September 11th

My fellow handlers,

All of us remember where we were and exactly what we were doing on that Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001 when two hijacked airliners crashed into the World Trade Center towers in lower Manhattan and when two more crashed into the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

That horrific terrorist attack against our country is forever etched into our hearts and minds.

Please join me in thanking our first responders, Police, Fire, and our military personnel. 

We Will Never Forget.

Thank You

Bill Beaury

Union Update

Fellow Handlers:

I am hoping this finds you and your family well. We would like to let you know that your Employer, MSA, believes that the Union no longer has membership support. It is unclear where they got this information, but the facts remain that they continue to come between the Union and the membership.

They have filed a petition, on your behalf, with the NLRB, to decertify and unrecognize the United Federation of K9 Handlers. We have been negotiating a Collective Bargaining Agreement, tirelessly, that would give you and your EDC partner regular raises, more vacation time, uniform allowance, and the Stipend pay that we have alleged that they unilaterally took away from you without bargaining with the Union.  

We are trying our hardest to get you all the best economic terms possible. To date, we have continued to protect the members through the NLRB and we have settled several charges on behalf of members.

We are currently very close to a favorable agreement, so MSAs timing could not be any worse. The Union will continue to fight for its members day in and day out.  

So please let MSA know you want raises every year (not one every 33 years) , you want more vacation time, and a host of other benefits you and your partners deserve.

This is a baseless attempt to try and pull the membership away from the Union and we will not tolerate it. The Union, and our attorneys, will continue to keep your, and your Canines, best interests in mind. We have made significant progress to favor the employees, but the Employer wants to oust the Union to benefit themselves.

Besides negotiating, we have succeeded on several battles in front of the NLRB and have open matters currently pending resolution of a contract. This will include the Stipend that was taken away from you by MSA over 9 months ago.

We appreciate the continued support. Please feel free to reach out to us at anytime for any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Bill Beaury

Dear fellow handlers,

For those of you who have been called up with national guard units and for those of you who are active law enforcement please stay safe and be careful. Our prayers are with you.

Memorial Day

On Monday, we honor all of our military veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice and those who have served to keep us and this great nation free.

As a nation, we pay tribute to the Heroic men and women who lost their lives in defense of our great country.

Please join me in thanking our veterans whose courage, determination, and dedication to excellence makes this country what it is today.

Bill Beaury

Dear Fellow Handlers,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones healthy during these troubling times.

As I am sure you are realizing, the downturn of many businesses across the nation due to the Covid-19 pandemic has also affected MSA and many of MSA’s customers.

MSA approached the union asking for their assistance in light of MSA’s downturn in business due to Covid-19. We understood and agreed to the payout set forth by MSA with the stipulation that all handlers would be able to use their 2019 accrued PTO as vacation time NOW. We encourage you to use your earned 2019 PTO time in the upcoming months.

Please keep your family healthy and safe and please wear a mask.

Easter

Dear Handlers

At this most holy time of the year we are asking all of you to heed the warnings. Stay at home and wear a mask or face covering when going out. Please keep yourselves and your families safe from this unprecedented sickness that is tearing through our neighborhoods and affecting the old and young.

Please stay safe,
Bill Beaury

Covid-19 Update

Dear Fellow Handlers,

We hope this finds everyone and their families healthy and safe. In these extremely trying times, we are going to encourage all members who have had their hours significantly reduced or have none at all to seek unemployment benefits.

We have been in contact with MSA management who have been working extremely hard to pave the way for every member in every state to be able to keep their K-9 companion, collect their training pay, stipend, and be able to collect unemployment benefits.

For that, we thank MSA management for the time and effort it took to work this out.

Please stay safe and healthy,

The Union Board

MSA's Response to Covid-19

On March 13th, Joe Nacarlo sent the following letter to MSA's management team:

Good Morning,

It is our hope that everyone in MSA's and our membership's families are healthy and safe.

As we are all aware, the circumstances regarding Covid-19 are still developing. What does MSA's management have planned to keep the handlers and EDC's safe?

Also, as the various work sites close due to the health emergency, will our handlers be entitled to apply for unemployment? To many of our new handlers and former military members, MSA is their only source of income and a reduction in hours could be detrimental to their families.

We would appreciate a timely response to these very important questions.

Thanks
Joe Nacarlo
United Federation of K-9 Handlers

Today, we received the following response:

Joe, as you mention in your note, the circumstances around Covid-19 are changing quickly, almost by the hour. We continue to monitor the situation throughout the day and night, and adjust our plans as necessary. I’ll highlight a few specific actions we have taken or plan to take:

• We are continuing to reach out to clients and trying to reassure them of our ability to meet their needs, and to continue to reinforce the importance of maintaining a risk management strategy, which includes EDCH, at their sites, during these unsettled times.

• We have instructed our schedulers to distribute hours among EDCH. While some clients are reducing posts due to the closing of venues or canceling of events, we are fortunate that we have a diversity of businesses which allow us to still maintain posts.

• We are exploring the possibility of availing “Shared Work” Benefits to our Handlers. Similar to unemployment benefits, many large states, like CA, NY, and IL offer some form of benefits when employers have to reduce hours but do not want to lose well skilled employees. We are trying to learn more and identify what qualifies and disqualifies someone from these benefits, but we are hopeful this may be an option.

As we know more, we will continue to share. Please let me know if you have additional questions or concerns. Thanks.

You can find information about the Shared Work Program in your state at the following links:

New York State
California
Illinois
Florida
Massachusetts
Texas
New Jersey
Washington State

We'll continue to be in contact with MSA regarding solutions and safety measures regarding Covid-19. In regards to the "Shared Work" program mentioned, New York State law requires that the Shared Work Plan must be approved by a collective bargaining agent (the Union). When the plan is received from MSA, we will post the pertinent details here and solicit feedback from the membership.

If you have any suggestions or comments you'd like us to pass on to MSA anonymously, please email us at info@nopaymsa.com.

Corona Virus

I wanted to connect with you in light of the Corona Virus situation that is rapidly evolving. As the spread of the virus increases the likelihood of affecting our worksites and quite possibly our colleagues, we want to ensure that appropriate precautions are taken to maximize the safety of our members and keep an open dialogue with you.

With the postponement of all sports, concerts, theaters, and the closing of many offices throughout the nation, many of you will lose a substantial amount of hours. We are in contact with MSA to find a solution to this as quickly as possible.

Stay Safe,
Bill Beaury

Happy New Year

We would like to wish you and your families a Happy and a Healthy New Year. May this year bring you, your families, and your faithful pup much Happiness.

Bill Beaury

Happy Holidays

As we approach the annual wintertime celebrations of Hanukkah and Christmas, no matter what you celebrate, I would like to wish you the happiest of Holiday seasons and express my Best Wishes to you and your Families. As we move into the new year, contract negotiations will become more intense. Hopefully MSA will realize you are entitled to a contract that gives you the benefits you truly deserve.  Our next negotiation date is January 14th.


Best Wishes this Holiday season and Safe Travels


Bill Beaury

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Handlers

We would like to wish you and your families a very blessed Thanksgiving, and wish you safe travels while visiting family and friends.

Bill Beaury

Veterans Day

Every year on November 11th we recognize Veterans Day as a time to honor our country’s military veterans, past and present,who fought to protect our freedom and ensure our safety. This year being no different please join us in thanking our nation’s heroic veterans, who have sacrificed so much to keep our country free, including our many MSA employees who currently serve or have served in our nation’s military.

Thank You For Your Service,

Bill Beaury

Comment from an Anonymous Handler

The canine stipend, much like the handler salaries at MSA Security have been frozen in time, but when management decided to make a change, instead of increasing the stipend as a responsible company would, they butchered it. Whenever the topic of a raise came up management was quick to point out that we were getting $400 a month tax free and that $400 should be considered part of our salary. At one time we were threatened with getting a 1099 for the stipend. There was a proposal that the stipend would increase yearly and cap out at $1000/month. It would have been fair, but as we have come to learn, nothing about MSA is fair when it comes to the handlers. Same old story, they kept the salary and held the ESOP over our heads, all the while telling us we were "employee owners" and would someday own the company and have a seat on the Board of Directors but of course that never happened and now we have to fight just to be treated with some dignity. Imagine what this place would be like without the union? Scary. Arrogant and egomaniacal managers rule MSA and we are expendable to them, they expect us to be loyal but that loyalty is not a two-way street. The State Department contract for the validation center as a matter of public record is almost $100 million dollars where does all that money go? $80.00 stipend what a joke. $100 million from the State Department yet MSA allowed dogs to go overseas and is complicit in the canines suffering and the deplorable conditions they had to endure. The dogs I'm most cases were starving, dying of thirst, infested with fleas, feces and worms. The poor dogs probably welcomed death. No oversight, no assurances that the dogs would be cared for properly, a black eye for MSA, but no accountability, no discipline. I would say the Virginia guys have it pretty good and go along with "business as usual", while around the country we look forward to another cold winter with a leash in our hands. What's been done in Virginia Glenn? What steps have been taken to make sure something this tragic never occurs again? MSA Security has become a joke in the working dog community thanks to our leadership.

Thanks for the update Bill and thanks for fighting the good fight, God knows it can't be easy.

Union Update

Dear Fellow Handlers,

As the Holidays quickly approach I wanted to give you a quick update of what’s going on and what your union is up to. We have been to several hearings at the NLRB standing up for the handlers that have been mistreated, suspended and wrongfully terminated. We are fighting for the $400 stipend MSA has wrongfully taken from you, replacing it with a paltry $80 dollars.

The math used to justify an $80 stipend just doesn't add up. We know it, MSA knows it, and every handler being forced to spend their own money for MSAs benefit knows it. Did you know if you rent a car from any of the National car rental companies and bring it back with dog hair in it, much like your personal vehicles, they will charge you a $175 surcharge to clean the dog hair out of their vehicle? The top hotel chains will charge you an $125 surcharge to clean your room that has a dog in it . That’s $300 right there. Also, when was the last time you were able to take public transportation to work? I bet MSA would be proud if you took their dog on the subway or the bus during rush hour. They require you to have a car to transport their dog, so they should be responsible for a car payment, car insurance, car maintenance, and parking the vehicle.

How much is that worth to many of you? About $750 a month? Let's add this up, $750 plus $300 for cleaning. Then add dog food, biscuits, beds, toys, kennel fees, tolls, plus the time you and your family spend making a well rounded stable canine that MSA will threaten to take away from you and your family at the drop of a hat for imaginary rule violations. They will then tell you to abide by the code of conduct as management continuously breaks every rule threatening you if you don’t work every tour they throw at you and your canine. 

So let your supervisors, district managers, and upper management know $80 dollars doesn’t cut it! We'll continue our legal battle for the return of the $400 stipend and continue to demand it be increased in our negotiations. Let MSA management know it’s time to stop dragging their feet and give you and your partner a fair contact.

Bill Beaury

Lawsuit Update

Dear Clients:

As you are aware, the first of four payments to each of you is scheduled to be disbursed October 8. Please keep in mind that this is when disbursements will commence, and not necessarily the date that your payment will be disbursed. Over seven hundred checks will be disbursed each period, one year apart.

We have instructed Rust Consulting to send a specific statement to each of you explaining what the payment represents. This statement will be customized to explain your specific payment in as much detail as is possible, including an explanation of the net settlement amount to be distributed for the period to the class, and the number of work weeks MSA has reported for you from which the payment was calculated. For the reasons explained in my prior emails, it was not feasible to get this information to you beforehand, but it will accompany your first payment.

While the payments can only be as accurate as the payroll records we have been provided with, please know that MSA has represented to us, by contract, that they are accurate. While that does not necessarily guarantee that they are, we have established a modest "reserve fund" in the settlement to account for any errors that might occur. If you believe that any error was made, you can report this to me, Paul Aloe, Fran Curran, or Rust Consulting at (877) 906-1609. We have consistently reported changes of address to Rust, and we do not anticipate that any major errors will occur. However, keep in mind that we will all be monitoring this for the next three years in order to ensure that any errors are corrected.

The first payment MSA was obligated for has already been received and is being held in escrow. All future payments have also be secured by a Letter of Credit in excess of 10 million dollars.

Be aware that Rust Consulting has thousands of clients it is servicing, so don't be surprised if your emails to Amanda are not automatically responded to, or if you have to send information more than once. You will find that I will be responsive to any of your inquiries, as will Paul or Fran.

Regards,

David Aboulafia

Lawsuit Update

Dear Clients:

I am now advised that payments will commence on or about October 8.
Please check your notices for the tax treatment of your payments:

* NY EMPLOYEES 7/18/11 - 11/10/18 OR CA EMPLOYEES 7/18/14 - 11/10/18:
25% of your payments are considered back wages and normal payroll taxes will be deducted. The other 75% will be considered non wage income and no deductions will be taken.

* ALL OTHER HANDLERS 5/22/14 - 11/10/18:
50% of your payments are considered back wages and normal payroll taxes will be deducted. The other 50% will be considered non wage income and no deductions will be taken.

Please be reminded that I cannot offer any tax advice. Provide your accountant with the notices you were provided with, or have him/her review the final settlement agreement in the Court file.
Regards,

Dave Aboulafia

Lawsuit Update

LAWSUIT UPDATE

The settlement has been approved by the judge.  We're hoping that within 60 days, the first payment will be issued. Our lawyers will be monitoring all and as things progress, I’ll keep you updated. 

Bill Beaury

Lawsuit Update

Dear Clients:

On August 8, the District Court will have a final hearing to approve the settlement in this case. The last time I checked, there was not one objection to the settlement by any class member.

After this hearing, I anticipate that the Court will formally approve the settlement with a written Order. While I cannot predict when the Judge will do this, he is known for acting quickly in this regard. Technically, 30 days thereafter, payments to all class members should commence. All class members will receive 4 equal, separate payments over a three year period. We have only been able to give you a general formula for how the payments will be calculated.

A company by the name of Rust Consulting will be administering these payments. Amanda Myette (amyette@rustconsulting.com) is our main contact person there. Paul Aloe and I will be available for the duration to handle any issues that may arise.

It has been my privilege to serve you in this matter.

Regards,

Dave Aboulafia

Memorial Day

Dear fellow handlers, 

On Monday May 27th, we pause as a nation to honor and remember the heroic men and women who served bravely to protect our freedom and lost their lives in service to our country. We are all eternally in their debt for the sacrifice they've made.

Negotiations have begun to move forward with MSA. Earlier this month, we spent several hours with MSA's representatives and attorneys discussing proposals to improve working conditions for the handlers. The proposals included $35 an hour for all handlers, the reinstatement of the expense stipend with an eventual increase to $1000 a month, and guaranteed shelter and breaks for EDC teams at every post. We are fighting hard to make management realize that you are the face of MSA, you are the ones keeping MSA's contracts alive, and you are the ones keeping them in business!

In addition, we've been getting reports across the countries of field supervisors inventing new policies and rules and disciplining handlers for violating them. When your MSA supervisors invent mysterious unwritten rules, always ask where it is written, when it was enacted, and who enacted it? Then call us! These imaginary rules and policies do nothing but demoralize the men and women who work so proudly next to their EDCs and the only way to stop it is to hold those doing it accountable.

In closing, I would like to extend my appreciation to each and every MSA employee who has served or currently served in the United States Armed Forces. God bless you and God bless America.

Bill Beaury and your Union team.