Our Voice, July 2012

The Colorado WINS convention coming up in September will end an active convention season for labor unions across the country. This summer, Colorado WINS members will have attended three international union conventions.

The 25th International SEIU Convention brought together representatives from across the United States and the world to Denver at the end of May. Colorado WINS, along with SEIU Local 105, were on the host committee and were proud to welcome attendees to the convention. This year’s theme was “Lead. Unite. Fight: Win for the 99%” and WINS members played an integral role in the stories presented at the conference.

The convention kick-off video featured Tony Caruso, a Colorado WINS member and Dept. of Transportation employee, who talked about the issues he faces as a state employee.

“When I first moved to Colorado in 1971/72 it was hard to find a job that wasn’t a union job,” Caruso said about his message in the video. “Now, 40 years later, union jobs barely exist anymore. The country is headed in the wrong direction and we need to give it back to our blue collar workers.”

The video also spotlighted the Justice for Janitors (J4J) campaign, which began in Denver in the early 1980s and gained notoriety in 1990 when Los Angeles janitors went on strike to protest decreasing wages and lack of healthcare. The J4J campaign eventually spread to unite janitors across the country to fight for social and economic justice.

The convention also included discussions and workshops on healthcare and attendees had a chance to participate in the march against Wells Fargo, urging the bank to pay its fair share in taxes. The delegates also unanimously elected Mary Kay Henry as the President of SEIU. Five Colorado WINS members were sent as delegates to the convention.

Colorado WINS representatives Leticia Sandoval and Lucretia Robinson attended the mid-June 75th AFSCME Convention in Los Angeles. The program included an address from Vice President Joe Biden and the election of Lee Saunders to replace long-time President Gerald McEntee, who retired after 31 years of service to the Union.

The convention’s theme of solidarity emphasized the fight for public sector employees, seeking respect in the workplace, fighting for immigrant rights and the availability of affordable healthcare.

“There is that support, the solidarity, there to help each other out,” Sandoval said. “And it’s given me a whole new insight into how to deal with the issues, as far as knowing that there’s people behind me, that I’m not doing it alone. A lot of times I hear from our members at CMHIP that the union is not there for us. Well, I came back from this knowing that yes, they are there for us, but it’s what we put into it as well.”

ColoradoWINS.org

DENVER HEADQUARTERS2525 W. Alameda Ave.

Denver, CO 80219 303.727.8040

PUEBLO304 S. Union Avenue

Pueblo, CO 81003 719.545.0677

GRAND JUNCTION3168 Pipe Court, Suite 102Grand Junction, CO 81504

970.263.9900

facebook.com/ColoradoWINS

@CoWINSpolitics

Text “COWINS” to 787-753LET’

S B

E SO

CIA

L For subscription information please e-mail [email protected]

To get updates through e-mail, please include “Newsletter sign up” in the subject line

WINS members active at SEIU, AFSCME conventions

JULY 2012 NEWSLETTER | COLORADO WINS | LOCAL 1876

Planting the seed for progress

see “Executive Director” on page 3

With summer in full swing, I lean toward agricultural metaphors and any gardeners or farmers can relate to the anticipation that accompanies seed planting. You plant a seed with a grand plan in mind and the highest hopes for the coming yield. Some seeds sprout with vigor and some take twice as long as expected, sometimes a weak seedling fades away and sometimes it doesn’t germinate at all. It’s all part of the process and I’ve learned to be more

patient and more accepting as a result. In the fall of 2011, Colorado WINS started planting

seeds. We fortified our staff and enhanced our communications. We engaged like never before with our state’s political leadership to reverse a two-year pay cut and enforce a responsible path to reform that ended Pay for Performance and included an overhaul of our state’s pay system. But these first steps were part of a larger strategy. By the end of May, we could confidently say that we had planted our crop.

Now, as we head into August, seedlings are starting to emerge. On July 30, state employees will see the first increase in their take home pay in years: no ifs, ands

SCOTT WASSERMANExecutive Director

› Patti Ortiz at Adams State University

› Wage campaign takes off

› DHS members connect statewide

› DPA creates new rulemaking procedures

› Members interview legislative candidates

› WINS Member Convention details

WHAT’S INSIDE:

Colorado WINS president Paul Boni addressing the crowd during the public division day at the SEIU convention. The convention’s theme, supporting the struggle of the 99% of Americans and demanding a fair share from the top 1%, included stories from members that illustrated the nationwide fight for justice. Photo courtesy of SEIU

The Department of Human Resources (DHS) has certain rules to protect its most vulnerable regional center, nursing and veterans homes residents, and rightfully so. But when those rules are misapplied, the residents, the institution and the employees affected by the rules are damaged. When Mike McLin, an employee of the Fitzsimons State Veterans home and a Colorado WINS member, came to the WINS legal team in February it was clear that this was exactly the case.

McLin took advantage of the legal representation offered by Colorado WINS to its members when he was placed on unpaid leave in February 2012. As a result of a ticket he received from the Denver Police and a misapplied DHS policy, McLin was suspended without pay until a Denver Municipal Court hearing could take place about his case. Normally, a ticket would not be enough to suspend a person, but the problem was that it included a charge of domestic violence, which would have made McLin susceptible to the DHS rules.

“My ex-wife filed domestic violence charges against me, she said that I phone harassed her and said I threatened her life,” McLin said. “I guess she called the police and when they filled the ticket out they checked off ‘domestic violence’.”

McLin was arrested and when he went back to work he was told that he was suspended until the domestic violence charge was resolved. But a few things didn’t add up: at the time of his suspension McLin was only charged and never convicted of a crime; he was never granted an R6-10 hearing (a predisciplinary hearing that must take place before any changes to an employee’s pay or tenure can take place); and the ticket

that was issued was only a violation of the Denver municipal code, not a misdemeanor or felony. As soon as he received news of his suspension, McLin contacted the WINS legal team.

When WINS Attorney Timothy Markham stepped in things started moving forward. McLin was able to get an R6-10 meeting where Markham argued that the management was misreading the law and that McLin should not be on leave. Despite the strong arguments, Fitzsimons management upheld McLin’s suspension. Immediately, the WINS legal team filed an appeal with the State Personnel Board, at which point Fitzsimons was represented by an Assistant Attorney General.

“When [Tim] contacted me and told me he took it as far as the Attorney General, that’s a big step,” McLin said. “If you can get the Attorney General’s attention on the matter, he’s doing a good job.”

Although it took another month of discussion between Markham and the Assistant Attorney General, the Attorney General’s office and DHS finally admitted that WINS was correct and the law was misapplied in McLin’s case.

“The support I received from the WINS team was above and beyond,” McLin said. “They took real good care of me, kept me informed on everything that was going on. We had meetings, Tim was right there, he discussed everything, broke it down in layman terms.”

Without the help from WINS, McLin was looking at a couple more months of leave without pay. But thanks to the fast and diligent work from the WINS legal team, after nearly 3 months of a suspension without pay, McLin was allowed to return to work and received full back pay for the months he missed. And he’s happy to be back.

WINS legal team makes difference for DHS employee

COLORADO WINS CHALLENGES HIGHER ED EXEMPTIONS

Colorado WINS has petitioned the State Personnel Board to review the constitutionality of exempting classified personnel positions from the state personnel system.

Specifically, the petitioners are asking the board to review whether positions in the state personnel system that are funded as an auxiliary or are considered professional in nature can be removed from the state personnel system.

Numerous classified employees at higher education institutions are now being approached and asked if they want to become administrative professionals, which would make them at-will employees of these institutions. WINS anticipates the petitioner will be heard at the August State Personnel Board meeting.

IT’S JULY!

LOOK FOR MORE

MONEY IN YOUR

PAYCHECKS

More on page 2

Organizingfor respect

As Colorado’s economy begins to recover, state revenue is increasing. This is good news for state employees who saw few base building pay increases under the Pay for Performance system and even less over the last four years of recession. A number of other groups will also be vying for additional state revenue so Colorado WINS members are already beginning to mobilize for fair compensation.

FIRST STEPS TOWARDS A WAGE INCREASE

2012 has been an eventful year for state employees. With the passage of House Bill 1321, Pay for Performance is a thing of the past. Replacing the broken pay system is Merit Pay, which adds years of service and position in the pay range to the performance rating system in order to determine the amount of a raise. The goal of the Merit Pay system is to begin moving workers through their pay ranges, prioritizing those below the mid point.

WHY WAGES MATTER

Wage increases are more than just a reward for a job well done, they are also a contributing factor to Colorado’s economic recovery. Places such as Grand Junction, Canon City and Buena Vista rely on state employee salaries as a driving force for Main Street economies. When workers have money to spend, they spend it in the communities in which they live, bringing much needed revenue to small businesses and promoting growth. In a sense, a wage increase for state employees is an investment in all of Colorado.

WHAT WORKERS ARE DOING

State employees across Colorado are getting organized and are talking to their coworkers about the union and its goals. They are sharing stories of success both at the facility level (Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo workers pushed for a better training system) and at a state-wide level (Colorado WINS won an additional $15 million for state employees’ rising health care costs).

Join the movement, stand up for respect. To find out more about what you can do at your facility to support a wage increase, go to ColoradoWINS.org.

THE BUDGET CYCLEEach stop in the budget cycle is an opportunity to address wages. If a bad step occurs along the way, the next stop can remedy the situation. It’s a long process that state employees need to be actively engaged throughout to secure the first raise in years.

•DPA COMPENSATION REPORT (AUGUST) The State Personnel Director is required to submit an Annual Compensation Report and a letter of recommendation for changes to state employee compensation and benefits in August. This recommendation must reflect the annual compensation survey results, budget constraints and the ability to recruit and retain state employees. The Governor and the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) consider this report and recommendation when drafting their budget proposals.

•GOV.’S BUDGET PROPOSAL (NOVEMBER)

Every year, the Governor proposes a state budget for the next fiscal year. This proposal includes the Governor’s funding priorities, which last year Colorado WINS members lobbied successfully for the Governor to stop the 2.5% PERA cost shift in his budget proposal.

•JOINT BUDGET COMMITTEE (NOVEMBER-MARCH)

Following the release of the Governor’s budget proposal, the JBC begins their process to formulate the Long Bill – the annual appropriations bill for state government operations. With the Governor’s budget as a starting point, JBC members amend departments’ budgets as needed including DPA where total compensation is addressed. In 2012 under pressure from Colorado WINS members, the JBC kept the Governor’s

provision to stop the 2.5% PERA cost shift, secured an additional $15 million for health care and mitigated 500 layoffs.

THREE STEPS TO A RAISE FOR STATE EMPLOYEES

COLORADO WINS EXECUTIVE BOARD

PAUL BONI President

GREG GOLDMAN Treasurer

DAVID PERTZ Secretary

SCOTT WASSERMAN Executive Director

VICE PRESIDENTS:METZA TEMPLETON, Dist. I

RITA UHLER, Dist. IIVACANT, Dist. III

MIKE CRISWELL, Dist. IVJACQUIE ANDERSON, Dist. VGABE HERNANDEZ, Dist. VI

LEAH BOOKMAN, Dept. Committee

RETIREE CHAIR:RUSS MAYER

Official publication of Colorado WINS

2525 Alameda Ave. Denver, CO 80219

303.727.8040

[email protected]

Patti Ortiz has seen a lot of changes in her nearly 34 years at Adams State University.

“When I first started [as a computer operator] I worked on an IBM 360 mainframe computer that used card readers and reel-to-reel magnetic tape for system backup,” Ortiz said.

Now, as the Customer Support Coordinator, she is in charge of the University’s Help Desk and supervises work-study students who assist her. She is also responsible for maintaining security privileges for Banner users who access the Oracle database on the University’s computer system. Ortiz is also a member of the Adams State University Classified Employees Council.

Ortiz started her career with Adams State University, then called Adams State College, in 1978, after graduating from the University with a degree in business administration. Now, even more of her life centers around Adams State: her son will graduate from the school next year. But Patti sees a number of challenges facing state employees such as her.

“The state had that Pay for Performance that was never funded,” she said. “It has been four years since we have had any form of a raise.”

In fact, state employees had taken pay cuts, through a 2.5% PERA cost shift, for the past two years. This is why Ortiz helped mobilize employees at Adams State to join WINS members from

across the state and send postcards to Gov. John Hickenlooper asking for the cost shift to be reversed.

“I want more employees to know how it can work to our advantage to work together,” Ortiz said. “My father worked for the D&R GW Railroad. He belonged to the Brotherhood of Railroad Clerks. I think that is where I got my interest in the union.”

With her long history at the University she sees this as a time for state employees to work together to protect each other.

“The biggest challenge is the movement to exempt jobs,” she said. “Every time a classified position leaves they want to turn it into an exempt position. That is my worry.”

Ortiz is concerned that newer state employees, especially in higher education, have a lot to lose if the drive to create exempt positions doesn’t change.

She and other higher education members decided to support the organizing efforts at Adams State and members committed to take direct action and talk with state employees in the San Luis Valley.

Outside of work, Ortiz stays active in her church, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, and in the local Democratic Party’s Central Committee. She has been a Colorado WINS member since March 2009.

JULY 2012 | COLORADO WINS | LOCAL 1876

2

Photo courtesy of Patti Ortiz/ASU

PATTI ORTIZHigher Education

(Adams State University) Alamosa

Don Wayne, a Colorado WINS member at Spring Creek DYC in Colorado Springs during the campaign to replace Pay for Performance.

Photo: Colorado WINS

THE WAGE CAMPAIGN: HOW TO FIGHT FOR RAISES

2.5% PERA cost shift back in state employee paychecks

In July, workers across Colorado will see more money in their paychecks for the first time in years.

WINS members across the state worked hard to collect more than 1,700 petition signatures and deliver more than 3,200 postcards to Gov. John Hickenlooper to ensure that he included the 2.5% PERA restoration in his budget proposal.

The hard work didn’t stop there. Members from across the state traveled to Denver to lobby at the capitol and made hundreds of phone calls to legislators, ensuring that the hard work and sacrifice of state workers was finally recognized and rewarded.

“[We got the campaign to succeed by] getting the word out there to let people know they have a voice and the way to use their voice was by sending postcards to the governor,” said Doug Park, an employee at the DHS Florence State Nursing Home and Colorado WINS member who participated in the campaign. “We’ve been hurting a long time and it was finally time to get recognition.”

The 2.5% PERA restoration was a huge win for state employees and showed what can be achieved when workers come together and fight for positive change, but the fight is far from over. This is only the first step on a road to winning pay increases for state employees after more than four years of stagnation.

But workers coming together didn’t just get the 2.5% restored. Because of Colorado WINS, premium increases that could have completely absorbed the increase were neutralized with additional dollars.

When state employees look at their paychecks this month they will see much-needed extra dollars that were fought for and won by members of Colorado WINS.

The questions we must ask ourselves and our co-workers are: What will it take to get a real pay increase? Are you ready to stop sitting on the sidelines and join the fight?For more information contact Nick Voss at 303.937.6498 or [email protected].


3

Privatization forum tours across ColoradoThe debate over privatization has been raging all over the

country. Whether its about prisons, colleges or hospitals, proponents of privatization say it offers local governments a chance cut costs, but is it a good thing that corporations profit from the incarceration, education or health treatment of people in our community?

This summer, the Colorado Progressive Coalition and 9to5 (the National Organization of Working Women) are travelling the state on a forum tour, “The State of Colorado: What’s for sale?”. The 5-city tour will gather communities to discuss what happens when services typically operated by the government become privatized. The forums cover a variety of topics such as education, health care systems and the for-profit prison industry.

The June 25 Pueblo forum, the second stop on the forum tour, focused on the impacts of prison privatization. Out of the 22 correctional facilities in Colorado, five are privately owned and two of them are near Pueblo.

Alex Barnes, a panel speaker and Colorado WINS member, started his career in corrections at a private facility run by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).

“I needed a higher paying job. I soon found that I had made

a mistake,” Barnes said. “I ended my career with CCA on December 31, 2008. The reason I left was based on a couple of different reason the first one being my safety.”

After working for CCA Barnes found employment at the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) and is now a Correctional Officer at Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility (AVCF), a facility less than 20 minutes away from the private Crowley County Correctional Facility that he left.

“Operations at AVCF are a lot smoother because staff is given the necessary authority and tools to ensure offenders are conducting themselves in a manner consistent with a successful reintegration into society,” Barnes said. “Unlike private prison companies, the CDOC gains absolutely nothing from having offenders incarcerated, which is why they are committed to reducing the prison population. Reducing the prison population means an overall safer Colorado.”

Proponents of privatization say that it allows for cost saving measures to already cash-strapped local governments.

“Another reason given for privatization is that we save money through innovation and that innovation is allowed to happen because there is this competitive space, they say, in the

private sector,” said Maggie Gomez, organizer for 9to5. “But in industries like this, there is no competition. There are a couple of big players with a few small groups but there isn’t really any competition going on. So these groups are essentially doing what they would call efficiencies without any oversight.”

Barnes can see how the fiscal argument drives debate, but he has also experienced this cost cutting measure first hand.

“The fact is that private prisons do things cheaper than a state facility because they get to select the type of offenders they house,” Barnes said. “For example CCA and other private prison companies do not house offenders that are chronically ill like the CDOC [does]… The CDOC doesn’t get [the] luxury to choose its inmates.”

The panel also included Louella Watkins, a former teacher at the privately run Crowley County Correctional Facility. State Senator Angela Giron also participated in the event.

The next privatization panel will take place on August 15 in Colorado Springs and will be focused on healthcare. For months, the Colorado Springs city council has been debating the fate of Memorial Hospital, ultimately sending it to the voters to decide whether the hospital should be owned by a non-profit organization. If passed, the measure would remove a city ordinance that makes taxpayers liable if Memorial sustains any financial losses. The forum will discuss hospital privatization, its benefits and disadvantages, and how it relates to Memorial Hospital.

There are two more scheduled forums, though the exact dates have not been set. A forum around the detention of immigrants, mostly in for-profit prisons, will take place in Aurora in early August. At the end of the month, a forum in Greeley will focus on for-profit higher education.

For more information about these forums please visit 9to5colorado.org and look for the calendar on the right side.

or buts about it. This is a direct result of the 2.5% campaign we launched last year and the intense fight we won to secure funding to cover health care premium increases. You should challenge anyone who tells you otherwise to describe how this would have happened without a strong state employee union advocating at the capitol and in the community.

In August and September we are finally headed back to the table at Depts. of Corrections, Human Services and Revenue. We have begun conversations with each of these departments and have reached an agreement to bring partnership teams together to evaluate old partnership agreements and develop new ones. This is an important achievement and a direct result of activism on the ground combined with a political strategy designed to build bridges based on mutual respect and honest dialogue.

Today, seeing these seedlings emerge makes me confident about our future and tells me that we’re on the right track. That said, a seedling needs to become a plant and there are many obstacles along the way.

There is still much to be done. We have to use the momentum we’ve built around economics to fight for and win the first pay raise for state employees in four years. We have to make sure that our negotiations with department leadership are productive and meaningful to members and non-members alike. We must fight to ensure that state employees are heard on the campaign trail this fall and that pro-worker candidates win in November.

Just like a plant needs water, healthy soil and a little bit of luck, our emerging strategies have requirements too. Success will necessitate commitment from our members and communication from our staff and leaders. A little luck wouldn’t hurt either.

Working together and attentively tending to our plans, I’m confident that we will all enjoy a bountiful harvest. ■

Executive Directorcontinued from p. 1

The first privatization forum, held on June 7 at the Auraria Higher Education Center, focused on for-profit prisons and included a panel member who was incarcerated at both a public and private correctional facility. The forum was organized by 9to5 and the Colorado Progressive Coalition. Photo courtesy of ACLU

NOT A MEMBER?

Visit our website to find out how to join.

ColoradoWINS.org

DON’T SIT ON THE SIDELINES.

House District 46 candidate Leroy Garcia, Jr., center, meets with Colorado WINS members in Pueblo to answer their questions about his position on various issues. See more about the endorsement process on the back page.

Photo: Brian Tanner

MEMBERS INTERVIEW LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES

Leadership summit connects members statewideDHS member leaders from across the state came together

on June 9th to develop a strategy that would create a partnership with the new DHS administration. During the video conference connecting attendees in Denver, Pueblo and Grand Junction, member leaders contemplated the best strategy for success in DHS partnership.

“The DHS Leadership Summit brought back into focus the issues we need to address departmentally and provided us direction on returning to the DHS Partnership Table,” said Des Meyer, a Colorado WINS member and CMHIP employee.

Knowing that the crux of a successful partnership is a high and united constituency, members committed to grow membership in DHS by 122 new sign-ups before September 1. DHS membership has grown by 70 employees in the past six months, with 875 on January 1 and 945 members as of July 1. Depending on the number of current members, leaders set goals to move their facilities up to 25%, 50%, or 75% membership by September. In order to support each other on the journey back to the partnership table, they also set up regular meetings and conference calls to share challenges and best practices.

As negotiations move forward with leadership, members will have an active role in helping set new departmental policies and rules. The best possible outcome will be achieved by connecting members and leaders to these discussions through various communication lines.

In addition to the resumption of the formal partnership track, WINS members are meeting with DHS Director Reggie Bicha. Bicha attended meetings with Colorado WINS members from the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo

(CMHIP) on April 21 and the Wheat Ridge Regional Center on July 14. In Pueblo, he took the opportunity to talk about the Departmental Employee Council, comprised of individuals selected by management. This discussion highlighted the need for members to return to the partnership table in order to ensure that front-line workers have a voice in departmental decisions.To be a part of the movement to improve jobs and services in DHS and the state, contact your local organizer or committee members to get involved.

Colorado WINS members Sarah Rounds, left, and Andrea Taylor at the DHS leadership summit. The video conference brought together members from Denver, Pueblo and Grand Junction. Photo: Damon Coulter


16NOV

SAVE DATETH

E

COLORADO WINS MEMBER CONVENTION

Colorado WINS Member Convention Denver, CO

RSVP TODAY!Contact Brian Tanner

[email protected] (303) 937-6490

Elections crucial for state workers, ColoradoDuring the past two legislative sessions, state

employees have witnessed what happens when the wrong people control a chamber in Colorado’s General Assembly. Too often, political games were played with your future. That’s why this election matters and Colorado WINS has already begun to prepare for November.

Here’s what is happening:

ENDORSEMENTS

The Colorado WINS COPE Committee, comprised of our most politically active members, has been hard at work interviewing state legislative candidates and making recommendations to the WINS Executive Board for their endorsement. Candidates are required to fill out questionnaires and are asked in person their position on issues most vital to state employees.

VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT

To make sure that the candidates we endorse actually get into office, we can’t cross our fingers and hope for the best. We walk, we make phone calls, we talk to our co-workers and friends. Even four hours spread throughout the cycle can make a difference. When Colorado WINS members take the time to volunteer to go door to door with a candidate or make calls with fellow state employees, bridges are built and a foundation is laid for future victories. We are actively recruiting volunteers to help with canvassing, phone banks and house meetings.

AMERICA’S FUTURE

Washington, D.C. may be miles away, but the decisions they make impact us enormously right here at home. State employees know all too well that cuts to federal programs make their way to the state and wreak havoc on the services we provide. WINS members and retirees have been working with our sister union SEIU to make state employee voices heard by registering new voters, collecting COPE contributions and educating workers on the issues that impact them. Working together, we need to get the word out on who supports you and who supports the wealthiest 1 percent.

PERSONNEL REFORM ON THE BALLOT

Colorado WINS fought hard to make sure state employee voices were heard during last session’s efforts to reform the state personnel system. With that difficult task behind us, we’re confident that Governor John Hickenlooper’s Amendment S will respect the principles of merit and fairness enshrined in our constitution. But it’s up to you and Colorado voters to decide if this measure is right for our state. Anyone, especially state employees, can get the facts about Amendment S and engage in debate over its pros and cons at WaterCoolerColorado.com. The site, a project of Colorado WINS, will stay up to date with news and commentary about the proposed changes through the election season and beyond.

Colorado law requires that when rules related to statutory changes are proposed, related departments hold a public rulemaking hearing to get input from the public. On July 9, the Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA) held its public rule making hearing to receive comments concerning the proposed rules for the statutory changes to merit pay and retention rights. DPA was required to draft new rules because of the enactment of HB 1321, signed by Governor John Hickenlooper on June 6. These rules, which can be found on the DPA website (Colorado.gov/dpa), will provide the guidelines for applying the merit pay system and changes to retention rights.

Approximately ten WINS members attended the meeting and several of them made comments to DPA Executive Director Kathy Nesbitt. WINS was represented by General Counsel Mark Schwane, who submitted written and verbal comments to Director Nesbitt.

“It is the Colorado WINS position that the rules should clearly state that seniority and performance must be taken into consideration when determining who will be subject to a layoff,” Schwane said.

The comments were based on feedback Colorado WINS received from numerous members throughout the state and in a wide range of departments.

The issues WINS sees as critical to the success of the merit system include ensuring that merit pay increases recognize the improved knowledge, skills and abilities that employees develop throughout their careers with the state. WINS is pushing DPA to ensure that rules protect employees based on both seniority and performance when considering layoffs. Further, WINS believes that departments should engage with WINS members and other employees prior to considering layoffs to determine what reorganizations can take place without resorting to job cuts.

“Anybody who performs well should be able to get a raise,” said Kimberley Bodin, a nurse for the Dept. of Corrections in Denver and a Colorado WINS member since March 2009. “You don’t want to create an atmosphere where doing good work has no reward. That’s kind of almost un-American. We like to believe in this country that if you work hard we get rewarded for our efforts.”

As state employees are well aware, WINS will need to be active at the legislature to ensure that the new merit pay process, along with a salary survey, is fully funded. WINS members won critical victories this past legislative session to reinstate 2.5% back into paychecks this July and put more money into healthcare premiums.

DPA conducts rulemaking hearing

To find out how you or a family member can volunteer this election season, contact Brian Tanner at [email protected].

WHO: All Colorado WINS members and retirees

WHEN: Friday, Sept. 21 and Saturday, Sept. 22

WHERE: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Denver International Airport

WHAT: » Reception with legislative leaders and candidates

» Panel discussion on privatization of services

» Department organizing discussions

» Elections 2012 update and activity

» Rockies game Saturday night

» Various member awards

» And more!

House District 9 candidate Paul Rosenthal, third from the left in back row, meets with Colorado WINS members in Denver during candidate interviews. Photo: Brian Tanner

JULY 25

JULY 25

JULY 26-30

JULY 31

AUGUST 15

AUGUST 14

AUGUST 22

AUGUST 28

SEPT. 21-22

AUGUST 2

AUGUST 1

Canon City office hours, 12 p.m. — 4 p.m.Every Wednesday at the Canon City Hampton Inn. Contact Cheryl Feinsilver: [email protected] or (719) 429-7225

Retiree Meeting - Pueblo, 2 p.m. Every fourth Wednesday of the month. Contact Ted Hollman: [email protected] or (720) 256-7501

AFT Convention, DetroitThousands of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) members and five Colorado WINS delegates will convene.

Dept. of Higher Education call, 6:30 p.m.Every other Tuesday. Contact Nicholas Voss: [email protected] or (303) 937-6498

All-Pueblo meeting, 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.The first Wednesday of every month at the Pueblo WINS office.Contact Emma Erbach: [email protected] or (719) 545-0677

Dept. of Transportation call, 7 p.m.Monthly calls until the legislative session resumes, then bi-weekly. Contact Greg Goldman at [email protected] or Rosario DeBaca at [email protected] or (720) 256-7482


Retiree Meeting - Denver, 2 p.m. Every third Wednesday of the month. Contact Ted Hollman: [email protected] or (720) 256-7501

Retiree Meeting - Pueblo, 2 p.m. Every fourth Wednesday of the month. Contact Ted Hollman: [email protected] or (720) 256-7501


Colorado WINS Convention, DenverDelegates will be selected at their respective District Chapter meetings. RSVP to Brian Tanner at [email protected] or (303) 937-6490

Documents

Our Voice, July 2012