On January 1, 2001, Rocco Davis was appointed by LIUNA President Terence M. O’Sullivan as LIUNA Pacific Southwest Regional Manager. The appointment took place as a result of Regional Manager Mason “Max” Warren having to step down due to health problems. Fortunately, Max will continue as LIUNA Organizing Director. “Rocco is a strong supporter of public employee representation within LIUNA,” reports Local 777 Business Manager Fred Lowe “and will be a tremendous asset to our region.”

Pictured above is Rocco Davis, speaking to Local 777
members attending the December 15 Building
Dedication/Celebration.

Davis, a California native, has been a longtime member of LIUNA. He has served in a number of positions, including: Field Representative for the Center for Contract Compliance; National Heavy-Highway Committee Regional Coordinator; LIUNA Tri-Fund Field Coordinator; and in July of 2000 was named Chief of Staff by General President O’Sullivan.

 

"Grandmas'" Termination Rescinded!

Mariana and Terry

Two Riverside County Fire Department Fire Systems Inspectors are back to work with full back pay after being terminated over one of the most bizarre series of events imaginable.

Inspectors Marianna Franklin and Terry DeSoucy were terminated in May of 2000 after their supervisor overheard a conversation they had. Terry and Marianna were on their way to breakfast before work when Terry accidentally activated her cell phone. The phone had one touch dialing and her supervisor's number was pre-programmed.

During their conversation—which was overheard by their supervisor—they discussed all the normal gossip that occurs when co-workers get together and jokingly speculated about what a mess things would be if anything ever happened to the computers. Their conversation was interpreted to be a threat by the Department and they were fired!

That is when the two women, affectionately known as the “grandmas,” came to their union for help. A grievance was filed and a meeting was held on the eve of arbitration with the County’s advocate Craig McFate to discuss a possible settlement.

Local 777 Representative Kathie Delgado was able to convince the County that Marianna and Terry had been terminated without just cause, and the County would lose if they proceeded to arbitration. The County finally agreed, and ordered the “grandmas” back to work, with full back pay and benefits!

 

Scholarship Fund Established!

We are pleased to announce that we have developed funding to provide five annual scholarships, with $1,000.00 awarded to each applicant that is selected! Each applicant must submit an essay on the topic “Why is a strong labor movement essential to any society that considers itself a democracy?” The length of the essay shall be no more than four, typed, double-spaced pages.

Essays will be judged by members of LIUNA Local 102, our sister Local representing the Academic Professionals of California. These members represent 2,000 student services professionals throughout the California State University System.

Your Essay must include your name, address, and home phone. You must also let us know if you are a Local 777 mem-ber or how you are related to a Local 777 member. It must be received by February 28, 2001! Please send to:

UPEC SCHOLARSHIPS
c/o Academic Professionals of California
5040 Parkridge Drive
Oakland, CA 94619-3514

Awards will be presented honoring the five scholarship winners and their families at a Luncheon on Saturday, March 31, 2001, at our Riverside Office. We have chosen this date to celebrate the Birthday of the founder of the United Farm Workers union, Cesar Chavez.

Cesar Chavez

March 31, 2001, also represents the first year that public employees working for the State will be receiving a paid Holiday in honor of this great union leader. Which employer do you believe should be next?!

Riverside County

Christina Wilson

Wilson Termination Rescinded!

Christina Wilson, an Eligibility Technician II for DPSS was terminated from her job in the Spring of 1998. She contacted Local 777 and a grievance was filed, challenging her termination.

The final step in the grievance procedure is a hearing before a neutral third party hearing officer, called an Arbitrator. That individual has the right to order a terminated employee reinstated with full back pay if s/he determines the termination was without proper cause.

That is exactly what the Arbitrator concluded, and Christina won her job back including a year and one-half of back pay for the period she had been off the job!

“I’m just so glad to be back with the County!” is how a relieved Christina feels about the victory. Congratulations Christina!

Third Prize!

Every year a Riverside Festival of Trees fundraiser is held for children and hospital equipment at RCRMC. For the last three years the union has been a sponsor and we were pleased to hear that the six and one-half foot tree we sponsored won third prize!

 

Attention RCRMC Employees! The first Thursday of every month Membership Meetings will be held in Conference Room E1064 at 6:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please call Linda or Kathie at the Riverside Office (909) 682-4590.

Uniform Victory at County Fire Department

As part of an ongoing Meet and Confer process, UPEC and the Riverside County Fire Department have agreed upon a number of new benefits for Fire Inspectors and Fire Safety Specialists. Through a real Labor-Management cooperative effort, UPEC members will now receive new uniforms, jackets and an additional $100 in their uniform allowance!

If you work at a public agency that has the P.E.R.S. retirement system, please be aware that if your employer thinks you are unable to continue working and need to be medically retired only P.E.R.S. can make that decision. This means that your employer must place you on paid leave while awaiting P.E.R.S.’ determination.

This is exactly what happened to Riverside County employee David Jones, who was recently reinstated to his position as an Engineering Technician II with Riverside County after being placed on administrative leave since December of 1999 and later improperly terminated.

The County initially denied his rights to procedural due process. After many months of heated discussions between the Union and the County, the Union prevailed and David is back to work with full back pay.

He had only missed five days in a seven-month period, but Tony Ciotti, a Computer Systems Technician in the Department of Information Technology was nevertheless placed on medical certification last September. A grievance was filed and at the first step hearing level, the department agreed that the med cert requirement be rescinded.

The Max Warren Center (our Riverside office) now offers free notary public services as well as providing up to twenty-five free copies—by appointment only. Please call Teresa Moreno at (909) 682-4590 for futher information.

Max Warren Center in Riverside

Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange Counties

Visit our website and give us your e-mail address and we will send you a free Local 777 Mousepad! We are offering this because it will help us better communicate with you. You must apply online in order to receive your mousepad at our website at: http://www.liuna777.org.

December 15, 2000
Our Riverside Building Dedication/Celebration

More Than 500 Members,
Their Families,
And Special Guests Attend
Riverside Building Dedication!

The ribbon was cut.	The Max Warren Center plaque was unveiled.
Max Warren (left) with Bill Goodrich, who directed the organizing victory in Riverside County.	A PowerPoint history of Local 777 was presented.
The food was devoured (thanks to catering by Joe's Italian Restaurant from Moreno Valley).	Gifts were given.
Faces were painted.	The mariachis were incredible.

The most successful celebration in Local 777’s history took place on December 15, 2000, when the Max Warren Center was dedicated in Riverside, becoming the Local’s first member-owned building! The building was dedicated in honor of Mason M. “Max” Warren, LIUNA’s Organizing Director. Max has done more than any other LIUNA leader in providing the support that has allowed Local 777 to grow to almost 7,000 members in a few short years!

 

(Left to right) Rocco Davis, Max Warren, Charles Goetzel, Bob Purcell, and Shari Jones Newman.	(Left to right) LIUNA Minority Advancement Director George Gudger, Max Warren, and Riverside County Supervisor Tom Mullen.
(Left to right) Stephen Switzer, Bill Goodrich, Rocco Davis, George Gudger, Max Warren, Kim and Ron Komers, Fred Lowe, Jim Hilfenhaus.	(Left to right) Paul Bechely, Fred Lowe and Lorna Ward present Local 777’s “No One Is Born Hating” poster.
Local 777 Board member, Jack Mosqueda, meeting Riverside County Sheriff Larry Smith.	And the celebration was truly enjoyed by all!

The "Lowe-Down"

by Fred Lowe, Business Manager

On Friday December 15, 2000 we celebrated the dedication of our first member-owned building in Riverside, that is now officially called the Max Warren Center. Over 500 members and their families attended!

Bill Goodrich, a specially invited guest who directed the Riverside County organizing efforts in 1997 observed “We probably had 400 members and their families present at the same time at one point during the party and everyone was comfortable!” Of course, we had to utilize the parking lot as part of the party area to make it all happen, but happen it did!

Belonging to a union should mean a lot more than having to pay dues so that someone negotiates your MOU every three years and helps you if you happen to get in trouble. I met many members who told me how excited they were by the attendance at the Celebration and how it inspired them to make the commitment to get more involved.

Now that we have such a great Center we plan on utilizing it for many more future events. So start marking your calendar now as we have already scheduled a Women’s History Month Celebration for March 13 and an all day Leadership Training Seminar for Saturday, April 21!

If you have read this far you may have a reward coming! We have hidden in our web page at: www.liuna777.org some lucky member’s name and that s/he has won two tickets to Disneyland! The winner has been drawn at random and needs to call one of our offices to let us know they spotted their name—by Valentine’s Day, February 14 to win the tickets!

How much more romantic can we get?

 

MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTICE!  DATE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2001  TIME: 6:00 P.M.  PLACE: PALM SPRINGS RIVIERA RESORT IN THE CELEBRITY ROOM (LOCATED AT THE ENTRACE OF THE GRAND BALLROOM AT REAR OF HOTEL) 1600 N. INDIAN CANYON DRIVE PALM SPRINGS  PURPOSE: QUARTERLY MEMBERSHIP MEETING FOR ALL LOCAL 777 MEMBERS FOOD AND DRINK PROVIDED!