Dear Sisters & Brothers -

No doubt you're getting the call from your Local leadership too, so consider this an extra reminder to please turn out, and bring your coworkers, to the continuation of the Law & Government Committee of the City Council's public hearing regarding the City-administered health care plan.

The hearing will convene on Thursday afternoon, March 8, 2001, at 1:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 4th floor, City Hall. We must pack the room to the rafters to protect our own plan and expose the City's abysmal Plan management and complete lack of accountability and credibility.

Linda Seyda, Personnel Director, will be the first to testify. Unlike last time, we will be leading chants and playing a participatory role in this hearing. Mayor Street and Chief of Staff Joyce Wilkerson have been asked to testify. We do not expect them to show up, and we do expect to make some noise about that as well.

We will be pushing the press to cover this important story, so please be there and show them and the City that we have no intention of turning over our benefits to them so they can waste more tax dollars and diminish our benefits.

The hearing will last all afternoon. Please come for at least an hour, any time during the afternoon, but between 1:30 and 3:00 is probably the most critical time. WE NEED YOU THERE! BRING AS MANY COWORKERS AS POSSIBLE! SIGNS AND LEAFLETS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED AT THE HEARING.

Please send me a return message and let me know how many of you expect to be there and how many others you hope to bring with you. This is the beginning of our next round of contract negotiations. The stronger we are now, the better chance we have of protecting our benefits in 2004.

In Solidarity, Kathy Black