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The Labor Management Committee are monthly meetings between CSJ management and ABMEI in an effort to help facilitate healthy collaboration. These meeting are where ABMEI addresses any working concerns with management.

In an effort to provide more transparency with our membership we have added our monthly LMC meeting discussions agenda to our website.

Greetings ABMEI members,
 
As we head into the last part of fall and the election season I wanted to touch base. My initial thought for this letter was to discuss the long history of Unions and elections. Labor unions have historically supported candidates that support not only labor organizations but the working class in general. As I was reading through articles on Labor and their potential to influence elections it occurred to me this was not the direction I wanted to take this communication with the membership.
 
I feel the most important message I can send out to the membership is much more simple. Vote. Participate in our electoral system. Take the time to understand the candidates, their positions and how the policies put in place will effect you and your family. Read about all the propositions on your county and state ballot and choose based on your values and what you want for the future of your children or grandchildren.
 
In high school I wrote a paper on the Suffragette movement. I know, shocking!  At 17 I was struck by a fact that influenced my voting history from the moment I turned 18: My grandmother was 30 years old and already had 10 children by the time the 19^th Amendment was ratified in 1920, giving her national voting rights.  That meant that I was only the second generation of women in my family born with the right to vote. For me this means voting is not only my right but my duty and my privilege.
 
In closing I leave you with this quote from President Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting”
 
If you are registered to vote be sure to turn in your ballot or go to the polls on November 3^rd.
If you have not registered to vote yet you can still register at the polls on November 3^rd and submit a provisional ballot until residency is established.
If you are not sure of your registration status or want to understand more about the registration and voting process in California visit registertovote.ca.gov
 
In fellowship,
 
Mary Reed
President, ABMEI
 
“Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.”
Susan B Anthony

Hello ABMEI members,

Thank you for all your hard work and efforts during these challenging times. This week you can pick up lunch at Freshly Baked Eatery off of 3rd street, across from St. James park near city hall. Their sandwiches are quite amazing if you have not tried them before. Here is the schedule for grabbing lunch this week only.

Blue Team: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Red Team: Tuesday or Thursday
Public Works: Anytime all week.

Tell them you are with ABMEI and they have a member list. Let us know if you have questions, we hope everyone has a great week.

Freshly Baked Eatery
152 N Third St Unit 101
San Jose, CA

Sincerely,
AMBEI

It’s been a moment since our last newsletter and we hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend and is healthy and doing well.

First off, we’d like to acknowledge the passing of Les Page. Les was one of us, a retired public works inspector having spent many years with the city. Our condolences go out to his family and friends. If you want to know more, feel free to reach out to Nacho Preciado in Public Works.

On several job sites this last month there have been individuals who have tested positive for covid-19. Don Lindsey our safety coordinator has been busy ensuring compliance for these jobs to reopen. If you have questions or concerns reach out to your supervisor or Don directly (support documentation). 

Please remember to keep yourself, your colleagues, your family protected by wearing your PPE and taking all necessary safety precautions.

These last few months we have faced many challenges. We are looking forward to the day where we can meet together in person as co-workers and as a union membership. We are open to hearing from you, if you have questions or ideas or comments please pass them along to connect@abmei-union.com or reach out to your shop stewards. 

The following is a letter from our Union President Mary Reed to the City of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. This letter is in response to comments made at a City Counsel Meeting on April 28th in regards to the work that we do.

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To: The Honorable Mayor Sam Liccardo
City of San Jose

Dear Mayor Liccardo,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Mary Reed.  I am a Supervising Building Inspector and the proud representative of the 76 members of the Association of Building, Mechanical and Electrical Inspectors (ABMEI).

I am writing to express our disappointment in comments you made during the City Council meeting of April 28, 2020.  Particularly your emphasis that we were only a regulatory agency and not part of the construction industry and thus should not have been afforded the protections from the spread of Covid  -19 by the shutdown of active construction by the County of Santa Clara order.

Let me remind you of what that regulatory agency consists of: People. Husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. All concerned about their own health and the potential of their work bringing this virus into their home.

Let me remind you who we regulate: People. Contractors and homeowners alike. We do this by walking in and out of approximately 2000 homes a week. The homes of people who are sheltering, Mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. People, who in our normal course of business, are not present. People who are usually at work and school while we go about the normal course of our business.

We are more than regulatory. We guide, offer suggestions to help work become compliant, we are the industry’s subject matter experts. We all have a construction background and we use that to move jobs through the compliance process. The very nature of our job is to safeguard the life and safety of this community. 

To continue to move freely through the homes of our citizens, the same citizens that are currently prevented from entering City Hall for their protection and to shelter City Staff that are working at the office, at the height of the pandemic, would have jeopardized that same life and safety we swore to protect.

It is for all these reasons we supported the decision of City Manager David Sykes, Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness and Director Rosalynn Hughey to limit in person inspections to only those projects of essential need to the community. For those we could not visit in person the Building Division managers and Inspection staff developed and implemented a remote video inspection that did not exist prior to the shutdown. We answered the call to the best of our abilities and in 10 minutes of a public forum you dismissed those efforts.

We want to be of service, we are proud of the work we do, we are the members of ABMEI. I invite you to come meet us and see firsthand the work we do. You will find we are less regulatory and more collaborative. As people should be.

Sincerely,
Mary Reed
President, ABMEI

Hello ABMEI Inspectors,

Effective yesterday, from the Order of the Health Officer of the County of Santa Clara, there are new definitions of essential construction. As defined today, it cancels most on-site field inspections until further notice. In an effort to keep everyone informed, we’ve created a new web section, Helpful Links and Documents. 

Your eBoard has had late night conversations, doing out best to adapt to changes. For instance, late last Wednesday Mary was meeting with Chu Chang and Dave Sykes (City Manager) as late as 10:30 pm, addressing safety concerns. Her efforts changed work direction the next day!

Lastly, if you are in PBCE and haven’t been receiving SMS text notifications from ABMEI, please update your contact number. We should be at a 100% accurate now. Any other concerns / comments please talk to your shop stewards and they’ll relay or email connect@abmei-union.com

– Tom Schneller – Building
– Paul Healy – Electrical
– James Strom – Plumb / Mech
– Nacho Preciado – Public Works

Together, we can stay strong, encourage each other thru this season.

Fellow members,

Wow! What a crazy week! We found ourselves dropped into the middle of a war against an unseen enemy that we really know very little about and with no apparent plan of attack, requiring us to as fluid as the situation in our response. I have to say that I am very proud of your initial reactions. Yes, we are concerned about our communities, anxious about our health and the health of our families and yet we stayed committed to each other and adapted to the changing conditions around us. As new information becomes available we are trying to get it to you in a timely manner. The leaders of all the City’s 11 bargaining units have a conference call meeting scheduled with the Director of the Office of Employee Relations on March 23 at 10 a.m. to discuss the City’s response and plans for the upcoming weeks. The City of San Jose issues two flash reports a day, at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. with updates regarding Covid-19.

So, as of Friday, March 20this is what I know:

• The shelter in place order is in effect until April I personally believe that this will extend to the end of April at the earliest so please be prepared.
• Housing is considered essential infrastructure and as our job is to inspect that housing we are considered essential personnel. We will continue to inspect only new housing, including unoccupied ADU and demo/rebuild of homes in existing neighborhoods. On Friday morning a Field Inspection Protocol was issued to each inspector outlining an agreement between management and I on safe procedures for inspectors working in the field. Please follow these directions.
• Both essential and no-essential personnel are covered by HR 6021. If you need an accommodation please contact your Supervisor.
• As a means of addressing how to service some of our more basic inspections during this time the Department is working on establishing video inspections. This is still experimental and I have requested a written proposal with a how, what, when, who outline to present to the board. As I know more I will share with you-in the two meetings I have been present in the conversation is regarding water heaters, FAU and minor kitchen and bathroom remodels. If you have any thoughts or suggestions regarding this please let your steward or an E-Board member know. Please use the ABMEI website to contact us with these ideas.
• I know that there is concern about layoffs. Reduction of staff through layoff during the Covid-19 response is NOT being considered by the City to my knowledge. The Department wants to retain all the staff we currently employ and I have had no conversation with the Director or Assistant Director that makes me believe otherwise. Should we be concerned about the long term economic effect this shutdown may have on the construction industry? Of course, but let’s concentrate on one crisis at a time. 
• This time is offering an opportunity for training in small groups. One item of training will be on the upcoming conversion to electronic tags and our IT personnel is getting this out to a handful of inspectors. Let us know your ideas for other trainings.

In closing I ask that you be patient as this situation is very fluid, be flexible and adaptable and be kind to one another.

“The true measure of a person is not how he/she behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he/she stands in time of controversy and challenges”- Martin Luther King, Jr

Proud to serve as your President,
Mary Reed

Covid-19 is a fluid situation and we’ll keep you informed as quickly as possible with new developments. The City sent out a new administrative policy ‘COVID-19 Guidance’, we highly recommend reading and knowing protocol. It answers many questions around medical leave, reporting sickness, workplace safety, workers compensation in event of exposure, etc. Again, do not come to work if you are experiencing any symptoms. 

There is a new procedure for morning calls with a copy at your desks explaining. We will be asking the following questions, 1. Have you or anyone in your residence been sick in the last 7 days? 2. Have you or anyone in your household been tested for the Covid-19 in the last 14 days? If yes, cancel the inspection, time will be credited.

Some will answer no regardless because they want the inspection. If you are on an inspection and feel uncomfortable or if anyone appears sick, you have the right to cancel the inspection. Notify your supervisor and time will be credited. 

We will be setting up a message board for questions and comments to share within the group and will notify when ready. Please be safe and practice social distancing and the other recommended practices.

Hello ABMEI Members,

It’s been an interesting week of work with the coronavirus news escalating with each day and I hope this note finds everyone healthy and in good spirit. Please take care of yourself during this time and stay home when needed.

Many of you know that Doug Perasso retired a few months back and worked under PBCE handling permitted code inspections. Management is looking to fill this position and anybody interested should see Mary Reed or Bill Mayne with questions or to apply.

Thanks to management for proactively trying to keep our work environment safe. We will share new developments as quickly as we can. I hope everyone has a good weekend. 

ABMEI rep