Respect for our professional status as educators in Unit 21 has been a constant theme over the nine weeks we’ve been bargaining a contract. Today, as we have in previous bargaining sessions, we’ve made advances in our demands for the Educational Consultants and Librarians we represent.
We reached tentative agreement (TA) with the State on four contract sections. While all four were rollovers of previous contract wins that preserve our hard-earned rights, one is of particular importance: the FLSA Exempt Policy that grants our represented employees the freedom to choose how, when, and where we do our work. Those four TAs are:
- 11.64.21 – Professional Development
- 19.19.21 – FLSA Exempt Policy
- 12.24.21 – Commercial Driver License Fee Reimbursement
- 13.18.21 – Professional Assessment and Development Committee
You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org
We listened carefully to the input you shared through town halls and the bargaining surveys, and today we continued to fight hard for some contract language that governs our ability to develop ourselves and our careers, our professional responsibilities, and the discretion to apply our professional judgement in our work. We’re seeing evidence that the State wants to actually take away some of our previously-won rights in this area, and we’re fighting vigorously against it.
This is how bargaining works: We propose, the State counters, and our team strategizes our response in an effort to achieve our members’ goals. In another example of our work, when we proposed to offer educational leave credits to eight additional Unit 21 classifications, the State rejected it. Our response: A new idea, the transfer of educational leave credits to other employees so that they can take advantage of opportunities they normally couldn’t.
Want a more detailed Unit 21 bargaining update? Join us on a Zoom call next Tuesday, June 27. Use the link below to sign on. **Please note: no registration is necessary.
- Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 12 Noon to 1 PM:
https://seiu1000-org.zoom.us/j/82053318155?pwd=bStnMXNDQ2YrRWdNWHNWMDBHRHVWQT09
Unit 21’s next session with the State is Monday, June 26. However, with just eight days remaining until our contract expires, bargaining sessions could happen at any time. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our Contract Action Center page at www.seiu1000.org
There’s real truth to the Local 1000 slogan, Stronger Together. We only win a great contract with a strong Local 1000 membership. So, if you’re not already a member, we encourage you to join us today.