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The news images and stories that have come out of the recent California wildfires has been the subject much on the minds of everyone in both Northern and Southern California. Wildfires have devastated over 200,000 acres in Northern and Southern California and destroyed thousands of homes.
During CFI’s CIMCE seminars event of November 17-18, President Bernie Lunzer informed the membership of CWA District 9’s Disaster Relief Fund which is specifically rendering aid to members, and others who are California wildfire victims.
Local 39000 would like to encourage all members to visit the link below to get informed about the scope of the disaster, and to contribute whatever you can to ameliorate the suffering of our members, and others in the communities that have hit by the worst fires in memory.
This site also has information about how to request assistance, should you be a member who has been impacted by the disaster.
This is what Union Strong is all about.
District 9 Disaster Relief Fund Webpage
[https://district9.cwa-union.org/news/disaster-relief-assistance-and-information-for-district-9-wildfire-victims]
Sisters and Brothers-
Let's be prepared for the next disaster, please sign-up for our training on Sat Dec 15th, 8:30 am-1 pm, if you are not able to participate, please refer someone to join our Resiliency Team, Thank you:
I’m following up on the email your received from the President of the LA Fed, Rusty Hicks, regarding our efforts to create a Labor Resiliency Response volunteer team.
Now more than ever, with the wildfires surrounding Los Angeles and the State of California, and other disasters knocking on our door - we need your help to train union volunteers to be prepared to assist in the aftermath of a disaster, here locally or anywhere in the country. The objective of our Labor Resiliency Team will be to assist after a major disaster strikes the Greater Los Angeles Area with staffing a shelter, feeding victims, and/or assisting with logistics and operations. Also, we are asking if you would consider providing your union facilities to be used after a major disaster as a location for a shelter, mass feeding and/or logistics and operations. If you would like to be a part of our Labor Resiliency Response volunteer team, here is how you can help: 1) Please distribute the attached recruitment flyer to your members, asking them to consider participating in our efforts. 2) We would like for you to provide us 3 or more members from your union to be part of our Resiliency Labor Team. We plan to provide training on December 15th at the LA Fed, 2130 W. James Wood Blvd, L.A., CA 90006, 8:30 am-1:00 pm. 3) Please consider providing your union facilities to be used after a disaster as a shelter, location for mass feeding or logistics operations. Please complete the information below and forward it to Armando Olivas, at [email protected] or call him at 213-272-1756. Resiliency Response Team Training Name__________________________Union____________________Phone_______________ Email address_________________________________________________________________ Name__________________________Union____________________Phone_______________ Email address_________________________________________________________________ Name__________________________Union____________________Phone_______________ Email address_________________________________________________________________ Union Facilities Yes- We are willing to provide our union facilities for the usage in a emergency situation. We understand that after the building is inspected and accepted by the LA Red Cross, we may be asked to provide the building for shelters, mass feeding and logistics operations. Our facilities are located at: Address_____________________________________________________________________ Staff Contact ________________________________________________________________
Armando Olivas,
Consultant:
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor,
AFL-CIO 213-272-1756
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Region 4 Bargaining Update
October 22, 2018 Orange County
This morning’s negotiations started off with our “Watch & Support” getting an eye opening experience as they witnessed the court’s lead negotiator, Joe Wiley, try to bully and lash out on one of our bargaining team members, LouLou Tovar, for questioning him on his position regarding litigants having a right to bringing their own interpreter. He insisted that these interpreters do NOT need to be certified. Our lead negotiator, Ed Venegas, requested a caucus to give Wiley time to cool off.
This discussion was a result of CFI’s proposal from 9/25/18 Article 50; Interns & Volunteers. Your bargaining team requested information regarding any and all interns and volunteers that are being used to do any of CFI’s unit work. The court’s position is that they have stopped using volunteers 2 years ago and are no longer using any, anywhere in the region.
The courts also proposed adding a new provision in our MOU for Union Business Leave.
There was a Tentative Agreement on:
Articles, 22; payday- only change was employees will be required to authorize automatic deposit
Article 25; Health Care- only change was the name of the General Unit in Imperial
Article 28; Sick Leave- intermittent employees shall be provided sick leave under the California Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act consistent with the employer court’s policy or practice.
Article 35; Safety– only change was to change the word “prisoner” to “inmate”
The court rejected CFI’s proposal from 10/10/18 on Article 36; Workspace & Supplies
CFI proposed to add language to this article that would require the courts to make reasonable efforts to provide workspace for unit employees in the each courtroom.
On October 10, 2018 the courts response to our proposal was “ We don’t think there’s a need for interpreters to have a workspace in the courtroom, since all they do is stand next to the defendant.”
Your bargaining team presented some compelling counter arguments to this statement and mindset in hopes of educating the court, as a result, they agreed to put it back on the table for further discussion, on October 22, 2018, they didn’t follow through with the agreement for further discussion and simply rejected the proposal.
The court insist that they treat interpreters exactly the same as they do all the other court unit members, but if that were the case, they wouldn’t have had a problem with giving us what the other unit members have in the courtroom, which is work space.
Your bargaining team has been working hard and will continue to work hard at putting together more proposals to strive towards a righteous contract.
Our next bargaining session will be in the afternoon, November 9, 2019 in Riverside.
If you will be participating in the “Watch & Support” by taking time off to observe the negotiations, please request time off today.
The team continues to encourage members to support negotiations by attending the bargaining sessions. We hope to see you there.
A big “THANK YOU” to Nancy O’toole, Erica Ibarra, Adrienne Trunk , Ben Sanchez, Richard Barrientos, Frances Marin, Pam Santos for sitting in to observe our session by participating in the “Watch & Support”
 
Also, “THANK YOU” to interpreters in Indio, San Bernardino and Orange County for showing your support and sending us your pictures.
    
Your Bargaining team needs all of your support to achieve the best contract possible for ALL! We are in this together. UNITED we BARGAIN… DIVIDED we BEG.
Our unity is our strength by presenting a united front before administration we show our power.
“In union there is strength. It’s the “U” and “I’ in union that makes us strong”
In solidarity,
Your Region 4, Bargaining Team
CFI Local 39000, CWA-TNG
Maria Benitez
Jackie Ruiz
Silvia San Martin
LouLou Tovar
Rebeca Vera
Ed Venegas- Spokesperson
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Region 4 Bargaining Update
October 10, 2018 San Diego
There was good open dialogue during our negotiations today. There was discussion and proposals on the following:
The Courts presented proposals on Art. 24; Health Care, Art. 32; Local Retirement System, Art. 35; Safety, Art. 28; Sick Leave, Art. 22; Pay Day
After caucusing among the team, the bargaining committee countered with the following proposals:
Art. 2; Unit Work, Art. 15; Seniority
We also presented proposals on Art. 32; Local Retirement System, Art. 36; Work Space & Supplies.
Our proposal on Art. 36; Work Space & Supplies , was rejected by the Courts, but after your bargaining team presented our position on why we consider this an important proposal they agreed to put it back on the table for further discussion.
We want to give a big “THANK YOU” to all of you who showed your support by wearing red, and also to the Orange County interpreters in West, North and Harbor for sending in your pictures showing your support.
We appreciate you standing by your bargaining team. We will continue to need your support to achieve the best contract possible for ALL.
Our unity is our strength by presenting a united front before administration we show our power.
Our next bargaining session is scheduled for October 22, 2018, in Orange County.
Please support your bargaining team by wearing red on this day.
If you will be participating in the Watch & Support, please submit your time off request today, and email us at [email protected] to let us know you will be attending and to reserve your spot.
In Solidarity,
Your Region 4, Bargaining Team
CFI Local 39000, CWA-TNG
Maria Benitez
Jackie Ruiz
Silvia San Martin
LouLou Tovar
Rebeca Vera
Ed Venegas- Spokesperson
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Region 4 Bargaining Update
September 24-25, 2018 San Bernardino Courthouse
Ed Venegas (our lead spokesperson), started our first session with an opening statement in which he stated that the CFI Bargaining Team is ready to press forward on issues that have been proven to be of significant importance to our profession.
His opening statement also including the following:
- The Bargaining Team will expect that every issue we present will be addressed with respectful consideration
- This day and age, past beliefs and practices which relegated CFI personal to that of third class laborers is not acceptable and will not under any circumstances be tolerated.
- We expect wage improvements to reflect a true and realistic compensation for the professional work that all CFI employees proudly perform.
During our two days of negotiating there was positive movement. We discussed ground rules, and management agreed to withdraw some ground rules that the bargaining team was opposed to.
There was discussion and proposals on Art. 3, Authorized Agents, Art. 13, New Employee Orientation, Art. 15, Seniority, Art. 21, Professional Development, Art. 44, Dues Deduction/Agency Shop, Art. 45, Stewards, and Art. 50, Volunteers/Interns
We reached a Tentative Agreement on Article13, New Employee Orientation and Art. 44, Dues Deduction/Agency Shop
We want to give a big THANK YOU to Emily Hernandez for being part of the Watch and Support.
Stand by your Bargaining Committee at the negotiations! We need your support to achieve the best contract possible for ALL!
Our unity is our strength by presenting a united front before administration we show our power.
Our next bargaining sessions will be October 10, 2018 (in San Diego), and October 22, 2018 in Orange County.
Please support your hardworking bargaining team.
If you will be participating in the Watch and Support by observing during these bargaining sessions, please submit your time-off request today, and email your team at [email protected]to let us know you will be attending and to reserve your spot.
In solidarity,
Your Region 4, Bargaining Team
CFI Local 39000. CWA-TNG
Maria Benitez
Jackie Ruiz
Silvia San Martin
LouLou Tovar
Rebeca Vera
Ed Venegas- Spokesperson
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Obit: Filipino languages interpreter Marcelino Ines
Marcelino Ines, Jr., a beloved Tagalog and Ilocano interpreter in Los Angeles who was a fixture at CFI Conferences and tireless community advocate, passed away on Aug. 20 at his home in Carson surrounded by family. He had suffered a heart attack the previous month. Marcelino was 87.
Affectionately called “the Mayor of Manila” by his some of his colleagues, he was born in Stockton, Calif., where his father was farm foreman. He and his family returned to the Philippines during the Great Depression.
Years later, Marcelino returned to the U.S. and enlisted in the Navy, serving for 5 years, said his wife Maria Luisa, known as Liling. They married in 1954 having first met as children in the Philippines.
“He liked saying ‘I’ve been married for 64 years, to the same lady’,” his wife said.
Marcelino began working as an interpreter in the late 1970s after a friend urged him to help with the growing caseload. He had worked for the Los Angeles Superior Court for about 15 years, his wife said.
At work, Marcelino shared the plumerias grown in his garden with his colleagues.
“Every time he came to the office he would brighten everyone’s day,” said his colleague Flavio Posse. “He was a very loved person.”
He was a regular at the CFI Continuing Education Conferences, where he always took to the dance floor with his coworkers. An avid photographer, he photographed much of the 2016 conference, and mentioned that if he wasn’t an interpreter he would be a photographer.
He also enjoyed singing and was a member of the church choir and a choral group, said Liling Ines. Marcelino also served on various city commissions, including senior advisory, citywide advisory and parks and recreation. He was a member of the Lions Club member and instrumental in founding the Carson Sister Cities Association and the Sinaitenians of California.
Marcelino is survived by his wife; their three children Leilani, Eric and Phillip; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Viewing and visitation is scheduled for Aug. 31 at Greenhill Memorial Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes with a service starting at 5 p.m.; funeral mass is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Sept. 1 at St. Philomena Catholic Church in Carson. Details available at: https://greenhillsmemorial.com/find-a-service/
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