MEA Letter to the Editor
The following letter concerning Managed Competition was written by MEA General Manager Mike Zucchet, and was published in the “Letter to the Editor” section of the San Diego Union-Tribune on March 10, 2010. Regarding your Sunday editorial, “City Council: loyal to whom?”… Your statement that the San Diego Municipal Employees Association (MEA), the City’s largest labor union, is “stalling” the implementation of […]
Read more >>Don’t buy the happy talk—there are plenty of risks in turning over municipal services
In March 2009, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley came to San Diego to speak to a group of CEOs about the benefits of privatization. The Union-Tribune reported that Mayor Daley told the CEOs that “government can only do so much,” and that “government has to be more welcoming to business.” Just a few months earlier, Daley’s administration convinced the Chicago City Council to […]
Read more >>Seven Justices for Five Innocents
Five innocent people, wrongly accused, politically vilified, and whose lives were destroyed by the mere act of prosecution, were partially redeemed Jan. 25 by the unanimous opinion of California’s seven-member Supreme Court in Lexin v Superior Court. Remember the names of the innocent, good and decent people whose lives were utterly destroyed for no proper reason: Cathy Lexin, Mary Elizabeth Vattimo, […]
Read more >>Know Your Rights, First Quarter of 2010
Recently MEA filed a grievance on behalf of one of its members when he/she was required to provide a doctor’s note for a sick day, or their timecard would be changed to Red-K, resulting in the employee not being paid. This demand violated Article 18, Sections 8 and 9, titled, Annual Leave and Compensatory Time Off. MEA’s MOU specifically states, […]
Read more >>President’s Message, First Quarter of 2010
It’s hard to believe that my first year as MEA President has already passed. Our union family has experienced a lot of obstacles and trials this past year, but we pulled together and made sound decisions that only strengthened our resolve and prepared us for future fights. Looking back on 2009, there were numerous accomplishments that our union should be […]
Read more >>Storm Water Department Highlight
With the latest rash of rainy weather, it’s fitting that we highlight Storm Water, the department responsible for protecting ocean and bay water quality for the citizens of San Diego. You may be surprised to know that the department wasn’t created until July 2008. Up until then, the Pollution Prevention Division and Operations & Maintenance Division were housed in other […]
Read more >>SAP, Flex Dollars and Your Paycheck
You may have recently noticed your paycheck looks a little different. With the conversion to SAP the full bi-weekly flex allotment now shows up as income on your paycheck, and the biweekly cost of your benefits are also shown as deductions. These deductions will be in a pre-tax form thus negating the flex allotment and will not affect your net income. A […]
Read more >>General Manager’s Report, First Quarter of 2010
City employees have had a tumultuous five years, and 2009 was obviously no different. The City of San Diego continues to find itself in the throes of chronic budget deficits, service cuts, wage cuts, layoffs and other challenges, all of which are exacerbated by the dishonest (and often times malicious) rhetoric that spews from some politicians, media outlets, and members of […]
Read more >>Board Meeting Notes, First Quarter of 2010
MEA Announcements: The Executive Committee consists of the five officers (President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) and six at-large members elected from the Board of Directors. The six at-large members below were elected to a two year term at the January 2010 Board meeting: Mark Chrysler-Development Services, Bill Craig-Miramar Landfill Ops, Lisa Goehring-Public Utilities, Francine Howell-City Attorney, […]
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