Over
200
MSEA-SEIU
members,
including
MSEA-SEIU
Executive
Branch
Union
Negotiating
Team
member
Andrea
Lapointe,
above,
and
Nancy
Hardison,
in
photo
below,
marched
from
our
Tent
City
Rally
in
Capitol
Park
to
the
Governor's
Mansion
on
June
10
to
demand
respect
at
our
bargaining
tables.
Members
demanded
contract
language
preventing
layoffs
and
contracting
out.
They
cheered
the
news
that
our
union
on
June
9
submitted
to
the
state's
management
a
demand
to
bargain
over
restoring
the
merit
increases
and
longevity
payments
that
the
Legislature
cut
from
the
upcoming
two-year
state
budget.
Click
here
for
more
photos.
MSEA-SEIU
President
Bruce
Hodsdon
told
the
crowd:
"Over
the
past
few
years,
we've
given
up
pay
increases.
We've
lost
health
insurance
benefits.
And
we've
watched
workloads
continually
increase
as
a
result
of
hiring
freezes.
In
this
latest
budget,
we've
had
our
pay
taken
away
from
us.
We've
had
to
pay
more
for
our
individual
health
insurance
premiums.
And
we've
had
the
collective
bargaining
process
violated
by
the
freezing
of
our
contractually
bargained
merit
increases
and
longevity
pay.
And
you
know
what?
There's
still
members
of
the
Legislature
who
say
we
need
to
give
more.
Do
you
think
we
need
to
give
more?"
"NO!",
our
members
shouted
from
Capitol
Park
before
starting
their
march.
Continuing,
President
Hodsdon
said:
"We
are
here
to
say
enough.
We're
here
to
say
it's
time
for
the
administration
to
recognize
the
work
that
we
do:
Settle
the
contract
that
guarantees
no
layoffs
and
stops
the
costly
contracting
out
of
work
that
can
be
done
cheaper
and
better
by
state
employees.
We're
also
here
to
say
that
we
want
to
work
to
make
sure
that
Maine
State
Government
is
efficient
and
effective.
We
want
to
work
to
eliminate
waste,
fraud
and
abuse
in
State
Government.
And
we
want
to
let
all
the
taxpayers
in
the
State
of
Maine
know
that
we
are
not
the
problem,
but
rather
we're
part
of
the
solution."
Click
here
for
more
the
full
story.
