TOP STORY
Day of Action for Black Lives
On July 20, SEIU is holding a national Day of Action for Black lives. More than 25 U.S. cities are participating in peaceful demonstrations to support the movement against systemic racism. SEA plans to recognize the movement by observing 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence in honor of George Floyd, a Black man who died when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. Given this global pandemic, we recognize that many members will be participating virtually. Please follow us on Facebook to join us at noon next Monday.
News from SEIU
SEIU Endorses Joe Biden for President
The Service Employee International Union (SEIU), SEA’s parent union, endorsed prospective Democratic candidate Joe Biden for President of the United States on July 9th. Joe Biden knows that all working people are essential, and we need a president who will do what is essential to keep our country, our states, and our local communities safe and opportunities abundant.
Read more about SEIU’s endorsement here.
Gubernatorial Election 2020
Meeting with gubernatorial candidates
On Tuesday, July 7, the Political Education Committee met with gubernatorial candidate Dan Feltes to evaluate his position on labor and the value of state workers in New Hampshire. We welcomed over 60 members and discussed what is at stake for state workers in this gubernatorial election.
Primary elections in New Hampshire are Tuesday, September 8, 2020.
Union Governance
SEA Bargaining Council Meeting
Thank you to all our members who participated in a very special Bargaining Council meeting on July 8th. Our legal team joined us to discuss the state of bargaining and securing a fair contract for state employees.
After the Legislature voted to accept the Fact Finder’s report, SEA believes that we now have a legal contract because the budget for wage increases has been approved. However – Governor Sununu asserts that the vote is advisory only. The Governor previously refused to bring the Fact Finder’s report to the Council for a vote.
Fortunately, the law is on our side. We will continue to pursue this contract – which provides modest wages for NH’s state workers – in the courts.
Collective Bargaining for 2021-2023
While we are still at impasse over the 2019-2021 contract, under NH law, collective bargaining for the 2021-2023 cycle will begin this Fall. We strongly encourage members to consider joining. The role of a bargaining team member is to advocate for the issues and concerns that the general union membership wants to see included in their contract agreement with the employer. There are only 13 available elected positions on the Master Bargaining Team.
State employee members who are interested in being elected to serve on the master bargaining team need to fill out the nomination form no later than July 28, 2020. Nomination forms are available online here or in pdf version here. A more detailed description of the process can also be found on our website or please feel free to respond directly to this email.
Positions Available: Collective Bargaining Advisory Committee
All interested members who would like to get involved in the upcoming contract cycle are encouraged to email Leah and Randy to join the Collective Bargaining Advisory Committee. The committee gathers information from members and helps to develop proposal suggestions. Leah and Randy can be reached at lmckenna@seiu1984.org or rhunneyman@seiu1984.org.
Positions Available: Board of Directors
The SEA Board of Directors is composed of community leaders and members just like yourself. Please fill out the Self Nomination Form and submit no later than 5PM on September 21st, 2020 to be considered for a position. Elections will be held during the annual SEA convention.
This year’s Convention will be held virtually on October 24.
Member News
Happy Retirement, Avis!
Earlier last month, Avis Crane retired from State service after almost 44 years. She started as a Case Tech Trainee with DHHS in the Manchester DO on August 13, 1976, and has gone on to work for the Office of Economic Services, the Division of Family Assistance, and the Division of Information Technology while working towards a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems.
She was an active union member for over four decades, helping promote fair treatment and safe working conditions for public employees and will continue to uphold the union’s values into retirement.
Welcoming New Staff
Please join SEA in welcoming several new staff members.
Ela is our new Chief Operations Officer and oversees all business management operations, including the implementation and evaluation of budgetary planning and analysis, information technology, personnel, facility, equipment, and data management programs. In preparation for joining SEA, Ela has 12 years in advertising/marketing, 11 years as a development consultant for non-profits, and 5 years in public affairs/public relations. She has earned an associate’s degree in mass media communications and bachelor’s degree in political communication from Russell Sage College, as well as a master’s in system management through the Executive MBA program at Baldwin Wallace College
Brad is our new Finance Manager and brings a well rounded finance and accounting background from various size companies and industries to the organization. In college he spent time as a personal care assistant for a fellow classmate that was disabled. He also spent time participating in the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program. He holds an undergrad in Accounting and a MBA that are both from SNHU. He is a proud father and husband. If he’s not spending time with his family he’s most likely gardening or spending time in the outdoors.
Meredith is our new Assistant Manager of Communications and coordinates communication between the organization, members, staff, and the general public and assists in directing the organization’s messaging. Meredith began advocating for labor rights as a graduate teaching assistant with the FSU Graduate Assistants United chapter, encouraging her peers to take an active role in advancing graduate employees’ rights within the state university system. Previously, Meredith served as an Americorps volunteer and worked as a freelance musician in central and northern Florida. Go Noles!
Cullen Tiernan joins us as our new Political Director. He previously served in the Marine Corps for nine years as a combat correspondent including a deployment to Iraq and multiple deployments across the continent of Africa. He then graduated from the University of Virginia where he majored in English Literature. Shortly after graduating, he moved to California to work for the communications department Lockheed Martin, Space Systems Company, where he focused on HR and executive communications. While in California, he got interested in politics and left Lockheed to support Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign, eventually becoming a delegate to the DNC in Philadelphia. He then got involved in local politics, running for Fremont City Council, becoming a Fremont Human Relations Commissioner and Chair of the Veterans Caucus of the California Democratic Party. He was then hired by Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s presidential campaign, serving as the campaign spokesperson and bringing him to New Hampshire.