Have you ever been in a meeting and heard a reference to a "UMCC?" Or have you seen updates from one in your email inbox?
On this page we unveil the deep magic of the Union Management Communications Committee (UMCC) - what it is, what it does, and when it is summoned scheduled.
At the most basic level, UMCCs are meetings held between union members and management that are intended to solve problems, answer questions, and share concerns. Most of the details for UMCCs are specified in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article 37).
When do they happen?
There are different levels of UMCC - these vary across agencies, but they generally work the same way. Issues are addressed at the lowest level committee: if there is an issue in DCYF Region 4 specifically, it will be addressed in a Region 4 UMCC. If it's a larger issue, it will be addressed at the appropriate level. The frequency and number of participants for these can be adjusted on agreement of WFSE and DCYF. Ad-hoc committees can also be established on agreement.
DCYF's UMCCs are organized in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) as follows:
Local:
a. One committee for each region of child welfare field operations
b. One committee for each JR institution.
c. One committee for the Eastern Regions (Regions 1 and 2) of Juvenile Rehabilitation Community Facilities, Reentry and Parole.
d. One committee for the Western regions (Regions 3, 4, 5, and 6) of Juvenile Rehabilitation community Facilities, Reentry and Parole.
Participants: 5 union member representatives, 5 employer representatives, paid staff members from WFSE and DCYF
Frequency: Up to 4 times per year
Division Wide:
One committee per division
Participants: 6 union member representatives, 6 employer representatives, paid staff members from WFSE and DCYF
Frequency: Up to 2 times per year
Agency Level/Statewide:
One statewide agency committee (to rule them all, One committee to find them, One committee to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them)
Participants: 7 union member representatives, 7 employer representatives, paid staff members from WFSE and DCYF
Frequency: Up to 2 times per year
What happens in a UMCC?
Both DCYF and WFSE set issues to address 7 days before the meeting. During the meeting, these issues are discussed and information is exchanged. These issues can vary widely, and have included topics ranging from the unclear expectations for SSS1 job duties to asking why the Workload Study seemed to have vanished into Tartarus.
UMCCs are not negotiations, and are used for discussions - not bargaining.
Do they do anything useful?
Sometimes! UMCCs are a method we use to tell management (or what few members of management actually attend) what is happening within DCYF. Since they clearly have no way of finding out what their own employees do, or what is happening in their own agency, these provide a forum for us to share at least some of that information with them. At times, management has agreed to make changes, share information with workers, or consider suggestions that we have made. They can also share helpful information with us, such as how they are still doing nothing to address people working off the clock, despite being provided multiple suggestions to do so.
Our conversations with management have even led them to realize that the workers who support the most vulnerable children and families in our state should perhaps be given some idea of what their actual jobs are supposed to be. And it only took a month or two for them to send out a multiple-sentence-long email providing some vague job duties for SSS1s! Now, that's commitment!
More seriously, UMCCs are generally helpful and they have allowed us to address issues or seek clarity when necessary. We are able to document mutual understandings with management, and we do have positive results at times - including getting information around assignment pay, receiving commitments to send out clarification around job duties, and working towards a part-time option for the CWTAP BSW program.
Who is involved? Can I get involved?
The names of union member representatives at UMCCs must be shared at least 10 days in advance of a UMCC. Representatives are released from work to attend a UMCC if their absence doesn't cause a disruption of work. They are given reasonable time during working hours to prepare, and the UMCC is considered work time and is paid as such.
If you've gone through the steps on the Have a Problem? page and you think your issue could be addressed by a UMCC, reach out to your council rep for more information about participating.
The selection criteria for participating in regional UMCCs vary, but the goal for statewide UMCCs is to have representatives from a variety of positions and programs across the state who are familiar with the issues that are being discussed. In some regions, if you are the person who brings an issue up - you'll probably be the person who speaks on it. But either way, reaching out to your council rep ([email protected]), or to our policy committee leadership ([email protected]), is a good place to start.