Our fight for a contract we can all be proud of is being waged on many fronts, and this morning (May 10) we told our stories at the Capitol at a hearing held by the Assembly’s Public Employment and Retirement Committee.
The topic was Strengthening California through the Public Sector and its Workforce, and legislators heard from a number of employee groups in the public sector, including the state workers represented by SEIU Local 1000.
Vice President for Bargaining Irene Green—backed by scores of Local 1000 members—testified about the importance of investing in state workers; about the 25% vacancy rate across our nine bargaining units that cause workload stress and threaten recruitment and retention of skilled employees.
It’s these same themes our Master Table bargaining team has been using to drive negotiations with the State. The respect, the protection, the pay we’re demanding is to ensure the quality of life for our 96,000 represented members as well as the quality of service we provide California.
In today’s session, we proposed new or stronger language in three contract sections that govern our personnel file. We are seeking the ability to purge materials of a negative nature after one year, and to ensure that letters of instruction, work improvement discussions, and disciplinary investigations are handled in a timely fashion.
- 13.1 – Performance and Evaluation Materials
- 13.X – Letters of Instruction (LOI)/Work Improvement Discussion (WID)
- 13.XX – Investigation Timeline
Today, we proposed to “rollover” the following contract sections—all from Article 14-Classification—and secured tentative agreement with the State in the same day. By doing so, we preserved our previous contract rights on this important article.
- 14.1 – Classification Changes
- 14.3 – Classification/Pay Data
- 14.5 – Automation and New Technology
- 14.6 – Job Announcements
- 14.7 – Assignment of Duties Normally Performed by Bargaining Unit Employees (Excludes Unit 14)
- 14.8 – Contracting Out
You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org
Of note, section 14.8-Contracting Out, is a powerful tool Local 1000 has used to protect the jobs of our members by preventing the State from wasteful outsourcing. Over the years, we’ve worked to turn back millions of dollars in illegal third-party contracts and to keep state workers doing state jobs.
Our next Master Table session is scheduled for May 17, as we continue the fight to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us. To read about what happened in all our bargaining sessions to date, please visit the 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