IAPE @ Work: June — The Future of the Union
/Notice Of Election
Please keep an eye out for the official notice for the 2020 election of officers, directors and delegates, which was sent to members’ home addresses Monday.
This year, the election will be conducted via paper ballot through a third-party service. Please alert the election committee at elections@iape1096.org if you haven’t received the election notice by (snail) mail by early next week so that they can resolve any problems with addresses well before ballots go out. We thank Kimbery Chin, Jonathan Randles, Allan Ryan and Haley Velasco for volunteering to serve on the election committee.
Nominations are now open. Any member in good standing can nominate themselves or another member in good standing for an eligible position through Aug. 31 by using this form and submitting to elections@iape1096.org. The election committee will declare an eligible candidate who is unopposed at the deadline as winner by acclamation. The committee will post the nominees for contested positions by Sept. 4.
Ballots will be mailed out by Oct. 5 and will be due back to the election provider by Nov. 4 to be counted. Official descriptions and duties of the roles can be found in the bylaws.
The election committee will provide official guidance on rules around campaigning and will post a candidate toolkit on the election page of the IAPE website.
Why You Should Run for Union Office
By Yogita Patel
When I decided to run for union president three years ago, one of my goals was to bring value to one of the most important provisions of our collective bargaining agreement—the full time leave position.
Our contract with Dow Jones allows one union member to take a pause from their day job, with the same salary and benefits, to work for the union full time. For more than a decade, the decision of who would fill that role was sorted out among a few members. But in 2017 we changed that pattern by forcing an election and in the fall members will again decide who will lead the union for the next three years.
By truly engaging members and having a vision for success, IAPE has changed from an inert, opaque organization with almost no real connection to its members to a union that uses collective power to push for important change in the workplace. We have advanced our contract and our members’ knowledge of the union process. Thanks to significant help from my fellow current officers, we have modernized the union’s operations, which means that the next group of leaders will inherit an IAPE that is much more efficient and transparent.
IAPE needs good leadership to make sure we remain vigilant in defending our contract and protecting our members’ rights at work. I am confident that among our membership we have at least a few good candidates who can continue the momentum and lead IAPE through the next round of negotiations. I encourage you to consider running for union president, or one of the other open seats this fall. Below are a few tips from my experience in running for union office. I look forward to answering more questions about running for the position and doing the job at the officer Q&A in July.
Good Luck!
Build a slate
Read IAPE’s bylaws and contract
Create a detailed plan for how you would manage the job
Learn about good governance
Remind people there is an election
Talk to people outside of your department, office and classification
Attend IAPE’s three training sessions
And for those of you who aren’t running:
Pay attention, listen to the ideas of the folks running and TURN IN YOUR BALLOT!
Fitness Reimbursement and Mixed Messages About Returning to the Office
IAPE members have been shut out from accessing the full value of the physical fitness benefit during the pandemic because of a restriction to receiving reimbursement for exercise equipment. Previous versions of the plan allowed such expenditures and based on feedback from our labor-management counterparts, the company is not prevented from making the change that would be extremely beneficial to our members' wellbeing and pocketbooks.
We ask that IAPE members continue emailing employeebenefits@dowjones.com (and cc union@iape1096.org) to request approval of fitness gear they have purchased or would like to purchase to emphasize the union’s position.
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IAPE raised member concerns regarding mixed messaging about when employees might be expected to report back to physical locations at our meeting with Dow Jones representatives last week. While some members have heard that a September return was being discussed, others have been told by direct supervisors that they won’t be reporting to the office until at least 2021. We understand that company leaders are dealing with a “fluid situation” and asked for clearer information from the top about what flexibility our members can expect for the remainder of the year. We encourage members to make their needs known to their manager and to take advantage of the work-life leave benefit, which is available to all employees.
As we expect members will need to work from home for the foreseeable future, IAPE will continue pushing requests for a technology allowance and additional reimbursements for equipment.
Events in July
IAPE Training Series
-Contract 101: July 15 @ 2:00 p.m.
-IAPE 101: July 29 @ 2:00 p.m.
Why You Should Run For Union Office: Stay Tuned for Details
Visit the Events Page on our website to RSVP
Holiday Pay Reminder
U.S. members who are working July 3, don’t forget to file for holiday pay. In addition to your time-and-one-half for hours worked on Friday you can opt to receive a day’s pay in cash instead of a comp day for working the observed Independence Day.
Members in Canada, you’re also entitled to holiday pay if you’re required to work tomorrow on Canada Day. However, management still has the discretion whether to grant an additional day’s pay or a comp day in lieu for holidays worked before July 3.