Don’t keep our workers in ‘suspense’ –
back pay parity for health care staff

Local 1000 members have worked for two years to organize and then negotiate for parity for health care workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS).   

These negotiations culminated in an agreement with the state on Dec. 19, 2007 that would bring the salaries of about 3,000 health care workers who work outside the prison system within 5 percent of the pay of similar workers within the prisons by 2009. Under state law, our agreement with the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature in order to take effect.
 
Now our negotiated agreement, which is worth $40 million to our members in bargaining units 4, 17 and 20, is being jeopardized by politics in Sacramento. On April 23, 2008, the legislation to remedy the disparity, AB 3043, was placed in the so-called “suspense file” of spending bills.

This has the effect of putting our hard-won gains in limbo while politicians argue over the ever-ballooning deficit. The irony is that the state had already budgeted for the pay increases provided by the parity agreement so passage of AB 3043 would create no new spending.

In order to salvage AB 3043 and finalize our hard-won parity deal, Local 1000 members need to get active, get organized and educate legislators. The Assembly Appropriations Committee will consider AB 3043 after May 22.  

“We fought hard for parity and we will not let AB 3043 slip away because some politicians just don’t get it,” said Rionna Jones, chair of Bargaining Unit 20. “We need to mobilize to push this through the final hurdle – the Legislature.”