Dear Fellow Handlers,
I am sure you have read the latest letter from Mr. Kucera, filled with untruthful statements, and in which he continues to personally malign the people who are working to protect your interests. If there was no threat of a union, he would not be listening to us and would not be promising anything. He has retaliated against K9 handlers and has tried to intimidate us. We have pointed out the law in this regard on numerous occasions.
To address his untruths; I was a union delegate for the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association in the Brooklyn North, Emergency Service Truck 7 Unit for 11 years. I served on the honor committee and the contract committee. What experience does Glen have negotiating labor contracts?
We do not work in Mercy Hospital, which is not part of Northwell Health Corporation, nor do we even work in a hospital. We are not security guards. Our job titles are Specialists, Executive Protection, Corporate Security and Emergency Management. Glen is correct, our current job does not have a union. It might have something to do with how we're treated. Our job voluntarily gives us raises every year. They provide us with several fringe benefits that are very similar to what MSA should be providing many of you according to the Service Contract Act. More importantly, they treat us with respect. Do you see a difference between these benefits and MSAs Glen?
My K9 and I worked for fourteen years at numerous locations and in all kinds of weather, just like the ladies and gentleman on post right now. I dealt with the same problems including insufficient pay, personally absorbing much of the expenses of our K9 partners, and failing to receive the wages required by law. We care about MSA and our K9 partners. I don't believe Glen or the office really know how hard we work, or how much time we spend with our partners. This includes time spent caring for them at home, for which we are not paid, in blatant violation of the law.
Only the threat of a union will get Mr. Kucera to promise anything to anyone. I think we all understand that MSAs owners and officers wish to keep as much money for themselves as they can. They don't want a union to fight for the rights of handlers because they'd rather keep everything "business as usual".
Bill Beaury
BILL ENOUGH OF GLEN ALREADY, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO POST YOUR BYLAWS? EVERY MSA HANDLER SHOULD HAVE A RIGHT TO SEE THE BYLAWS BEFORE WE VOTE. WHY HAVEN'T YOU POSTED THEM ON THIS SITE? WE DEMAND YOU PUBLISH YOUR BY-LAWS ON THIS SITE AS AN ANNOUNCEMENT POST!
ReplyDeleteIt took a lot of work, but they're up. How we managed to invent the whole thing out of thin air and have it reviewed by a lawyer and the Department of Labor in the last five minutes on a Sunday afternoon is astonishing.
DeleteI think you'll appreciate Article 5, Section 9.
Well we were going to post them tonight, like we told you yesterday. Tell you what, give us a few minutes to think up the whole thing, type it up, and have it reviewed by our lawyer and the Office of Labor Management and Standards. It is Sunday, so it might take a while for them to get back to us.
ReplyDeleteIf the handlers in the field have not figured out by now that no one working out of 9 Murray St. on the 2nd or 3rd floor gives a damn about you or your dog, then I feel sorry for you. The only ones advocating on your behalf are the guys involved with the union - because they see how little you really matter to the executives of the company. The union leadership has put themselves out their and exposed themselves to personal attacks. Why would they do this? Because they see what MSA once was and now see what it's become. The people who allege they are handlers and attack the Unions motivation are giving the executives exactly what they want - they figure if they can divide the members in the field, they've won and can go back to treating you as poorly as they want, feeding us a crap sandwich and telling us it's roast beef. 9 Murray St. is great if you are a friend of management because they will find a job for you and create a title for you and give your kid a job or internship. They love to show off for clients and wine and dine and spend money on what they think is important - any of you handlers in the field ever get invited to the golf outing or the client Christmas Party? I doubt it, even though you are the ones the clients see everyday? Wake-up, even the guys who know what the truth about MSA is, former cops who are now in management positions have swallowed the company line in one bite and they vomit it back-up all over you every chance they get. Guys who were at one time good cops now view you as evil and ungrateful - men and women who work hard, do a good job and only want to be treated with respect and dignity by their employer. Every time I read a letter from management the contempt they have for us oozes off the page. I once drove a full Inspector who said to me with a straight face "a white shield could never help my career, but he can definitely hurt it". This is the contemptuous attitude they have for us. We served honorably either in the military and the police department, some of us in both - don't let a group of executives who could care less about us divide us and make us attack each other. I'm for the Union - count me in!
ReplyDelete