Bargaining Team Jumpstarts Contract Negotiations with Weekend Meeting

Our Local 1000 contract—the 300+ pages that govern our wages, benefits and working conditions—will expire on June 30, 2023. Planning and strategy for winning a great contract are already underway, and those efforts included a meeting of our Statewide Bargaining Advisory Committee (SBAC) on May 14 and 15.

Our contract is negotiated by a group of dedicated member leaders—more than 150 strong— who were elected by their fellow state employees to be the liaison between their workplace and the bargaining team.

Last weekend’s meeting included training on the different types of “negotiations” that happen on a continual basis between contract cycles. You’ve likely heard the phrases “meet and confer” or “Joint Labor Management Committee,” and our team learned the protocols that govern our contract enforcement efforts.

Another highlight was the hour-long question-and-answer session, where bargaining team members talked with our statewide leadership. On Sunday, each of our ten bargaining units met individually to discuss unit-specific issues.

The meetings were livestreamed, and you can watch them anytime on the seiu1000.org webpage.

Our work to win a great contract is just beginning. The most important part of the bargaining team is you, along with your colleagues, who will stand together to show the State we’re all in for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.