved to the old print shop.”

One more floor up, by way of a narrow, concrete stairwell with iron railings and through two locked doors, is Segregation. Ordinarily for troublemakers, "Seg” is also taken up now by people overflowing from Receiving, according to Officer Gerry Nelson.

"Just the other day, it took two guards to get a guy in a wheelchair up the stairs to here, and he didn’t » want to come. Anytime we bring someone who doesn’t want to come to segregation,” Nelson said, re­ ferring to the inconvenient third floor location, “ it’s a tough fight.”

In the Correctional Center’s Dorms, the inmate pop­ ulation can breathe easier, but must cope with waiting at each level to move to the next, more privileged level.

In Dorm 6, first stop after Receiving, Officer Bart Ro­ berts said the cells were "always full.”

"The bottleneck began with straight sentencing (no probation or parole),” Roberts said. "The population’s been going up ever since.” The easier the transition for inmates, the less trouble for everyone.

The main room in Receiving. Quiet for a moment...

Dorm 8 is in the condemned building which used to be a prison print shop. All beds are crowded close to­ gether inter one room.

"We’ve got twelve people in here now, have had since it opened,” said Paul D’Auteil, the Officer on duty. “ It’s actually a step down in privileges when it should be a step up. The biggest complaint is lack of privacy.” Minimal privacy is an essential in the prison system.

Then there are the residential buildings called “ cot­ tages” — small, separate buildings in the rear of the Center. They’re newer, and the atmosphere is more re­ laxed. Each cottage has room for twelve, and here, in­ mates are closer to getting out. The worry is whether they’ll be back. “ They don’t get the time to properly take care of these fellas,” said Ed Hawkes, a veteran Officer sched­ uled to retire the next day. “ Under the circumstances, the only thing you can do is keep shoving 'em along.”

Hawkes thought the planned-for improvements were a must, but he remained skeptical of their imple­ mentation. “ The public would like improvements in Corrections, but they don’t want to pay for it.”

Judy Plourde, Corrections Officer for the one cot­ tage which houses women on the grounds of the Cor­ rectional Center, told a similar story. “ The women’s dorm has the same problems as the others, plus long-termers mixed in with short-termers.

That shouldn’t be.”

The crowding-together of women serving long sen­ tences for violent crimes with those in for considerab­ ly less is symptomatic of a system which can’t work effectively and safety.

...crowded with sleeping inmates at nioht.

Maine State Prison

Prison crowding *and physical plant problems are not brand new issues at the State Prison in Thomaston, but now they’re chronic. The April 1980 Lockdown — when inmates were temporarily kept in cells 24 hours a day and there was much destruction of prison property — was a recent, graphic illustration.

The State Prison also absorbs the overflow from the Correctional Center. There are now 100 inmates trans­ ferred from South Windham. In Warden Martin Magnusson’s view, improvements at the Correctional Center can only help in Thomaston.

Magnusson detailed capital construction suggested and planned for the prison, including enlarging of the receiving, visiting, food service, and recreation areas and structural improvements of prison traffic flow.

"The fire marshals have said we absolutely have to have improvement in fire safety conditions. We feel it’s of major importance,” Magnusson said. He described some of the new conditions under which the maxi­ mum security facility must function, changes which may be permanent.

"We’re getting people here with much larger sen­ tences than in the past. In 1976, the average stay was 2.6 years; in 1983, it’s 9.5 years. Over 200 inmates now have sentences of over 10 years.”

In addition to short-term improvements, Magnus­ son foresees the need to study long-range, cost-effec­ tive changes at Thomaston.

Down in the Infirmary, LPN Cecilia Winchenbach had a ready response to the question of Legislative action for Corrections. “ We need more help,” said Winchenbach, an eightContinued on page 9

February, 1984

Page Nine

Maine Stater

Corrections

“ Personnel co u ld be used m ore be n e ficia lly, to give us the a b ility to com e o u t o f th is jo b in 20 years w ith a little m ore o f o u r lives in ta c t.”

C o n tinued from page 8

year state em ployee at the prison. “ We c a n ’t fu n c tio n as we should in here . . . we do the basic necessities. If anybody on staff calls in sick, it's a d isa ste r.”

She described in firm a ry w o rk at the prison, w h ich m ust go on day and night, often in the cell blocks. “ We w o rk sh ifts alone, w h ich is not safe and is stressful.

Ask the state police w ho w ere here d u rin g the Lockdow n if th e y ’d stay . . .”

Al B arlow , a R ecreation S u p e rvisor w ith ten years experience, was not e n th u sia stic ab o u t the present re creation fa c ilitie s fo r inm ates at Thom aston. “ T his place is in bad shape,” he said, speaking a b o u t the sm all b u ild in g w h ich barely houses a bas­ ketball co u rt, several offices, and not m uch else. “ You can scoop the m o rta r o ut in the back w ith y o u r fin g ­ e rs.” “ W hen it rains, we cancel all a c tiv itie s .” B arlow em ­ phasized the pra ctica l need fo r an adequate recrea­ tio n program and better fa c ilitie s inside the prison. “ T h e re ’s a lot of guys in here you w o u ld n ’t be able to handle at all if it w a sn ’t fo r re cre a tio n. They need so m ething to w o rk the fru s tra tio n o u t.”

In East W ing, w here many of T h o m a s to n ’s to u g h e st p risoners live, the guards feel the co n s ta n t pressures of c o rre c tio n s w o rk as acutely as anyw here in the system.

At the Hearing

Cecilia w inchenbach, Maine s tate Prison

G uard V in c e n t M ecca fe lt th a t there sh o u ld be “ m oney fo r tra in in g and e d u ca tio n . We get tw o weeks tra in in g to do the jo b .” O thers agreed. Surveying the cell block, w ith its steady inm ate m ovem ent on each of the fo u r tiers, M ecca fo cu se d on a guard m oving in to break up a m in o r s h o u tin g m atch. He sum m arized w h a t many w h o w o rk in c o rre c tio n s feel, and know .

The sup p lem e n ta l fu n d in g le g isla tio n had a p u b lic hearing on F ebruary 15 before the L e g is la tu re ’s A p p ro p ria tio n s C om m ittee. M S E A ’s M ary M cA leney was am ong those te stifyin g in s u p p o rt o f the bill, w h ich faces a long road to fin a l passage. T h o u g h C o r­ re ctio n s o ffic ia ls te stifie d in detail about how the m oney w o u ld be spent fo r each recom m ended im ­ provem ent, m uch of the hearing focused on overtim e pay — how m uch m oney was spent and how m uch it should be reduced. C o rre c tio n s C o m m issio n e r Don A llen te stifie d th a t th o u sa n d s o f hours in overtim e costs had been saved since 1981 due to staff increas­ es, but he added th a t the present plan fo r increased personnel “ w o u ld help e lim in a te m uch m o re .”

T his le g isla tio n w ill now be co n sid ere d in C o m m it­ tee, and m ust be passed by the w h o le Legislature. The case has been made, the tim e is rig h t, the m oney is there. F u nding o f C o rre ctio n s im provem ents may never be p o pular, in M aine o r anyw here else, but it is necessary. The system only w o rks as w ell as re­ sources allow , and the C o rre ctio n s em ployees w ho serve M aine citize n s every day know better than anyone th a t to make the system w o rk, it m ust be ad­ equately panJ for.

Hearing Set For Video Display Terminal Use In Maine Public Sector M a in e ’s Board o f O cc u p a tio n a l H ealth and Safety w ill m eet on M arch 15 at the A ugusta C ivic C e n te r to listen to p u b lic te stim o n y on p roposed rules fo r use of video display te rm in a ls (VD T’s) in p u b lic se cto r em ­ ploym ent.

MSEA has w orked fo r several years to w a rd the goal of studying increased VDT use am ong Maine p u b lic em ployees and re co m m e n d in g ways to deal w ith w o rkp la ce pro b le m s VDT users may have. In June of 1983 the L e g islature passed a b ill sponsored by Rep. Edie B eaulieu (D -P ortland) a llo w in g the M aine Bureau

of L a b o r S ta tis tic s to issue rules re g a rd in g use of video d isp la y term inals.

In N ovem ber 1982, MSEA co n d u c te d a h ig h ly su c­ cessful survey am ong VDT o p e ra to rs in M aine State S ervice asking a b o u t health p ro b le m s exp e rie n ce d w h ile using them . P ro lo n ge d use has caused head­ aches, eye stra in , back problem s, and nervous te n ­ sion.

The fo llo w in g rules have been proposed, and w ill be discussed at the hearing.

NITS

WATCH THEM CAREFULLY!

RULES 1. E m ployers shall pro vid e a 15-m inute break fo r video d isplay te rm in a l users at least every tw o ho u rs fo r em ployees w h o w o rk fo r m ore than fo u r (4) hours a day. • 2. Any in d iv id u a l hired as a video display te rm i­ nal o p e ra to r shall have, at his o r her expense, an eye e xa m in a tio n p rio r to co m m e n ce m e n t of e m ploym ent. The results o f th a t e xa m in a ­ tio n shall be placed in the e m p lo ye e ’s p e rso n ­ nel file. The em p lo ye r shall provide free eye e xa m in a tio n s every three years thereafter.

3. All new video disp la y te rm in a l e q u ipm e n t shall have d e ta ch a b le keyboards and lig h tin g c o n tro l m echanism s as standard e quipm ent.

Tables and a d justable ch a irs shall be p ro ­ vided.

4. A m aintenance c o n tra c t shall be purchased fo r all video d isplay te rm in a ls now in use th a t are n o t p re s e n tly c o v e re d by a s e rv ic e agreem ent.

5. All sites using video d isplay te rm in a ls shall be checked to see if lig h tin g can be altered to prevent glare.

6. E m ployers shall pro vid e hand b o o ks on video d is p la y te rm in a l h e a lth in fo rm a tio n and safety m easures to all em ployees.

7. These rules becom e e ffe ctive 18 m o n th s after th e ir ado p tio n .

Rep. B eaulieu to ld the Stater th a t “ the B oard w ill really listen to M aine w o rk e rs ,” and she urged those w ho use V D T’s to attend the hearing. “ O ur State has been n u m b e r one in the nation in p re v e n tio n ,” B eaulieu said. “ We have the o p p o rtu n ity again to a d o p t m in im u m standards fo r em ployees in p u b lic se cto r jo b s .”

Interested w o rke rs w h o w o u ld like to attend the hearing are en co u ra g e d to do so. C o n ta ct W anda Ingram , MSEA 1-800-452-8794

Page Ten

February, 1984

Maine Stater

Retiree News Last m onth, the Stater w ro te th a t M aine retiree g ro u p s were o rg a n izin g a study g ro u p to fo rm a c o n ­ sensus on pension co st-o f-liv in g le g isla tio n fo r 1985.

M aine Legisla to rs had recom m ended th a t a united fro n t w o u ld be the best app ro a ch to passing a bill.

At the firs t jo in t m eeting of representatives fro m re­ tiree gro u p s in January, agreem ent was q u ic k ly reached on a s in g le pension c o s t-o f-liv in g b ill — backed by all g ro u p s in c lu d in g MSEA’s R etiree’s S teering C om m itte e — to be s u b m itte d this year.

W hy w ait? The Legislatu re has already bud g e te d a 4% increase fo r 1984; the tim e is rig h t to c o n s id e r a fair, perm anent fo rm u la fo r b e tte r m a in ta in in g the p u r­ chasing pow er o f retired em ployee pensions to begin in 1985.

J o in tly-s u p p o rte d le g isla tio n is now before the Leg­ is la tu re ’s A ging, R etirem ent, and Veterans C om m ittee — L. D. 1939 — w h ich w o u ld base retiree increases on the average yearly salary increases achieved by active M aine state w o rke rs and teachers.

C o-sponsors o f the bill, S enator C huck Dow (D-Gardiner) and R epresentative Daniel H ickey (D-Augusta), te s tifie d in s u p p o rt of th is le g is la tio n at the C o m m it­ te e ’s F ebruary 14 p u b lic hearing. ‘‘The present system has not proven s a tis fa c to ry ,” Dow said. “ We have been fo rc e d to deal w ith th is issue on an annual basis. The 4% cap fo r retirees h a sn ’t com e c lo se .” Dow noted th a t the proposal had no cost th is year and th a t it sh o u ld s im p lify the p ro c e d u re fo r m a in ta in in g the value o f retiree pensions.

MSEA R etiree S teering C o m m itte e C h a ir P hil Goggins te stifie d in s u p p o rt o f the b ill along w ith a nu m b e r of others, in c lu d in g W illia m Garside, re p re se ntin g the M aine A sso cia tio n o f Retirees. G arside to ld the C om ­ m ittee th a t the b ill had been am ended to m eet o b je c ­ tio n s by the R e tire m e n t S ystem ’s B oard o f Trustees, w h ich had given its ’ u nan im o u s approval.

G oggins te stifie d th a t a pe rm a n en t fo rm u la was “ s o m e th in g ou r people have w anted fo r the past th re e years.” F orm er le g is la to r Law rence Bagley also praised the a p p ro a ch ; ‘‘w e ’re g o in g back to a system th a t w o rk e d ,” he said.

A February 21 in fo rm a l C o m m itte e w o rk session on the b ill pro d u ce d a s lig h tly d iffe re n t p ictu re , how ever.

Q uestions w ere raised by R oberta W eil, E xecutive Di­ re c to r o f the R etirem ent System, a b o u t the a c tu a ria l costs of the b ill — q u e stio n s n o t raised at the e a rlie r p u b lic hearing. A nd a seco n d area o f th e b ill needing

S e n a to r C h u c k D o w

fu rth e r w o rk fo cu se d on the issue of in c lu d in g the av­ erage yearly salary increase o f Maine teachers w ith M aine state w o rk e r w age increases as the basis fo r the fo rm u la fo r retirees. A pparently, in d ivid u a l teacher salary increases may re su lt fro m a nu m b e r of d iffe re n t

sources, som e separate from co lle ctive ly bargained w age boosts.

To co n sid er these new issues, the A ging, R etire­ m ent and V eterans C om m ittee scheduled a second w ork session in the near fu tu re ; MSEA w ill be there.

Supplemental Life In s u ra n c e Dividend Distribution To Continue Last Septem ber, the M aine State R etirem ent Sys­ te m ’s Board of Trustees proposed rule changes in the m ethod of d is trib u tio n o f d ivid e n d s to b e n e ficia rie s of those retirees w h o signed up fo r sup p lem e n ta l life in ­ surance w hen they w ere active em ployees.

Over $2.4 m illio n is presently in a d ivid e n d fu n d to be d is trib u te d to su rvivo rs o f those w h o had su p p le ­ m ental life insurance. But the B oard of Trustees planned to reduce and eventually e lim in a te divid e n d s over the next 10 years. The B oard said the reason fo r the change was th a t there w o u ld soon be “ no m ore d i­ vid e n ds in the su p p lem e n ta l pool to be d is trib u te d to b e n e fic ia rie s ” — because of the in cre a sin g a m o u n t being draw n out.

Many retirees w ere unhappy w ith the plan, w h ich they fe lt w o u ld deny ben e fits due to survivo rs o f some retirees. L e g isla tio n was s u b m itte d th is year seeking Le g isla tive in te rve n tio n .

B ut at a F ebruary w o rk session of the A ging, R etire­ m ent and Veterans C om m ittee, the le g isla tio n (L. D.

1964) was w ith d ra w n , after R etirem ent System o ffi­ cials and retiree representatives resolved the issue to th e ir satisfa ctio n .

The $2.4 m illio n supplem ental dividend pool, w hich is invested, w ill now inclu d e all fu tu re interest earned.

D is trib u tio n of dividends to survivors of retirees w ho had supplem ental life insurance w ill be a cco rd in g to the fo llo w in g schedule, effective July 1, 1984, and w ill continue fo r the foreseeable future.

Participants insured for: 5 years At least At least At least At least

Dividend (% of original benefit paid to beneficiary) or more...................................15.0% 4 years but less than 5 years12.0% 3.years but less than 4 years 9.0% 2 years but less than 3 years 6.0% 1 year but less than 2 years.. 3.0%

Important: Many survivors of retirees have not know n they w ere e lig ib le fo r th is benefit. Retirees w ho b o u g h t supplem ental life insurance w hen they w ere active should be sure to make it know n to benefi­ ciaries th a t this ben e fit exists.

Local 5 Elects New Officers

N e w L o c a l 5 P re s id e n t R o n G ra n d m a is o n h o ld s fir s t m e e tin g w ith 1984 o ffic e rs . M S E A fie ld rep.

R on A h lq u is t o n le ft.

In January, Lew iston C ity G overnm ent em ployees w ho are m em bers o f MSEA Local 5 held th e ir elec­ tio n s fo r 1984. Ron Grandmaison a ja n ito r w o rk in g in the Lew iston school system was chosen as new Presi­ dent, rep la cin g o u tg o in g P resident C onnie Levesque.

G randm aison, an e ig h t year city em ployee w ho has been a S tew ard fo r Local 5 and was a m em ber of the last b a rg a in in g team , w ill be canvassing the m em ­ b ership fo r c o n tra c t proposals th is S pring.

O ther 1984 o ffic e rs include: Ray Merrow, re-elected Vice P resident; Lorraine Chouinard, re-elected T reasurer; Esther Jean, new ly chosen as Local 5 Secretary; and Gerry Gamache, re-elected ch ie f stew ard fo r the local.

The present 2-year c o n tra c t expires on D ecem ber 31,1984. M uch w o rk is needed to stre n g th e n Lew iston w o rk e rs ’ language and im prove wages and w o rkin g c o n d itio n s . The 130-em ployee unit, fo rm e rly rep­ resented by AFSCME C o u n cil 74 u n til M arch 1983, has m uch g ro u n d to cover to b rin g the c o n tra c t up to a level enjoyed by o th e r m u n icip a l b a rg a in in g units.

P a g e Eleven

M a in e S ta te r

F e b ru a ry , 1984

1

9

8

4

M

S

E

A

S

c

h

o

l a

r

s

each area will be presented to the full Scholarship Committee for their consideration.

Basis for awarding these scholarships will be: 1. Character 2. Leadership Qualities 3. Service to Others 4. Need 5. Scholastic Ability and Initiative Each item will receive a numerical rating; the total of these ratings determines the success of the applica­ tion.

Personal interviews may be required by the Com­ mittee if needed.

THREE PART-TIME EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS MSEA is also offering scholarships to MSEA mem­ bers enrolled in part-time educational programs.

Three scholarships, one for each geographical area, in the amount of $250 each will be awarded. The se­ lection process will be handled in the same manner and at the same time as the scholarships offered to sons and daughters of MSEA members who are in degree programs.

PENOBSCOT CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIPS MSEA’s Penobscot Chapter is offering one $700 scholarship for which MSEA members of Penobscot Chapter and their dependents who are entering or enrolled in post-high school educational or vocational

The 1984 MSEA Scholarship Committee, Chaired by Dail Sawyer of Bangor, is accepting applications for nine annual scholarships and three scholarships for part-time educational programs.

Applications must be received by April 6, 1984.

Applications for the nine annual scholarships will be considered only from sons and daughters of MSEA members who are entering post-high school educa­ tional or vocational programs for the first time or MSEA members who are in or have been accepted into a degree program.

The nine scholarships will be apportioned so that three will be awarded for each MSEA area. The Dr. Howard L. Bowen for $1,000, the Murray L. Brown for $500 and the George A. Davala for $500, each payable one-half during the first semester or partial year, and one-half during the second semester of the recipient’s first year in post secondary school.

Provided there are applicants, one $500 scholarship in each area will be awarded to a student attending a Vocational-Technical Institute.

All awards will be made payable to the treasurer or bursar of the school in which the recipient becomes enrolled.

The members of the Scholarship Committee from each area will screen applications from other areas. At ^ a st three but not more than six applications from

h

i p

s

programs, or who are in or have been accepted into a degree program, are eligible.

Application may be made using the same form for the statewide scholarships (see below). Applications filled out by Penobscot Chapter members for the other MSEA scholarships may also be used toward the Pe­ nobscot Chapter Scholarships, which will automat­ ically be sent to the Penobscot Chapter Scholarship Committee.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL SCHOLARSHIPS (1) A transcript of your high school record; (2) a statement or personal letter indicating reasons for making application; (3) an itemized statement of your and, if you are a dependent, your parents’ or guardi­ ans’ financial resources and outstanding obligations, AND Page 1 of their 1983 Federal Income Tax statement (all to be held in strict confidence); (4) a de­ scription of your extracurricular activities; and (5) ref­ erences as noted on your application. Items 4 and 5 should contain information on character, leadership, and service to others and any other information which indicates why this applicant should be considered.

Applications must be mailed to Maine State Em­ ployees Association, 65 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04330, so that they will be received by April 16, 1984.

Additional applications are available from MSEA Headquarters.

A P P L IC A T IO N F O R TH E

DR. H O W ARD

L. B O W EN , TH E

A N D

TH E

A. DAVALA

G E O R G E

M URRAY

M SEA

B R O W N ,

S C H O L A R S H IP S

THIS APPLICATION FORM MAT ALSO BE USED FOR THE THREE PART-TIME EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIPS AND THE PENOBSCOT CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIPS DATE O F BIRTH

FU LL N A M E <bflRLtN G A D D R E S S LEG A L A D D R E S S ( if 'd if f e r e n t fro m a b o v e ) •F A T H E R ’S/G U A RD IA N S NAM E A D DRESS—

•*

O C C U PA T IO N YEARLY IN C O M E ’F

LL S O U R C E S

N A M E S, A G E S AND R E L A T IO N SH IP O F D E P E N D E N T S “M O T H E R 'S /G U A R D IA N ’S N A M E ___________________________________________________________ A D D R E S S _____________________________________________________________________________________ O C C U P A T IO N ________________________________________________________________________________ YEARLY IN C O M E FR O M ALL S O U R C E S _________________________________________________ N A M ES, A G E S AND R E L A T IO N S H IP O F D E P E N D E N T S (if d if f e r e n t fro m F a t h e r 's )

___

---- vs----------- ------------------------------- J----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*lf n o t a d e p e n d e n t , u s e a b o v e s p a c e s f o r o w n a n d s p o u s e ’s in f o r m a tio n .

IN C O M E FR O M ALL S O U R C E S (if a d d it io n a l to p a r e n t s ) _________________________________ T O W HICH M S E A C H A P T E R DO YOU O R Y O U R P A R E N T (S ) B E L O N G _________________ HAVE YOU B E E N A C C E P T E D F O R P O S T -H IG H S C H O O L E D U C A T IO N _________________ DATE O F A C C E P T A N C E ____________________________________________ A D D RESS OF SCH O O L

NAM E O F S C H O O L

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

W HAT C O U R S E DO YOU PLA N T O T A K E --------------------- -----------------------------------------------------LEN G TH O F T H IS C O U R S E ( y e a rs , m o n th s , e tc .) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NAM E O F HIGH S C H O O L FR O M W HICH YOU A R E T O BE O R HAVE G R A D U A TED O R P O S T S E C O N D A R Y S C H O O L L A ST AT­ T E N D E D _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NAM E O F G U ID A N C E D IR E C T O R O R A D V ISO R AND A D D R E S S ___________________________________________________________________

R E Q U IR E D R E F E R E N C E S : O n e s c h o l a s t i c a n d o n e n o n - s c h o l a s t i c (a n o n - re la tiv e ) . N O A P PL IC A T IO N W ILL B E C O N S ID ­ E R E D U N L E S S ALL R E Q U IR E M E N T S A R E M ET. (N o te a d d it io n a l r e q u i r e m e n ts ) P L E A S E N O T E : It w ill b e n e c e s s a r y f o r y o u to a s k e a c h o f y o u r r e f e r e n c e s to s e n d h i s / h e r le tte r o f r e c o m m e n d a t i o n t o t h e C h a i r p e r s o n o f t h e M S E A S c h o l a r s h i p C o m m itte e . A p p lic a tio n a n d a c c o m p a n y i n g d a t a s h o u ld a ls o b e m a ile d to t h e C h a i r p e r s o n o f t h e M S E A S c h o l a r s h i p C o m m itte e , 6 5 S t a t e S t r e e t , A u g u s ta , M a in e 0 4 3 3 0 .

•>

P a g e T w elve

S tater

U n fa ir L a b o r P r a c tic e

C h a rg e

M

t

a

n

a

g

e

m

e

n

D

e

n

i e

W

T

N

E

H

E

S

t a

t e

W

o

r k

e

r s

the employee’s favor are retroactive to the date of the request.

Last August, however, Personnel issued Bulletin 4.3, requiring supervisors of any employees applying for reclass or reallocation to review the employee’s job duties, and change those duties to eliminate the reason for the request. Instead of retroactivity, the em­ ployee is considered to have been on “temporary as­ signment’’ at the disputed classification and is compensated accordingly.

In Personnel’s eyes, the arbitrators now are limited

MSEA Chief Counsel Jack Finn has filed a Prohib­ ited Practice Complaint with the Maine Labor Rela­ tions Board against the State, challenging changes made by the Department of Personnel in the treatment of reclassification and reallocation requests by em­ ployees.

Under existing MSEA contracts, state workers have the right to apply for reclass or reallocation of their positions, and the right to appeal a decision to arbitra­ tion. The arbitrators, now a permanent 3-member panel, have the final say; reclasses or reallocations in

-

s

F e b ru ary , 1984

’ R

A

N

W

K

E

J

I D

M

U

O

S

R

T

I N

T

’ R

e

c

l a

E

T

H

E

-

O

W

N

.

A n d w e 'r e p r o u d to h a v e b e e n s e l e c t e d a s th e on ly a u t o in s u r a n c e c a rrie r s p o n s o r e d a n d e n d o r s e d b y th e M a in e S ta te E m p lo y e e s A sso c ia tio n .

PR EM IU M S A V IN G S A N D PR EM IU M SERV ICE W e 'v e l e a r n e d from o u r y e a r s of e x p e r i e n c e in a d m in is te rin g a u to m o b ile in s u r a n c e p r o g r a m s t h a t p e r s o n a l s e rv ic e sim ply c a n 't t a k e a b a c k s e a t to c a s h sa v in g s. W e s ta n d b e h in d b o th y o u a n d th e MSEA A u to P r o g ra m to e x p e rtly h a n d l e all your q u e s tio n s a n d c o n c e r n s . A m e ric a n In te rn a tio n a l C o m p a n i e s h a s th e fin a n c ia l s ta n d in g to p r o te c t y o u from a c c i d e n t a l loss. A n d , with c la im s o ffic e s th r o u g h o u t th e c o u n try , o u r d e d i c a t i o n to s e rv ic e c o m b i n e d with o p tim u m p r e m iu m s a v in g s p l a c e s us a h e a d of th e rest.

PUT US T O THE TEST For a fre e , n o - o b lig a tio n q u o t e retu rn th e re p ly b la n k b e lo w or c a ll MSEA AUTO PLAN 774-1538 o r 1-800*322-0395 W e 're c o n f id e n t t h a t w e c a n o ffer t h e h ig h e s t a m o u n t of c o v e r a g e a t th e lo w e st p o s s ib le c o st. C h e c k us out.

P l e a s e s e n d m e a n o - o b lig a tio n Q u o ta tio n R e q u e s t Form .

Name.

Sfreet Cify/Sfate/Zip MSEA AUTO PLAN 835 Forest Avenue, Portland, ME 04103

M

S

E

A

A

U

T

O

P

L

A

Underwritten by Am erican International C om panies

s

R

i g

h

t s

to resolving disputes over the nature of that “tempo­ rary assignment” and how much compensation the employee is due.

This is a clear violation of the contract, where the employer unilaterally decided to change employee's wages, hours and working conditions, without bar­ gaining with the union.

Finn has requested that Personnel cease this prac­ tice, that employees’ contract rights to seek reclassifi­ cation and reallocation of their jobs be restored, and that Personnel Bulletin 4.3 be rescinded.

W E'RE A M E R IC A N INTERNATIONAL C O M P A N IE S

D

s

N