UNITE HERE! ETROIT D LOCAL 24 Fall 2011 Hospitality Workers Union Contract Updates • MGM Grand, Greektown and MotorCity Casino Members Ratify Four (4) Year Agreements • Detroit Club Managers Association Members Ratify Agreement • Hotel Negotiations Continue Negotiations continue at a number of our downtown properties. Local 24 negotiating committees have met over the last several weeks with Westin Book Cadillac, Hilton Garden Inn and CenterPlate @Cobo Hall. Negotiations are being scheduled at the Detroit Marriott Hotel and Sportservice @Comerica Park. After months of negotiations, contracts were ratifi ed at the MGM Grand, Greektown and MotorCity Casinos. Our members at the Westin Airport Hotel, the Detroit Metropolitain Hotel and MET Troy are still involved in tough negotiations. Unfair labor practice charges have been fi led against the Detroit Metropolitain Hotel and MET Troy. Members at LSG SkyChefs, as part of national bargaining, have been organizing to be released from mediation and secure the right to strike, if needed. Negotiations are scheduled to begin for our members at the Hyatt Hotel in December. The contract expires December 31st. A number of club contracts have now been ratifi ed, including the Detroit Club Managers Association Contract. Club contracts were also ratifi ed at Bloomfi eld Hills Country Club, Forest Lake Country Club, and Meadowbrook Country Club. Negotiations are continuing with Country Club of Detroit. Negotiations are going on during some diffi cult economic and political times, but the negotiating committees of Local 24 are fi ghting hard at the bargaining table to protect our past gains, deal with challenges of negotiating health benefi ts and costs and to further secure our future. If you want to become more involved, please see your Shop Steward or Union Representative. To stay updated with contract negotiations and calendar, please visit our website at www.local24unitehere.org. Together, we will meet our contract challenges and build a better future for ourselves, our families, and our union. We must never stop marching. CONTRACT EXPIRATION LIST Property Expiration Date Grosse Pointe Club 10/22/2011-Open Country Club of Detroit 10/31/2011-Open Plum Hollow Country Club 10/31/2011-Open Delaware North Company-Airport/Travel 11/1/2011-Open Westin Book Cadillac 11/1/2011-Open Detroit Marriott 11/30/2011 D Hyatt Regency Dearborn 12/31/2011 Sodexo at GSA Federal Center 12/31/2011 UPCOMING BARGAINING DATES Village Club 2/28/2012 Date & Time Property Meeting Location Detroit Golf Club 3/31/2012 November 14th & 15th Westin Book Cadillac WBC Courtyard by Marriott 4/1/2012 November 15th Centerplate @ Cobo Hall Local 24 Fairfi eld Inn by Marriott 4/1/2012 November 16th Plum Hollow Country Club Plum Hollow Detroit Athletic Club 4/30/2012 November 17th Blue Cross Blue Shield BCBS Birmingham Athletic Club 5/31/2012 November 17th & 18th Hilton Garden Inn HGI Wayne State University - Janitors 6/30/2012 November 22nd Country Club of Detroit CC of D LOCAL 24 MEMBERSHIP AND DUES ADMINISTRATION UPDATE Please note that, in accordance with the UNITE HERE constitution, a member will have their union membership suspended if he or she is more than two (2) months in arrears. It is a members’ responsibility to keep your membership status active. If you are not working, you may be eligible for a withdrawal card. However, you must be current on your dues payment. The withdrawal card reinstatement fee is $67.00, which is the current monthly dues rate of $46.00 and the reinstatement fee of $21.00. If you are a tipped worker and on dues check-off, occasionally the full amount of dues is not deducted. Again, it is your responsibility to make sure the correct amount of dues is paid to the Union each month. If you notice that the incorrect amount was deducted, you should send the difference to Local 24, in order to keep your dues current. We are currently in the process of updating the Union’s dues records. If we receive notice that you are not working for longer than a calendar month, we will automatically put you on withdrawal from Union membership. This will save you money; however, being on withdrawal affects your ability to attend membership meetings, vote, and run for union offi ce. If you do not want to be put on withdrawal automatically, you must let us know. Automatic withdrawal only applies to eligible members. If you have been receiving dues statements from the Union or if you have a past dues balance, you may not qualify for withdrawal. If you would like more information on your eligibility or on how this will affect you in particular, please contact Sophia Cisneros with the dues department at 313-259-8486. UNITEHERE! LOCAL 24 UNITEHERE! LOCAL 24 TIP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE Banquet Servers Needed for the Consider joining the Local 24 TIP Campaign Committee. We AUTO SHOW @ COBO HALL - January 2012 are asking each member to contribute $1.00 per month. Please contact Sophia Cisneros at 313-259-8486 and leave a ✓ These funds provide another way for UNITE HERE to detailed message, with your name, phone number, and best time to build our union and play an active role in the political fi ghts reach you; we will get back to you immediately. that affect our members. ✓ Help workers win the right to organize. We will have you fi ll out an application for the Auto Show. Please ✓ Elect Union Members to political offi ce. note: All applications must be completed and turned in to the ✓ Support political candidates who support UNITE HERE. Union, Attn: Paul McAdams, no later than November 30, 2011. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, If you have any questions or require more information, please occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year. Only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who are UNITE HERE! members or contact Sophia Cisneros at 313-259-8486 or email Paul McAdams UNITE HERE! executive or administrative staff, or their family members, may contribute. at [email protected]. You can also contact Chef Dan Giroux via email at [email protected]. Contributions or gifts to the UNITE HERE TIP Campaign Committee are not tax deductible. VERIZON CONTRACT FIGHT UNITEHERE! 45,000 Verizon workers, members of the Communications Workers of America and the Local 24 Website International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, struck Verizon early Sunday morning, August Do you have an interesting story or event you 8th from Massachusetts to Virginia. Verizon, a would like to see on your website? Is there a Shop highly profi table company, has not budged from Steward or member you feel we should highlight? concession demands in virtually every part of the contract, in spite of a 50-year bargaining Please help Local 24 keep the website fresh, by relationship. letting us know your thoughts. Below are some This has been a very tough fi ght against a good practices about event communication for the wealthy company fi ghting hard to roll back hard- website: won worker benefi ts and at the same time keep the unions out of its rapidly-growing wireless 1. Before the event division. While Verizon and Verizon Wireless workers’ have been returned to work, based on management’s commitment to bargain in good • Send an email to [email protected] faith, the fi ght for a fair contract is far from over and they still need our and request to have the event added to the support. union calendar. UNITE HERE would like thank to everyone for all that you are doing! We really need to keep our actions going and maintain our 2. After the event level of enthusiasm. Everyone in UNITE HERE who is anywhere near a Verizon picket line should make our Union’s presence felt in every • Send a photo or two, along with a caption of possible way. We invite UNITE HERE members to join us at the picket who is in the photo if you know, and a three to lines at every opportunity, with visible UNITE HERE shirts, caps, fi ve sentence description of the event to and signs. When there are rallies, please join UNITE HERE, again with visibility. If any of us hear of other opportunities to support these [email protected]. strikers, let’s get the word out. If you would like more information on how you can help, please Take a look at the website and give us contact your Union Organizer or visit the Communications Workers of your feedback. We would love to hear America website at www.cwa-union.org/verizon. all about your ideas. Page 2 Detroit Local 24 News UNITEHERE! Local 24 Nominations and Election Notice Nominations will be held on December 5, 2011 Located at the Local 24 UNITEHERE! Offi ce 300 River Place Dr, Suite 2700, Detroit, Michigan, 48207 9:30am nomination meeting and 5:00pm nomination meeting UNITE HERE Local 24 Bylaws, Article 2, Section 4 …No member who is two (2) months or more in arrears in the payment of dues shall be entitled to be a candidate for offi ce or to vote for offi cers. Article 2, Section 5 …A candidate for offi ce must be a member in good standing for at least one year before election date, and must otherwise meet the eligibility requirements set forth in UNITE HERE’s constitution. Offi cer nominations will be for President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary and Sergeant at Arms (ALL OF WHICH ARE FOR A 3 YEAR TERM), four (4) at Large Executive Board Members, and one (1) Trustee to be elected for a three (3) year term.