Category Archives: From the Chief Steward

News from your Chief Steward.

From the Chief Steward, From the President, Members, Negotiations

Negotiation Update: Proposed Two Year Deal

Below is the proposed deal for a two year contract for AFSCME General, Professional, and Supervisory bargaining units:

TWO YEAR CONTRACT (10/1/2018 – 9/30/2020)

MAJOR CHANGES YEAR 1
  •   3% wage increase effective October 2018 (lump sum if topped out)
  • Additional wage increase for PERC employee for loss of benefits due to move to AFSCME (General and Professional 1.5%, Supervisory between 1.5 – 2% depending on the position)
  • Paygrade ranges (bottom and top) increase by 3%
  • Lump sum $1,500 for full-time employees who are not eligible for Pension Restoration
  • Pension Restoration for employees who were employed and impacted by Financial Urgency
  • General Fund employees hired before October 1, 2011
  • Enterprise Fund employees hired before March 5, 2014
  • Option of Planned Retirement or DROP Plan
  •   Part-time employees receive all holidays
    • Employees who average 30+ hours receive 6 hours per holiday
    • Employees who average 15 – 29 hours receive 4 hours per holiday
MAJOR CHANGES YEAR 2
  •   2% wage increase effective October 1, 2019 (lump sum if topped out)
  • Paygrade ranges (bottom and top) increase by 2%
  • Healthcare
    • OAP Plan 80/20 cost split with plan changes (employee pays 20%)  LINK TO WORKSHEET
    • OAPIN Plan, no proposed changes
    • Free Lifescan Screening
    • Wellness program incentives (prizes including gift cards)
We will send more details once the language is ready for a vote. We are working to get this deal wrapped up ASAP. More info to come, so stay tuned.
Entertainment, Events, From the Chief Steward, From the President, Members

Member Picnic 2019

Picnic Flyer 2019

Where:       TYPark Pavilion 12
                        3300 N Park Rd,
                        Hollywood, FL 33021

When:        Saturday, March 23, Noon – 4:00PM

Join us for a family day of food fun and music!

FOR MEMBERS AND IMMEDIATE FAMILY
ONLY – NO AFSCME NON-MEMBERS

There is a $1.50 park entrance fee but kids
under 5 are free

RSVP Your full name and number of guests
to rsvp@local2432.com by Wednesday,
March 20th – HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Elections, From the Chief Steward, Important, Members

Your Pension, Your Vote!

WHAT: EARLY VOTING FOR PENSION BOARD TRUSTEE

WHEN: THIS Monday, JAN 28th  – Friday, FEB 1st

TIME: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

WHERE:  CITY HALL, PENSION OFFICE 2nd Floor Annex Building

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE: FULL TIME EMPLOYEES
***UPDATE*** – It has come to our attention that full time eligible employees have been turned away when attempting to vote. We are working to get the situation addressed. Please reply to afscmelocal2432@local2432.com if you were turned away by the pension office. Also, remember to bring your City ID badge.

____________________________________________________________________

The Pension Board trustee position representing City employees is up and Christopher Cassidy, AFSCME Local 2432 President, is being challenged by Lorie Mertens-Black who is an Executive in the City Manager’s Office.  IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE UNION MAINTAINS THIS SEAT ON THE PENSION BOARD.  CHRIS NEEDS YOUR VOTE!

 

The City Manager’s Office and City Commission already control 4 seats on the 7 member Board, and we can’t afford to lose a Union voice.  Christopher Cassidy is committed to following the ordinance as written, not as re-interpreted by different City Hall administrations.  With contract negotiations on-going, this is a critical time for our Union to keep OUR voice on the Pension Board.

 

Since we elected Chris to represent us on the Pension Board 3 years ago, OUR pension fund has grown by $65 Million, from $285 Million to $350 Million. 
(more…)

Entertainment, Events, From the Chief Steward, From the President, Members

Holiday Party 2018 Pictures

Shout out to all who attended and to Tropical Acres and X-hale Productions for making it a great event!

Elections, From the Chief Steward, From the President, Members

Nominations and Elections – Results!

Election Results

The following members were nominated and elected (ran unopposed) at the November 20th Special Meeting:

  • President – 2 year term – Christopher Cassidy
  • Treasurer – 2 year term – Rafael Quintero
  • E-Board Supervisory – John Brummer
  • E-Board General – Robert Kine
  • Trustee – 3 year term – Warren Winston

An election will be held on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 from 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM for the E-Board Board At Large – 2 year term position at the Union Hall – 2734 Hollywood Boulevard. The candidates are:

  • Marjorie Cooper-Readon
  • Levauris Pierre

All current members in the 3 bargaining units are eligible to vote. We hope to see you there!

Elections, Events, From the Chief Steward, From the President, Important, Members

Upcoming Events – Union Officer Nominations and Elections / Holiday Party 2018

Nominations and Elections

Nominations for the following Officer positions will take place at a Special Meeting on November 20th @ 6:30 PM.  Nominations will close promptly at 8PM.    Elections will be held on December 11th (see flyer below).  Any member with more than 1 year of active membership is eligible to be nominated.   Member election notices have been sent in the mail.

 

  • President – 2 year term
  • Treasurer – 2 year term
  • E-Board General – 2 year term
  • E-Board At Large – 2 year term
  • E-Board Supervisory – 2 year term
  • Trustee – 3 year term

Member Holiday Party 

The Member Holiday Party will be held on Saturday, December 1st from 7 – 11 PM.  Seating is limited, so RSVP is first come first serve.  Limit one (1) guest per member.  Email your full name and guest info to rsvp@local2432.com by November 23rd to be added to the guest list which will be checked at the door. Non-member employees are prohibited. No exceptions!

Elections, From the Chief Steward, From the President, Important, Members

Endorsements!

On behalf of the Hollywood Municipal Employees, AFSCME Local 2432, we are happy to announce that we endorse the following candidates in the upcoming November 6th 2018 Hollywood Municipal Election.

Endorsements:

District 1- Caryl Shuham
District 3 -Traci Callari
District 5 – Kevin Biederman

Please contact Barbara Armand at 954-593-7931  or William Clift at 954-658-9841 to volunteer during early voting.  We are asking for four hours of your time to get involved during this very important election season.
In Solidarity,

Chris Cassidy President
AFSCME Local 2432
From the Chief Steward, From the President, Important, Members, Negotiations, News

Call to Action! – Budget Hearing, Wednesday, 9/12 @ 5:30 PM

We need our Brothers and Sisters of AFSCME Local 2432 to come out in force wearing your AFSCME green this Wednesday, September 12 @ 5:30 PM for the Budget Hearing – City Hall Commission Chambers.

Back in July, the City Commission in their role as the CRA Board, voted for the Beach CRA to give back the maximum amount that still allowed the Beach CRA to continue with projects.The CRA is now working behind the scenes to lower the amount of money that the Beach CRA will give back to help the City’s General Fund.

It is imperative that that the CRA Board/City Commission sticks to its word to make the Beach CRA give back the maximum amount to help the City’s budget. Many of the City’s needs INCLUDING OUR CURRENT CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS will be negatively impacted if the CRA Board/City Commissions back-tracks.

WE NEED A STRONG SHOWING TO SEND A MESSAGE! THE CITY CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT AFSCME – SPREAD THE WORD AND SHOW UP IN SOLIDARITY IN YOUR AFSCME GREEN!

From the Chief Steward, From the President, Important, Members, News

What is the Beach CRA?

A CRA is a Community Redevelopment Agency which cities create to fight “slum and blight”. The City of Hollywood created its Beach CRA more than twenty (20) years ago to fight “slum and blight” on the beach. For those fortunate enough to own property on the beach, the Beach CRA District has flourished. Beach property values have exploded.

The CRA is run by a Board, the Hollywood City Commission. They are one and the same group.

As we know, every year, the City Commission grapples with City budget shortfalls. Jobs get threatened. Employees’ wages, healthcare and pension benefits get put on the chopping block. Despite the dramatic growth in beach properties, and the related growth in tax funding going to the Beach CRA. For everyone else, those tax dollars flowing from the beach — which is the economic engine of the city and that belongs to all residents — cannot be used to improve any of our neighborhoods outside of the beach. As things stand now, the Beach CRA does not expire until 2027.

To make things clear, when it comes to the Beach CRA, the City Commission can and does spend up to 1 million dollars on each street on the beach. Despite the Beach CRA being able to spend all of that tax money on beach properties, the City Commission’s hands are tied. They can’t use any of those funds outside of the Beach. Consequently, the recent capital budget for streets, beautification, etc. for the rest of the City outside of the CRA, has been around 1 million dollars. Just like City residents, we, the City’s employees have borne the brunt of the pain. A few of our elected Commissioners see the folly of this current setup and are ready for change. We need to help make more Commissioners see the light.
(more…)