Wyoming Public Employees Association

Resolutions

WYOMING PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

53rd ANNUAL DELEGATE ASSEMBLY

Adopted Resolutions for 2015-2017



Resolution No. 1 - Combining District 2 and 3



WHEREAS, WPEA Board District 3, representing state employees in Carbon County, with a majority of the state employees being from the Department of Corrections employed at the State Penitentiary that are being represented by the International Police Association which minimizes the number of state employees as members of WPEA; and



WHEREAS, District 3 has never had a District Representative under the new WPEA structure leaving the Board of Director in all leadership positions of District Representative, Delegate, etc.; and



WHEREAS, WPEA Board District 2 representing state employees in Albany County, the neighboring County to Carbon County, also represents a smaller part of the state employee workforce and the Board of Director is also serving as District Representative, Delegate, etc.;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that WPEA Board Districts 2 and 3 be combined into one district effective upon the first vacancy in standing Board members in one of those districts; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA By-laws be amended to conform to this resolution.







Resolution No. 2 - Retired Membership Dues



WHEREAS, the WPEA retired membership dues of $3.00 per month or $36.00 annually have not increased since 2003; and



WHEREAS, the increased cost of printing and postage for the communication pieces and the WPEA Reporter and 3 Minute News have increased in cost; and



WHEREAS, WPEA staff are currently setting up a program with the Wyoming Retirement System to be able to deduct WPEA retired membership dues, insurance premiums of WPEA benefit programs offered to retired members, etc., from the members'; retirement check monthly; and



WHEREAS, over half of the retired members participate in one or more other programs through WPEA such as Delta Dental, VSP vision, Nationwide, LegalShield, Life Insurance Company of North America AD&D retiree plan for $10,000 coverage for $0.30 a month, etc., and the WPEA staff administers these programs monthly which is a service to the retired membership; and



WHEREAS, the WPEA staff lobbies year round for retirement benefits for both active and retired members, attends all Wyoming Retirement System Board meetings, is a member of the Coalition for a Healthy Retirement System and assists in hosting town hall meetings to educate the legislators and communities of the value of the pension funds;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA retired membership dues be increased to $4.00 a month or $48.00 annually.







Resolution No. 3 - Installation of Board Members and District Representatives



WHEREAS, those persons either elected or appointed to the positions of State Board Members or District Representatives should agree to make a statement or take an oath at the time they take their seat or position which indicates their sincerity/acknowledgement to perform the duties of their respective positions and to return WPEA property to their successor or to the State Board upon termination, resignation or removal of their service from their positions.



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that persons either elected or appointed to the position of State Board Member or District Representative make a statement or take the following oath on their position:



I _____________________ (name) do hereby promise to faithfully perform the duties of _______________________ (office or position) to which I have been elected or appointed to the best of my ability and to the benefit and honor of the Wyoming Public Employees Association; I further promise to protect and defend the Wyoming Public Employees Association, SEIU Local 1990, and upon expiration of my term, my removal or my resignation to vacate my office and surrender and deliver to my successor or the President of WPEA all property in my possession belonging to WPEA.



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the WPEA By-Laws be amended to include prospectively the above as a qualification to serve as a State Board Member or District Representative.







Resolution No. 4 - Retired Ex-Officio Board Seat



WHEREAS, the WPEA retired membership has doubled in size over the last three years; and



WHEREAS, thirty to thirty-five percent of the active public employees will be eligible to retire from the workforce over the next three years; and



WHEREAS, the retired membership has a number of issues of interest that affect them as well as active members (such as retirement benefits, insurance contribution, WPEA benefits, etc.);



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the retired WPEA membership become a Board District representing all retired members; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED the Ex-Officio Retired Board member become a voting member of the WPEA Board of Directors with a vote; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA retired membership follow the same structure as the other WPEA Board Districts with the election of a District Representative; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA By-laws be amended to conform to this resolution.







Resolution No. 5 - Protect Current Sick and Vacation Leave



WHEREAS, state employees currently have separate vacation and sick leave with different accrual rates; and



WHEREAS, paid time off (PTO) could possibly reduce the number of vacation days and sick days available for employee use;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA support and lobby to protect the current vacation and sick leave policy.







Resolution No. 6 - PAC Membership



WHEREAS, due to the demographics of our organization; and



WHEREAS, our membership has many involved, willing retirees; and



WHEREAS, it is very important to have appropriately trained individuals to perform candidate interviews;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that retirees from the Retired membership of WPEA be eligible to perform candidate interviews if they are in good standing with the association and are a member of WPEA/PAC; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA/PAC By-laws be amended to conform to this resolution.







Resolution No. 7 - State PAC Chair(s)



WHEREAS, the appointment of WPEA/PAC Chairperson and Co-Chair is the responsibility of the Board of Directors; and



WHEREAS, this appointment requires many hours of devotion; preparing for upcoming elections, setting up candidate interviews, assisting in the allocation of funds to those candidates WPEA supports, and working with those supported candidates scheduling employees and individuals to assist them prior to election day; and



WHEREAS, these individuals are also responsible for organizing District/County WPEA members throughout the year, educating and preparing them to better assist targeted Senate and House District candidates prior to Election Day; and



WHEREAS, if appointed from the Retired membership, these individuals need to be a PAC member of WPEA, a resident of the State of Wyoming, and a member in good standing with the Association;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the State PAC Chairpersons and County PAC Chairs may also be appointed from the Retired WPEA/PAC membership allowing these individuals more time to devote to this process, not only during an election year, but throughout their appointment, building a strong, sound, Political Action team for the WPEA; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA/PAC By-laws be amended to conform to this resolution.







Resolution No. 8 - PAC Interviews



WHEREAS, the WPEA staff receives member complaints year round and they may affect all members, some members, or some programs that have an impact on the Association; and



WHEREAS, WPEA/PAC candidate interviewers are sometimes the candidate's family, friends, or key candidate volunteers;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED an effort be made by the WPEA/PAC Chairs and WPEA staff to recruit candidate interviewers who are unbiased and uninvolved in the candidate's race and that all involved in WPEA/PAC interviews be made aware of this requirement.







Resolution No. 9 - Separation of ECA from PMI Process



WHEREAS, the External Cost Salary Adjustment is funded each budget session at a set percentage;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA should support and lobby for an ECA where everyone would receive a salary adjustment.







Resolution No. 10 - Preserving the Current Retirement System



WHEREAS, state employees Defined Benefit Retirement System is a primary recruitment incentive as well as a retention incentive;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED WPEA should continue work with the Wyoming Retirement System (WRS), other employee groups participating in the WRS, and other retirement organizations such as AARP and legislators to retain the current retirement system as a Defined Benefit Plan.







Resolution No. 11 - Funding Salaries at Market



WHEREAS, state employees are being paid at 91% of market; and the compression of salaries between new employees and long term employees creates a compensation system which discriminates against long term employees by not valuing experience, loyalty, knowledge, and performance; and



WHEREAS, pay between and within all agencies is not equal for the same or similar jobs performed;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED WPEA should work with the Wyoming Compensation Commission, Governor, and legislators to advocate for long term employees'; salaries to be funded at the appropriate pay level in the pay structure using years of service in their current position and performance as indicated on the PMI, recognizing the Meets Expectation or Competent is sufficient to move them to the same pay band as other employees rated as Commendable and Superior by using the range within the Market Premium position monthly and the Maximum Monthly range.







Resolution No. 12 - Evaluation Dispute Process



WHEREAS, the current evaluation process only allows an employee who is rated as above an unsatisfactory; rating to write a comment response included with the form but which has no actual bearing on their final rating; and



WHEREAS, an employee may be able to provide credible evidence their rating should have been higher than what their supervisor rated them, but they have no avenue in which to present their evidence; and



WHEREAS, the evaluation has a direct bearing upon the amount of salary increase an employee will receive the following July assuming an increase has been authorized eventually affecting their retirement benefits; and



WHEREAS, there should be a way for an employee to dispute a rating with credible evidence;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA should take a stance that the evaluation process requires an avenue to air a dispute on a rating in question; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED a reasonable hearing process should be developed and established to determine the validity of individual components in a rating dispute.







Resolution No. 13 - Return Pay Periods to Monday through Sunday



WHEREAS, recent rule changes concerning overtime compensation and demarcation of pay periods have resulted in unfair reduction in total compensation, especially to the lowest paid public employees;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA work for the return of pay periods from Saturday through Friday to Monday through Sunday and to designate that any time beyond 8 hours of work be paid as overtime; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED any hours worked beyond 40 hours during a weekly pay period be paid as overtime.







Resolution No. 14 - State Paid Contribution to Retirees Health Insurance Premium



WHEREAS, many retired state employees continue the state health insurance plan after retirement; and



WHEREAS, the benefit for retiree health insurance contribution is placed in each biennial budget first by the Governor and voted on by the legislators; and



WHEREAS, this benefit should never be taken for granted; and



WHEREAS, the cost of insurance continues to increase and some retiree's monthly retirement is barely enough to cover the cost of insurance;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA support and lobby to protect or increase this benefit for retired employees who continue coverage with the state health insurance plan.







Resolution No. 15 - Protecting the State Paid Insurance Premium



WHEREAS, the state employees are receiving 85% employer paid towards their premium for the state health insurance if they are enrolled in employee, employee plus one, or family coverage; and



WHEREAS, the 85% cost of the state health plan is awarded for Laramie County School District No. 1 employees in the block grant; and



WHEREAS, the 85% benefit for health insurance is placed in each biennial budget, first by the Governor and voted on by the legislators; and



WHEREAS, this benefit should never be taken for granted; and



WHEREAS, the cost of insurance premiums continue to rise;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA support and lobby to protect or increase this benefit.







Resolution No. 16 - Use the "Rainy Day" Fund



WHEREAS, revenues for the next biennium are expected to severely drop from levels previously enjoyed by the State of Wyoming; and



WHEREAS, further cuts to state government would cause irreparable damage to the state's ability to serve the public; and



WHEREAS, the state has been contributing to a "rainy day" fund to allow for revenue smoothing to absorb sudden drops in income; and



WHEREAS, Wyoming public employee jobs and livelihoods are at risk;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA staff focus its efforts on lobbying the legislature in the use of the "rainy day" fund account to make up for the loss of revenue and to protect Wyoming public employees' ability to serve the state.







Resolution No. 17 - Filling Empty State Positions



WHEREAS, state employees are retiring and leaving and the positions are not being filled; and



WHEREAS, The staff left are picking up or being assigned the work load of 2 or 3 staff positions and the staff is receiving no additional compensation for the additional duties creating poor morale and the remaining staff gets burned out and tired of the overload causing more people to leave state government;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the current practice of leaving positions vacant for long periods of time and putting state agencies and employees at risk should be reviewed by the Administration, legislators, Governor, and WPEA on better ways of recruiting, retaining, and protecting the safety of all employees and clients.







Resolution No. 18 - 2015 WPEA Resolution for the Food Service Program of LCSD#1



WHEREAS, the Wyoming Public Employees Association (WPEA) represents the Nutrition Services Unit of the Laramie County School District #1 (LCSD#1); and



WHEREAS, we negotiate with these unit employee members each year for the salaries and benefits; and



WHEREAS, the Nutrition Service Unit is expected to be as fully self-funding as possible (i.e., the cost of the meal purchased by the students fully funds the entire cost of purchasing the food, preparation of the food, and the salaries and benefits paid for all employees in this unit); and



WHEREAS, to provide nutritious and attractive meals which the students are willing to purchase has not allowed the LCSD#1 nor most of the other food service units in any of the school districts statewide to hit this break-even point; and



WHEREAS, when a district must use some of their limited funds to help supplement their food service programs it takes money away from other critical services they need to fund; and



WHEREAS, the Legislative School Finance Committee (Committee) is currently working to establish the new criteria for the recalibration of the school district funding model for future funding of education of Wyoming students; and



WHEREAS, the fact that these school districts are struggling, in vain, to provide quality food service to their student populations and still hit this break-even point for food services has been recognized by the Committee which appears prepared to justify their need for supplemental funding to be included in the recalibration model;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA staff and the WPEA membership will be directed to lobby the legislature for the inclusion of supplemental funds in the recalibration model for food service programs statewide, but most specifically for LCSD#1, so all elements necessary for a quality educational program are funded by the Wyoming Legislature.







Resolution No. 19 - Anti-Bullying Resolution



WHEREAS, the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) policy on bullying in the workplace covers all workers;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA staff work to expand this policy to the Wyoming State Personnel Rules.







Resolution No. 20 - 2015 Resolution on Revisions of the Personnel Rules



WHEREAS, there was an effort by A&I and the Governor to speed up the grievance process which on its face is not bad, but caused the rules to be modified significantly; and



WHEREAS, the final set of changes to these rules were better than the first set, suggesting there was some concern for the employees, but also noting the grieving employee in most cases lost the opportunity to present their case to a neutral body giving the appearance that speed apparently took precedence over fairness; and



WHEREAS, in many prior grievances, employees who were able to access a grievance panel found that the panels findings were that the employee's concern often had merit,



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA should continue to monitor these grievance procedures to determine whether the "playing field" is equal or whether the changes in the rules have skewed these procedures toward management prevailing without the need for them to provide credible evidence the alleged behavior was truly a violation of a standard, policy, or an executive order. If it is deemed the latter is true, then it is recommended the WPEA use all available opportunities and procedures to attempt to again balance the "playing field" between management and employees so an equitable and fair review of the facts of the case will allow the proper individual or party to prevail.







Resolution No. 21 - District Meetings



WHEREAS, some WPEA districts do not have a Board of Director or a District Representative; and



WHEREAS, some WPEA districts have a Board of Director, but no District Representative and the District Representative is supposed to be the primary voting delegate; and



WHEREAS, WPEA staff does not get around to all the districts each year; and



WHEREAS, the newsletters (WPEA Reporters and 3- Minute News) are the only means of communication from the WPEA to some members; and



WHEREAS, WPEA districts with Board of Directors and District Representatives do not communicate WPEA information with WPEA members outside their agency or work area after Board meetings, Delegate Assemblies, WPEA/PAC Endorsement meetings, etc.;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that at least one district meeting a year be held in each district where a Board of Director, District Representative, WPEA staff, or a leader from a neighboring district gives a report in person to those WPEA members who wish to attend a district meeting; and



FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA staff look into all other available options to improve communication with WPEA membership such as social media.







Resolution No. 22 - Member Recruitment and the Recruiting Incentive Program



WHEREAS, the WPEA staff receives member complaints year round and they may affect all members, some members, or some programs that have an impact on the Association; and



WHEREAS, WPEA's 2015 membership incentive program is not fair to all members; and



WHEREAS, when many WPEA members have convinced a co-worker to join WPEA and they do not have a card immediately available, they are unable to obtain a card from their Board of Director or District Representative as the cards in their District already have said Board member or District Representative's name on it;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA Organizing Committee and the WPEA Board of Directors rework the current member incentive program taking into account the concerns WPEA members have brought forward when creating the 2016 Organizing Plan to create an incentive program that is fair & equitable to all WPEA members.







Resolution No. 23 - American Income Life Complaints



WHEREAS, the WPEA staff receives member complaints year round and they may affect all members, some members, or some programs that have an impact on the Association; and



WHEREAS, the WPEA staff has received a number of complaints that the American Income Life agents are too pushy; and



WHEREAS, the WPEA staff has received a number of complaints that the American Income Life agents are claiming to be part of WPEA and make no mention of American Income Life; and



WHEREAS, the WPEA staff has received a number of complaints that the American Income Life agents do not show up on time or at all to the appointments they scheduled with WPEA members;



THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the WPEA Board of Directors meet with the Wyoming district personnel of American Income Life and whoever else necessary within American Income Life to discuss a resolution to the problems causing these complaints, or, if a resolution cannot be agreed upon between the Board of Directors and American Income Life, the Board terminates the relationship between WPEA and American Income Life.