Michigan Civil Service Commission launches new attack on unions

UPDATE JULY 21: This video from MCO explains this new attack on state employee unions.

Make sure we have your most up-to-date home contact info now: http://www.bit.ly/UpdateMCO

UPDATE JULY 13: The Commission approved this rule change. Read more in this bulletin.

UPDATE JULY 13: Today the Civil Service Commission will vote on requiring members to reauthorize their dues annually. The meeting starts at 10 a.m., and you can watch it online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OezRCryYrag&feature=youtu.be

ORIGINAL POST JULY 2: The Michigan Civil Service Commission is once again up to their union-busting tactics. They are preparing more rule changes, this time aiming to defund the unions and inconvenience our members. At their next scheduled meeting on July 13, 2020 they will vote on rule changes that will directly impact our union’s ability to collect membership dues.

The proposed rule change would require each union member that pays membership dues to reauthorize their dues deductions once per year by a set deadline. If a member forgets or fails to reauthorize the dues deductions, then the state would stop the payroll dues deductions until the member completed the reauthorization. This proposed rule change serves no purpose other than to create another hoop for union members to jump through in the hope that members overlook the reauthorization period, resulting in reduced income for the union.

This rule change will be a direct threat to the very existence of MCO. It will force us to accomplish something never done before in our history….the complete reauthorization of all dues paying members.

These Commissioners are confident that this rule change will take us out. They are wrong, and this is why: Two years ago, MCO began to undergo an overhaul. Focus was placed on increased transparency and dedication to the member’s interests. We’ve had to fight to get our former contractual rights placed into MDOC policies, fight for a decent contract, fight to get preshift back, and fight for hazard pay. And now, we will fight off this attack from Civil Service and show them why we have almost 95% of our members paying dues.

The first thing you can do to push back is send an email to the Michigan Civil Service Commission, telling them this change is unnecessary.

As your President, and on behalf of your current Executive Board, I am asking each and every MCO member to prepare for this fight and stand with us in solidarity. In the coming weeks, the reauthorization process will be put in place and we will all have to work together to hold the line and win this fight.

– Byron Osborn, MCO President