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AFSCME Council 77 Legislative Update
March 17, 2005
Bills that AFSCME Council 77 is supporting and working
hard to pass:
House Bill 2085
This legislation will force the Division of Personnel to recognize seniority
when awarding or withdrawing benefits and also require that agencies hire and
promote employees from within based on seniority rather than from outside the
agency based on Civil Service Scores.
This House Bill is in House Judiciary Committee and will then go to House
Finance
Contact the Chairman of House Judiciary Committee Jon Amores, whose number is
below, and ask that he pass it in his committee.
House Bill 2845
This Bill that AFSCME Council 77 has asked to be introduced will provide for
Collective Bargaining for Municipalities.
This Bill is in House Judiciary Committee and will then go to House Finance
Committee
Contact the Chairman of House Judiciary, Jon Amores, whose number is listed
below and ask that this bill be passed in his committee.
House Bill 2924
This Bill that AFSCME Council 77 has asked to be introduced will provide for
time off for State Employees who elect to be organ donors without using sick or
annual leave.
This Bill was sent to House Government Organization Committee and will then go
to House Finance Committee
Contact the Chairman of House Government Organization Committee, J.D. Beane,
whose number is listed below and ask that he pass this bill.
House Bill 2932
This Bill that AFSCME Council 77 has asked to be introduced will do away with
the present unfair grievance process and will provide for hearings to be heard
by outside neutral arbitrators.
This Bill will hopefully come up in House Judiciary Committee soon. Chairman of
House Judiciary is presently considering the bill.
Contact the Chairman of House Judiciary, Jon Amores, whose number is listed
below and ask that this bill be passed in his committee.
House Bill 2278
This Bill 'The Public Employees Relations Act' will provide for Collective
Bargaining for State and Municipal Employees.
This House Bill was sent to House Judiciary Committee and if it passes there it
will go to House Finance Committee.
Contact the Chairman of House Judiciary, Jon Amores, whose number is listed
below and ask that this bill be passed in his committee.
House Bills 2401 and 2295 and Senate Bill 80
These Bills will provide for the option of Binding Arbitration for Public
Employees, as opposed to a Level IV Hearing before the Grievance Board.
These Bills are not moving and AFSCME Council 77 has focused on House Bill 2932
because AFSCME's Bill would be less expensive for the State and more likely to
pass both houses of the legislature.
House Bill 2293
This Bill requires mediation be attempted in all State Employees Grievances. To
Education Committee then Judicary. AFSCME's bill includes optional mediation
instead. This one is not moving.
AFSCME Council 77 will monitor all legislation effecting the retirement and
benefits of Public Employees and represent its' members interests in getting a
fairness from the legislature without undue risk.
House Bills 2051 and 2373
These Bills increase the multiplier for a retirement annuity in the Public
Employees retirement system.
Both of these Bills were sent to the House Pensions and Retirement Committee
Contact the House Pensions and Retirement Committee Chairman, Douglas Stalnaker,
whose number is listed below and urge him to pass these bills out of his
committee.
House Bill 2924
This Bill provides for time off for State Employees to attend Teacher / Parent
conferences.
This Bill is in House Government Organization Committee.
Contact Government Org's Chair JD Bean and members and ask them to pass the
bill.
Senate Bills
SB 240
Will give state employees and extra 30 days paid leave when donating and organ
and extra 7 days leave when donating bone marrow. It is single referenced to the
Finance Committee. Call Chairman Helmick at 304-3577980 and ask him to put this
bill on the committee's agenda and pass it.
Bills that AFSCME will be monitoring and likely to
oppose:
Any legislation that could come up providing for the Privatization or
Contracting out of Public Employees jobs, such as, last years Public Private
Transportation Act that would have permitted the contracting out of DOH jobs.
Senate Bills 158 and 159 and 160 Consolidation of Municipalities and
Creation of Metro Governments have all been amended together and passed out of
the Senate today (3/17) with floor amendments. I now goes to the House
Government Organization Committee. This should be watched for the potential of
allowing local governments to combine public services and reducing the public
workforce.
House Bill 2041
This bill is called the Freedom from Unions Act and it is another name for Right
to Work legislation set out to break the backs of Organized Labor and our
members who presently have Collective Bargaining Agreements.
This Bill is in the Industry and Labor Committee and will then go to Economic
and Small Business.
This Bill is not likely to move, however, AFSCME Council 77 will be watching
those committees just in case.
House Bill 2015
This Bill provides for Civil Immunity for Employers who give damaging references
or information on past employees that are not true.
This Bill was amended and passed the House of Delegates and was introduced in
the Senate and is now in Senate Judiciary.
Contact Senate Judiciary Chairman, Jeff Kessler, whose name and phone number are
listed below and ask him to not let this bill pass in his committee.
Who to Contact
Chairman of House Judiciary is Delegate Jon Amores
Phone (304) 340-3252
Other members of House Judiciary are: Delegates Pino, Azzinger, Brown, Caputo,
Delong, Ellem, Hamilton, Hartman, Hrutkay, Howard, Long, Mahan, Moore, Morgan,
Pethel, Schadler, Sabonya, Stemple, Tabb, Richard Thompson, and Webster.
House Finance Chairman is Delegate Harold Michaels
Phone (304) 340-3230
Other members of House Finance Committee are: Doyle, Hall, Anderson, Ashley,
Boggs, Border, Browning, Cann, Carmichael, Evans, Frederick, Houston, Kominar,
Leach, Palumbo, Proudfoot, Stalkneker, Susman, Ron Thompson, Varner, Wakim, H.K.
White, Gill White, and Williams.
House Government Organization Chairman is Delegate J. D. Beane
Phone (304) 340-3192
Other member of House Government Organization Committee are: Ennis, Walters,
Blair, Argento, Barker, Butvcher, Ferrell, Frich, Hatfield, Hunt, Iaquinta,
Manchin, Martin, Miley, Perdue, Porter, Romine, Rowan, Schoen, Swartzmiller,
Talbott, Trump, Tucker, and Yost.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman is Senator Walt Helmick
Phone: (304) 357-7980
Other members of the Senate Finance Committee are: Senators Sharp, Bailey, Boley,
Bowman, Chafin, Edgell, Facemyer, Guillis, Love, McCabe, Minear, Plymale,
Prezioso, Sprouse, Unger, and Yoder
Chariman of Senate Judiciary Committee is Senator Jeff Kessler
Phone: (304) 357-7880
Other members of Senate Judiciary Committee are: Senators Oliverio, Barnes,
Caruth, Chafin, Deem, Dempsey, Fanning, Foster, Harrison, Hunter, Jenkins,
Lanham, McKenzie, Minard, White and Weeks
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