Master Table Bargaining Update for Friday, August 23, 2019
WALK OUT! Unit 17 and 20 Bargaining Teams Leave Table after State Refuses to Move on Key MOT Issues

Notification

Bargaining Units 17 and 20 walked out of Friday afternoon’s Mandatory Overtime (MOT) bargaining session due to the state’s intransigence around their contractual commitment to reduce and, eventually, eliminate mandatory overtime.

Mandatory overtime is a scheduling practice that management in 24-hour facilities continue to regularly rely on to staff key medical personnel. While in limited cases mandatory overtime may be a necessary last resort to fill gaps in coverage, the State relies on it as an option of first resort. This has meant that our Registered Nurses (RN), Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN), Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), and Medical Assistants (MA) continue to suffer under unpredictable work schedules, fatigue, job burn-out and stress, all of which puts their health and patient care at risk.    

Since 2016, Local 1000 member-leaders in Unit 17 and 20 have been meeting with state representatives in the MOT Task Force in an effort to develop real solutions to reduce and eliminate MOT for RNs, LVNs, CNAs, and MAs at state prisons, state hospitals and Veterans Homes.

But three years later, the state refuses to adopt the Task Force plans or to move from bureaucratic discussions to solutions and implementation. In fact, the only item that state negotiators on Friday submitted was a proposal to continue the status quo, meaning more conversations with no commitment to action.

Our Unit 17 and 20 members have grown tired of the disrespect and dismissive attitude of state management over this long simmering issue. “The state continues to refuse to honor our contract or reduce and eliminate mandatory overtime. This is unacceptable,” commented Kim Cowart, Unit 17 chair.

At the master table the Local 1000 bargaining team reached tentative agreement on a number of items including a Union Security Provision, Supersession, Timely Payment of Wages and a Recruitment and Retention Differential for Personnel Specialists.  We also won agreement around Temperature Controls that allows workers to grieve this provision up to CalHR.  

The team also submitted counter-proposals on:

  • Union Information Packets: Our bargaining team held firm on our position that new employees should not have to request a union packet when they’re in orientation in order to receive one. This just creates another unnecessary barrier between new workers and their union.
  • Recruitment and Retention at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR): Our bargaining team agreed to “roll-over” language with the inclusion of Unit 17.

The bargaining team will be back at the table on Monday, August 26, 2019.