IAPE @ Work: Back to the Table
/Back to the Table on Covid Benefits; Board Sets Budget for New FY
IAPE’s board of directors today sent Dow Jones representatives a request for negotiations for enhanced assistance to address the added costs and burdens our members are experiencing as a result of working from home for months.
Members of IAPE's board, staff and legal counsel at the Fall board meeting Saturday Sept. 26. Not all participants are photographed.
IAPE’s leaders convened over the weekend for the Fall board meeting and the feedback from every corner of our membership is that the $150 equipment allowance Dow Jones offered in the spring covered only a very small portion of the out of pocket expenses required to work effectively from home. While we appreciate the Work-Life leave benefit the company created after the union made a request for a separate bank of paid time off to use in the pandemic, our members caring for dependents while simultaneously working are in need of more support to meet the new and unexpected costs caused by Covid-19.
Dow Jones has repeatedly asked “How Are You?” since the start of the pandemic—sending out four separate surveys to find out what the union has been telling them for months. Unfortunately, none of the answers given by members—or whatever insight gained from a benefits consultant engaged by the company—appear to have changed the company’s response on work-from-home and caregiving expenses.
If you are incurring additional costs please fill out this form. We don’t have to use your name but we do want to be sure the company hears what kind of expenditures people are making to continue to do the best work they can for Dow Jones.
The board also set the budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1 and had a detailed discussion about IAPE’s finances and spending over the past year. You can find the new budget and information about IAPE’s finances from previous years on our website.
Watch Your Mail for the IAPE Ballot
IAPE members this year will decide on two important matters: the next president of the union and whether to approve the elimination of our dues cap.
Those eligible to vote in these referenda (those who were paying dues by Sept. 21) will be receiving a paper ballot from the American Arbitration Association starting Monday Oct. 5. Ballots will be due back to AAA’s headquarters in New York by 5 p.m. on Wednesday Nov. 4.
Questions about voter eligibility can be sent to the elections committee or Kirstin Horn. Voters with missing or damaged ballots will be directed to request replacements by calling AAA’s Duplicate Hotline 1-800-529-5218 Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This number is to be utilized only for duplicate ballot requests. Members may also make requests by emailing requests to Sacha Ulerio at ulerios@adr.org. Voters are asked not to call prior to Oct. 12 to allow sufficient time for the delivery of all ballots.
An IAPE Welcome to Our Intern
IAPE’s first ever intern, Kirstin Horn, joined the virtual front-office earlier this month. Kirstin will focus on welcoming new members, enhancing our steward network and will assist in managing our member information. Kirstin is a senior at Cornell University completing a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations. She is completing her honor's thesis researching unionized political campaigns and serves as president for Cornell's Shakespeare Troupe.
You can meet Kirstin at the IAPE training sessions happening next month:
Steward Training on Oct. 7, 2 p.m. ET. You should attend this after you’ve attended an IAPE 101 class (which will happen quarterly). Learn your role and rights as a steward as well as the best practices to properly represent, advocate, and empower your fellow members.
IAPE 101 on Oct. 28, 2 p.m. ET. What is a union? How did I end up in one? What are the benefits of being in a union? How does IAPE work? All of these questions and more will be answered at this new member orientation for those brand new to IAPE and veteran members alike.
Register here to attend.