MSEA-SEIU Representational Services Roundup

MSEA-SEIU members at Maine DHHS Wilton are determined to fight for fair contract that addresses understaffing and ends the State Employee Pay Gap.

City of Auburn
Members of our City of Auburn bargaining unit are completing their bargaining surveys in anticipation of contract bargaining this spring.

Bates College
Workers at Bates College launched their organizing drive in Oct 2021 and voted for their union in January 2022. As part of an expensive and vicious anti-union campaign, the college has been stalling the by tying up the vote with legal objections. We’re waiting for the National Labor Board to decide the case and allow us to proceed to count the votes.

Executive Branch Compensation, Classification Study
We’re asking that the Mills administration and the 131st Maine Legislature work to support and fund the ongoing comprehensive classification study. This long-overdue initiative has made substantial progress in recent years, despite the pandemic, high turnover at the Bureau of Human Resources, the departure of the outside contractor, Segal, upon the expiration of its contract, as well as the sheer scope of the project. We believe it is critical that we work together with both the administration and the Legislature to find a way to complete the classification study and implement its recommendations. We believe doing so requires additional capacity and funding of an outside contractor to help complete the study, synthesize the results of the classification and compensation study committee’s work and put forward a comprehensive recommendation that we can work with both the administration and Legislature to negotiate, approve, fund and implement. We’re asking the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services for funding for an outside contractor so completion and implementation can advance as soon as possible. For an update on Executive Branch bargaining, see the story here.

Judicial Branch of Maine State Government
After reviewing responses to their bargaining priorities survey, members of the Judicial Branch Bargaining Team are working on their priorities and bargaining proposals for the upcoming contract negotiations. The Bargaining Team members are:

• Administrative Unit: Sue DeGroot, Team Captain, John Mannino, Rhonda Ouellette, Stephanie Molaver, and Shannon Cashman, Alternate;
• Professional Unit: Robyn Saucier, Team Captain, Markayla Morris, Christen Haskell, Curt Lefebvre, Lisa Lamothe, Alternate, and Kevin Fogg, Alternate
• Supervisory Unit: Andy Frechette, Team Captain, and Ronda Nelson.

City of Lewiston
Members of our City of Lewiston bargaining unit are completing their bargaining surveys in anticipation of contract bargaining this spring.

Lewiston Schools
We’re working on a bargaining-priorities survey that will go out to all members of the Lewiston Schools bargaining unit. Their current contract expires June 30.

Maine Community College System Adjunct Faculty
Members of our Adjunct Faculty bargaining team are in negotiations with management for a new contract to replace the one that expired Dec. 30, 2022. Four negotiation sessions have been held so far. “As we sit down to negotiate over our future contract, we are eager to work together with you to raise the voices of all adjunct faculty teaching at community colleges throughout the state,” the bargaining team wrote in a recent note to all Adjunct Faculty workers. “As your colleagues, we appreciate working together to provide education to the people of Maine. Your work means so much to the students and communities where we teach.”
Members of the Adjunct Faculty bargaining team are Chris Anderson, Dan Ford, Rosemarie DeAngelis, Andrea LaFlamme, Mark Read, Katrina Ray-Saulis and Camilla Lofving.

SASSMM (Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine)
Members of our bargaining team at SASSMM are bargaining their first contract with the agency. Key issues include wages, remote work and health insurance.