HPAE 5094 Newsletter

Issue 02

October, 2011

UMDNJ Advisory Committee Releases Interim Report

As most are aware by now, the UMDNJ Advisory Committee handpicked by Governor

Christie submitted an interim report that the Governor released to the public in a press conference on September 20th.

Read the 5094 Communications Committee summary of the report here on our community forum. We encourage you comment on the report there.

Read also here about the UMDNJ Advisory Committees public hearing on Oct. 13th attended by approximately 200 people including representatives of UMDNJ, at which HPAE presented our What We Stand For petition to the Committee.

Other Recent Headlines

Our community forum is a comprehensive news resource for matters of interest to you both as UMDNJ employee and HPAE member. We have created boards on our community forum that add news articles on a daily basis. Here are the news boards. Check em out!:

Proposed UMDNJ-Rutgers Merger NJ Political Landscape for Public Employees NJ State Budget NJ State Health Benefits Plan NJ Public Employee Pension & Retirement

Current Hot Topics on the Forum

Judging from the number of views, the hottest topics are:

C.C. summary of UMDNJ Advisory Com. Interim Report Upcoming Meetings & Events
From Confusion to Fusion: Union Survival in the Age of Christie

It would be invigorating for our Local to see members begin expressing themselves on the forum, but as the saying goes one can only lead a horse to water...

Contract Negotiations Update

No news to report since last months newsletter, except that we have our next contract negotiation dates scheduled for October 21st and 26th. Refer to Septembers newsletter for the current status of negotiations.

Learn Your Contract

The beautiful fall colors well shortly watch unfold serve as a reminder that before long snow will fly again. We all recall what anxiety and distress was caused by the two blizzards we faced last winter, especially regarding who was required to report to work! It seems that the University asserts it has the right under its current Inclement Weather Policy to utterly ignore when both the Governors Office and National Weather Service declare a State of Emergency! Here is what our current contract states:

5.06 Staffing State of Emergency Policy: When an employee is designated as essential, he/she shall be notified. The University shall provide designated employees with a sticker when it becomes available. The parties agree to meet within ninety (90) days of the effective date of this Agreement to discuss issues concerning the Universitys policy regarding State of Emergency. Issues for discussion shall include the definition of essential employee, reporting to work responsibilities, and compensation.

UMDNJ shall provide the Union with a list of essential employees by November 1st of each year.

We commend the University for handling Hurricane Irene much better than they did last winters blizzards. That said, we still have contract proposals on the table to establish a fair, safe, humane and clear policy about who is required to work when a state of emergency is declared due to inclement weather, natural disaster, or terrorist attack. Well keep you updated, as the contract negotiations will hopefully be settled soon.

Getting the Most Out of Your Affiliated AFT Membership Benefits

Here are this months featured discounts available as a full member of HPAE:

10% Off Vacations Rentals Worldwide - Starting from $476 for 7 nights in a one bedroom unit in locations such as the Florida Keys, Banderas Bay Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Las Vegas. Union Plus Health Club Discounts - Union members can save 40% - 60% on initiation fees and 15% - 30% on monthly fees at more than 8,000 health clubs nationwide, including Curves, Gold Gyms, Sport & Health, Lady of America and Ballys Total Fitness.

Women's T-shirts $10 - Union House womens high quality tee-shirts at a great discount.

To learn more about how to take advantage of these and a plethora other discounts available to you as a full member of HPAE, check out this thread on our community forum.

Comments?
Wish to respond to anything you've found in this edition of the 5094 newsletter? Please let us know what you think. Good, bad or indifferent, we want to hear from you! Post your comments about the October, 2011 edition of the newsletter here in our forum. In the same thread you'll find an archived .pdf file of the newsletter. Thanks for reading and see you next month!