Representational Wins: Contract Enforcement of our Rights as State Workers

Article Published on october 7, 2022

Our contract contains hundreds of hard-earned provisions that govern our pay and our working conditions. When management fails to comply with contract language, our members, our Job Stewards, our Union Resource Center (URC), and Legal department join forces to ensure our rights.

Here are some wins we earned on behalf of our represented employees:

Steward Rights Enforced at Dept. of Veterans Affairs

When the DVA issued an adverse action to a worker who exercised their rights as a Local 1000 Union Job Steward — which included emails to management about HIPAA violations and efforts to represent a coworker in a dispute with a supervisor — we fought back.

The Union positioned DVA for an optimal settlement, which agreed to remove the adverse action from the worker’s file and require all supervisors and managers at the worksite be trained on employee rights under the Dills Act.

Worker Pay Restored

Local 1000 fought for and won back pay in a grievance on behalf of a Staff Services Management Auditor, working Out of Class as an Associate Management Auditor. The decision: one year’s worth of back pay.

When the Office of State Printing failed to properly calculate holiday pay when workers were working mandated overtime, the union filed a grievance that was recently resolved. The State agreed to properly compensate all affected workers back to 2017.

Know your rights! Our contract is available in digital form online and is fully searchable via your phone or laptop. Find it at contract.seiu1000.org

If you feel your rights have been violated, contact your workplace Job Steward or call the Member Resource Center (MRC) at 866.471.SEIU (7348).