February 2016

talkingUnion
with AFSCME Local 146 Members
February/2016
NID Employees Get 9% - 13%
Wage Adjustments
It was a long time coming, but some exempt
employees at the Nevada Irrigation District (NID)
worked hard at putting together proposals for
wage adjustments, met half a dozen times with
management, waited through delays and have
finally come out on top.
“In our last contract, several of our
superintendent positions were made exempt,”
said Ed Barton, NID President.
Exempt employees, usually supervisory level and
above, are not eligible for overtime. To
compensate for the loss of overtime
opportunities, these employees were awarded
administrative leave hours in the latest contract.
This allows those employees to enjoy additional
time off for their service, but was not equal to
what was lost in overtime pay.
“The amount of work that was put in to the
proposals was immense,” said Nate Wasley, NID
Vice President. “We did a lot of research to look
over what we do and new responsibilities that
shows how much overtime we put in, new
education requirements for our positions, and
licenses that we have to have in order to meet
the state requirements.”
“It’s easy to just say we do more work,” said
Karmen Lee Ortloff, AFSCME Council 57
Business Agent. “What we needed to do,
however, was work to quantify the additional
work and demonstrate why that is important to
the District. For example, our members didn’t
just say they covered more miles of canals, we
were detailed and laid out that an employee was
now in charge of 425 miles of canals in Placer,
Yuba and Nevada Counties and was responsible
for T H300 I S Mmiles O Nof T pipeline H ’ S I Sfor S Uboth E : raw and
treated water. The difference in the level of
detail was
Free
enough
Tax Prep Services,
to convince
Tax Reminder:
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NID, who
and
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Board of Directors and it passed. The homework
Investing in Yourself with AFSCME Strong,
and p.3 attention to details paid off!”
by Local 146 Treasurer Camille Tyler
New Leaders Council, MLK Day 2016 March,
p.4 2015 Year in Review Video
p.5
now in charge of 425 miles of canals in Placer,
Yuba and Nevada Counties and was responsible
for 300 miles of pipeline for both raw and treated
water. The difference in the level of detail was
enough to convince the General Manager of NID,
who took our proposals to the Board of Directors
and it passed. The homework and attention to
details paid off!”
“We made sure we had a re-opener to discuss
potential classifications adjustments for exempt
employees. If we did not have this agreement,
none of this would have happened and we would
have lost a lot of money out of your pockets,”
said Wasley.
The wage increases range from just over 9% up
to 13% increases. Also important to note is that
overtime hours earned while these workers
were non-exempt did not count toward pension
calculations. The new, higher salary, as well as
the administration time all count towards the
employee’s pension, so this is a win that will pay
off for the rest of the members’ lives… literally!
“I am happy that we finally resolved this matter
for the superintendents because for the past
year we have been doing a lot overtime and
meeting all of the requirements that
management asked of us but we received no
additional compensation for it. This whole
process has taken us a full year to get to this
point and it’s nice to finally be done. Karmen, our
AFSCME Business Agent did a great job in making
sure that we were always taken care of while
going through this process,” said Wasley.
Congratulations to NID members who should
that being Union makes a difference!
Negotiations Start at SHRA and AFSCME
Advantage
Keep in mind:
“Terms and conditions of
employment” are mandatory
subjects of bargaining, which
means if your working
conditions suddenly change,
(the addition of lots of new
work, rule changes, time
keeping mechanism, etc.) our
Union may be able to negotiate
the impact of the changes, such
as what work does not get done
as a result of the increased
workload, etc.
Labor 101 Candidate Forum, Cesar Chavez
p.6
Day March, and Leadership Info
Educate. Motivate. Participate.
AFSCMELocal 146@gmail.com

Free Tax Preparation Services
If your family income was below $62,000, you can prepare your taxes online for free using the
United Way’s www.myfreetaxes.com website to prepare your return.
If your family income was less than $54,000 in 2015 you qualify for the free Volunteer Income
Tax Assistance program (VITA). VITA provides IRS trained specialist volunteers to help prepare
federal and state taxes for the 2015 tax year, and can assist with past years income tax returns.
You might also qualify to receive a federal and state $8,500 Earned Income Tax Credit (depending
on the amount of children you claim). You may also qualify for additional credits such as the Child
Care Credit and more, which could increase the refund amount.
These VITA/EITC tax preparers will make sure you receive all of the Working Families tax credits
you deserve!
What to bring to your VITA Appointment:
Proof of identification (photo ID)
Social Security cards for you, your spouse and dependents or a Social Security number
verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration
An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) assignment letter may be substituted
for you, your spouse and your dependents if you do not have a Social Security number
Proof of foreign status, if applying for an ITIN
Birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents on the tax return
Wage and earning statements (Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R,1099-Misc) from all employers
Interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099)
A copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available
Proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit such as a blank
check
To file taxes electronically on a married-filing-joint tax return, both spouses must be
present to sign the required forms
Total paid for daycare provider and the daycare provider's tax identifying number such as
their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number
Forms 1095-A, B or C, Affordable Health Care Statements
Copies of income transcripts from IRS and state, if applicable
Scan QR Code for Info:
Sacramento County
There are tax prep services
scheduled all over Sacramento
County. To make an appointment,
call 2-1-1 or 916.498.1000 or visit
www.211sacramento.org/211/.
You need to call in advance to
schedule an appointment.
Yolo County
Schedules for free tax preparation are based on the County in which you live.
To Look Up VITA sites in
your zip code:
Remember, your Union
dues are tax deductible if
you itemize your tax
return.
Contributions to PEOPLE, our
Political Action Committee,
however, are not tax deductible.

Investing in Yourself with AFSCME Strong
By Camille Tyler, RT Chapter President and Local 146 Treasurer
As we sit here being active or non-active in our Union we need
to ask ourselves “why we should invest in our Union on our
own behalf?” It is important to know the background of any
organization that you are associated. If you have not been
involved with our Union or not allowed yourself the time to
join one of Local 146’s trainings that brought history to life,
you might not have heard names like Mother Jones and the
Coalminers, Haymarket Square Riot, Pullman Strike, and the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, where men and women have
given their lives to have better working conditions such as
eight hour work days, FMLA, vacation and sick days to name
a few.
Currently, in our world today, headlines announce people losing their jobs for using sick
days which these companies do not provide. That’s right, many workers not only don’t
get a decent amount of sick days, they get none. Can you believe that someone who
works like you can lose their job for a right that you have and that we all should have;
since they’re not in a Union nor are their workplaces governed by a Union, they are not
allowed the same working rights as we have negotiated.
While we have people who are not under our Union contracts and not afforded the
negotiated rights we enjoy, we also have fee payers and non-members who have
decided to not engage in our Union at any stage: not in their workplace as a steward nor
going higher in our Union with elected positions within the Local, Council and beyond.
Some members are not engaged in political action; we have a Political Action Committee
(PAC) that we use to ask questions of the candidates that are running for public office
and the ones that are on the board of our agencies. We also use our PAC to hold elected
officials accountable for their decisions. It is true that we can pick our own bosses! Also,
being in our Union helps you learn how to be a citizen and call on your City Council,
County Supervisors, Assembly members and beyond to assist in your job, neighborhood
and surrounding areas with issues such as not having food deserts in your neighborhood.
While the rich and big business would like to tell you that their personal money is the
only thing working for them, they forget to mention that they too have Political Action
Committees (PAC) and Special Interests groups that push bills that are against working
families and workers’ rights. We have big box retailers that push out small businesses
and move your dollar from local use to global markets and we wonder why there are no
funds to help grow our neighborhoods?
It is the same with Unions. Since we have fee payers and non-members who are not
paying towards building our Union, we wonder why we cannot achieve greater benefits
for our members? Our members are the Union and we need to invest in ourselves! If we
do not invest in ourselves, who will? So as we get into a new year, let’s make a choice to
invest in ourselves by becoming members in our union and participating!
PHOTOGRAPHY
S T U D I O
555.543.5432 www.yourwebsitehere.com

New Leaders Council Names Local 146 President Belinda Malone a 2016 Fellow
New Leaders Council (NLC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that
engages a diverse, collaborative national network of progressive political
entrepreneurs. The NLC Institute, a rigorous 5-month training program that
focuses on entrepreneurship, advocacy, organizing, and fundraising. NLC
seeks out the top tier of emerging progressive leaders from around the
country for the Institute, building a community of vetted, trained
progressive leaders with the skills and support system to help to change the
way politics is done and foster a more equitable, just America. The result of
NLC is a growing corps of diverse and highly skilled new progressive leaders
who rise to the top of their fields, working together across sectors and in
their local cities to build, expand, and improve the progressive
infrastructure necessary for strong democracy, social justice, and equal
opportunity.
With a mission statement like NLC, it is no wonder why our Local 146 President Belinda Malone was selected. “Most people do not see
and will never know all the work that Belinda does on behalf of our Union and our members,” said Council 57 Business Agent Karmen Lee
Ortloff. “To elected officials and other Unions in the Sacramento area, Belinda is the face of AFSCME, but she leverages that recognition
to mentor and build additional AFSCME Leadership. When I enter a room with Belinda, elected officials gravitate to her and she takes the
opportunity to introduce me so I can speak on issues that are affecting our membership. We are so lucky to have her building power for
members of Local 146.”
“Belinda’s leadership is strategic, planned out and meaningful. Her quests of knowledge, truth and justice are monumental. Her personality
is fairness and respect for all, engaging in all conversations and making sure everyone is heard,” says Camille Tyler, Local 146 Treasurer.
“Belinda has high standards when it comes to AFSCME’s Political Action Committee, she understands that with a job in public service you
need to have a relationship with the politicians who are elected to Boards that rule over your job and in your neighborhoods. She has
taken me under her wing and has provided the knowledge of how to question and have dialogue with our public officials.”
NLC Fellows engage in an intensive eight days of training over a five-month period to learn cutting-edge entrepreneurship, management,
advocacy, and political management skills from about 300 industry-leading volunteer faculty. Fellows are also paired with career mentors
and agree to fundraise to support the next class of Fellows. Upon graduation, Fellows join a national alumni network of over 3000 alumni,
participating in reunions, Entrepreneurial Life Planning group meetings, and continuously gaining opportunities for career and political
advancement.
“Watching Belinda and having her ‘voluntold me, which is volunteering my name for things like speaking or being a chair or co-chair over
groups, I feel I have grown more in the three years I have been active in our Union. Not only am I more knowledgeable about our Union,
but I am a little more comfortable in things that I do, both in and out of the Union. Being with Belinda and having her mentor me has
definitely stretched me and made me more at ease,” said Tyler.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day March
AFSCME members joined the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. March for the 3 rd year in a row. Below,
l to r: Allyson Camarillo-Harrell (Yolo Chapter President), Jessica Rainey (SETA Chapter
President) and her son, Adrian (future Union member and AFSCME-Superkid), and Tomas
Zavala (Sacramento County Chapter Vice President).
2015 Local 146
Year in Review Video
There is a video that highlights
all of the 2015 activities of our
Local. You can view it on our
YouTube Channel (search for
AFSCME Local 146) or by
scanning the QR code below.

SHRA Negotiations and New President
Negotiations on a successor MOU at the Sacramento Housing and
Redevelopment Agency have begun. While we have had only two sessions to
date, we have had a couple of tentative agreements that are great for members:
Language for members to rebut negative or unfair evaluations that will
be placed in the employee’s personnel file. This language is important
because not all members understand they have this right.
We have agreed that new employees can attend a thirty minute Union
orientation and all parties (new employees and the Union leaders) will
be paid for the time. This is hugely important to our Union because it
allows us to start members off on a positive and strong note with the
Union. They get to meet their Union Stewards, they get to understand
who to go to if they have issues in the workplace and what rights our
Union has fought for and won.
Management has always denied members the use of compensatory
time off. Under our tentative agreement, members can earn and use 40
hours annually and (this is big) management cannot deny the use of
compensatory time.
Under the current contract, only employees that have been with the
agency for more than 15 years are able to cash out vacation time. We
knew that members need the ability to cash out vacation when there is
an emergency bill that comes up. Under our tentative agreement, any
employee that has more than 160 hours of vacation accrued can cash
out up to 80 hours annually. There is no limit to how many hours you
can cash out each time, so you can cash out 8 hours ten times annually,
for example. This is a huge win for the membership and gives them what
amounts to an emergency savings account for themselves.
Our bargaining team members are Angela Pickett and Georgina Martz from the
Clerical group and Mike Pasquini and Ken Deam from the Maintenance staff.
Our Union learned at their last negotiation session in 2015 that our Chapter
President Mike Martz had been promoted to a position outside of our bargaining
unit. While we are glad to see the Agency promote qualified candidates from
within, losing Martz from AFSCME is a sad day. It was Martz that conceived of
and ultimately saw the Maintenance Lead position come to fruition, a legacy that
will allow upward mobility for our bargaining unit members for years to come.
He was a wonderful leader and we were lucky to get to work with him. We wish
him all the best moving forward in his new position and we know he will be a
success!
Save Money with
AFSCME Advantage
Being an AFSCME member doesn’t
only provide advantages at the
bargaining table; you can
save on products and services:
Motor Club Savings
Car Buying Services & Rentals
Legal Services
Goodyear Tires & Services Discounts
Scholarships
Bookstore Discounts
Home Mortgages & Assistance Hotline
Credit Counseling
Energy Rebates
Tax Preparation
Retirement Planning
Vacation Tours
Eldercare Services
AT&T Wireless Discounts
Clothing
Checks
Computers
Pet Services
Flowers
Entertainment
Much, much more!
Following Martz’s promotion, the Chapter held a new election and James
Landberg was elected new Chapter President. We thank two other candidates
for their willingness to step forward to lead: Alex Hamilton and Angela Pickett.
Landberg, as new Chapter President, will replace Martz (Mike, not Georgina) at
the bargaining table as we move forward.
More information is on AFSCME.org,
search “AFSCME Advantage”
Don’t have your Union card? Contact the
membership department at 202.429.8400.
Left pic: Local 146 President Malone administering the oath of office new SHRA Chapter
President James Landberg.
Right pic: SHRA Chapter Vice President Ken Deam and Mike Chisolm count ballots for
new Chapter President.

2016 Labor 101 Candidate Academy
The Sacramento Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO believes an effective government can earn the
trust of the people, champion the common good over narrow self-interest, and harness the
strength of our diversity.
The Sacramento Central Labor Council works with our regional and local elected officials to
develop new policy ideas, challenge the status quo on these issues that truly matter, and to
shape the regional debate around public policy issues that affect our affiliate unions, their
members and all of the Sacramento region’s working people.
The 2016 election year is upon us and this very special Labor 101 Candidate Academy is
designed to educate and inform candidates seeking regional and local public offices about
issues affecting our AFL-CIO Labor Council, our affiliates and their members. This training is
intended to help candidates to understand Union issues and the public policies associated with
our strong and dynamic Sacramento labor movement and community. We invite you to attend
this important candidate education event.
Retiring Co-Worker?
Our Union would like to recognize
their retirement, honor their Union
membership and give them important
information about our AFSCME retirees’
organization. Please forward details
(retiree’s name, Chapter,
years of service, etc.) to:
AFSCMELocal146@gmail.com
Option 1: Option 2:
Friday, March 11 Saturday, March 12
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm 8:00 am – Noon
Location to be determined. Free for members.
Registration required:
http//sacramentolabor.webconnex.com/Can
didate Academy
For more information, contact Tamie@SacramentoLabor.org
16 th Annual Cesar Chavez March
Saturday, March 26
March begins at 10:00 am
Starting Location at to be determined
Arrive at State Capitol at Noon (10 th & L)
Program at Capitol will include:
--Live music --Danza Azteca
--Food --Lowriders
--Vendors --Free for families
Sponsored by Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, AFL-CIO
For more information, visit www.SacramentoLCLAA.org or Facebook.com/LCLAASacramento.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
and Local 146 YouTube Channel
Stay connected with the most up to date Local
146 info by following us across social media.
Key word: AFSCME Local 146.
Local 146 Leadership
AFSCMELocal146@gmail.com
Local 146 President
Belinda Malone
divaofdemocacy@gmail.com
Local 146 VP/ NID President Ed Barton
Edbarton357@ymail.com
Local 146 Treasurer/ RT Clerical
President Camille Tyler
ctyler@sacrt.com
Local 146 Secretary Nancy Friel
frieln@saccounty.net
Carmichael Water District President
Clint Lorimer
pcalirose@sbcglobal.net
City of Lodi President
Linda Tremble
Ltremble@lodielectric.com
City of Rocklin President
Tracie Colamartino
Tracie.Colamartino@rocklin.ca.us
Sacramento County Chapter President
Nancy Friel
frieln@saccounty.net
SETA Chapter President
Jessica Rainey
jessica.rainey@seta.net
SHRA Chapter President
Jim Landberg
jlandberg@shra.org
Regional Transit Supervisor President
Rodney Beverly
RHBeverly@sacrt.com
Yolo COE President
Allynson Camarillo-Harrell
Allynson.Camarillo@ycoe.org
Council 57 Business Agents
Karmen Lee Ortloff (CWD, NID, Sac
County, SETA, SHRA, Yolo)
916.923.1860, ext. 114
karmen.ortloff@ca.afscme57.org
Nancy Vinson (Cities of Lodi & Rocklin,
Regional Transit)
916.923.1860, ext. 113
nancy.vinson@ca.afscme57.org
AFSCME Council 57 Office
2150 River Plaza Drive, Suite 275
Sacramento, CA 95833-3883
916.923.1860
Fax: 916.923.1877
Local 146 Information
Email: AFSCMELocal146@gmail.com
Online: AFSCMELocal146.org