March 9, 2007

As of February 1, 2007, UPTE has dipped further into your paycheck. They are extracting $5 more a month out of your pay this year (if you pay the monthly maximum, most of you do) and they will do it again next year. Small change? Not to UPTE. With over 10,000 people paying (most of them involuntarily), UPTE will take more than $8,000,000 over the next two years out of our paychecks. The union leadership can, with the consent of their members, take as much money out of your pay as they like. You can stop this.

The union can be voted out. There are a number of legal requirements that must be met and the lawyers that assist me (for no charge) are willing to help me do this when the time is right. But I cannot do this by myself. I cannot field a paid army like the unions do, all I can do is ask you to help me and help yourself. You can spread the word to your coworkers that an effort to vote out the union will be mounted next year. All it will take is a sufficient number of people signing a petition requesting that the union be decertified. If every one of you can get one other UPTE represented coworker to sign the petition, we have a fair chance to vote the union out. If every one of you can get two other UPTE represented coworkers to sign the petition, it is my opinion that the union will be voted out. Right now, we are in the early planning stages for this effort, exact details are several months away but stay tuned. We cannot mount this effort for the health care (HX) unit at this time and we are debating the wisdom of spreading ourselves too thin by trying to petition to vote out the TX (Technical Workers) and RX (Research Workers) at the same time.

The union does have to pay you back part of your fees if you do not join and send them an objection/challenge letter each year. A growing number of people are doing this with my help. I have asked that people send me their objection/challenge letters for the current period (July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008). See the web page (http://www.justvoteuc.org/objectionletter.html) for how to do this. Make sure that you replace the text (YOUR CAMPUS) with the campus you work at, this is easily overlooked so pay attention!

As a result of our efforts, UPTE has had to pay back about $500,000 to those who have challenged them with a simple letter over the past few years. The union and their lawyers fight each battle fiercely and when they can't make a case in arbitration or when complaints are affirmed by the state labor board, their lawyers pocket their legal fees and UPTE pays up. For the 2003/2004, 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 periods UPTE refunded the full amount of fees to all those who have challenged with a simple objection/challenge letter. Not that they give it up easily. After a couple of years, they've caved in but there always seem to be a few that were not paid. No problem, I keep records and if anyone is not paid, I provide them records on request so that those left out can further pursue justice.

It has been suggested to me that I provide a list of people along with their e-mail addresses who would be willing to provide testimonials as to the good works I've done. If you would like to be one of these, let me know. I'll set up a link on my web site so that people at your campus can contact you to vouch for the truth and justice that I represent. If you would like to be on this list, let me know at werner@justvoteuc.org.

You have the power to make UPTE accountable. It may not be today, tomorrow or even a year from now but if you are patient and persistent, they will have to face the truth. I do my best to uncover it.

Werner