Thursday, May 28, 2026
Dear Unit 15 Members,
We wanted to share a quick update from the bargaining table this week. It was a shorter week due to the Memorial Day holiday, but we made meaningful progress on several key issues.
Big Win at the Bargaining Table! 🙌
We are proud to share some exciting news from the bargaining table this week! We secured a major win for our members!
We reached a tentative agreement on post and bid language. The article was cleaned up to make it clearer and easier to read. We did not lose any of the original intent, and we secured a couple of additional improvements.
This was a huge endeavor, and we are incredibly proud of what we accomplished. We didn’t just hold the line, we made things better.
Thank you to everyone who contributed, supported, and stood behind this effort. Your strength makes victories like this possible.
This win shows what we can achieve when we stand united.
“As we worked through this language, our focus was simple, clarity without losing protections. We ended up stronger than where we started,” said Unit 15 Chair Eric Murray.
“One of our goals was making sure members can actually understand their rights without having to interpret complicated language. This is a step in that direction,” said Kevin Quaife.
Workplace Safety ✊
We pushed hard on safety protections for Unit 15 members, including a proposal on safe lifting that would set a limit of no more than 50 pounds. The state rejected this article.
“Safety is not negotiable. No one should be put in a position where their health is at risk just to do their job. We are going to keep pushing until we get real protections in place,” said Murray.
“This proposal came directly from the work our members do every day. We hear the concerns, and we are not backing off of them,” said Karen Maddox-Long.
We are developing revised language to strengthen protections and will bring it back to the table next week.
Custodian Job Protections 🧹
We also proposed stronger protections for our custodians, especially as telework continues to expand. The state rejected this proposal.
“Our custodians are essential to state service. Telework cannot become an excuse to eliminate these jobs. We are going to fight to make sure these positions stay in state service and that our members have a future,” said Murray.
“We are seeing real concerns about job loss tied to building closures and reduced occupancy. We are pushing for guarantees, not assumptions,” said Karen Maddox-Long.
Next week, we are returning with a stronger proposal focused on:
- Ending contracting out of custodial work
- Expanding training and development opportunities
- Creating clear pathways for upward mobility
- Securing protections against layoffs
“We are looking for clear commitments from the state. That means no custodial jobs leaving state service if buildings close, and real investments in the workforce we already have,” Murray added.
Inmate Selection Procedure ☑️
We proposed language that would allow Correctional Supervising Cooks to hire inmate kitchen crews based on the needs of their institution. While the State rejected this proposal, they indicated that institutions currently using this practice may continue doing so, but they cannot formally put it into policy.
If this issue is important to you and your coworkers, please let us know at [email protected]. If there is strong, widespread support among Unit 15 members and enough people willing to step up and get involved, there may be opportunities to work together on future legislation to support this change.
“As we head into next week, our focus is clear. Take what we heard from the state, strengthen our proposals, and keep applying pressure at the table. We are not backing off these priorities,” said Murray.
“Every round builds on the last. We are adjusting, staying strategic, and making sure our next proposals are even stronger,” said Garth Underwood
We will keep you informed as bargaining continues. Thank you for your continued support.
Our team showed up this week ready to work, and we made real progress. We are not going to slow down. We are going to keep pushing, stay united, and fight for the protections our members deserve.
In solidarity,
Unit 15 Bargaining Team