Dear TLSU Bargaining Team, Its time to draw a line in the sand and tell management that we, the union, will not accept any proposed contract: (1) that does not recall ALL bargaining unit members who received lay off notices (excluding voluntary layoffs); (2) that does not ensure that the Del Rio office will remain open; (3) that proposes any cuts, even temporary ones, to health insurance or dependant care; (4) that does not roll back the irresponsible raises distributed last September; and (5) that does not distribute the pain or cuts fairly and equally among everyone. The bottom line is that management got us into this mess and its not fair that the workers, the clients and their families have to pay disproportionately for it. For instance, it is fiscally unnecessarily to: lay of a single bargaining unit worker off, make any cuts in health care or dependant care, and close any offices. The budget can be simply balanced by rolling back the raises we all received last September that management knew we couldn't afford and the rest can be made up in reducing hours in the work week and tinkering with mileage and per diems and the like, if necessary. The result is that everyone feels the pain equally from the highest manager to the lowest paid member of the bargaining unit. We should reject any contract that proposes to sell out 20,30, or 40+ of our brothers and sisters, not to mention the thousands of clients and their families that they serve. Its time to draw a line in the sand. They either take all of us back or they take none of us back. We stick together, we stand together, and we don't leave any of our bargaining unit members out in the cold. Its what being in a union is all about. Second, we have never agreed to touch health insurance and dependent care in the past even though they have tried for years. Why? Because its a slippery slope and once its gone it ain't never coming back. Once they take an inch they can come back next year and try for another inch. Its a much better position to be in to say that we have never given up an inch and we never will. It is also not necessary to cut health insurance. We can balance the books in other ways. They are just trying to use this crisis to take advantage of us - and we shouldn't allow it. Third, we owe it to our brothers and sisters in our Del Rio office and the clients that they serve to oppose this detrimental and unnecessary action of closing that office. That office has been there for decades and some amazing work has come out of there. We must stand tall with Del Rio during this difficult time. Again, time to draw a line in the sand. All for one and one for all.