Local 1245 shop stewards working in the public sector gathered at Weakley Hall in Vacaville on Feb. 9 to sharpen their skills in representing members. Assistant Business Manager Dennis Seyfer reported on the “state of the union,” including current private and public sector contract negotiations. Ongoing problems in the general economy and shortfalls in the state budget have left some municipalities scrambling to fund needed services, which has made collective bargaining in the public sector more challenging than ever. Senior Business Rep. Ray Thomas, assisted by Seyfer and Business Rep. Sheila Lawton, led presentations on core training topics for stewards, including:
- What is a grievance?
- State and Federal leave laws
- Weingarten rights and Skelly rights
The stewards also got a quick course in a conflict resolution technique known as Appreciative Intelligence. Loosely defined, Appreciative Intelligence is the ability to reframe a given situation to recognize the positive possibilities that are embedded in it but may not be apparent to the untrained eye. Public sector stewards participating in the conference were from the City of Gridley, South Feather Water and Power, City of Redding, City of Shasta Lake, Lassen Municipal Utility District, and Bella Vista Water District.
Assistant Business Manager Dennis Seyfer reports to public sector stewards on the “state of
the union.”
ATTENDEES:
- Phil Alleman
- Randy Amaral
- Elisa Arteaga
- Mark Burgon
- Matt Cervenka
- Cort Cortez
- Chris Fleming
- Dave Guadagni
- Darrly Hughart
- Mark Larsen
- Jim Lovercheck
- Sean McCall
- Rick McCullough
- Gary Moeckli
- Ross Pippitt
- John Shipman
- Paul Snyder
- Brad Solso
- Tom Sparks
- Scott Taylor
- Dave Vandermeer
- Bob Watt
- Jeff Torres