| Coalition of University Employees (CUE) |
January 11, 2006
Dear CUE member,
As you may have heard, CUE's bargaining team has reached "tentative agreement"
with UC on a proposed new contract. Members of CUE will be able to vote "yes"
or "no" on this proposal very soon. Once ratified, these proposals will become
part of our new 3-year contract. Here's what you should expect in the coming
days:
- In mid-January, we will send ballots to the designated mailing addresses of
all CUE members. (In most cases, these are home addresses.) Along with the
ballot, members will receive a summary of the proposed changes, pro and con
arguments, and postage-paid envelopes to return the ballot. You will be able
to see the exact contract language changes on CUE's web page very soon.
- If you don't have access to the internet and you would like us to send you a
paper copy of the proposed changes, please call this toll free number: 888-283-
9467. Or ask your local to give you a copy. If you want the statewide office
to send you a copy, you'll need to call that number by January 27. If you call
the 888 number, you will need to provide this information: your name, campus where
employed, your home mailing address with zip and city.
- Members can vote by mailing their ballot to the statewide office or by
dropping it off at a local polling location. Ballots must be received (by
statewide or by the local) by 4:00 pm on February 7. To find out when and
where your local will have locations for in-person voting, please get in touch with
your local. Individuals who are not members may sign up at the ballot
locations and vote.
- Duplicate ballots: If you don't receive a ballot in mid-January, or if you
misplace the one you receive, you can request a duplicate ballot. Get one from
your local or call 888-283-9467 (toll free). If you call the 888 number, you
will need to provide this information: your name, campus where employed, your
home mailing address with city and zip and you should make this call by January
27.
- What to do between now and February 7: Only dues-paying CUE members may vote
on whether we should accept this contract or reject it. Do you have a
co-worker who cares about this contract but who is only a fair-share fee payer who hasn't
joined the union? This is the time to give your co-worker a CUE membership
form, so that s/he can vote on this contract AND so that s/he can build the
union's strength for next time we are bargaining. You can also inform them of
the option of signing up at a ballot location and voting immediately. Our
strength is built one-by-one as individual clericals join the union. Maybe
your co-worker doesn't realize that it will cost only about $1/month more to move
from agency-fee payer to status as a member.
- New members voting: If people send in their new membership forms by January
23, their membership will be registered by the time of the vote count. If they
join between January 23 and February 7, they should include a copy of their signed
membership form with their ballot. (When the votes are counted, they will be
separated from the membership forms to assure confidentiality of vote.) Again,
new members may vote in person at the local ballot locations. They may be
required to re-fill-out a membership form.
Sincerely,
Executive Board, Coalition of University Employees
Coalition of University Employees