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Dec. 10, 2010 To communicate with its most widespread bargaining unit, Teamsters Local 700 leaders and representatives last week held meetings throughout the state to discuss pertinent issues with its Illinois State Police Master Sergeant members. About 100 Master Sergeants took advantage of the opportunity to meet with and ask questions of union representatives during meetings in Mount Vernon, Springfield, Moline and Darien from Dec. 6-9, 2010. Local 700 Assistant Trustee Becky Strzechowski joined Chief Union Stewards Pat O'Driscoll and Rob Fierstein and Business Representative Patricia Scott on the four-day statewide tour. Local 700 Assistant Trustee William P. Logan and Local 700 General Counsel Kevin Camden also made themselves available to members at the meeting in Darien. "We are pleased with the turnout for these meetings, especially considering many of our members still had to travel several hours to get there," Strzechowski said. "It's encouraging to see that these members take their jobs and their union as seriously as we do. "We want to continue to cultivate our union relationships, and these meetings are a great way to grow the union-to-member and member-to-member bonds." Local 700 holds these statewide meetings two times each year. Atop the agenda last week was discussion about the Illinois State Police offering severance packages to officers retiring on or before Dec. 31, 2010. Master Sergeants voted overwhelmingly to reopen the contract for the sole purpose of permitting a 6 percent wage increase to those eligible retiring officers. Union representatives answered member questions, provided updates on various union matters, including upcoming arbitration hearings, and also presented plaques to retiring stewards Ron Ales, Tom Matykiewicz, Brian Benoit and John Balma. "Effectively communicating with our members is of the utmost importance to us," Logan said. "We want to keep an open dialogue between the union and our members, no matter the geographic distance between us." |
William P. Logan, President 1300 W. Higgins Rd. Suite 301 CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR: UPCOMING EVENTS Monday, May 28 Wednesday, July 4 Saturday, August 4 |
