To: Mike Duckworth and the EVSC Board of School Trustees
Date: July 2, 2015
I am writing in response to the three letters I have received from you, as I am an EVSC Employee Represented by Teamsters Local 215. I feel that these letters are nothing but propaganda being put out by you and that this is a tactic to bust up our union. The EVSC Board and Administration tried to do this last year by making the bus driver’s and secretaries vote again on the question of whether we wanted to be in a union and be represented by Teamsters Local 215. The vote wasn’t even close. Both groups voted unanimously that we wanted to stay with Teamsters Local 215. However, you keep trying, especially with your “two concerns†to bust up the union again. It will not work this year. We stand united as a group and will stand behind our union and our rights.
To address your first concern: In 0ver 10 years since the EVSC secretaries joined the Teamsters Local 215, we have NEVER forced any secretary to join the union or to pay union dues. When we first joined the Union there may have been 9 secretaries out of over 100 that were required to join by their job description, but by using our transfer rights and seniority we received by negotiations, these secretaries have long since taken other positions in the EVSC and this is no longer a requirement of any secretary. I also know employees, who have chosen not to join the union or to pay union dues, but we still represent them and they still receive whatever all of us receive on a contract. Everyone has a choice and the secretaries who have chosen to join the union, know that union dues are deducted from our paychecks. This is nothing new and has been the status quo for years. It was never a concern before; I would like to know why you are making it one now???
Another fact, can you tell me of a union that does not collect union dues from its members? Name one. The Steelworkers who represent Alcoa plants across the U.S. collect union dues from their member’s paychecks, as does the Asbestos Workers (Local 37), Sheet Metal workers, Plumbers, Firefighter’s, Policemen, as well as the Indiana State Teachers Association, just to name a very few unions.
To address your second concern: This is a no-brainer! Do you think that just because we are bus drivers, secretaries, bus attendants, etc. that we are not educated? Many of us went to college and have degrees but chose to work in the school system because we enjoy working with children. Every bus driver and attendant takes their job very seriously knowing they have the lives of children in their hands every day. Every secretary takes her/his job seriously knowing we have the responsibility of getting every child home safely and make sure they get everything they need every day to be successful. If we feel we have not been treated fairly, we have a grievance procedure that has to be followed and is decided by a third party or arbitrator. I want to ask you, would you let the company or governing agency where you work decide a grievance for you??
Mr. Duckworth, you are supposed to be a smart man and I don’t believe you would let the company/governing board/ etc. decide a grievance that you had and neither would any other Board Member. You would be arguing for an arbitrator or third party to come in and help decide your grievance. Mr. Whobrey did concede to letting the EVSC Board be one of the processes in a grievance procedure, but no one, in their right mind, would let the company they work for, no matter what company it is or well liked it is, to decide a grievance. Again, that is like someone having a grievance at Alcoa and letting the company decide the outcome, or someone working for UPS having a grievance and letting the company decide the outcome. This is the reason companies have a grievance procedure and it is always decided by an arbitrator or third party, if it gets that far. I have talked to many family members, friends and neighbors about this “concern†and whether they were in a union or not, not one person could believe that you were asking this of the EVSC employees. These people are the voters of Vanderburgh County and will be reminded of this “concern†when it is time to decide on who represents the EVSC school board in the future.
I have worked for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation since September of 1988 and I have never felt as unappreciated as I do now. I consider what you are doing is trying to break our union by not negotiating in good faith. Your “two concerns†that you are making a big point of is in the news and on social media and I can tell you that the EVSC Board is not getting good publicity. It is time to go back to the table with good intentions and show the citizens of Evansville they did not make a mistake in voting for this Board.
Sincerely,
Robin Talarzyk
EVSC Secretary and Teamster 215 Member
No Third Party arbitrator = dictatorship ! Go back to table and hammer a fair deal for these wonderful, hard working people whom you are so lucky to have doing the real work of keeping the EVSC together daily. They are out there working in the rain, snow and heat, while you are sitting behind a cozy desk. Doc…
Yes, the EVSC needs to concede to third person arbitration. But I don’t care if they work in mud up to their hips. That’s the job.
I believe this comment is what is known as “pandering for votes.” It’s a shame that Doc Adams doesn’t have the same attitude toward the taxpayers in general, instead of cheerleading for the construction of a monument to tackiness next to the Ford Center.
I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I am siding with the union a little more. However, public sector unions are ripe for abuse, until RTW unions could put undue pressure on employees, and collect your own dues. The only true reasons to have them withheld from paychecks is to reduce the impact of the cost and avoid the expense of administration. Oh, and how you feel is irrelevant to the facts.
Now, EVSC, you are overpaid in my opinion and it’s time for you to resolve this issue so we can move forward. The employees I know are good perfessional people and you’re standing in the middle of what they need to be doing.
i have been in attendance at these board meetings through 2 summers now since David Smith took the EVSC sadly down this path and created this totally unnecessary chaos. I listened to 9 impassioned folks from the Evansville community ( not all union members) speak last night in favor of the Teamsters and the EVSC employees. There is overwhelming support for the EVSC employees in this community. I am pleased they are going back to the table . I believe many of the board have thankfully now listened enough to determine for themselves that this is the right path. I think they also need to consider David Smith’s leadership skills and competence when determining the right path for the EVSC students, families and employees going forward. We don’t need this turmoil when so much more important work needs to be done! We still have Chris Kiefer holding his grudge but thankfully other board members are doing the right thing now.
An impartial third party arbitrator is absolutely necessary. This school board lacks the moral character to stand in judgment of anything. They claim it’s their job as elected officials. Bull. Three of these members have been on this board for more than a decade. Do they really expect us to believe they just now realized they were elected officials? Just how stupid do they think we are? This board thought it was fair to keep on-going communications with the administration negotiating team while banning the union negotiating team from speaking directly to them. This board forced employees to hold a union retention vote with less than 24 hours notice. They can’t even legally call a school board meeting with less than 48 hours notice. Then this board violated their employees voting rights by declaring that only those wanting to retain the union actually needed to show up and vote. People from administration watched who came. It was no longer a secret ballot. Anyone that didn’t vote automatically had a “No” vote cast for them. This was voter intimidation and voter fraud plain and simple. Now this board wants to sit in judgment as final arbitrators. God help the employees if this board ever winds up with this kind of power.
Isn’t it sad that the voters of Vanderburgh County elected these disgraceful people to make decisions concerning our most precious resources, our young people?
Let’s hope that the negotiations are going to be productive and not the Board, Smith, Neidig, and Chastain(union busting lawyer) continuing their same tactics and demands by refusing to talk unless we concede to their demands on the arbitration and fees. Let’s hope they aren’t extending an olive branch just to get past the first few weeks of school to keep it smoothly rolling. But then again if they fail to work in good faith on this contract, public opinion will further decline in support of the Smith and Keifer show.
On a side note, for those who are not familiar with our bussing staff, we have many higher educated drivers that have since retired to work as drivers or chose a different career for other reasons. I have the pleasure to work with Engineers, Managers, Nurses, Optometrist , etc. Not only do we as drivers have training but continued education is mandatory by federal/state law and EVSC. So to say our staff is unskilled by EVSC, is just ridiculous!
We as a corporation should be one unit not divided by many classes because of people with Doctor behind their name running the corporation with destructive opinions of its employees. If anything, the administration and its office support staff should be leading by example not creating discourse and divide.
I agree that arbitration is not something you want to give up, but you can give up the collection of fees.
Why don’t these retired engineers et al step aside and let another person have that job?
Hope President Duckworth will take Bull by the horns and with the Board and Local 215 pound out a fair CBA for these Union Employees and the EVSC and Taxpayers of this County. It will take having to go against Doc Smith and Chris Keifer hope by now Board Members realize they are his boss not him theirs. Any way it is time to do what is right and get this behind the Evsc Union Employees and Community so healing can begin. Chris get over not being supported last election that’s politics there will be many more elections would like to be able to support in the future do the right thing. Oh and thanks Board members for going back to table and hopefully bargining in good faith.
Duckworth needs to go!!!!!!!!!
On the issue of union dues/ fees-Teamster president Chuck Whobrey told the school board that they have never required people to pay dues if they didn’t want to be in union. The board did not dispute this. In a goodwill gesture the union submitted a proposal allowing all employees to freely choose whether or not they wanted to be in union. Existing employees would have 10 days upon signing of contract to opt out of union. New employees would decide upon hire date. Those opting out would not pay union dues/ fees. The school board rejected that proposal. Don’t know why. It gave them everything they said they wanted on union dues issue. What do you do when you give someone exactly what they demanded and it still isn’t good enough? That’s why many feel that this is really about union busting not contract negotiations.
Another brainwashed union worker! When will you people learn that the teamsters are no good.
Not a brainwashed union worker. Just a wife and mother. Before that an accountant at a bank holding company which is where I learned the importance of documentation and a proper audit trail. My statements have been based on research. This includes newspaper articles, TV interview footage, press release footage, emails, letters, websites such as the Supreme Court’s, the EVSC’s and the Indiana General Assembly. This also includes phone conversations with some of the parties involved. I like to confirm my information with more than one resource. So once again- not a brainwashed union worker. Just a well informed taxpayer and voter who is willing to spend a little time and effort getting to the facts.
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