10 reasons to vote for NEMSA

TheTruth · Member

10 reasons to vote for NEMSA

RNmedic · Veteran Member

While interesting Tim Bonifay's reasons to vote NEMSA are misleading. Here are some reasons to vote IAEP:

1: Accountable to who? Who elected Torren President? Who elected Tim Vice President? Who un-elected Tim Vice President? Who elected Alis? Who voted to cut a deal with some auto delaership so that Tim Bonifay could get a free truck? who, who, who? Certainly not the members. Tim states, "NEMSA is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership". I don't remember voting for Tim, Torren, Dave Turner or any other NEMSA official. Is Tim stating that we can vote them out of office as we can the IAEP officials???

2: Any organization voted in will not receive any dues until a contract is signed and if force. Which means Torren and Tim won't receive a pay check until then. So, is their motivation to fight for the best contract or to settle for a quick fix? (As Local 250 members under SEIU, we currently have the best contract of any private EMS service in the nation.)

3. As for collective bargaining - To my knowledge Tim Talbot has negotiated only 1 EMS contract. "WHEN WILL NEMSA POST THE OAK VALLEY CONTRACT?" IAEP, on the other hand, has negotiated over 125 EMS contracts that can be substantiated. The good attorneys from Carroll, Burdich did not negotiate the Oak Valley Contract. The Recently deposed NEMSA vice president, Tim Bonifay did. And the settlement at Oak Valley sucks. EMTS and paramedics at AMR-Stanislaus (same county as Oak Valley) make more today than Oak Valley EMTs and paramedics will make four years from now. And, they have to pay more for dependent health care than they did under the old Oak Valley contract. the ABSOLUTE BEST????????? I THINK NOT.

4. Title 20 under AFL-CIO prevents unions from raiding other unions. Without the protection of the AFL-CIO any government or other association can come into our counties and compete for our jobs. In others words your local fire department or teamsters can just come in and take over patient transport. The IAFF of San Mateo has already sent a letter dated August 24, 2004, to the county stating its intentions provide their own transports. So, NEMSA is not affiliated with anyone. WHAT A PLAN!!! Pretty soon, we won’t have any jobs to pay dues with!!!

5. Politics - Please don't be so naive to believe that politicians are ready support us simply because of our various 'walks for causes'. Politicians want to know what we can do for them. Because of Local 250 and IAEP's strong political affiliations, we have helped to write state wide policies and legislation. For instance, SEIU was instrumental in the current safe needle law. SEIU also has a seat at the State EMS authority. I personally sat on the State interfacility task force and helped write policy governing CCT-P transports. NEMSA does not have these political connections, and we would therefore lose our voice with the state EMS authority, not to mention the national and local politics.

6. Tim states that NEMSA retains full control of all its resources, and does not have to send fees to SEIU or the AFL-CIO. Not withstanding my previous statements as to why the affiliations are so important, is NEMSA willing to reduce our dues by that amount? Their web site states we are going to pay the same amount we are currently paying. So, just where will those extra fees be going? IAEP guarantees that EMS members dues are $8.20/week for full-time and $6.20/week for part-time employees. This is even less than we are currently paying.

7.Strength through numbers!!! Kaiser happens to be AMR’s largest customer. SEIU and Kaiser have a partnership. This gives SEIU great strength when bargaining with AMR. I have seen AMR quickly change directions to the benefit of the employees when threatened with a phone call from SEIU to Kaiser.

8. As for Community service...the new owners of AMR are investors...their bottom line is the profit margin....THEY DON'T GIVE A HOOT ABOUT COMMUNITY SERVICE...These investors don’t live in our communities… They are multi-billion dollar corporations. I want to see NEMSA’s plan for taking on the new employer to insure our wages and benefits.

9. TECHNOLOGY: It is my understanding that they stole their data base from Local 250. As far as their message forum, they took it down because they were getting too much heat from the membership!!

10. PRIDE – Yeah, Torren being driven around in a HUMMER and a DODGE DURANGOOOOOOOOOOOO....

Roland Guy, RN, NREMT-P

Medic_One · Senior Member

RE: 10 reasons to vote for NEMSA

Your a little slow on the uptake there Rolland. Let me explain why you are laughed at by all the CCTRN's that work for AMR.

While interesting Tim Bonifay's reasons to vote NEMSA are misleading. Here are some reasons to vote IAEP:

1: Accountable to who? Who elected Torren President? Who elected Tim Vice President? Who un-elected Tim Vice President? Who elected Alis? Who voted to cut a deal with some auto delaership so that Tim Bonifay could get a free truck? who, who, who? Certainly not the members. Tim states, "NEMSA is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership". I don't remember voting for Tim, Torren, Dave Turner or any other NEMSA official. Is Tim stating that we can vote them out of office as we can the IAEP officials??? Let me tell you who voted for them: 34 Oakvalley members, 65 San Mateo Members. You can now put this issue to bed. Let me ask you this tough guy. Site to me were you, Roland Guy CCTRN had a right to vote for any of NEMSA's officers. As soon as you can produce the legal authority for you or any other person who is not a member of the association.

2: Any organization voted in will not receive any dues until a contract is signed and if force. Which means Torren and Tim won't receive a pay check until then. So, is their motivation to fight for the best contract or to settle for a quick fix? (As Local 250 members under SEIU, we currently have the best contract of any private EMS service in the nation.)Wrong again Mr. Guy. Dues were coming in from Oak Valley long before the contract was signed. AMR agreed to honor San Mateo, so those dues are now going to NEMSA. The core will be the same. Oh, and if 250 negotiated the best contract in the nation why are they selling us to the IAEP who gives up grievances in their contract?

3. As for collective bargaining - To my knowledge Tim Talbot has negotiated only 1 EMS contract. "WHEN WILL NEMSA POST THE OAK VALLEY CONTRACT?" IAEP, on the other hand, has negotiated over 125 EMS contracts that can be substantiated. The good attorneys from Carroll, Burdich did not negotiate the Oak Valley Contract. The Recently deposed NEMSA vice president, Tim Bonifay did. And the settlement at Oak Valley sucks. EMTS and paramedics at AMR-Stanislaus (same county as Oak Valley) make more today than Oak Valley EMTs and paramedics will make four years from now. And, they have to pay more for dependent health care than they did under the old Oak Valley contract. the ABSOLUTE BEST????????? I THINK NOT. Wow Roland you are really on a roll here. You are going to make a wonderful SEIU staff person. If you haven't seen the Oakvalley contract how is it that you know so much about it there tough guy? Oh yeah thats right. You don't. Why not call the Oakvalley NEMSA mambers and ask them how they like there contract. While your at it why don;t you ask your precious SEIU why they let the contract axpire and abandoned the workers. AS to the Law firm, Go on the Law Firms web site CBMLAW.COM and you can easily find the negotiation experiance of NEMSA's firm. They have negotiated over 500 real contracts, not the trash that IAEP NAGE negotiates. Oh and the 125 IAEP conracts. Do they all have no grievance rights? Why not ask the 5 EMS bargaining units that have already decertified IAEP how good thier contracts are? Steller job there Roland keep up the good work.

4. Title 20 under AFL-CIO prevents unions from raiding other unions. Without the protection of the AFL-CIO any government or other association can come into our counties and compete for our jobs. In others words your local fire department or teamsters can just come in and take over patient transport. The IAFF of San Mateo has already sent a letter dated August 24, 2004, to the county stating its intentions provide their own transports. So, NEMSA is not affiliated with anyone. WHAT A PLAN!!! Pretty soon, we won’t have any jobs to pay dues with!!! Roland my misguided COCO Nurse. I was not aware that you were so versed in Article 20. Have you ever read it? Perhaps the hair got in your eyes. Let me explain this again. Aricle 20 does not protect you from fire taking over transport. Article 20 protects other affiliated unions from being organized by other unions that are also affiliated. It has nothing to do with fire taking over transport. Tell me Roland, we have been L250-SEIU-AFL-CIO for 15 years; why is it then Sac fire took our jobs? Why is that Stockton Fire is now in the transport buisness? Why are there ambulances in the fire stations in Santa Clara? Why is Ebbets pass fire in Arnold and 5 of our fellow 250 AFL-CIO protected members are out in calaveras? Tell me again how being AFL-CIO has helped or will help us?

5. Politics - Please don't be so naive to believe that politicians are ready support us simply because of our various 'walks for causes'. Politicians want to know what we can do for them. Because of Local 250 and IAEP's strong political affiliations, we have helped to write state wide policies and legislation. For instance, SEIU was instrumental in the current safe needle law. SEIU also has a seat at the State EMS authority. I personally sat on the State interfacility task force and helped write policy governing CCT-P transports. NEMSA does not have these political connections, and we would therefore lose our voice with the state EMS authority, not to mention the national and local politics. Roland, Roland the way you speak sounds like you truly feel like the air that you breath is because of local 250 and SEIU. Let me let you in on a little secret. SEIU lost every election and ballot measure that it supported in March. So much for your big bad political clout. The EMS workers do not need the political ball and chain that SEIU brings with them. The EMS workers just like everything else can stand on their own without the con-home workers, the Kaiser workers or the IAEP cops, prison workers, government employees or military lab techs.

6. Tim states that NEMSA retains full control of all its resources, and does not have to send fees to SEIU or the AFL-CIO. Not withstanding my previous statements as to why the affiliations are so important, is NEMSA willing to reduce our dues by that amount? Their web site states we are going to pay the same amount we are currently paying. So, just where will those extra fees be going? IAEP guarantees that EMS members dues are $8.20/week for full-time and $6.20/week for part-time employees. This is even less than we are currently paying. Again Roland you are not a member of IAEP you are a member of SEIU Local 250 and according to the service agreement you pay your dues to 250 and then 250 pays your dues to IAEP in the amount of IAEP dues. No where in the agreement does it say the members will pay 8.20 per week. If you find it let me know.

7.Strength through numbers!!! Kaiser happens to be AMR’s largest customer. SEIU and Kaiser have a partnership. This gives SEIU great strength when bargaining with AMR. I have seen AMR quickly change directions to the benefit of the employees when threatened with a phone call from SEIU to Kaiser. Back on the short bus junior! Roland, AMR and Kaiser have a binding legal contract with terms and conditions that are bound by law. SEIU's Kaiser floor scrubbers do not have the power or legal authority to pressure anyone. Tell me do you think the Kaiser dietary worker will walk of her job because AMR is messing with you. Listen to how lame that is. Put the roach down there Roland.

8. As for Community service...the new owners of AMR are investors...their bottom line is the profit margin....THEY DON'T GIVE A HOOT ABOUT COMMUNITY SERVICE...These investors don’t live in our communities… They are multi-billion dollar corporations. I want to see NEMSA’s plan for taking on the new employer to insure our wages and benefits. So who exactly are these new owners Roland? There you go again with the labor expertise. I had no idea you were such a well rounded man. I am sure then that you know that your wages and benefits under your contract are secured by law.

9. TECHNOLOGY: It is my understanding that they stole their data base from Local 250. As far as their message forum, they took it down because they were getting too much heat from the membership!! Whatever Roland, I will chalk this one up with the Kaiser paranoia and the AFL-CIO garbage. As soon as you have the proof I expect to see it.

10. PRIDE – Yeah, Torren being driven around in a HUMMER and a DODGE DURANGOOOOOOOOOOOO.... Roland what does pride have to do with a vehicle purchase?

Roland Guy, RN, NREMT-P

RNmedic · Veteran Member

Jeez medic one – your response to my post was so full of anger and insults, you guys at NEMSA must be running scared! However, let me respond to your inaccurate responses to my previous post.

65 San Mateo members did not vote NEMSA - - only 27 did. My initial question referred to Tim’s statement he made that NEMSA’s board of directors are elected by the membership. So, if we do vote in NEMSA, can we vote Torren, Tim, and Dave out of office??? Or, will we be stuck with them for ever?

Medic one, you really missed the point regarding the dues. If we vote in NEMSA, AMR cannot make any dues deductions from our paycheck until a contract between NEMSA and AMR is signed. I’m sure you guys at NEMSA would really like to get a contract signed quickly so you can pay for all your expensive toys!

Now, about Oak Valley. I know about the Oak Valley TA because it is a public document. By the way, nobody is disputing the fact that AMR Stainislaus is making more money today than Oak Valley will make 4 years from now. And Oak Valley is paying more for dependent health care coverage. And again, nobody is disputing the fact that your wonderful attornies weren’t at the bargaining table. You keep saying Local 250 dropped the ball on Oak Valley, but Tim Binifay should have commenced bargaining in 12/2003, three months before he quit 250 without notice. Wasn’t that Tim Boinfay’s responsibility when he was with 250? Wasn’t he supposed to set bargaining dates before the contract expired, but didn’t??? It sounds like he really dropped the ball there…. And now he wants to represent me with NEMSA??? Why won’t NEMSA post the Oak Valley contract so we can all take a good long look and see just how wonderful the NEMSA negotiating team is… What are you guys afraid of?

As a matter of fact, I am versed on Article 20. I have read it. If fact, here is a quote from it.

Section 2
Each affiliate shall respect the established collective bargaining relationship of every other affiliate. No affiliate shall organize or attempt to represent employees as to whom an established collective bargaining relationship exists with any other affiliate. For purposes of this Article, the term "established collective bargaining relationship" means any situation in which an affiliate, or any local or other subordinate body thereof, has either (a) been recognized by the employer (including any governmental agency) as the collective bargaining representative for the employees involved for a period of one year or more, or (b) been certified by the National Labor Relations Board or other federal or state agency as the collective bargaining representative for the employees.

It looks to me that as long as we maintain our affiliation with AFL – CIO no other union, like the IAFF or teamsters can come and take over my job…..

Oh yeah medic one, I’m sure there are many things I’m well versed on that you are unaware of.

Your response to my politics statement is absurd. Of course SEIU lost some elections this March. How many elections did NEMSA win? Oh yeah, NEMSA has no political power. But I’ll simple refer you back to my initial statements regarding the safe needle initiative and the interfacility task force as examples as to why being strong in the political arena is important.

Thanks for pointing out that I am a member of 250. I am proud of that fact. However, I will be an IAEP member after the election next week. They are quite open with their dues structure, and they will be what I previously stated. Simply put, IAEP’s dues are $33 per month. According to NEMSA’s articles of incorporation, and it’s constitution and by laws filed with the Sec of State’s office on March 26, 2004, NEMSA’s dues will be 2% of gross wages up to $120 per month. Have you even seen their constitution and by laws? You can find dues structure under Article 12, Dues, page 29. By the way, EMS members overwhelmingly rejected going to the 2% dues structure 3 years ago. Care to comment on that one??

You refer to Kaiser employees as "floor scrubbers". This really shows how you disrespect other people and their careers. SEIU Kaiser members include Ultra Sound techs, x-ray techs, mammographers, nurses, in addition to dietary and envirnmonmental services classifications. As we have stated before, SEIU has a very strong relationship with Kaiser and can influence their work with AMR and other EMS companies. Why doesn’t this make sense to you???

Who are the new owner’s? I’ll tell you, since you can’t seem to read the published reports. Top-tier private equity firms including Bain Capital LLC, Cypress Group, Carlyle Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP placed first-round bids for the companies in early August. Second-round bids are expected in September. Morgan Stanley is running the auction. And while my wages and benefits are protected by law, should NEMSA win the election, AMR or the new soon to be owner can demand to bargain a new contract. This will put everything we have gained so far at risk.

And by the way, I’m sure Torren is full of pride as he is being chauffeured around in his Hummer by OLD RHINO!!!

So now I have a question for you, Medic One. You know who I am. I sign my name at the end of these posts. I am a rank and file member. Why don’t you let me know who you are, so I know you aren’t a NEMSA employee.

Roland Guy, RN, NREMT-P

NEMSA lover · Veteran Member

Jeez Guy,

NEMSA has no, zero, nop, nada, nil, none, nothing employees.

NEMSA is a Non Profit Labor Organization as defined by the NLRB.

Tim is NOT now or ever was on Nemsa's board or payroll.

AFTER the election all positions are up for ELECTION by the MEMBERS. they were appointed to these positions for TEMPORARY purposes. After this election yes, even YOU can become an ELECTED steward for NEMSA.

Congratulations!

RNmedic · Veteran Member

Great!!! So, if NEMSA can pull a rabbit out of the hat and actually win the election, I'll look forward to running for Torren's job.