LA City Civil Engineer Kesavan Korand wrote this summary of the recent LA/OC Cities Stewards’ and Leaders’ Council Meeting held on March 19.
Next Stewards’ and Leaders’ Council Meeting:
Wednesday, April 16
5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
SEIU 721 Headquarters
1545 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles 90017
RSVP here.
The meeting started sharply at 5.00 p.m. with the introduction of 14 Steward Members from various departments such as Public Works, LAPD, LAWA and others. Mark Duranty, Senior Program Director, from QLD Information Systems, was our guest speaker of the day.
As a first item of the agenda, a real and an outstanding grievance scenario was taken into consideration to discuss and analyze by the whole group in order to gain the first-hand experience in the grievance handling process.
Next, SEIU 721 Worksite Organizer Paul Kim covered the importance of the Joint Labor-Management Committee, which empowers the employees’ involvement in management’s decision-making process. He also touched on the salient features described in all eight chapters of the JLMC’s Guide Book, including roles and responsibilities of JLMC members.
Mark Duranty then made a good presentation on the City of Los Angeles workers’ compensation Alternative Dispute Resolution program covering the areas such as Ombudsperson, Mediation, Arbitration and Advice Nurse. He also talked about the work flow process of the ADR program, which applies to all work-related injuries.
Under the general union update category, Kim emphasized on the Fix LA Press Conference held on March 25 and the Bargaining Team’s all-day training, which is scheduled on April 8 at the Friendship Auditorium near Griffith Park. The training is mandatory for all Bargaining Team members. He also talked about other planned activities of Fix LA and the Contract Action Team to get ready for the 2014 contract negotiations.
The meeting was concluded by reading the following quote:
“Every advance in this half-century: Social Security, Civil Rights, Medicare, aid to education … one after another came with the support and leadership of American Labor.” -Former President Jimmy Carter
The next Steward Council meeting will be on Wednesday, April 16.