VICTORY!!!!! Congratulations NEMSA Hartford EMS Pros!

Congratulations Greater Hartford EMS Professionals!  You have clearly spoken and you are the winners!  Your workforce voted NEMSA today as your labor representative.  The vote was 86 NEMSA, 76 SEIU 1199.  

Now is a time for healing after a long and bruising union battle.  EMS Professionals around the USA are celebrating and NEMSA staff is ready to hit the ground running.  But for everyone in Greater Hartford, it is time to come together and remember that even long before NEMSA vs. SEIU 1199, your workforce was strong and unified...  a change in representation does not change your unity.

Thank You to everyone who voted, be it for or against NEMSA. Your participation matters! With the results decided, NEMSA awaits the official certification from the National Labor Relations Board.  At that point, NEMSA will be your official bargaining representative.

NEMSA is working hard for you and coming in the next two weeks will be busy preparing for bargaining, re-organizing your workplace into a NEMSA shop, providing professional shop steward training, etc...

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!  Congratulations...

-as for this blog, it will remain active until certification of your unit by the NLRB. 

COLA and Paysteps... Two Raises Per Year!

NEMSA contracts reward seniority through a two raise system.  Seniority based pay steps allow members to make more money based on their years of service.  This is on top of overall raises in a contract... it also puts the power of compound math at work to benefit anyone covered under a NEMSA contract.

For Example:  A NEMSA Contract will have a cost of living increase (COLA) that effects everybody within a bargaining unit.  For this example, let's say the COLA is 6%.  This COLA raise happens once or more per year depending on contract terms.

However in NEMSA contracts, another raise is given on a person's anniversary date (based on date of hire).  These are "step" increases and are seniority based.  An employee steps through the pay scales gaining pay with each step.  For this example let's say that the pay scale in question has 4% increases between each step.

This gives a person 2 raises per year, for a total of 10% in one year.  But that is not all.  The power of compound math is at work here and it increases the raises as well.  We will use $10,000 for this example...

$10,000 with a 6% increase = $10,600.  $106 with a 4% increase is $11,024.  You have only gotten a 10% raise in one year but using compound math in this example, you have earned an extra $1024.  Two raises per year, your Cost Of Living Increase (COLA) and your seniority based step increase.

So now it's time for a real world example...

The NEMSA Northern California Agreement calls for a 4% COLA to be given in year one of the contract.  A person makes $50,000 per year before ratification of the contract.  In year two they receive 4.5% COLA and year 3 they receive 4% COLA.  They are on a scale with a step increase of 5%.  

Before Contract Ratification:  $50,000 per year

COLA On Contract Ratification:  $52,000 per year - $50K with 4% added

On Seniority Step Increase:  $54,600 per year - $52k with 5% added

Contract Year 2 COLA:  $57,057 - $54,600 with 4.5% added

Seniority Step Increase:  $59,909.85 - $57,057 with 5% added

Contract year 3 COLA:  $62,306.24 -  $59,909.85 with 4% added

Seniority Step Increase:  $65,421.55 - $62,306.24 with 5% added

Total Increase over 3 years:  $15,421.55 with an average 9% per year increase.  

Total Increase over 3 years without pay steps:  $6,513.60 - 50K with a 4%, 4.5%, and 4% increase.  Wow... paysteps make the difference...

So you can see the power of compound math and how paysteps work.  You earn more as a seniority bonus for every hour you work every day.  You earn more over the life of the contract.

Announcement of Contract Ratification: Northern California

Announcing The Ratification of the Northern California Contract.  NEMSA Northern California members overwhelmingly ratified the tentative agreement between NEMSA and AMR.

The contract is a 3 year contract with an average 28%-36% pay increase over the life of the agreement.  Health care premiums are fixed at a 90/10 split and FSA debit cards paid by AMR given to employees in the amount of $1000 in year 1, $750 in years 2 and 3.  Night differentials and FTO differentials are included in the contract as well as a monthly uniform cleaning allowance.

Details and the contract itself can be found at www.NEMSAUSA.org.

This is another NEMSA success story.  100% EMS representation, The Best Contracts In The USA!  

NEMSA Tentative Agreement Announcement

NEMSA is proud to announce a tentative agreement between NEMSA and Oak Valley Hospital District.  EMS Professionals at Oak Valley are going to be voting on the tentative agreement in about a week.

The details of the tentative agreement are as follows:

Wages are set to increase 20% across the board over the life of the agreement.  This is in addition to a 5% average between pay steps.  The total increase including paysteps on a 7 paystep scale works out to 20% to 42%.  The average EMT or Paramedic will get a 9% increase per year!

A Pension plan is included in the contract with a 15% employer contribution.

Health care costs are fixed throughout the life of the agreement with employees paying NOTHING in the first year.  In the second through fourth year of the contract, health premiums are fixed per paycheck at $16.15, with dental costing $6.92 and vision costing $3.69.  

There is a 10% differential for anyone opting out of health insurance.

PTO is earned based on all hours worked, used, and taken... including while on PTO.

There are many other parts of this TA that make it special, and too many details to go into here... soon the tentative agreement will be available online at www.NEMSAUSA.org.

NEMSA negotiates the best contracts in the USA because we are 100% EMS.  We understand how to maximize benefits and extract the most from employers.  Our EMS only focus is successful and the Oak Valley Tentative Agreement is yet another example.

A New Tone....

At NEMSA, we are shocked and saddened by the negative tone that the  campaign took leading up to the first election.  Now that a runoff has been called, we have looked at things in a new light...

The union campaign between SEIU 1199 and NEMSA got ugly and at times very personal.  We can see how this could cause many people to throw up their hands and vote "no union."  So our commitment to you from now until the runoff election is to maintain a positive tone while pointing out factual information and differences between NEMSA and 1199.

The runoff election date has yet to be selected.  The NLRB is waiting out the legally required challenge period before setting a runoff date.  We expect the runoff election date to occur towards the end of the month.

So until then, we hope that you will join us as we discuss why NEMSA is different and what NEMSA can do for you...

A Runoff....

The vote happened and because the vote was split between 3 parties (NEMSA, SEIU, and No Union) a runoff election has been called by the NLRB...

This means that at an unknown date and time (soon, likely within 1-2 weeks) their will be a runoff election with only NEMSA and SEIU on the ballot...

At NEMSA, we believe we have a proven track record of success and independent observers say that NEMSA has the best EMS contracts in the country.   With NEMSA,  we offer superior aggressive representation of EMS Professionals.  With NEMSA, we offer EMS Professionals the attention and respect that they deserve...

We will spend between now and the runoff election date (will be decided by NLRB in next few days) proving that to you.

Stay tuned....

1199 last final acts of desperation

In a National Labor Relations Board pre-election conference today attended by NEMSA, 1199, and AMR; SEIU 1199 made it clear their intent to punish your workforce for choosing NEMSA.  

At the conference, when the issue of vote challenges was brought up 1199 made their position clear... they want people who do not work for AMR's votes to count, for them....  they also want people hired after the date certified for eligibility for voting by the US government...  

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that 1199 sees the writing on the wall and wants to punish you for choosing NEMSA... they will delay and obfuscate as much as possible....

That's how much 1199 appreciates you....  How much they respect you...

Voting time is here...  get out from SEIU oppression... vote NEMSA!