Bargaining Unit Updates
2023

Post April 13, 2023

— Master Table Updates —

Master Table Bargaining Summary: May 31, 2023

Our contract expires in 30 days, and today, State negotiators did little to prove their intent to bargain over our key issues: a 30% pay raise and 100% paid health care premiums.

The Master Table bargaining team continues to press the State, and some incremental progress was made. Still, many proposals remain unanswered by the State.

“This lack of progress at the table draws into sharp focus our need to escalate our actions and to project our power,” said Irene Green, Vice President for Bargaining. “We can make our demand highly visible to all California at rallies scheduled at the State Capitol June 8 and in Los Angeles on June 22. If we want the state to Respect Us! Protect Us! and Pay Us! we must stand up and stand together.”

At the Master Table, we presented four proposals with new or stronger language:

2.3 – Use of State Equipment
Expands the list of state-owned communications tech available to stewards for representational purposes
2.10 – Orientation
Increases the time allotted to Local 1000 for new employee orientation from 20 to 30 minutes.
2.X – Electronic Device Access
Allows certain DLC leaders and stewards to bring approved cell phones into security areas of worksites, institutions, and facilities
11.XXXXX – Overtime Checks
Supports timelier issuance of overtime checks and a penalty for late payment

We reached tentative agreement with the State on four contract sections, winning stronger language governing evacuation procedures and bullying while preserving previous contract protections in workstations and personnel file management.

10.6 – Emergency Evacuation Procedures
10.21 – Workplace Violence and Bullying Prevention Program
10.22 – Computer Work Stations
13.1 – Performance and Evaluation Materials

Negotiations continue with the State on four proposals:

8.10 – Release time for State Civil Exams
10.12 – Employee Restroom Facilities
10.33 – Temperature Controls (Excluding Unit 3 and 15)
11.3 – Salary Definition

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Our next Master Table session is scheduled for June 7. To read about what happened in all our bargaining sessions to date, please visit the Contract Action Center page at 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.

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here

Master Table Bargaining Summary: May 24, 2023

At today’s Master Table bargaining, we received the first substantive counter proposals from the State. There were only three, but it breaks the logjam of nearly 60 proposals we’ve made that we are awaiting response on.

Today, our bargaining team proposed new or stronger language in five different contract sections; we are working to advance our pay and reimbursements, expand access to breaks and leaves, and to more deeply understand the teleworkers we represent.

11.XX ASL Proficiency Incentive for State Special Schools
Provides a stepped differential for ASL certifications as well as bilingual pay
12.8 Overtime Meal Benefits and Allowances – CDCR (Excludes Units 17 and 21)
Increases dollar amount, access to, and reimbursement of overtime meals
18.1 Permanent Intermittents PI
Reduces the minimum qualifying hours for certain personal leaves from 960 to 160 hours
19.3 Rest Periods (Excludes Units 14, 15, 17 and 21)
Ensures greater access to rest periods and their use
21.X Telework Data
Compels the state to provide Local 1000 with a summary of all active telework agreements

Our Master Table bargaining team also proposed to “rollover” these sections, which confirm and continue a range of previously-won contract protections.

24.3 Continuous Appropriations
Side Letter #1 Golden Handshake
Side Letter #2 Domestic Partner
Side Letter #3 Retired Annuitants
Side Letter #4 Access Agreement
Side Letter #5 Student Assistants
Side Letter #7 Gender Neutral Pronouns
Side Letter #12 Public Employee Communication
Side Letter #17 Employee Work Locations

And, today, we reached tentative agreement with the State on these sections, including four “same day” proposals*.

8.34 – Organ Donation
14.4 – Duty Statements, Post Orders, and Work Instructions (Excludes Units 17 and 21)
13.5 – Individual Development Plan
13.2 – Personal Performance Session (Excludes Unit 17)
10.28 – Pest Control
*Side Letter 17 – Employee Work Locations
*Side Letter 7 – Gender Neutral Pronouns
*Side Letter 5 – Student Assistants
*Side Letter 3 – Retired Annuitants

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Special notice: Join Vice President for Bargaining Irene Green and others tomorrow evening, May 25 at 6:00 p.m., to discuss the current state of bargaining at Local 1000.

What is our assessment of the temperature of the State bargaining team? Where do we go from here? How can you help secure a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us? Join us to get your questions answered.

Our next Master Table session is scheduled for May 31. To read about what happened in all our bargaining sessions to date, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Master Table Summary: Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Solving the economic challenges facing our represented employees was the clear, top priority we learned in our bargaining town halls and from thousands of surveys. We have, and will, continue to respond with proposals that advance us. And yet, the State remains largely unresponsive.

“The State isn’t engaging, they’re not answering our demand for solutions to our most pressing contract issue: an increase in wages that respects the commitment and contribution of state workers,” said Irene Green, Local 1000 Vice President for Bargaining. “Our team is beyond frustrated because the State isn’t giving us anything to work with or respond to.”

And yet, our team keeps pressing the State for answers. Just weeks after proposing a 30% pay raise over three years and 100%paid health care premiums, we today presented 11 different proposals covering a wide range of pay issues. Chief among them: a $30/hour wage minimum for all represented employees; an increase in travel and business reimbursement; an expansion of GeoPay to most California counties; a longevity differential of up to 12% that rewards time in state service, and a new differential for weekend work.

11.8 – Night Shift Differential (Excludes Units 14, 15, 17, and 21)
(increased the amount now calculated as a percentage of wages)
11.11 – Union Management Committee on State Payroll System
(continues and strengthens a JLMC to advise Controller on payroll system changes. This JLMC will be important given the State’s intention of overhauling its payroll system over the next few years.)
11.15 – State Special Schools Ten-Month Compensation Agreement (Units 4, 15, 17, and 20) (changes and additions to a number of pay and scheduling issues)
11.16 – Geographic Pay Differential
(expands GeoPay to most CA counties by aligning with federal guidelines)
11.X - Weekend Differential
(adds 5% to base pay for regularly scheduled weekend hours)
11.XXX – Longevity Pay
(establishes a 5%-12% differential based on years in state service)
11.XXXX – $30/hr Minimum Wage
(sets a minimum wage for all represented employees)
12.1 – Business and Travel Expenses
(increases reimbursement rates to match federal guidelines)
12.4 – Commute Program
(increases reimbursement rate to 100%)
12.14 – Professional Dues (Excludes Units 17 and 21)
(doubles reimbursement to $100)
21.4 – Call Centers
(adds a $150 differential per pay period for all employees engaged in call center duties as defined)

Our Master Table bargaining team also proposed to “rollover” these thirteen contract sections, which additionally illustrate our commitment to Pay Us! and Respect Us! These confirm and continue a range of previously-won economic protections as well as four sections governing our career development and performance.

12.2 – Moving and Relocation Expenses
12.3 – Parking Rates
12.5 – Transportation Incentives
12.7 – State Owned Housing
12.10 – Damaged or Destroyed Personal Property (Excludes Unit 17)
12.13 – Tools, Business Equipment, Materials and Supplies (Excludes Units 17 and 21)
12.15 – Reimbursement of Fees (Excludes Units 17)
12.28 – Pre-Tax Commuting Expense
12.29 – Bike or Walk to Work Program
13.2 – Personal Performance Session (Excludes Unit 17)
13.3 – Joint Apprenticeship Committee (Excludes Units 17 and 21)
13.5 – Individual Development Plan
13.6 – Performance Appraisal of Permanent Employees (Excludes Units 3, 17, and 21)

Today’s meeting was largely one-way: none of our 24 different proposals today elicited a response, and dozens more await an answer from the State. Tentative agreement was reached on a single contract section, 10.11 – Hazardous Materials (Excludes Unit 17).

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Our next Master Table session is scheduled for May 24, 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 seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Master Table Summary: Wednesday, May 10, 2023

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 seiu1000.org

Master Table Bargaining Recap: Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Negotiations at the Master Table focused today on “Protect Us!” – contract provisions that ensure the health and safety of the 96,000 state employees we represent.

“Two weeks ago, we responded to your demands that the State “Pay Us!” with a proposal for a 30% pay increase and 100% paid health care premiums,” said Irene Green, Vice President for Bargaining. “Today, May 3, our proposals call for better working conditions.”

Two new proposals were presented:

On the heels of the pandemic, we’re calling for a Declared State of Emergency Taskforce (10.XX) to ensure Local 1000 has a voice at the table as the State develops public information and response plans to state- or county-wide emergencies.

Unit 15 Chair Eric Murray led the team in proposing a new contract section (10.X – Sharps Disposal) that would make a sharps container available in all restrooms in state office buildings—extending the protections of a 2008 state law preventing the disposal of sharps in household trash or recycling containers.

“Readily-available, proper disposal of sharps is a health and safety issue for all our represented employees,” said Murray. “Decreasing the number of sharps disposed of in standard trash receptacles will help prevent potential health risks to custodial staff and other waste and recycling workers.”

We proposed stronger language in the following five contract sections:

10.6 Emergency Evacuation Procedures – ensuring updated procedures and proper training events including active shooter, bomb threats, riots, earthquakes, floods and fires.
10.12 Employee Restroom Facilities – calls for gender-neutral restroom facilities to be provided to the extent possible.
10.22 Computer Work Stations – added language to extend these important ergonomic protections to state employees who telework.
10.33 Temperature Controls (Excluding Units 3 and 15) – added language to include the actual acceptable minimum and maximum temperature and humidity limits in worksites.

Unit 1 BUNC member Harry Price was a subject matter expert in the presentation of a revised section 10.21 Workplace Violence and Bullying Prevention Program. An early victim of worksite bullying, Harry has received extensive education and training in the topic and recently worked with State Senator Richard Pan and his staff on the issue.

“The State’s policies on prevention haven’t been touched in 23 years, and doesn’t include bullying,” said Price. This new language calls for a task force that updates the model for the prevention of this abusive behavior through the creation of a Joint Labor-Management Committee (JLMC)to develop best practices. “Bullying and violence can be reduced with a more diligent approach,” Price added. “At the same time, we reduce the devastating physical and emotional consequences, as well as lost productivity.”

At today’s Master Table, we reached a tentative agreement with the State on 16 different contract sections; all but one govern health and safety and working conditions.

3.1 Union Security
10.1 Health and Safety Commitment
10.2 Health and Safety Committees
10.3 Occupational Hazards
10.4 Injury and Illness Prevention Programs
10.7 Protective Clothing (Excludes Units 17 and 21)
10.9 Safety Equipment (Excludes Units 15, 17, and 21)
10.10 Medical Monitoring (Excludes Units 14, 17, and 21)
10.13 Access to Work Areas 24 Hours (Excludes Units 17 and 21)
10.14 Personal Alarms (Excludes Units 15, 17, and 21)
10.18 Referral of Assault/Battery
10.19 Assaultive Behavior (Excludes Units 3 and 17)
10.23 Independent Medical Examinations
10.25 Infectious Disease Control (Excludes Units 15, 17, 20, and 21)
10.26 Precautions Against Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens
10.27 Remodeling/Renovations and Repairs
10.29 Smoking Cessation

And, we submitted another three “roll over” sections to the State, proposing that we preserve and maintain existing language from previous contract wins. “Remember that none of our contract language is guaranteed until we reach tentative agreement,” Green added. “We fight to ensure all these rights, hundreds of contract sections, every time we bargain with the State.”

10.11 Hazardous Materials (Excludes Unit 17)
10.28 Pest Control
10.30 Health and Safety Grievances

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Our next Master Table session is scheduled for May 10, 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 seiu1000.org

No Master Table Bargaining Session for Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Master Table Bargaining Recap
for Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Our Master Table bargaining team returned for their second session with the State and presented two key proposals—among others—that make a strong demand for a new contract that responds to the top priorities identified by our members:

The first was a proposal for a 30% general salary increase for all represented workers; 12% in the fist year, and 9% in each of the succeeding two years, along with a proposal that would provide our represented employees with 100% paid health care coverage.

“Local 1000 represented workers are done sacrificing,” said Irene Green, Vice President for Bargaining. “Too often, civil service workers are considered a burden, a liability, when discussions turn to the state budget or California’s fiscal health. And those civil service workers—who continue to provide vital services to all Californians—are losing ground.”

“Wages that don’t keep up are a measure of disrespect,” added Green. “The State can’t recruit or retain employees, resulting in a nearly 25% vacancy rate across the nine bargaining units we represent—creating unreasonable workloads.”

Our proposal for a general salary increase came much earlier in the process than in past contract campaigns, signaling to the state our commitment to win the #1 bargaining priority for our members.

In addition, we proposed stronger language in five different articles, expanding the rights we’ve already achieved in these areas:

5.11 – Dignity Clause – changed “supervisors and managers” to include all workers, including contractors
8.3 – Bereavement Leave – added language to include all spouses and domestic partners
8.10 – Release Time for State Civil Service Examinations – added lateral transfers to the list of approved activities
8.32 – Personal Leave Program (PLP) 2010 and 2012 – included PLP 2020 under this article, ensuring like treatment for all PLPs, including the ability to cash out
9.1 Health Benefits – proposes 100% paid health care benefits for eligible employees

Our team secured a “tentative agreement” on five different “rollover” articles, preserving hard-won contract rights achieved in previous negotiations. (“Rollover” is language contained in the previous contract that both parties agree not to change and maintain in the new contract.)

5.3 – Individual Agreements Prohibited
5.4 – Savings Clause
5.5. – Reprisals
8.20 – Blood Donation Programs
16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4, 16.5 - Layoff

On Monday, April 24, four bargaining units (11, 15, 20, and 21) will go to the table for a second time to address unit-specific issues that were brought forth during the bargaining town halls and from the bargaining surveys. On Tuesday, April 25, five units (1,3, 4, 14, and 17) will hold their second bargaining session.

The Bargaining Team will meet again at the Master Table on May 3, 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 seiu1000.org

Master Table Bargaining Recap for
Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Launching the union-wide effort to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us, our member-elected Bargaining Team met with the State for the first time today to negotiate. Today’s session was at the “master table,” where issues that impact all of our 96,000 represented employees are negotiated.

In her opening remarks, Vice President for Bargaining and Chief Negotiator Irene Green underscored the top priority for our members: a pay increase that brings much-needed financial stability and dignity to state workers, one that reflects the real value of the services that our members provide to the residents of California.

“Too many state workers are struggling to make ends meet,” Green said. “When 35 percent of our represented employees don’t earn enough to support a family of four when 70% can’t support themselves and one child, and when nearly 5,000 civil service workers don’t make enough to provide for their own basic needs … it’s a crisis that we must work together to address.”

In today’s session, our team presented a number of contract articles for “rollover,” a term you’ll hear used to describe parts of the contract that don’t require negotiation this cycle. Today’s rollover articles govern the relationship between Local 1000 and the State, grievance and arbitration procedures, and the layoff process.

On Monday, April 17, four bargaining units (11, 15, 20, and 21) will go to the table for the first time in 2023. They will begin their work to address unit-specific issues that were brought forth during the bargaining town halls and from the bargaining surveys. On Tuesday, April 18, five units (1,3, 4, 14, and 17) will hold their first sessions at the table. Master table negotiations resume on Wednesday, April 19.

Each day following bargaining, we’ll email summaries and post them online to our Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Thousands of members—in hundreds of worksites across the state—purpled up and stood up to demonstrate their solidarity and support for the bargaining team and a great contract. We hope you’ll join them every Wednesday to echo our demand to the state to Respect Us … Protect Us … and Pay Us!

There’s real truth to the Local 1000 slogan, Stronger Together. We only win a great contract with a strong Local 1000 membership. If you’re not a member, join us today.

Unit 1 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Frustration reigned at today’s Unit 1 bargaining table.

One of Local 1000’s long-fought battles to improve our service to California through EDD—a battle lasting more than 15 years—was again rejected by State negotiators. Contract section 13.15.1 was yet another effort to change and improve the UI determination schedule.

After more than a decade of discussion, education, conversation, and relationship building, the State once again refused to consider any changes. The State’s reply indicated the program is too complicated to change and with current projects in place it would have an upstream impact.

Meanwhile, a post-pandemic backlog remains. Claims responses are taking from 20-40 days, when the system should be providing an answer in 7-10 days.

“I was hopeful that both EDD and the state could recognize that it’s not the best fit and to hear that EDD has other priorities and this [the people we serve] is not the priority,” said Unit 1 Chair Susan Rodriguez.

“I’m very disappointed that after so many years EDD doesn’t want to reflect and consider changes. EDD staff will be extremely disappointed. We have proposed reasonable improvements to management that they won’t consider because of their own priorities,” added Joyce Wheeler-Owens of the bargaining team. “EDD is ignoring the need to allot sufficient time to provide quality service to EDD clients.”

Unit 1 also proposed a new section that reflects the professional and FLSA-exempt status of its represented employees. It’s an effort to improve the working conditions we faced and to ensure the opportunity for a reasonable work-life balance.

Unit 1 team member Vincent Green works in IT at DVA. “We understand work has to be done and sometimes it will be long hours. When the state shut down, it was people like me who were told ‘we need to have everyone work from home; servers have to be accessed’. Fast forward 3 years people are now coming in 1-2 days a week, so now more work needs to be done. We understand operational needs. But what is a pain point for us is we cannot have work-life balance.”

Our Unit 1 team continues to press the State to advance the workers we represent, but a lack of response to our proposals (now a total of 22) is an ongoing theme. “The State’s not demonstrating interest in our efforts, and they’re not acting like they’re interested in becoming a better employer,” added Green.

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 1’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for June 6. To read about what happened in our other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Unit 1 is a diverse group of professional classifications who are committed to providing vital state services, taking pride in their work.

Today, the Unit 1 team focused its efforts on stronger language governing our performance reviews (contract section 13.7.1 – Performance Standards). Our goal was to ensure that the State acknowledges that neither duty statements, expectations memos, nor performance standards require error free work.

“We are not machines, and we want to make sure the departments understand that,” said Susan Rodriguez, Unit 1 Chair. “At the worksite level, there has not been a lot of grace surrounding something as simple as a typographical error.”

“Error-free standards slow down productivity, and this is why we have checks and balances to help develop and cultivate employees,” said Beth Bartel of the Unit 1 team.

After our presentation, the State caucused and came back with a flat rejection of our changes, proposing to “roll over” the existing language. Why? The State’s team claimed the language change would diminish their ability to “write employees up” and claimed they weren’t using references to “error-free” in their job communications.

We fought back. Several team members read currently-issued department communications that proved the State wrong, including one expectations memo from DMV that said, in part, “free from typographical errors…”

Shelia Byars, a DMV employee on the Unit 1 team said, “We would like to understand how that is possible. As someone that has been writing hearing decisions for years, I do my best, but I don’t know how I can guarantee there will be no typos. This has never been in an expectations memo before.”

Myriad examples of the State’s frustrating behavior surfaced; team member Karen Devoll shared instances where CCRAs precisely followed department orders in calculating release dates, then were written up for errors those instructions caused. “I take pride in what I do,” said Karen. “I’m also a human being, not a machine.”

We will continue to demand that the State Respect Us!

Today’s other key bargaining theme was the State’s continued lack of response to our proposals. While Unit 1 continues the effort to advance our represented employees, the State’s lead negotiator says he’s “not authorized” and “doesn’t have the direction to move forward.” Still, the June 30 deadline looms large, and Unit 1 Chair Susan Rodriguez continues to press the State for responses to 20 unanswered proposals.

“Unit 1 comes to the table prepared to bargain in a professional and productive manner, and we are deeply disappointed by the State’s response,” said Joyce Wheeler Owens of Unit 1’s team.

We did reach agreement on three earlier proposals, all rollovers of previous contract wins:

12.16.1 – Aviation Safety Officer (Unit 1)
12.24.1 – Extended Travel, Department of Insurance (Unit 1)
13.10.1 – Education and Training (Unit 1)

Unit 1 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, May 30. To see updates on other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

In a day marked by highs and lows, our Unit 1 bargaining team— Professional Administrative, Financial, and Staff Services—returned to the table with State negotiators, continuing the fight to demand recognition and respect for the Unit 1 employees we represent.

Facing untenable workloads because of a unit-wide vacancy rate of 1 in 4 jobs, we are pleased at reaching tentative agreement on contract section 5.17.1 – Recruitment and Retention Committee (Unit 1).

“This R and R committee is an important tool for Unit 1, and retaining the committee in our contract empowers us to talk about solutions before the situation gets worse,” said Susan Rodriguez, Unit 1 Chair. You’ll recall that just last week, we used the work of the committee established by 5.17.1 to inform a range of economic proposals presented.

On the other side of the day’s ledger, we were shocked by a State-originated proposal to delete contract section 18.2.1- EDD PI’s Conversion and Ratio (Unit 1).

The battle over the use (and numbers) of Permanent Intermittent employees is a long one, stretching back more than a decade. The State claims the deletion of the entire section allows the department to respond to unexpected workload demand brought on by recession or pandemic. Here’s the challenge: across the long fight and many “economic challenges,” EDD has struggled to comply with the conversion and ratios spelled out in the contract.

“This an unacceptable affront to our demand for respect,” said Carolyn Alluis, Unit 1 bargaining team member. “It’s another example of ignoring the full-time staff, already overworked, without new full-time hires. Who will do the work when qualified employees leave due to a lack of respect?”

In addition, we gave the State a counter proposal on Section 13.15.1 – EDD Determination Scheduling Standard. “We will continue the fight to achieve reasonable workloads and the respect the EDD workforce deserves for their commitment and service,” added Unit 1 Chair Susan Rodriguez.

We reached tentative agreement on four additional contract sections, “rollovers” that keep our hard-earned rights intact.

13.16.1 – Employee Recognition and Morale Program – Franchise Tax Board (FTB), Board of Equalization (BOE), California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) and Office of Tax Appeals (OTA) (Unit 1)
13.17.1 – Independent Research/Professional Papers (Unit 1)
Side Letter 8.1 – EDD Tax Tools October 19, 2000
Side Letter 9.1 – EDD Quality Assurance Review (QAR)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 1’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 23. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Unit 1 is our Union’s largest and most diverse bargaining unit, representing classifications in Professional Administrative, Financial, and Staff Services … and today, one in four Unit 1 positions are vacant. Workloads are untenable, driving the loss of qualified employees and diminishing our service to the state.

Today, we proposed a series of pay adjustments intended to reward the value of our Unit 1 employees, and we did it with presentations made by four members of our bargaining team and five additional Unit 1 subject matter experts from across the state.

We believe that our path to respect is to tell the real story of state workers and to prevent the State from considering us as line items on a spreadsheet.

“I’m proud to serve the public with these people,” said Susan Rodriguez, Unit 1 Chair. “Today they will tell you (the State) about the work they do and how they serve our communities and our constituents.”

We proposed Special Salary Adjustments (SSA) for 56 classifications in 27 different series. Members of the Unit 1 Bargaining Team who made presentations were:

Carolyn Alluis, Management Services Technician, DIR
Delores Bonner, Staff Services Analyst, DOT
Jean Colyer, Right of Way Agent, DOT
Gina Crawford, Research Data Specialist II, CalPERS

They were joined by five additional Unit 1 subject matter experts:

David Aguinaldo, Business Tax Specialist I, CDTFA
Cloria “CJ” Barnes, Personnel Specialist, CDCR
Dan Gargas, Aviation Safety Officer II, DOT
Michelle Levy, Senior Legal Analyst, DOJ Attorney General’s Office
Tommy Rico, Television Specialist, CDCR

“I’m advocating for a change in a classification that hasn’t been touched by the state since 1990, the year I was born.” – Tommy Rico

“I’m stressed by the changes over many years that have made my classification more demanding, and more in demand.” – Michelle Levy

“We’re demanding Respect for our contribution, to Pay Us for our commitment, and to Protect Us to keep the quality of our life from slipping further behind in this economy.” – Jean Colyer

“One machine can do the work 50 ordinary men, but no machine can do the work of an extraordinary Personnel Specialist.” – Cloria Barnes

Another new proposal addresses Recruitment and Retention adjustments in 10 different series and a total of 29 classifications. These were identified in a report jointly created by a team from Local 1000 and CalHR. You can read the report here on the Unit 1 website. Of note: This committee and the report was itself the result of Article 5.17.1, a win from our 2020 contract, addressing this important issue.

We presented one additional proposal, Article 11.XXXX.1 – Operational Availability Incentive Program, DWR (Unit 1). This mirrors an existing program in Unit 11. And, keeping our negotiations moving forward, we reached a tentative agreement with the State on Article 21.6.1, Hearst Castle Night Tours.

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 1’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 16. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Back at the table with the State today, our Unit 1 Bargaining Team continued to present contract proposals that reinforce our demand to be Respected, Protected, and Paid.

Overall, the State has been slow to respond to proposals our Unit 1 team has been presenting over the last three weeks. One response was received today, on the language we proposed that would enable EPRs working at EDD the ability to manage their workload, do their job better, and improve the quality of the service EDD provides.

The State pushed back on Article 13.15.1 – EDD Determinations Scheduling Standard—with a counteroffer, and worse, without clear justification for their pushback.

“The State continues to disrespect our EPRs demand for a change in working conditions by saying ‘no’ while failing to make any effort to bring an idea of any kind,” said Joyce Wheeler Owens, a long-standing member of the bargaining team who works at EDD/San Diego.

Bargaining Chair Susan Rodriguez, added, “This critical issue has been on the table for more than a decade, and the State, once again, fails to understand how their ignorance of the issue and their failure to act impacts us.”

Today, we presented two new proposals with origins in a hard-fought, two-year reclassification campaign for members working in six different Actuary classifications. You can read more about the reclass campaign here.

One new proposal calls for a five percent pay differential for a range of professional credentials and certifications held and maintained by an Actuary, along with the costs of education, testing, and certification.

Another new proposal calls for the establishment of an Incentive Award Program for employees in the various Actuary Classifications.

“Our goal has been for the employer to reward our professional expertise and the quality of the work we do,” said Stuart Bennett, an Actuary at CalPERS who also worked on the reclass campaign. “These articles are an extension of the reclass agreement that recognizes our skills and places additional value on the goal of recruitment and retention.”

In today’s session, the Unit 1 team also proposed the rollover of eight different articles from our current contract which would preserve hard-won economic rights won in previous contract campaigns:

Article 11 – Salaries

11.29.1 Investment Officer III and II, Incentive Award Program (Unit 1)
11.30.1 Professional Certification Pay (Unit 1)
11.31.1 Chartered Financial Analyst Pay Differential (Unit 1)
11.32.1 Research Data Specialist III Pay Differential (Unit 1)
11.33.1 Hearing Reporters – California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) (Unit 1)

Article 12 – Allowances and Reimbursements

12.16.1 Aviation Safety Officer (Unit 1)
12.17.1 PERS Auditor Affiliation (Unit 1)
12.18.1 Professional License Fees (Unit 1)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 1’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 9. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Our Unit 1 Bargaining Team returned to the table with the State on Tuesday, April 25. It’s our largest bargaining unit, representing a diverse group of professionals, and today’s session focused on parts of our contract that affect the represented employees at EDD.

“The working conditions at EDD have been a Local 1000 focus for some time,” says Unit 1 Chair Susan Rodriguez. “We’ve had an ongoing discussion with the department at every bargaining cycle and numerous times in between.”

“Workloads at EDD are an issue we worked to correct today,” Rodriguez added. “We proposed language that would allow EPRs the ability to do their job better and to improve the quality of the service they provide.”

The new language in Article 13.15.1 – EDD Determinations Scheduling Standard – increases the time allotted for determination interviews.

Unit 1 made additional progress today, reaching tentative agreement on a number of articles that were either “rolled over” (leaving existing hard-won rights unchanged) or “cleaned up” (making changes to improve the accuracy or clarity of the existing language without modifying the article’s intent or impact).

Two of the articles agreed upon today preserved Joint Labor Management Committees, which are powerful tools Unit 1 uses to continue the effort to improve working conditions between contract cycles.

5.15.1 – Joint Labor Management Committee
8.23.1 – Employment Development Department (EDD) Vacation Leave Policy
21.8.1 – EDD America’s Job Center of California
5.14.1 – Guide, Historical Monument Joint Labor Management Committee
12.19.1 – Actuary Dues-Department of Insurance

One additional article is still pending, 20.1.1, which governs EDD’s Post and Bid Agreement.

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 1’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 2. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Bargaining Unit 1—representing a diverse group of classifications in Professional Administrative, Financial, and Staff Services—went to the bargaining table with State negotiators on April 19 and hit the ground running with five tentative agreements on their first day of negotiation.

“Our Unit 1 team has worked diligently since the last contract negotiations in 2019 to prepare for this,” said Susan Rodriguez, Unit 1 Bargaining Chair. “A number of taskforces, joint labor-management committees (JLMCs), and workgroups were established during that time to open up the dialogue surrounding key issues for Unit 1. We will present contract proposals that address the joint recommendation of those groups.”

“With such a diverse bargaining unit, representing many different skill sets, we’ve found the workgroups, taskforces, and JLMCs to be powerful tools to continue negotiating for better working conditions,” Susan said. “In fact, two of our agreements today keep those groups in place.”

Unit 1 presented five contract articles to the state for “rollover,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The State agreed, and thus, a “tentative agreement” was reached on these five articles:

11.28.1 –         California State Lottery (CSL) Business Building Incentive (BBI) Program
5.13.1 -            Correctional Case Records Analyst Workload Committee
5.16.1 -            Disability Determination Services Division (DDSD) Joint Labor Management Committee
21.7.1 -            Organizational Development
21.9.1 -            Business Cards

Of particular note: in reaching an agreement on 5.13.1, the State recognized the importance of the need for continued effort in solving workload and other issues in the Correctional Case Records Analyst classification.

Unit 1’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for April 25. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Unit 3 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Unit 3—representing Professional Educators and Librarians—continued its efforts today to demand the respect and the pay that’s due to our members. It’s a key theme we’re using to guide our negotiations with the State to raise the principles and practices that govern our work to the level enjoyed by the broader educational system across California.

“We are providing quality educational services and deserve the recognition that’s accorded other members of our profession,” said Bob Holtz, Unit 3 Bargaining Chair.

Our focus today was to provide a more appropriate salary for the Teacher Specialists we represent, who work in the state’s diagnostic centers providing services for some of the most under-served kids in the system who face the most significant educational and developmental challenges. We’re also asking for a salary schedule that offers a greater incentive for career longevity.

Today’s Subject Matter Expert (SME) was Heather DeFelice, a Teacher Specialist in the SoCal diagnostic center, who spoke about why a more competitive salary was reasonable to solve recruitment and retention issues for a job that demands five years of experience and two advanced degrees.

“The gap between the salary of Diagnostic Center Teacher Specialists and school district specialists has widened. In general, we make less than the educators we support. Many of us have stayed because we believe in the mission, but we are paid more similarly to new graduates and now more of our teacher specialists are thinking about returning to neighboring school districts,” said Heather in her presentation to the State.

Heather’s testimony was in support of Article 22 and our efforts to increase pay at Special Schools, and we’ve had a number of SMEs in to speak on the topic.

We continue to focus on reaching agreement on sections relating to our Unit 3 members’ hours of work and work assignments. Those discussions are moving forward, incrementally. We also received some counter proposals from the State on several additional proposals, which we’ll review.

Finally, we reached tentative agreement with the State on section 22.2.2 – Academic Year-Special Schools, which we proposed as a roll over to continue previous contract protections.

You can review each of our current contract articles online at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 3’s next meeting with the State is scheduled for Tuesday, June 6. To read about what happened in all of our bargaining efforts, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Unit 3’s bargaining team launched its efforts to secure recognition for the professionalism and commitment of its represented employees five weeks ago, promising a collaborative and responsive environment; today, the State responded and Unit 3 enjoyed one of its most productive sessions.

The State returned six counter-offers to proposals we’ve presented in previous bargaining sessions, and we had a robust discussion to ascertain the State’s concerns while keeping the focus on our intent to protect our members.

At the core of the discussion were three key contract sections that speak to the heart of professional recognition of our Unit 3 workers:

19.1.3 – Hours of Work
21.25.3 – Work Assignment Notification
25.1.3 – CDCR, OCE 220 Day Academic Year Annual Modification

“Language and intent are important in these negotiations; too often, the lack of clear language finds different and often incorrect interpretations of our contract that create unnecessary stress and effort to fix, which takes us away from the job,” said Unit 3 Chair Bob Holtz.

The State tells us that “it’s being handled well,” yet we know differently. The State often uses confusing language to their advantage, and they resist our efforts to involve stakeholders in finding solutions.

“They don’t treat us as professionals; they don’t respect our FLSA-exempt status,” said Unit 3 team member Barbara Guzman. “We’re serious about every section of the contract, even rollover language, because words and their interpretation matter.”

“A busy day at the table is a good sign,” said Holtz. “When we’re talking with the State, we’re making progress, incremental change.”

And, additional progress today: We reached tentative agreement with the State on two rollover sections, preserving two of our previous contract wins:

22.6.3 – Tenure, Special Schools
22.9.3 – Salary Schedule (State Special Schools and Diagnostic Centers) (Unit 3)

Unit 3 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, May 30. To see updates on other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

It was a busy day at the Unit 3 bargaining table as we continue our work, demanding recognition for the quality of work and commitment of our Professional Educators and Librarians.

Local 1000’s represented employees provide vital service to many Californians, and today’s work at the table focused on lifting up our sisters and brothers at the California Special Schools. Put simply, their dedicated work changes the lives of those they serve in remarkable ways.

We utilize Subject Matter Experts to lift our represented employees off the page. Today, the State team was provided a deep look into the culture and climate of the Deaf community and the challenges they face.

Landen Gonzalez is a senior at the Fremont School for the Deaf and spoke about how his experience as a student is allowing him an opportunity to thrive, flourish, and develop as a whole person.

Ty Kovacs is a teacher in Fremont and spoke to the State about the gap between Deaf children who are able to experience the dual culture of hearing and hearing impaired. “I was able to live and learn American Sign Language and English at the same time, but I had peers who weren’t similarly exposed and suffered an isolating and often traumatic experience.”

“Lack of immersion in both cultures affects the social and emotional intelligence of students and parents alike,” added Kovacs. “Without a Deaf school, there’s no community, and we all lose.”

With that passionately delivered background, Unit 3 proposed a big economic package of contract sections from Article 22 – State Special Schools.

We’re demanding respect for our represented workers there. Teachers at Special Schools are paid $100 less, per day, than similar educators in state service. We identified the huge disparity of cost of living between Fremont, Riverside, and other Diagnostic Centers, and proposed a solution. Here’s a more detailed examination:

We proposed new contract language in two sections, recognizing the contributions of our represented employees at the state’s Special Schools:

X.X.3 State Special Schools Recruitment and Retention Differentials (Unit 3)
XX.XX.3 Fremont School for the Deaf, Blind and Albany Rehabilitative Center Housing Allowance (Unit 3)

We proposed stronger contract language in the following contract sections:

22.1.3 Discipline and Discharge – Special Schools (Unit 3)
22.2.3 Academic Year – Special Schools (Unit 3)
22.3.3 Work Assignment Notification – Special Schools (Unit 3)
22.5.3 Extra Duty Assignment – Special Schools (Unit 3)
22.10.3 Coaching Advisor Differential (Unit 3)
Unit 3 Teachers Salary Schedule California Schools for the Deaf and Blind Fremont and Riverside (Unit 3)

We proposed the following contract sections as “rollover,” preserving existing rights:

22.6.3 Tenure – Special Schools (Unit 3)
- 22.9.3 Salary Schedule (State Special Schools and Diagnostic Centers) (Unit 3) with robust changes, an enhanced salary schedule that expands steps and ranges and respects time in service.

In other business, we reached tentative agreement with the State on three sections that continue our contract rights:

13.10.3 Education and Training (Unit 3)
21.12.3 Student Discipline (Unit 3)
21.13.3 Student Class Assignment (Unit 3)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 3’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 23. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week across the nation, and in today’s Unit 3 bargaining session, our Professional Educators and Librarians took a moment of privilege to celebrate by sharing personal stories of how teachers impacted their lives and encourage State negotiators to do the same.

Unit 3’s Sue Knapp is the daughter of a teacher who encouraged her students to explore and enjoy the power of curiosity. Bargaining Unit 3 Chair Bob Holtz built a home in high school and turned it into a career, and team member John Richards talked about how being an educator demands a mix of art and science and that’s how they all make a positive impact on their students.

Our bargaining team continued to press the State for advances in our contract that respect the professional experience and expertise our represented teachers and librarians bring to state service.

We reached agreement on four contract sections – each a step towards our demand for the state to Respect Us! These are “rollover” sections from previous contract wins, preserving our rights.

Article 9.19.3 – Light/Limited Duty Assignments
Article 10.19.3 – Positive Behavioral Support Training
Article 19.19.3 – Work Week Group E or SE
Article 21.15.3 – Off-Site Teacher Preparation Time

The seven contract articles listed below were proposed as “rollover” language; the State is reviewing them. Here, too, we’re working to preserve contract language already in existence.

Article 11.19.3 Recruitment and Retention Differentials (Unit 3)
Article 13.10.3 Education and Training (Unit 3)
Article 25.10.3 CDCR OCE 220 Day Academic Work Year 4/10/40
Article 21.12.3 Student Discipline (Unit 3)
Article 21.13.3 Student Class Assignment (Unit 3)
Article 25.6.3 Personal Necessity Leave (Unit 3)
Article 25.8.3 220 Day Academic Year (Unit 3)

You can review each of our current contract articles online at contract.seiu1000.org

A number of proposals are in play—our team and the State are going back and forth on a number of outstanding provisions. As with all our negotiations, we’re working collaboratively to find agreement that achieves the contract priorities of our members.

We look forward to an appearance next week by our Unit 3 brother Ty Kovacs, who works at the Fremont School for the Deaf, who will represent the state special schools as we discuss Article 22 with the State.

Unit 3’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 16. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Our Unit 3 Bargaining Team completed its third week of unit-specific negotiations on behalf of our Professional Educators and Librarians, making what the team is calling “one-sided progress.”

“Each week, we’re coming to the table ready to move the relationship between employee and employer forward, to secure both recognition and reward for Unit 3 … but the State isn’t fully engaging with us,” said Unit 3 Chair Bob Holtz. “It seems like there are no decision-makers present at our sessions.”

Only one tentative agreement was reached today, article 13.6.3, which governs performance appraisals. Our team has a backlog of proposals already presented which the State hasn’t responded to.

Forging ahead, our team proposed to “rollover” (preserve current contract language) the following four articles:

9.19.13 Light Limited Duty
10.19.3 Positive Behavior Support Unit 3
19.19.3 Work Week Group E or SE (Unit 3)
21.15.3 Off-Site Teacher Preparation Time (Unit 3)

We proposed language changes for the following articles:

8.28.3 Education Leave (Unit 3) – expands eligibility for educational leave to all Unit 3 represented employees
21.25.3 Work Assignment Notification (Unit 3) – provides for more consistent communication in line with best practices of the educational community
25.7.3 Credits for Salary Advancement (Unit 3) – allows employees greater planning and control of their individual development programs and career improvement

You can review each of our current contract articles online at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 3’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 9. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

In their second week of unit-specific negotiations, the Unit 3 Bargaining Team met with the State today to move items that demand additional respect for the professional status of the Professional Educators and Librarians we represent, along with economic improvements.

Key among today’s proposals was a modification of Article 25.13.3 – which governs salaries of Academic Teachers and Vocational Instructors at CDCR. Our proposed changes include a single salary schedule that doesn’t differentiate between institutions in the “north” and “south” of the state; and inclusion of prison librarians on the same schedule.

“These changes are our demand for professional respect,” said Bob Holtz, Unit 3 Chair. “Whether it’s lifting up librarians, having the vocational instructors recognized for their experience, or paying a classification the same wage regardless of where the work is performed. This, too, will help to alleviate the recruitment and retention problems we face.”

Proposed changes in two more contract articles further respect and reinforce the professional status of the Unit 3 employees:

Article 25.2.3 – CDCR, OCE Additional Instructional Assignments
Article 19.1.3 – Hours of Work

“Here, our demand is that we are recognized as exempt employees; that our 8-hour days/40-hour weeks, and our job descriptions are our ‘work product’ and that managers and supervisors can’t make additional assignments without additional pay for that work,” explained Holtz.

The team also worked to strengthen and streamline the language in two articles that govern the review process (Articles 21.16.3 and 13.6.3).

Unit 3’s team reached tentative agreement with the State on three existing contract articles that preserve our hard-earned rights.

Article 15.4.3 – Employee Opportunity Transfer
Article 25.9.3 – Teacher Service Credit
Article 21.17.3 -Recognition of Authorship

You can review each of our current contract articles online at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 3’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 2. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Our Unit 3 Bargaining Team—representing Professional Educators and Librarians—met with the State today in their first, unit-specific negotiations.

“Today, we set the table for a contract campaign that is responsive to what our members told us in Town Halls and through bargaining surveys,” said Bob Holtz, Unit 3 Bargaining Chair. “We are working to build consensus on what’s good for us and the State, and we’ll do that through collaboration and collegiality throughout the process.”

“We have a mutual goal of a well-prepared, well-trained, and dedicated workforce,” Holtz added. “Now it’s time for the State to recognize us with improvements in pay and in working conditions.”

Key among the day’s efforts was a presentation for a new language that strengthens our ability to model our academic calendar after “best practices” seen in other parts of the educational community—the top priority reported by our Unit 3 members.

We also “rolled over” (maintained current language) on the article that governs the operation of a Joint Labor Management Committee, ensuring that Unit 3 has a seat at the table to improve working conditions in between contract bargaining cycles.

In all, three contract articles were proposed as rollovers, maintaining our hard-fought rights won in previous negotiations:

Article 5.19.3 – Bargaining Unit 3 Classification and Compensation Committee
Article 15.4.3 – Employee Opportunity Transfer
Article 25.9.3 – Teacher Service Credit

Five contract articles presented today contained proposed changes in language to provide greater health and well-being for our members by providing better access to and use of leaves.

Article 8.21.3 – 9-12, 10-12, and 11-12 Leave
Article 25.1.3 – DCR, OCE 220 Day Academic Year Annual Modification
Article 25.3.3 – Educational Leave
Article 25.4.3 – Holidays (CDCR/OCE)
Article 25.5.3 – Vacation/Annual Leave

You can review each of our current contract articles online at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 3’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for April 25. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Unit 4 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Unit 4 continues to negotiate with representatives from the State this week, with a focus on the need for more involved discussions at the table to get represented employees a contract that respects, protects, and pays every state worker.

“The process has been moving forward compared to previous weeks, so we’re hopeful that the State will recognize the protections our workers need and deserve,” said Karen Jefferies, Unit 4 Chair. “We are fighting to get this work done in a timely manner and without losing any of the gains we have already made.”

However, without more tentative agreements or counter proposals offered by the State to our new language, negotiations have slowed. Apparently, lack of preparation and delays by State negotiators interfere with getting state workers the pay, protection, and respect they deserve on the job.

Permanent Intermittent (PI) workers are often seasoned employees with years of experience, but they often lack the opportunity to advance in state service. While the state suffers from an understaffing crisis, these workers need to be supported in their careers to help solve this problem.

“We were able to keep existing protections for PI workers which allows them to convert to a full-time position as soon as a position becomes available,” said Tom Krieger, Unit 4 Vice Chair.

Unit 4 reached Tentative Agreements with the State on three sections:

20.13.4 – Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) – Motor Vehicle Representative PI (Unit 4)
19.9.4 – Exchange of Time Off – Multi-Shift Operations (Unit 4)
19.13.4 – Overtime Assignments for Work Week Group 2 (WWG 2) Employees (Unit 4)

Additionally, the following rollover sections were proposed:

1.2.4 – Designation of Confidential Positions (Unit 4)
13.31.4 – 20/20 Program (Unit 4)

While there is progress being made and more Tentative Agreements reached, there still remain many critical issues we want to be addressed at the table.

“They have not countered on some of the new languages we have proposed, and many of our rollover sections still are awaiting the State response,” said Jose “Eric” Alcaraz, Unit 4 Alternate Vice Chair.

These outstanding rollovers do not carry a financial cost to the State and relate to existing protections enjoyed by state workers. The team is waiting to hear back on these issues as bargaining continues.

“It’s important that our negotiations with the State conform to past practices, and one of those practices is getting articles across in a timely manner, sharing information, and really negotiating,” said Terry Gray, bargaining team member.

As our contract expiration date approaches, it’s important for the State to come to the table prepared to discuss the issues that matter to our represented workers.

“True dialog over these protections is important,” said Jefferies. “We want the State to recognize this and come to the table ready to discuss and counter our new language and rollover articles.”

Unit 4 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, June 6. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Bargaining Unit 4 continued to negotiate with representatives from the State this week, with a focus on the need for consistent and fair treatment for workers across the state.

“We are disappointed with the lack of movement on the State’s part, but we’re pushing ahead and addressing their questions and trying to make our member’s needs heard,” said Karen Jefferies, Unit 4 Chair. “Our members have made very specific demands, which need to be respected.”

The State faces a lot of inefficiencies in its workforce, especially without strong universal standards across workplaces. The State can solve these issues at the table through negotiations with Unit 4 when they come to the table with solutions in mind.

“We took time to explain and go into detail on our members needs on the issues at the table today,” said Jose Eric Alcarez, Unit 4 Alt-Vice Chair. “We are focused on the changes our members have called for, and we’re demonstrating in detail the importance of these issues while we’re at the table.

BU 4 passed the following new language proposal to the State:

5.XX.4 – JLMC DMV (Unit 4)

We are looking for consistency statewide within DMV to maintain fairness for all of our members. This impacts our workers and the public they serve. We need to send a consistent message to Californians, not regional variations that confuse the public and frustrate employees.

“We’ve had this JLMC for well over eight years informally, and we have stated this over the table several times,” said Tom Krieger Unit 4 Vice Chair. “The State is willing to include this provision, so we hope to see a tentative agreement reached on this issue soon. It benefits both workers and the state.”

Additionally, the bargaining team proposed the following rollover sections to the State:

11.67.4 – Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Toll Collectors’ Night Shift
19.9.4 – Exchange of Time Off – Multi-Shift Operations
19.13.4 – Overtime Assignments for Work Week Group 2 (WWG 2) Employees
20.13.4 – Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) – Motor Vehicle Representative Permanent Intermittent

This rollover language includes language that protects Permanent Intermittent employees and provides opportunities for them to become permanent employees. This established a path for a strong retirement for workers and increasing employee retention, a long-standing issue, for the State.

11 sections remain where we have made a proposal and are waiting for a response. With our contract expiration date approaching, the State knows that time is running out. We have not received any TAs this session.

“What we’re asking for, especially with the JLMC, is not unreasonable,” said Jefferies. “We’re asking the State to come to the table with DMV decision makers prepared to address these issues.”

Unit 4 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, May 30^th. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Unit 4 continued to negotiate with representatives from the State this week, with a focus on the need for consistent and fair treatment for workers across the state.

“We took time to explain and go into detail on our members needs on the issues at the table today,” said Jose Eric Alvarez, Unit 4 bargaining team member. “We are focused on the changes our members have called for, and we’re demonstrating in detail the importance of these issues while we’re at the table.

In order to make up all these differences in compensations across these three classifications, Bargaining unit 4 delivered the following new language proposal to the State:

5.xx.4 – DMV JLMC (Unit 4)

“We’ve had this JLMC for well over eight years informally, and we have stated this over the table several times,” said Alvarez. “The State is willing to include this provision, so we hope to see a tentative agreement reached on this issue soon. It benefits both workers and the state.”

Additionally, the bargaining team proposed the following rollover sections to the State:

11.67.4 – Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Toll Collectors’ Night Shift
19.9.4 – Exchange of Time Off – Multi-Shift Operations
19.13.4 – Overtime Assignments for Work Week Group 2 (WWG 2) Employees
20.13.4 – Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) – Motor Vehicle Representative Permanent Intermittent

“What we’re asking for, especially with the JLMC, is not unreasonable,” said Jefferies. “We’re asking DMV to come to the table with decision makers prepared to address these issues.”

Unit 4 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, May 30. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

We are entering our fourth week of bargaining with the State for a contract that respects, protects, and pays the workers who have kept California running. The bargaining team for Office and Allied Workers represented by Local 1000, Bargaining Unit 4, went to the table on May 16 to reiterate to the State that the needs of their workers should be the priority at the table.

The sections we sent over for rollover included the following:

11.21.4 – Recruitment and Retention Differential for Accounting Clerk Series
11.23.4 – Out of State Pay Differential
11.37.4 – Dictaphone Differential
11.38.4 – Calendaring Differential (CUIAB)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

After rollovers were sent, the team discussed our items that have not been responded to, and the State had nothing to offer. The State has taken a long time returning any articles, even those that would create new protections for our state workers. “The articles that have not been addressed by the State are infuriating,” said Chair Karen Jefferies. “For example, section 10.XX.4, Transportation and Disposal of Bodily Fluids, and 10.XXX.4, Wellness and Recovery Time, are two important sections that address our core issue of protection in the workplace. Bargaining Unit 4 employees across departments are being asked to do tasks that are outside their job specs and beyond their work capacity, which creates risks of danger for employees.” Our members need protection,” said Jefferies

“We take a lot of time with our language and make sure that it’s complete and in compliance with our member’s needs,” said bargaining team member Terry Gray. “We expect the State to either counter or TA the proposal, and the State is not doing the work.”

The bargaining team will continue to negotiate with the State to ensure that their unit’s needs are met by their employer.

Unit 4’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 23. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

We are entering our fourth week of bargaining with the State for a contract that respects, protects, and pays the workers who have kept California running. The Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) for Office and Allied Workers represented by Local 1000, Bargaining Unit 4, went to the table on May 9 to bring focus to the financials and their impact on state workers.

The BUNC proposed two articles as “rollovers,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The rollover articles are the following:

Article 13.12.4 – Auditor and/or Accountant Upward Mobility Program (Unit 4)
Article 13.36.4 – Library Technical Assistant (Safety) Upward Mobility (Unit 4)

In addition to these rollovers, the team proposed the following two articles with language changes at the table today:

Article 11.1.4 – Special Salary Adjustments for Unit 4
Article 11.XX.4 – Operational Availability Incentive Program – DWR (Unit 4)

The State agreed to two rollover articles presented previously, as well as one article proposed by Unit 4 at the table beforehand. These three articles reached a Tentative Agreement with the State:

Article 5.13.4 – Upward Mobility Task Force
Article 13.12.4 – Auditor and/or Accountant Upward Mobility Program (Unit 4) (rollover language)
Article 13.7.4 – Performance Standards (rollover language)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Our members made it clear that they were dissatisfied with the current pay for their classification. “We were talking about financials today,” said BUNC Chair Karen Jefferies. “The BUNC and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) presented on a variety of classifications. The experts felt heard. They came with personal stories, and many of them became very emotional while telling them.”

In addition to their expert insights, SMEs highlighted the personal impacts that make living paycheck to paycheck an unacceptable situation for any state worker. “Several of our SMEs work two jobs, and they come home tired, sometimes not eating before going to sleep so they can rest and work again the next day,” said Jefferies.

One of the subject matter experts presenting today described their situation working for the state in an underpaid classification. “I am a single parent with a special needs child and based on the demands of my job and the high cost of living in the State of California sometimes my choices are life-changing decisions meaning, should I put $20 worth of gas in my car or should I use that money for groceries.”

The paycheck that Unit 4 workers bring home is lacking, in many cases not even covering their basic needs. “We brought up the UC Berkeley Labor Center report several times,” said Jefferies. “The majority of our unit falls within the impacted categories from that report. The paycheck that state workers receive doesn’t cover rent in certain areas.”

According to the findings of the UC Berkeley Labor Center report, 35% of state workers cannot afford to support a family of 4, even with a working partner earning the same wage. More than 69% of state workers would not be able to support themselves and one child on their own. 5% of state workers lack sufficient income to provide for just their own basic needs.

The State is waiting to get back to Unit 4 on their proposed salary adjustment after consulting with the Dept. of Finance. SEIU Local 1000 members stepped up as Subject Matter Experts along with the BUNC to demand a long-overdue increase in their wages.

“They always underestimate Unit 4,” said BUNC member Terry Gray, “but we’re the front line.”

Unit 4’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 16. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

We are entering our third week of bargaining with the State for a contract that respects, protects, and pays the workers who have kept California running. The Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) for Office and Allied Workers represented by Local 1000, Bargaining Unit 4, went to the table on May 2 to bring a focus on the dangerous situations that state workers have faced and to demonstrate the protections that we need on the job.

The Team proposed one article as a “rollover,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The rollover article is the following:

13.11.4 – Upward Mobility and Training

Additionally, they proposed two new articles. These articles are intended to address issues not covered in our current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

New Language – 10.XX.4 – Transport of Bodily Fluids/Specimens (Prohibits management from mandating Unit 4 to collect, handle, or transport bodily fluid/specimen)

New Language – 10.XXX.4 – Wellness and Recovery Time (Creates a mandatory 48-hour “off work/recovery” time when employees work 8 consecutive days or more than 200 hours in a pay period)

The first new language proposal on the Transport of Bodily Fluids/Specimens addresses the longstanding issue of Unit 4 employees being told to perform tasks outside their roles as Office & Allied Workers.

Unit 4 members are not trained in handling bodily fluids and cleaning up biohazards. “Our training is an overview of what an airborne or bloodborne pathogen is, not how to handle these samples,” said BUNC member Nicole Crist. “Our members are support staff. It’s not in our job scope to take vitals or patient history.”

Our proposal surrounding the wellness and recovery time is a response to ongoing calls from our members to address workload issues. “This came about because there is an increase in Unit 4 employees being mandated to do overtime work,” said BUNC Chair Karen Jefferies. “We wanted to make sure that our employees’ work-life balance could be respected.”

“Mandatory overtime creates burnout,” said Crist. “It’s long past time that this issue was addressed.”

A Tentative Agreement was reached on five (5) rollover articles:

13.11.4 – Upward Mobility and Training
13.35.4 – Employee Recognition and Morale Program – Franchise Tax Board (FTB), Board of Equalization (BOE), California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), and Office of Tax Appeals (OTA)
14.16.4 – Program Technician Classification Series
14.25.4 – Dispatcher Clerk/Dispatcher Clerk, Caltrans Classification Task Force Study
20.14.4 – Post and Bid Program for Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 4 (S.F. Bay Area)

Of these proposals, 13.11.4 – Upward Mobility was presented by the BUNC and accepted by the State in the same session, which shows the critical need for this language, and the ability of the BUNC team to push aggressively to ensure that important protections for Unit 4 employees are maintained.

“Upward mobility has been a long-time coming, and it’s something we needed to thoroughly address,” said Crist. “Karen and her commitment to this issue made sure that it was heard.”

“We want things to move on our table, and the State is on the same page with us on this,” said Jefferies. “We’re trying to make sure that we’re putting the things that our members are asking for across the table.”

Members will continue to lead the direction of negotiations with the State through worksite actions and member statements. “We want to bring our member’s voices into the room by bringing their statements and evidence to the table,” said BUNC Alternate Vice Chair Jose Eric Alcaraz.

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 4’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 9. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 4 – Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

The Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) for Office and Allied Workers represented by Local 1000 Bargaining Unit 4 went to the table with the State April 25^th for the second week of negotiations on unit-specific issues.

Unit 4 presented three articles as “rollovers,” proposing that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The rollover articles are the following:

13.7.4 – Performance Standards
13.35.4 – Employee Recognition and Morale Program (FTB, BOE, CDTFA, OTA)
20.14.4 – Post and Bid Unit 4 Caltrans in District 4 (San Francisco)

Additionally, we proposed two articles for language changes. The changes are intended to address issues previously identified as needing revision.

During our last bargaining negotiations, a Joint Labor Management Committee was agreed upon. The Lottery Scratcher Sales Bonus language has not been updated since the 1990s. Now, with the input of our Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) at the State Lottery, we were able to bring new recommendations to the table. With the recommendations of both parties at the JLMC about these changes, so the bargaining team is hopeful that the State recognizes this as a common-sense change. said Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) Chair Karen Jefferies.

Finally, the State agreed to one of our rollover articles, and thus, a “Tentative Agreement” was reached on one of our proposed articles:

9.18.4 – Caltrans Life Insurance

This article, maintaining the existing protections of CalTrans’s life insurance policy, is important to BU4 members and is a part of the essential safety net for workers across the state.

The State’s slow pace to return proposed articles and proposals to “clean up” articles has caused some concern for the Bargaining team. “It seems like the state is haste to make changes to our articles,” said BUNC Alternate Vice-Chair Jose Eric Alcaraz. In spite of these issues, the team is able to respond. By sending proposals as rapidly or slowly as the State is considering them, the team is able to make sure the state addresses these language changes, rather than letting them linger in limbo during this process. “We don’t want to sit back and wait for them to work through a ton of proposals.”

However, some of the proposed “cleanup” language creates an unbalanced agreement that does not help our members. “The state wants to change this language to something that would be more beneficial for management than our members, said BUNC member Terry Gray. “We are looking for an equal distribution of power with these language changes, and fair language that benefits both parties.

Proposed “cleanup” language from the State creates issues not only with the fairness of our contract, but affects the timing of bargaining. “The languages we passed over last week was easy for the State to agree to, but they decided they wanted to hold onto the proposals,” said Jefferies. “It’s only week two, but we’re sending over proposals with minor language changes. Their attempts to ‘clean up’ this language, reworded and chipped away at the intent and strength of the language. We continue to push back on this.”

Unit 4’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 2^nd. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Monday, April 18, 2023

The Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) for Office and Allied workers represented by Local 1000 Bargaining Unit 4 went to the table with the State on April 18 for the first day of negotiations on unit-specific issues.

The bargaining team knew that they were in for a fight. Karen Jefferies, Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) Chair for Unit 4 says “Right now, I see us as defending years of contract legacy, the protections that we’ve secured over the years. It’s important that the language we get reflects the spirit of the membership’s original demands.”

This bargaining session focused on six non-economic articles that covered language pertaining to upward mobility, Joint Labor Management Committees (JLMCs), task forces, and classification studies. These are crucial tools for state workers to take advantage of their training and expertise to develop their careers and maximize their time in state service.

The State’s negotiators were surprised when the BUNC pushed back against what they called “clean up” changes to the article language. “The State came in trying to clean up language that they didn’t understand and hadn’t studied,” said Jose Eric Alcaraz, BUNC Alternate Vice Chair. “These are hard-won protections, and our language wasn’t chosen lightly. We were able to make them understand why we’re fighting to defend it.”

The experience of SEIU Local 1000’s negotiators was clear. “I was 19 when I started with the state; I’m 43 now,” said Nickia Brisco, a BUNC member, and employee at the Department of Consumer Affairs. “Our experience working for the state exceeds theirs. That’s why we value that language. While we’re making progress toward a stronger contract, we need to remember nothing in our contract is there by default. We have to fight for all of it.”

The bargaining team presented a number of contract articles for “rollover,” a term used to describe parts of the contract that don’t require negotiation this cycle. The State agreed to roll over Article 5.16.4, which continues the Disability Determination Services Division JLMC. “We had good discussion and dialog,” said Alcaraz. “The chief negotiator listened and gave thoughtful responses. There’s an understanding that we both want Unit 4 to have progressive language, but it’s early, and in the end, it comes down to the language we agree on.”

Members of Unit 4 have made it clear that pay is our priority. “We’re going to have a battle over pay,” said Jefferies. “Unit 4 is the face and the backbone of the state. When the public utilizes state services their first contact with a state employee, it’s a Unit 4 classification, be it face-to-face or over the phone. There are only eight of us at the table, but we need to have all of our represented workers and the people they serve standing behind us.”

Unit 4’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for April 25. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s Bargaining Unit 1, 3, and 17 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Unit 11 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: Monday, May 22, 2023

Recognition of the working conditions and pay gaps facing the Scientific and Engineering Technicians continues to be a priority for our Unit 11 bargaining team, and today, we made a number of proposals that underscore our commitment to rewarding our represented employees in the face of a growing vacancy rate and the resultant workload pressures.

Today, we proposed Special Salary Adjustments (Article 11.1.11) for numerous classifications, notable among them: Transportation Engineering Technicians (TETs), Laboratory Assistants, the Water Resource Technician series, and Plant Quarantine Inspectors.

Fair treatment of our Unit 11 Water Resource Technician series and our TETs are two of our longest-standing battles, a priority in every contract campaign since 2002.

A cadre of Unit 11 members were on hand at today’s session to act as Subject Matter Experts in support of the significant pay raises we’re demanding: Greg Dixon, Arvin Lau, Mitch Miller, Albert Manfredini, Anne Hudson, Tammy Howze, and Aruna Abeygooneskera.

“The State is ignoring a growing problem in many key classifications,” said team member Albert Manfredini. “We’re losing employees who are changing jobs for better pay and more reasonable workloads.”

We proposed stronger language to increase the diving pay differential for TET workers who work underwater in often dangerous conditions.

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Ten different Unit 11 proposals remain unanswered by the state. “CalHR isn’t doing their share to move our negotiation forward,” said Unit 11 Chair Brad Willis. “Worse still, they’re not forthcoming why the delays continue.”

No bargaining is scheduled for next Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day). Unit 11 will return to the table in two weeks, on Monday, June 5. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: Monday, May 15, 2023

The Engineering and Scientific Technicians across the state—Unit 11—are facing high vacancy rates, overbearing workloads, and a lack of professional recognition. These are the key priorities our bargaining team has heard at town halls and in thousands of bargaining surveys.

Recruitment and retention of our professional members is paramount, particularly given a vacancy rate across Unit 11 that approaches 30%, with some classifications even higher.

And we continue to press the State negotiators for advancements that respect us, protect us, and pay us as well. Towards that end, many of our proposals are focused on changes and improvements in contract language, including increased education and training opportunities, review of a number of classifications, and more focus on recruitment and retention.

Todays’ bargaining session saw three contract sections presented to the State that focused on protection and pay. All three were “rollovers”—preserved rights granted by previous contract wins. We reached tentative agreement on two of those three sections today (indicated in bold type, below)

10.31.11 – Health and Safety Inspections
10.34.11 – Health and Safety Incentive Award Program - DWR
11.42.11 – Water Treatment Plant Differential

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Ten different proposals are still outstanding, and we are pushing the State to respond more quickly.

During today’s session, the State shared a brief announcement regarding its current efforts to create a new pay schedule for 300,000 state employees. This was a “for your information” reference only, and the State shared this website for additional information: California State Payroll System (CSPS) Project

Unit 11 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 22. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: Monday, May 8, 2023

Bargaining Unit 11—Engineering and Scientific Technicians—returned to the table today with the State to reinforce the high level of technical expertise and experience our job classifications demand.

Our focus was on differential pay that recognizes a wide range of required job expectations and unusual working conditions,” said Brad Willis, Unit 11 Chair. “These are just a few of the efforts we’re making in this contract cycle to recognize and reward our employees for their unique skills and certifications.

Unit 11 proposed revised language in Article 12.20.11 – Pest Control License -expanding it to include a $75 monthly differential for those whose job requirements demand a current license. This brings Unit 11 into parity with other bargaining units in the state whose represented employees already receive this differential.

In addition, we proposed to “rollover” three additional contract articles that provide differential pay. “Rollovers” are articles that remain unchanged from current language. These agreements keep in place hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns.

Article 11.45.1 – DNA Pay Differential – Department of Justice
Article 11.46.1 – Pile Load Testing Differential
Article 11.47.1 – Climbing Pay

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Other proposals from previous sessions are still in play; we did have a productive table discussion about our proposal to strengthen language about the 20/20 program. The State is showing signs of interest in our hopes to provide a reliable opportunity for Unit 11 members to integrate education into their individual development program and to facilitate their upward mobility.

Unit 11 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 15. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: Monday, May 1, 2023

Our Bargaining Unit 11’s efforts today included proposals that would strengthen language governing our labor management committee, upward mobility for Unit 11 members, and two additional proposals affecting the laboratory assistants we represent.

A new contract proposal presented today would solve some long-standing classification and job description issues for four different Laboratory Assistants, who do distinct types of work in prisons, at Fish and Wildlife, and for the public health system. They have different job duties, yet their job specs are 40+ years old and need updating.

“We’ve been talking about this much-needed boost for Lab Assistants since the 2016 contract cycle, and the State’s team responded, agreeing it was time to fix this,” said Brad Willis, Unit 11 Chair. “We want a joint effort between Local 1000 and the State to respect their work with proper classification and compensation.”

Today, we also proposed an increase in the differential for those laboratory assistants who perform phlebotomy as part of their job description. The $125 monthly amount hasn’t changed in 18 years, while wages have nearly doubled. Thus, we’re asking for an increase to $250, which represents approximately 5% of current wages.

Joint labor management committees are powerful tools we use to continue the effort to improve wages and working conditions between contract cycles; today we proposed language to strengthen article 5.15.11, which governs the JLMC for Unit 11.

“Our goal is to re-focus the JLMC to address some much needed and thorough review of classifications and compensation,” said Unit Chair Willis. “We can’t solve a rampant vacancy problem without the improvements in recruitment and retention that come from these reviews.”

We’re pressing for stronger language in Article 13.31.11, which governs the 20/20 program. Many of our Unit 11 members hope to advance their contributions to their job. We’re seeing too many requests for this program denied by the state; we hope a re-write will make this available to more Unit 11 employees.

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 11 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 8. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: April 24, 2023

Our Unit 11 bargaining team—representing Engineering and Scientific Technicians across the state—met with State negotiators for the second time, continuing to lay an important foundation that will result in better recognition for Unit 11’s represented employees.

“We’re driving home the demand for competitive wages and benefits for Unit 11,” said Brad Willis, Unit 11 Bargaining Chair. “We’re proud of the vital services we provide, but a high vacancy rate creates workloads that affect our ability to do our job.”

At today’s session, our team presented a proposal increasing the differential paid to the hundreds of Unit 11 members who hold a commercial driver’s license and use it as part of their job requirements. Article 11.41.11—the Commercial Driver’s License Differential—has not been changed since 1999. Currently, at $155, the new language calls for an increase to $300.

Five different “rollover” contract articles were also presented, representing language that remains unchanged from previous contracts. Our team and the State reached a tentative agreement on four of them:

11.40.11 – Operational Availability Incentive Program – DWR
13.13.11 – Professional Certification or Registration
13.14.11 – Special Certification Requirements – Caltrans
13.15.11 – Technician Rotation – Caltrans

One additional article (13.10.11, Education and Training) was also submitted as a rollover, but no agreement was reached today because of the length of that article.

Unit 11 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 1. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: April 17, 2023

In the first day of bargaining unit-specific negotiations, the Unit 11 team—representing Engineering and Scientific Technicians— met with State representatives, propelled by a real focus on the demand for greater respect and increased pay that’s commensurate for the work they do.

Laying the groundwork for a successful contract for Unit 11 employees, Bargaining Unit 11 Chair Brad Willis described the unique work they perform for all Californians and the critical role they play. “We design, build and maintain the state’s major thoroughfares, we move the state’s water from north to south, provide medical testing support for public health, and much more.”

“Unit 11 is at a critical juncture,” added Willis. “Our job demands great technical expertise, but the State’s failure to recognize us with competitive wages and benefits finds us at extreme vacancy rates, causing unreasonable workloads.” With that as a prelude, the Unit 11 team will focus on the retention as well as recruitment of the skilled professionals necessary to provide these vital services.

On April 17, our team reached a tentative agreement on three rollover articles: one that provides a substantial life insurance benefit for a range of Unit 11 employees (Article 9.18.11); one that provides ongoing Health and Safety education and training for Unit 11 (Article 10.5.11); and one that compels the State to report all cases to law enforcement involving assault and/or battery of Unit 11 prison employees or those performing inspections for the ARB or CDFA (Article 10.18.11).

“Rollovers” are articles that remain unchanged from the current language, and these agreements keep in place hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns.

Unit 11 returns to the table next week, on Monday, April 24. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Unit 14 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

After a short holiday break, the Unit 14 team returned to the bargaining table today to represent our print tradespeople in the fight for a fair contract that respects, protects, and pays all SEIU Local 1000 workers a fair wage.

We presented three proposals today, two of which were rollover proposals featuring hard-earned rights won in previous contracts:

19.9.14 Exchange of Time Off – Multi-Shift Operations (Unit 14)
19.13.14 Overtime Assignment for Workweek Group II (WWG2) Employees (Unit 14)

“Section 19.13.14 is significant because in previous negotiations, the State actually proposed to take this away from our Unit 14 workers,” said Unit 14 Chair and Printing Process and Operations Planner Robert Vega. “We’ve had problems in the past when equipment operators were asked to put in overtime. Managers would often assign lower classification employees to perform the work in order to save money. This strong union language allows us to maintain this benefit for WWG2 employees and ensure the distribution of overtime continues to be based on seniority. That would be a big win for us.”

Unit 14 also proposed one section of new language today:

14.7.14 Assignment of Duties Normally Performed by Bargaining Unit Employees (Unit 14)

The benefit of section 14.7.14 begins with the fact that Unit 14 is specifically excluded from the Master Table language, so the team proposed to strengthen it by adding in some additional requirements for notification to the Union within this section. Specifically, the team asked that the State provide the basic information that the Union would have to request within an information request after receiving the notice.

In essence, that means the State would be required to tell us that they intend to do something that may negatively impact our workers. In addition, they would be required to do the research prior to noticing us regarding who is impacted, how they are impacted, what is causing the impact, and how that work will change—and for all of this to be contained in the notice. These measures would allow us to minimize response times to our employees so that they can quickly provide us with their opinion on any decision we might make in turn.

But the best news of the day might have been that the State presented four rollover articles to the team. “That’s reason itself for us to be excited,” said Ed Page, a Print Processing and Operations Planner at OSP. “However, we’re disappointed that the State has still not responded to many of our outstanding proposals.”

Unit 14 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, June 6. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

The Unit 14 team continued their efforts to advance the needs of their print tradespeople by presenting four rollover proposals on sections 11.51.14, 11.55.14, 14.17.14, and 14.18.14

The team also reached tentative agreement on four contract sections, including 14.17.14 and 14.18.14, along with two new language proposals — “Classification Review of Printing Trade Specialist Trainee” and “Classification Review of Digital Print Operator.”

“The two new language proposals that the State agreed to are a significant victory for the Unit 14 team and the print tradespeople we represent,” said Unit 4 Chair and Printing Process and Operations Planner Robert Vega. “We’ve had long-standing issues with each of these classifications, especially the Printing Trade Specialist Trainee. It’s a very low paid, entry level classification, and the State has begun to use it as a utility position within the DGS and OSP printing floor operation.”

“They’re over-utilizing these people to do an increasing large number of tasks, essentially using them as a stop gap to fill vacancies rather than hiring other classifications,” added Howard Hall, Webfed Offset Press Operator III. “We need to ensure that our workers are only doing the work they’re hired to do and have the ability to move up as they increase their skills.”

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

It’s also important to note that all four of the TAs that the team reached today were classification reviews of different classifications. That means the State agreed that all four classifications are in need of additional attention and require joint review; the language we added allows us to create individual committees to do so. The committees will include four members of Local 1000 and four members from the State, who will work together to resolve long-standing issues within these classifications.

While the team is working hard to make it clear to the State why we need — and merit — special salary adjustments, it’s equally important that all printing trade specialist trainees understand that the team has heard and is working hard to address the challenges you’re having at work.

“The discussion we had today relieves a lot of anxiety and anxiousness surrounding the delays we’re facing with the State,” said Ed Page, a Print Processing and Operations Planner at OSP. “But there are more challenges ahead.”

To read about what happened in Tuesday’s Bargaining Unit 1, 3, 4, and 17 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

The Unit 14 bargaining team took a different approach to their contract negotiation with the State by meeting on-site at the Office of State Publishing (OSP) with representatives from CalHR and the Department of Finance along with several other individuals from the State team.

The team proceeded to lead the group on a tour of the facility, explaining the equipment utilized at the OSP, the classification and individuals operating the equipment—what they do, how it fits together, and how the team is instrumental in creating the finished product. Unit 14 members who participated in the tour include:

Robert Vega, Printing Process and Operations Planner
Howard Hall, Webfed Offset Press Operator III
Edward Page, Printing Process and Operations Planner
Sam Rice, Senior Union Representative

The State’s team was appreciative of the tour and responsive to the conditions unit 14 members work in and the product they produce. The state representatives were able to see items come off the press as well as folded and bound finished pamphlets and informational guides and followed up with numerous questions. Later in the afternoon, Unit 14 chair Robert Vega and the team met with the State and submitted one proposal:=

11.1.14 – Special Salary Adjustment (Unit 14)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

The Unit 14 team was joined by five subject matter experts who are not currently members of the Unit 14 Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC), and together the team submitted a proposal for a 5% across-the-board raise for all classifications in Unit 14. This would be in addition to any general salary increase Local 1000 workers hope to receive as a whole. The Bargaining Unit Subject Matter Experts for this contract are:

Jeff Fowler, Graphic Designer III
Britton Sarmento, Digital Composition Specialist III
Ramone Romero, Book Binder IV
Jean Pierre Correa, Sheetfed Offset Press Operator V
Howard Hall, Webfed Offset Press Operator III
Jason Hettrick, Printing Plant Machinist
Mitchel Gamez, Printing Trade Specialist Trainee
Edward Page, Printing Process and Operations Planner

The rationale behind the proposal is based on the fact that Unit 14 personnel were required to work in-person throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, recruitment and retention continue to be problematic due to low wages, leading to high vacancy rates. Several members of the team also shared their experiences, from having to work overtime to make up the difference for unfilled staff positions to having to work second jobs to pay their rent.

“We want to thank the OSP personnel who stepped up to make the facility presentation such a success,” said Unit 14 chair Vega. “The tour set the stage for our subject matter experts. Afterward, the state was able to directly correlate between what we do and what we’re asking for.”

“The value, dedication, and loyalty that we provide to the state was on full display today,” added Ed Page, a Print Processing and Operations Planner at OSP. “The people who work here are because they want to be here. We take pride in our jobs, the work we perform, and our ability to rise above the unforeseen obstacles that have stood in our way. But we also feel like we deserve to be paid for that loyalty and the hardships we’ve overcome.”

To read about what happened in Tuesday’s Bargaining Unit 1, 3, 4, and 17 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Led by Bargaining Chair Robert Vega, the Unit 14 Bargaining team met with the State again on Tuesday, May 9, to negotiate a contract that respects, protects, and pays our print trades workers a fair wage.

In today’s negotiating session, Vega and his colleagues presented four proposals along with two rollover proposals to the state. “Rollovers” are articles that remain unchanged from the current language. These agreements keep in place hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. Today’s Unit 14 rollover articles included:

Article 11.52.14 – M1000 Skill Pay Differential (Unit 14)
Article 11.53.14 – HP10,000 Skill Pay Differential (Unit 14)

The BU 14 team also presented two new language proposals to the State, each a request for a special classification review and each unique in their own right; one is for a Printing Trade Specialist Trainee series (PTSTs) and the other a proposal for a Digital Print Operator series (DPOs).

The Printing Trade Specialist Trainee series has been a low-paid position within Unit 14 that has been utilized to a large degree as a utility position. The State currently pays them a lower wage in order to gain more efficiency, to the detriment of the facility and the individuals. With this proposal, Unit 14 is seeking to outline pathways for those individuals to achieve greater upward mobility.

The work for the Digital Print Operator series has changed dramatically, and these workers are now asked to do significantly more work. Not surprisingly, this has caused a correspondingly large 30% vacancy rate.

With the four additional Tentative Agreements (TAs) on rollover language proposed today and four from the prior meeting, BU 14 has now signed 8 TAs total.

The bargaining team is looking forward to next week when they will host the State of California negotiating team on a site visit at DGS OSP, where the State will see what we do and what our working conditions are like in person.

Following the tour, the teams will meet in the afternoon to present substantive economic proposals to the State.

“The leaders of our bargaining team deserve a lot of credit for how they presented the new proposals,” added Ed Page, a Print Processing and Operations Planner at OSP. “They were very well received, and we’re looking forward to this translating into better outcomes for all of our workers.”

To read about what happened in Tuesday’s Bargaining Unit 1, 3, 4, and 17 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

The Unit 14 Bargaining team met with the State for their first 2023 contract negotiation session on Tuesday, April 25, as part of SEIU Local 1000’s effort to win a good contract for our 96,000 workers.

Led by Chair Robert Vega, this marked BU 14’s first bargaining session with the State in 2023, as their initial session was canceled by CalHR due to a scheduling conflict. In recognition, the team began the session with short individual introductions and explanations of their various job duties.

The team then presented eight (8) proposals. These included:

5.14.14 – BU 14 Upward Mobility Joint Labor Management Committee (Unit 14)
8.22.14 – Vacation Calendar (Unit 14)
9.19.14 – Light/Limited Duty Assignments (Unit 14)
10.8.14 – Protective Clothing Program at Office of State Publishing (OSP) (Unit 14)

Of the eight, the two sides agreed to sign Tentative Agreements (rollover existing contract language with no changes) on the following four (4):

2.4.14 – Distribution of Literature (Unit 14)
3.3.14 – Union Label (Unit 14)
5.13.14 – INTENTIONALLY EXCLUDED
5.18.14 – Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) – Office of State Publishing (OSP) (Unit 14)

The most significant of these is the Printing Trades Union Label, which serves as a physical representation of the service Unit 14 workers provide.

As the session came to a close, the Unit 14 team tried a different tactic by inviting the CalHR team to a worksite visit for the next negotiating session on May 9. The CalHR team accepted the invitation, an important gesture in itself, and agreed to hold the next meeting at the DGS OSP worksite.

“We feel like we might have started something that could be good for other negotiating units to utilize,” said Ed Page, a Print Processing and Operations Planners at OSP. “They don’t actually know what we do, so seeing it in person could lend greater context to our upcoming conversations.”

Plans call for Vega to give a brief tour of the floor to familiarize the State with our working conditions. Following the tour, the teams will meet in the afternoon to discuss additional proposals.

To read about what happened in Tuesday’s Bargaining Unit 1, 3, 4, and 17 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Unit 15 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, May 22, 2023

After consulting with their Master Table bargaining team colleagues last week, the Bargaining Unit 15 team met with the State for the fifth time to work on pass backs and hear counter offers on proposals the team has brought to the State in previous sessions.

The team presented one new proposal and three rollover proposals. The new proposal is:

13.11.15 Joint Labor Management Committee on Upward Mobility and Career Development (Unit 15)

This proposal retains all the old language for this committee while adding several departments to make it more inclusive, bring more people to the table, and increase worker access to upward mobility. To do so, we are adding the following departments: the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and the California Conservation Corps (CCC)

We also reached Tentative Agreement on three rollover proposals, including:

14.12.15 Custodian Equipment (Unit 15)
15.4.15 Employee Opportunity Transfer (Unit 15)
13.23.15 CDCR Training (Juvenile Programs) (Unit 15)

Local 1000 and the State have gone back and forth about proposing to eliminate the language in 13.23.15. The juvenile programs have as yet not been eliminated, and until those programs are officially removed, the Unit 15 Team is insistent that the language will remain.

“We need to have economic discussions at the unit table in order to know what to propose for Tentative Agreement at the master table,” said Eric Murray, Bargaining Unit 15 Chair. As Murray pointed out, bargaining ground rules allow the State to deliver counter proposals on economics at the unit tables. However, only tentative agreements on economics need to be elevated and reached at the Master table. So, while it is important for economic discussions to take place at the unit tables to narrow down the issues sent to the master table, rejections of economics may take place at the unit table.

If the State is claiming any economic proposal, even a rollover—the hard-earned rights we’ve won in previous campaigns—it is considered a “new cost.” When this occurs, the State needs to be costing the unit proposals and bringing Department of Finance to the unit table to discuss.

If the State is looking to make changes to any of our current differential language in relation to the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA), the State needs to provide this counter as well.

The State has had eighteen months from the date when we were notified to conduct the research that demonstrates there is a legal necessity to change the status of any specific differential. Unless the State can prove changes are legally necessary, Local 1000 and the Unit 15 team has no intention of changing this language. “We are willing to meet as long as it takes to make movement with the Unit 15 proposals,” reiterated Murray. “It’s on the State to make the counter for us to be able to respond.”

“We need to get some of these financial proposals back from the State,” said Garth Underwood, BU 15 Vice Chair and a CDCR Correctional Supervising Cook at Ironwood State Prison. “We can’t move anything much further until we start to see their counter offers. Unit 15 workers are the lowest paid employees in Local 1000, so the most important thing for allied service workers like us is money. The members have spoken. We need to see a significant raise.”

Unit 15’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for June 5 due to the Memorial Day holiday. On Tuesday, May 23, bargaining units 1, 3, 4, 14, and 17 will once again meet with the State. Master table negotiations resume on Wednesday, May 24.

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, May 15, 2023

Bargaining Unit 15, representing allied service workers from across the state, returned to the table today with the State to reiterate the importance of maintaining a high level of health and safety for our incarcerated population as well as the state employees serving them.

The Unit 15 team reached a tentative agreement on rollover language for the section 13.31.15 20/20 programs (Unit 15).

Redirects (BU 15)
The second proposal Unit 15 made to the State involves section XX.XX.XX – Redirects (Unit 15). The intent speaks to an issue that has arisen in Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) meetings regarding what has become an expectation for cooks to oversee food preparation and cooking while simultaneously maintaining quality control standards in multiple kitchens. The issue has arisen primarily due to chronic staff shortages, with what staff we do have being asked to do double duty.

“It’s not only a health and safety issue,” said unit chair Eric Murray. “It’s a food integrity issue as well. Asking our cooks to cover two or more groups of inmates at the same time unnecessarily puts all inmates at risk of food illness or injury. It’s difficult to supervise a meal for 500-1000 inmates. It’s impossible to be redirected—and held accountable to state standards—for twice that number.”

The rationale is simple. Unit 15 employees that work in a CDCR or CCHCS institution that have successfully bid for a position shall not be redirected from that position. If it becomes necessary to redirect under extreme emergencies, management shall fill the position with a 1^st line supervisor first. However, if this is not possible, the post shall be filled by an employee who is working in a management-owned position. If it becomes necessary to redirect a BU 15 employee from their union post, management will follow the inverse seniority rotation.

Unit 15’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 22. On Tuesday, May 16, bargaining units 1, 3, 4, 14, and 17 will once again meet with the State. Master table negotiations resume on Wednesday, May 17.

To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, May 8, 2023

The Bargaining Unit 15 Negotiating Committee returned to the bargaining table on Monday, May 8, 2023, to demand the State of California respect, protect, and pay our allied service workers.

The debate was lively—and productive—as the team proposed and reached Tentative Agreement (TA) on several items and presented several additional important proposals to the State. The TAs included:

Article 10.9.15 – Safety Equipment and Safety Glasses/Goggles (Unit 15)
Article 21.26.15 – Custodial Routes (Unit 15)

The Tentative Agreement on Article 10.9.15 in particular represents a huge win for our 4,500+ SEIU Local 1000 civil service custodians, laundry workers, supervising cooks, and food service workers in California prisons and other state institutions.

The team was able to “rollover” the language with the stipulation that BU 15 employees can ask for additional safety equipment such as freezer gear coats. This means the higher authorities are recognizing that these are reasonable requests, and they will respond to them in a timely manner. Plus, if our Unit 15 workers are at a facility that holds safety meetings, our workers can address the issue directly with the Labor Relations Advocate (LRA) on site.

BU 15 Chair Eric Murray and the team also proposed new language for Article 21.26.15 that covered Section B. The State responded that when feasible, in the event of unanticipated staff shortages where staff are covering shortages in addition to those normally assigned, departments may initiate a modified cleaning program. “When feasible” is critically important because up to this point, the State has been utilizing our custodians to cover multiple routes, and now this new language opens up overtime to cover the routes or it becomes a modified route to cover minimal needs. This will relieve a significant burden for the worker in question.

Unit 15 made three additional proposals to the State, including:

Article 19.14.15 – Overtime Distribution for Employees (CDCR – Adult Programs) (Unit 15)
Article XX.XX.XX In Service Training Overtime (Unit 15)
Article 10.25.15 – Infectious Disease Control (Unit 15)
Article 11.16.15 – Cooks Classification (Unit 15) – rollover agreement proposal
Article 13.19.15 – State-Required Training (Unit 15) – rollover agreement proposal

“19.14.15 is an example of the important language we are implementing for our CSC’s working in the correction environment,” said Garth Underwood, BU 15 Vice Chair and a CDCR Correctional Supervising Cook at Ironwood State Prison. “It always has and always will be an issue. This proposal will correctly address a majority of the correction issues for our supervising cooks, and it shows that seniority matters.”

While fairly simple, 19.14.15 includes important clarifying language, including but not limited to the following changes:

In Section A, we remove “will endeavor to” and replace with “shall” reduce the amount of mandatory overtime.
In Section B, we recommend replacing “will” with “shall” be considered.
In Section C, we clarify and define the beginning and end of an employee’s RDO.
In Section D, we again remove “will” and replace with “shall” be required. We are moving two (2) “double” replacing with overtime shifts of any length within the employee’s scheduled workweek. No changes to Sections E, F, or G.
In Section H, we remove “will endeavor to” and replace with “shall” afford overtime…

You can read further details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

XX.XX.XX IST Overtime is a completely new concept for BU 15 that has been used by other units working within the California Department of Corrections (CDCR). As is generally acknowledged, Unit 15 classifications that work and attend IST in CDCR institutions post and bid for their spots. This process guarantees the employee their RDOs, shifts, and yard they work on. However, some management teams randomly remove their employees from their shifts and adjust employee RDOs to ensure IST attendance. While employee training may be conducted during regular work hours or during the employee’s off-duty hours, we strongly believe employees should be compensated for their time, and no adjustments should be made unless the employee is requesting this change.

The team made an additional proposal for overtime checks that was rejected. The reason given by the State is as follows:

Due to the fact that we are transitioning to bi-weekly pay, the State does not want to add contract language that references the new system and thus potentially affects our overtime language. Per the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), there is no requirement that an overtime check has to be delivered by the 15th of the month. However, the California State Payroll (CSP) system will strive to do so.

Unit 15’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 15. On Tuesday, May 9, bargaining units 1, 3, 4, 14, and 17 will return to the table. Master table negotiations resume on Wednesday, May 10.

To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, May 1, 2023

On Monday, May 1, 2023, the Unit 15 Bargaining team once again met with the State in an effort to get the 4,500+ hard-working SEIU Local 1000 allied service workers across California the respect, workplace protection, and pay they deserve.

The team proposed and reached Tentative Agreement (TA) on the following two rollover language items:

9.19.15 – Light/Limited Duty Assignments (Unit 15)
10.34.15 – Building Temperature During Night Shift (Unit 15)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 15 made one additional proposal to the State:

19.13.15 Overtime Distribution for Employees (Excluding CDCR-Adult Programs) (Unit 15)

The team began by explaining the importance of this proposal, a point not lost on BU 15 members. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that this proposal is every bit as important as money to our allied service workers,” said BU 15 Chair Eric Murray.

The proposal itself is fairly simple, with the team working to keep the original intent of this language while clarifying and making the language more definitive, including:

Adding new language in Section A stating that management shall utilize the voluntary system before resorting to the involuntary system.
Removing “endeavor to” from the language in Section C, which states the department shall refrain from assigning employees mandatory overtime on the employee’s Regular Day Off (RDO). In this same section, the team detailed the beginning and end of an employee’s RDO.
Changing the language in Section D from “(2) double shifts” to “overtime shifts of any length” within the employee’s scheduled workweek.

Sections E, F, and G remain unchanged.

While the conversation between the State and BU 15 has been professional and productive, Murray was quick to share the credit. “While we’ve given some impactful statements, the work our members and leadership team has done is responsible for getting us to this point. We’ve had these conversations in our Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) meetings, so discussing mandatory overtime and overtime distribution is not something new. The State knows what we’re talking about and they know it’s a problem. There’s only so much overtime our employees can work,” added Murray, a sentiment the State seemed to take to heart.

Unit 15’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 8. On Tuesday, May 2, bargaining units 1, 3, 4, 14, and 17 will return to the table. Master table negotiations resume on Wednesday, May 3.

To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, April 24, 2023

The Unit 15 Bargaining team, led by Chair Eric Murray, once again met with the State on Monday, April 24. It was a difficult but productive day for the team, which signed seven Tentative Agreements (TAs) and presented numerous high priority proposals demanding that the State show the 4,500+ SEIU Local 1000 allied service workers across the state the monetary respect they deserve.

Joseph Kochetta, a custodian who has worked for the California Department of General Services (DGS) for seven (7) years and now works in the crime lab, spelled out his value loud and clear while discussing the hardships he faces on a daily basis. “We’re not unskilled labor,” said Kochetta. “We have a multitude of training processes that we go through, including Covid-related, in order to keep the labs clean and safe for the technicians. We deal with blood and air-borne pathogens, and if we don’t do things the right way, evidence gets thrown out.”

“We supervise inmate workers by guiding and training them,” added Murray. “We prepare them for their future outside of prison by giving them a solid job skill to be productive members of society.”

The team presented several proposals, including:

12.11.15 Uniform replacement Allowance (Unit 15)
- Moved $1,000 uniform allowance
- $200 tax-free shoe allowance
- Allocates $1,500 for CSC’s
- California Prison Industry Authority (PIA) Custodians to receive a set amount of uniforms
21.26.15 Custodial Routes (Unit 15)
- The team added a new paragraph that addresses staff shortages to ensure departments include a modified cleaning program when short of staff to prevent multiple duties during their scheduled shifts. Custodial staff is currently asked to cover other areas, leading to back-to-back eight (8) hour shifts in one day.
11.XX.15 Special Salary Adjustments (Custodial Alternative Range for Medical Cleaning (Unit 15)
- This proposal features new language that eliminates the requirements of supervisors to add paperwork to time cards to prove inmates are wards, thus streamlining the process. The proposal also adds $110 to inmate supervision pay.
11.1.15 Special Salary Adjustments (Unit 15)
- For custodians who work in 24-hour facilities, our position is that this work is more technical and complex than more traditional office-based custodial duties and merits higher pay. Our 24- hour custodians do a higher-level cleaning and require a higher level of skill due to the deeper hospital-level cleaning their job calls for.
  
  The team proposed that the whole unit be uplifted 30% beginning on July 1, 2023. This reflects the difficulty in attracting and retaining employees because of the low pay in our classes.

The team also presented several rollover agreements, signaling our desire to leave the existing language unchanged and thus retain the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. These agreements include:

8.24.15 DDS Vacation Scheduling System for Common Level of Care (LOC) Nursing Staff in Bargaining Unit 15
11.22.15 INTENTIONALLY EXCLUDED
10.14.15 Personal Alarms-CDCR (Unit 15)
10.16.15 Alarm System: DDS and DSH (Unit 15)
10.20.15 Active Treatment Crisis Management, Therapeutic Strategies and Interventions Training or Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, (CPI) (Unit 15)
13.18.15 Employee Group Meeting (Unit 15)
19.33.15 Call-in Procedures (Unit 15)

The team also reported back to the State on the severity of their plight as a whole. “There is something horribly wrong with this picture,” said Susanna Redfearn, a Correctional Supervising Cook at Avenal State Prison. “How can an employee of the fourth largest economy in the world be threatened with homelessness? But the sobering truth is a lot of state employees face this threat every day. Making decisions on whether they put food on their table, pay a utility bill, or go to the doctor and pay for their medications. How is this even acceptable by those who have the power to change it, yet haven’t?”

“We took a 10% cut in pay while private sector grocery workers received a 10% raise during Covid,“ added Pete Garza, a Correctional Supervising Cook at Valley State Prison who has worked for the state for 19 years and never seen a significant raise.

Unit 15’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 1. On Tuesday, April 25, bargaining units 1, 3, 4, 14, and 17 will hold their second sessions at the table. Master table negotiations resume on Wednesday, May 3.

To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, April 17, 2023

On Monday, April 17, Bargaining Unit 15 met with State for the first time in 2023 to lift up the concerns of over 4,500 allied service workers across the state. The inaugural session was led by Bargaining Unit 15 Chair Eric Murray, who opened by making a heartfelt plea to the State concerning the value Unit 15 brings.

“All of our proposals that we will be presenting to you over the next several weeks are very meaningful and important to our membership and my team. Some may seem strange or exotic to your team, but they are very meaningful for our workers.” Murray’s words seemed to resonate well, and the State responded that they will seek to understand our unit issues, will ask for clarification if they don’t understand, and will consider all of the proposals we present.

The session featured two Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) Tentative Agreements (TA) that were not rollover language:

JLMC TA 5.16.15 applies to custodians and features clean-up language that adds new groups to the negotiating table for the first time, including custodians working for:
- CA Highway Patrol
- Employment Development Department
- CA State Lottery
- CA Dept. of Education
- Dept. of Motor Vehicles
- Dept. of Developmental Services
JLMC TA 5.18.15 applies to food service workers. Within our contract, we have two separate languages – one for the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) and one for everyone else. This TA adds the following departments to the latter group:
- CalVet
- CA Department of Education
- CA Conservation Corps
- CA Highway Patrol
- Department of Developmental Services
- Department of State Hospitals
This TA is also more inclusive in nature due to the fact that it adds one more representative seat to the non-service food workers

In addition to the Tentative Agreements, several subject matter experts came to the table to tell their stories to the State in person.

Karen Maddox-Long, who works for the Departmental of General Services (DGS) as a custodian within the LA metro area, told a poignant story that left listeners in tears. “The hiring process is so hard, it’s impossible to hire people. That means I end up cross-covering multiple jobs. We’re the backbone of the state. If we didn’t do what we do, the state — you — wouldn’t be sitting in a clean office.”

“My parking costs alone come to $880 a month, which is nearly half of my paycheck,” added Bill Suhar, who works for the DGS in Riverside.

Unit 15’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for April 24. On Tuesday, April 18, Bargaining units 1,3, 4, 14, and 17 will hold their first sessions at the table. Master table negotiations resume on Wednesday, April 19.

To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Unit 17 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

As Unit 17 returns to the table once again to negotiate with the State, our bargaining team is fighting to solve the urgent problems faced by Registered Nurses and make their needs a priority at the table.

Unit 17’s bargaining session opened with a presentation from a subject matter expert, Dr. Taffany Hwang, who presented the troubling situation facing nurses in state service. Rising separation rates, which have led to high vacancy rates are crippling nurse’s ability to provide high-standard quality care to California’s vulnerable population. Overworked, underpaid, and undervalued, nurses are burnt out and need solutions now.

“Our focus today was upward mobility and compensation, and we have proposed major reforms,” said Vanessa Seastrong, Unit 17 Chair. “These issues have plagued nurses throughout the last three years leading to separation rates above the national average and crisis-level vacancy rates.”

The new language sections proposed today address some of the most critical issues facing nurses.

Unit 17 proposed the following three sections of the new language today:

11.X.17 Salary Adjustments (Unit 17)
11.17.17 Recruitment and Retention Differential (R&R) (Unit 17)
13.11.17 Nursing and Upward Mobility Joint Labor Management Committee (Unit 17)

Responding to the State’s concerns voiced at Mandatory Overtime Committees last year, Unit 17 proposed language to automatically implement a recruitment and retention differential of $800 for any department that has a vacancy rate of 20% or greater.

“We believe this will help departments that are understaffed by improving retention and compensating overworked nurses,” said team member Sheila Coonan.

Unit 17 also proposed an article today that recognizes and addresses the cost-of-living crisis impacting nurses.

“Nursing should be seen as an attractive position in state service,” said Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “We want the state to show the value of these positions by raising salaries to compete with private sector wages. Fair pay is vital to nurses, leading to safer staffing and patient care.”

Unit 17 proposed a 15% salary adjustment, in addition to whatever GSI is ultimately reached at the Master Table. The bargaining team is continuing to focus on raising the wages of nurses who have been underpaid and undervalued for far too long.

Implementing an upward mobility ladder would help retain experienced nurses by giving them opportunities to advance within Unit 17 and to mentor coworkers.

“Dr. Hwang did a very good job identifying the issues in upward mobility in her classification, as a Nurse Consultant III,” said team member Felicia Barbato. “In general, it’s hard for a lot of nurses to have opportunities to advance in their classifications without having to go into management or leave the state.”

While our Unit 17 bargaining team continues to negotiate with the State, we continue to prioritize the demands voiced by registered nurses at the table.

Today, the State reached a tentative agreement on the following sections:

9.21.17 Reasonable Accommodation (Unit 17)
10.7.17 Protective Clothing and Equipment (Unit 17)
10.38.17 Rest Areas (Unit 17)
13.25.17 Mandatory Training (Unit 17)
19.6.17 Show Up Time (Unit 17)
19.16.17 Change in Shift Assignment (Unit 17)
19.17.17 Mixed Shift Work Weeks (Unit 17)
19.19.17 Work Week Group (WWG) Definitions (Unit 17)
21.19.17 Nursing Policy and Procedures Manual (Unit 17)

Additionally, Unit 17 received the State’s counter proposal on the following section:

10.11.17 Hazardous Materials (Unit 17)

The State proposed one rollover section to the union at today’s bargaining session:

10.37.17 Wellness Programs (Unit 17)

“In the next four sessions of bargaining, we hope to see counterproposals offered and tentative agreements reached on our outstanding article sections,” said Seastrong.

Unit 17 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, June 6. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

While Unit 17 continues to negotiate with the State, our bargaining team is making sure that the voices and needs of Registered Nurses are a priority at the table.

Today’s bargaining session began with our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Two nurse practitioners joined the bargaining team to present the justification for their proposed 30-40% pay increase.

In addition, four rank-and-file Health Facilities Evaluator Nurses (HFENs) from across the state provided background on the work they do to serve the most vulnerable members of the public, sharing heartfelt stories from their work experiences. They spoke on the issues they face in their work environment, including a 23% vacancy rate, ongoing backlogs, and low salaries.

“Our members are passionate about these issues,” said bargaining team member Sheila Coonan. “We want to voice their demands at the bargaining table.”

The State needs to provide its Registered Nurses a livable wage. Our proposals today address the financial gap experienced by HFENs. HFENs from across the state are sent to Los Angeles to help relieve the backlog. While there, they work alongside LA County nurses in the same classification while making 30% less.

“Very rarely are HFENs in Los Angeles long enough to take advantage of the travel incentive,” said bargaining team member Felicia Barbato. “We have proposed expanding the verbiage so all HFENs sent to LA will reap the benefits they’ve earned.”

Additionally, nurses required to wear professional attire have never had a clothing allowance in spite of the financial difficulties they have incurred.

“We are representing the state in our work environment, and we need to be professionally dressed,” said Barbato. “The state needs to provide a reasonable allowance for RNs to be prepared for work.”

Nurse practitioners have not had a special salary adjustment since 2006. Because of this, their wages are not comparable to the private sector.

In order to make up all these differences in compensations across these three classifications, BU 17 passed three financial proposals today to the State:

11.1.17 – Special Salary Adjustments (Unit 17) – 30%
11.59.17 – Health Facilities Evaluator Nurse LA County Travel Incentive –

California Department of Public Health (Unit 17) – $167 per day

12.X.17 – Professional Clothing Allowance (Unit 17) – $450 per year

The state offered Tentative Agreements for the following rollover sections:

2.4.17 - Distribution of Union Information (Unit 17)
5.17.17 – Classification Recruitment and Retention Committee (Unit 17)
14.20.17 – Classification Reviews (Unit 17)

Our team has made it very clear to the State that movement at the table is crucial. “We are waiting for responses to a remaining 60 proposed article sections,” said Vanessa Seastrong, Unit 17 Chair. “These need to be addressed in the next 4 weeks of bargaining.”

Unit 17 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, May 30. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

As we enter another week of bargaining with the State for a contract that respects, protects, and pays the workers who have kept California running, our Bargaining Unit 17 team returned to the table on May 16.

In spite of the number of articles that were considered today, the pace of negotiations still must remain high to address all sections that must be approved. “We will see movement forward if the State will provide counter proposals for article sections we have submitted, allowing negotiations to actually begin,” said BU 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong.

Unit 17 proposed the following remaining rollover article sections:

·         8.25.17 – DSH Vacation Scheduling
·         13.18.17 - Professional Practice Groups
·         21.19.17 - Nursing Policy and Procedures Manual
·         21.20.17 - Labor Management Committee – Nurse Utilization
·         21.21.17 - Contract Violation Waiver
·         21.22.17 - Licensure
·        Appendix N –

1.17 – Departmental Approved Courses and Application Procedures for Educational Differential

2.17 – FLSA Exempt Employee Differential

7.17 – Activation of Correctional Treatment Centers (CTCs)

16.17 – Side Letter

Unit 17 proposed new language for the following article sections:

· 8.26.17 - Department of Veterans Affairs Vacation Scheduling
· 10.19.17 - Prevention and Management of Assaultive Behavior or Therapeutic Strategies and Interventions Training (PMAB/TSI)

DVA Vacation Scheduling is a section the Union and the State worked on together back in 2021. During bargaining, the team wants to make sure that the policy implemented last year for vacation schedules is standardized throughout the department by ensuring it becomes part of the contract.

“The problem we had with DVA was there was no standardized process for vacation time,” said Sheila Coonan, DVA Redding. “We met with the State and took the ideas we liked and collaborated to build this policy that we implemented. Across the board, everyone at my facility loved it. Nurses knew exactly what vacation time they had when they walked out the door. It helped solve issues of preferential treatment and confusion, creating a fair and equitable standard for all DVA members across the state.”

The bargaining team proposed new language to strengthen section 10.19.17 noted above so that our members can be trained and educated in how to protect themselves from assaultive behaviors which can happen in state facilities. “The PMAB training is part of DVA and DDS where we are supposed to receive training every two years. Prior to Covid, the last time it was offered in my workplace was in 2018. We pushed on how important it is to add DVA because this training must be introduced across the board for any workers who face these situations”, said Sheila.

“Our new language proposal includes TSI training that should be provided upon hire, as this secures the worksites of CDCR/CCHCS and the safety of the nurses,” said BU 17 Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “We all expect to come back from our jobs in one piece. But when the state neglects to provide us with this training, it puts us all at risk.”

Finally, we reached tentative agreement with the State on the following sections:

·         9.19.17 - Light/Limited Duty Assignments
·         10.24.17 - Immunization Against Diseases
·         10.25.17 - Infectious Disease Control
·         10.35.17 - Employee Self-Protection
·         13.18.17 - Professional Practice Groups
·         13.26.17 - Non-Mandatory Training
·         13.27.17 - In-Service Training
·         21.20.17 - Labor Management Committee – Nurse Utilization
·         21.21.17 - Contract Violation Waiver
·         21.22.17 - Licensure

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

The team has made headway today with the State, reaching tentative agreement on a number of important article sections. “We informed them that we’ve provided all of our rollover language and that we need some counter proposals on our future article sections,” said team member Sheila Coonan. “We received four more tentative agreements for rollover sections later in the day, and we proposed two new language sections at the table after lunch.”

Movement at the table is a good sign for the future of negotiations, but the State still needs to provide counter proposals or tentative agreements to these outstanding sections. “Next week, I expect more rollovers to be returned,” said Seastrong. “We need to receive counters so we can negotiate on the articles that matter to our members. The ball is in their court.”

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 23. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 15, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 17 & 20 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Happy Nurses’ Week from your Bargaining Unit 17 (BU 17) and Bargaining Unit 20 (BU 20) Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committees (BUNC). While we celebrate the work nurses do across the country, SEIU Local 1000-represented nurses went to the table on May 9 to focus on Mandatory Overtime and Voluntary Overtime, which affect our nurses statewide.

Of primary concern to almost all state nurses is the issue of Mandatory Overtime (MOT). “This morning, BU 17 and 20 together met with the State to pass our voluntary and mandatory overtime article sections,” said Unit 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong. “Today at the table a large volume of new proposals were presented from both bargaining teams to address these issues. We passed a total of 10 proposals, 4 for Unit 17 and 6 for Unit 20,” said Seastrong. “As we expected, the State received these MOT article sections but didn’t ask many clarifying questions, and we are still awaiting a counter-proposal.”

BU 17 proposed the following article sections containing new language regarding Mandatory Overtime (MOT):

Article 19.14.17 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
Article 19.15.17 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)
Article 19.22.17 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
Article 19.23.17 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)

BU 20 proposed these article sections addressing MOT for their unit as well:

Article 19.13.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
Article 19.14.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
Article 19.15.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)
Article 19.21.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
Article 19.22.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
Article 19.23.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Currently, a holdover of less than two hours is not counted as mandatory overtime. “This is an inconvenience and demoralizing for many of our members,” said BU 17 Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “An hour means a lot of someone’s day. Our new proposal is to have a holdover of one hour to be counted as MOT.”

These issues led to the team proposing a change to the existing MOT language. “We proposed that the State reduce the number of mandatory overtime shifts by one a year until we get to zero,” said BU 20 Chair Heather Markovich. “We also proposed language to strengthen the voluntary overtime process.”

Currently, BU 17 RNs can be mandated for two overtime shifts per month, while BU 20 CNAs and LVNs have three. “We want to reduce this down to 1 for RNs and 2 for LVNs and CNAs,” said Seastrong. “We would continue to reduce MOT by one shift per year until 2025 when Unit 17 and 20 will both have zero.”

Other changes to the article sections strengthen contract language so that our workers can take the shifts that they want to work and gives state employees preference over external registry. “We want the state to address these article sections,” said Seastrong. “For the last three years, we’ve been in a Mandatory Overtime Task Force, and nothing was done. Without language to make them get this problem under control, we don’t think this issue will be solved. The state has violated this agreement in the past, so stronger language and protections are needed.”

Another ongoing issue addressed during the joint session was language proposed by the units that ensured that BU 17 and BU 20 nurses cannot be mandated into another bargaining unit position. “Unit 17 and Unit 20 are being mandated into other BU positions. “We are being used to plug gaps in the state’s workforce,” said Mutebi.

“Today, state workers stood up and told the State that this practice accounts for the huge turnover in the state’s workforce,” said Mutebi. “This represents a huge disrespect for our LVNs, who are forced to cover for workers making more money when they themselves are not paid equally,” said Markovich.

To ensure that these protections are enforced, bargaining units proposed language that includes penalties for the state when these terms are violated. “We included in this proposal that when mandatory overtime shifts are required of state workers after we bring them down to zero, the state will have to pay a penalty of double time for any mandated shift,” said Markovich.

The two units worked together to present these major proposals to the State. These issues have been ongoing for years while managers have ignored the problem. By joining together, the two units were able to support each other and provide insight to the State regarding the impacts on nurses. “Mandatory overtime has a huge impact on nursing staff, so we have to come together to fight this issue, because it affects all of us, especially after all of us were working mandatory overtime during COVID,” said BU 20 Vice Chair Sarah Cooper.

The fight for this important protection is on. “The nurses’ actions in the workplace are what brought the State to the table on this issue in 2019,” said Seastrong. “We need to see that same energy now to move the State to take our proposals seriously. We need actions in the workplace so the State can see how bad the nurses want mandatory overtime to go away.”

“In 24-hour facilities, there is no separation between these units,” said Mutebi. “Neither of us can say our job is complete without each other. When we come together at the table, it shows the synergy of these two units fighting the injustices that the state is trying to put on our membership.”

In addition to article sections passed during the joint session, Unit 17 proposed the following rollover sections:

Article 19.4.17 – Meal Periods (Unit 17)
Article 19.6.17 – Show Up Time (Unit 17)
Article 19.7.17 – Report Preparation Time (Unit 17)
Article 19.9.17 – Exchange of Days Off (Unit 17)
Article 19.16.17 – Change in Shift Assignment (Unit 17)
Article 19.17.17 – Mixed Shift Work Weeks (Unit 17)
Article 19.19.17 – Work Week Group (WWG) Definitions (Unit 17)
Article 19.24.17 – Floating (Unit 17)
Article 19.25.17 – Travel Time (Unit 17)
Article 19.26.17 – Workweek Correctional Institutions (Unit 17)

Finally, the State offered tentative agreements to the following article sections.

Article 8.13.17 – Court Appearances and/or Subpoenas (Excludes Unit 17)
Article 13.2.17 – Informal Performance Discussions (Unit 17)
Article 13.6.17 – Performance Appraisal (Unit 17)
Article 13.9.17 – Letters of Instruction (LOI)/Work Improvement Discussion (WID) (Unit 17)
Article 13.12.17 – Employment Opportunities (Unit 17)
Article 13.28.17 – Education and Training Opportunities and Resources (Unit 17)
Article 13.29.17 – Research Projects (Unit 17)
Article 14.4.17 – Duty Statements/Post Orders and Work Instructions (Unit 17)
Article 15.4.17 – Employee Opportunity Transfer (Unit 17)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

After their morning session bargaining alongside Unit 20, Unit 17 had an active day at the table, focusing on rollover language. “It was a busy day on our end,” said Unit 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong.

“We have given the State 61 article sections of new language and rollover, and we have only received 18 rollover back in total,” said Seastrong. “While receiving the TAs today was a good sign, the State still needs to start dealing with our new language and not just rollover. We have a number of easy article sections with simple changes that are still under review by the State.”

While the State moves through rollover language, SEIU Local 1000 members are ready to fight for a contract that represents the needs identified in their bargaining surveys and Town Hall meetings.

“We’re hoping that the State will come back and begin the negotiations of bargaining, not just tentative agreements for rollovers,” said Seastrong. “We want to get into the details of language changes. We are focused on action to move the State. Nurses are ready in workplaces across the state to take action to support our bargaining team.”

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 16. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 15, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

We are entering our third week of bargaining with the State for a contract that respects, protects, and pays the workers who have kept California running. Our Unit 17 Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee, or BUNC, went to the table on May 2 to focus on ways to keep our nurses safe and protected while on the job.

Our Unit 17 BUNC presented thirteen articles as “rollovers,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The articles proposed for rollover are the following:

13.2.17 - Informal Performance Discussion
13.9.17 – Letters of Instruction (LOI) /Work Improvement Discussion (WID)
13.12.17 – Employment Opportunities
13.6.17 – Performance Appraisal
13.25.17 – Mandatory Training
13.26.17 – Non-Mandatory Training
13.27.17 – In-Service Training
13.28.17 – Education and Training Opportunities and Resources
13.29.17 – Research Projects
14.4.17 – Duty Statements / Post Orders, and Work Instructions
14.20.17 – Classification Reviews
15.4.17 – Employees Opportunity Transfer
16.7.17 – Continuation of Benefits

Additionally, the State agreed to four of our articles, and thus, a “tentative agreement” (TA) was reached on the following articles that were rolled over in last week’s negotiations.

11.5.17 – Release of Paychecks – Night Shift or First Watch
12.6.17 – Alternate Transportation
12.10.17 – Replacement of Damaged Personal Clothing and/or Articles
12.13.17 – Tools, Business Equipment, Materials, and Supplies

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

During today’s negotiations, the State requested evidence from a subject matter expert on safety. The BUNC was able to bring Charles Staubitz, an SEIU Local 1000 member working as a nurse instructor at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, to present on article 10.5.17 – Safety Orientation.

“It went very well,” said Vice Chair Mary Naidoo. “He made a brilliant presentation to the State about the backlog in trainings that has created enormous problems.”

Charles stood up for his coworkers and shared with the State the actual training that workers currently get, which covers basic elements of safety policies and procedures essential to doing their job. This training, already part of our contract, is essential to have before starting work in a correctional facility.

“This article currently gives the state 45 days to provide safety training to new employees. We have proposed that this training occur upon hiring of the employees. Having a current backlog of three months to one year is unacceptable. Our new members can end up making mistakes that cost them their jobs and can be catastrophic for the rest of us who work in institutions. One mistake by anyone can lead to a death of any of us,” said Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi.

“We did not have as productive a day as we expected due to the State’s delays and time management issues,” said BUNC member Sheila Coonan. “These delays disrespect the time of the bargaining team, especially when we have so little time to move forward on these issues. We have more time-consuming articles that both sides know will require considerable back and forth discussion.”

“We have 8 more weeks to bargain before the deadline. With only nine (9) TA’s so far out of our total 47 articles proposed, we need the State to give us more. They’re moving at a snail’s pace,” said Chair Vanessa Seastrong.

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 9. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

The registered nurses who work in California prisons, veterans’ homes, developmental centers, mental health hospitals, Departments of Health Care Services and Public Health, special schools, and other departments represented by Local 1000—Bargaining Unit 17—went to the table with the State on April 25^th for the second week of negotiations on unit-specific issues.

Our Unit 17 Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) presented eight articles as “rollovers,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The rollover articles include the following provisions from Articles 11 and 12:

11.2.17 – School for the Deaf and Blind Pay Differential
11.3.17 – Salary Definition
11.5.17 – Release of Paychecks – NOC Shift or First Watch
11.18.17 – Retirement Compensation
11.58.17 – Arduous Pay Differential
12.6.17 – Alternate Transportation
12.10.17 – Replacement of Damaged Personal Clothing and/or Articles
12.13.17 -Tools, Business Equipment, Materials and Supplies

Additionally, this afternoon, the BUNC proposed new language in the following four contract provisions with financial implications to our members:

11.6.17 – Overtime Checks
11.56.17 – Registered Nurse Lead Differential
11.57.17 – Educational Differential
12.18.17 – License Renewal Fees

Finally, the State agreed to five rollover proposals, and thus, a “tentative agreement” was reached on the following provisions:

10.10.17 – Medical Monitoring
10.15.17 – Personal Alarms: CDCR
10.16.17 – Alarm System: DDS and DSH
10.18.17 – Referral of Assault/Battery
10.36.17 – Incident Debriefing

The articles proposed today that have financial impacts for our members represent an important response to a contentious issue for BU 17 members. “We have issues at some of our worksites where the state delays overtime paychecks up to a year, which is both disrespectful to workers and impacts their pay,” said BUNC Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “The night shift lead differential of $150 has been in place since 1999. In spite of the changes over the years, the state is resistant to adjust this to reflect inflation and cost of living changes.”

Additionally, the reimbursement of license renewals fees is often delayed due to the CalATERS reimbursement process, which makes it very difficult for our members to receive the money they are owed. “We want to be reimbursed directly within 60 days of when our licenses expire,” said Mutebi. “With the difficult procedure we have now with CalATERS, many workers give up before the process is completed.”

While this represents a large number of articles sent across the table by the BUNC, the negotiating team has noticed a serious issue with the State’s willingness to address critical issues to our members. “We are not even negotiating on many of these articles yet,” said BUNC 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong. “We gave them 16 articles for rollover last week, and only received 5 back. This is a disturbing signal that it will take a long time to get through our 92 articles that we need to negotiate. We want to move through these minor issues as soon as possible so we can get to the more meaningful issues that matter to our members.”

Simple language changes proposed by the BUNC are under extensive and unnecessary review by the State’s negotiators. While these kinds of delays are not new, this particular State bargaining team has worked with Unit 17 before and should have a thorough understanding of which issues at play are critical and which are procedural.

“We’re asking the State why they are so resistant to making changes to language that deals with non-financial issues when these are existing protections from earlier contracts, sometimes for many years,” said Seastrong. “Moving past these items, while they are important, would help both sides get to the meaningful changes that we need for our members.”

Our negotiating team is interested in an equitable conversation, not delays over minutia that wastes time and delays important resolutions. “The state of California is supposed to be a union-friendly, progressive state,” said BUNC 17 Vice Chair Mary Naidoo. “We should not be experiencing these kinds of difficulties with our process. The State had a whole week to address articles for which they have never shown they have a problem or made any statements that they had any concerns about.”

These concerns will influence our strategy going forward. “We are going to be choosing our words carefully as we move forward so that we can focus on the issues that matter most to our members: respect in the workplace and equitable pay for all members,” said BUNC 17 member Shelia Coonan.

As always, the State’s responses to bargaining are rooted in the amount of pressure SEIU Local 1000 members apply when on the job. “We are passionate at the table and can speak for what is important to our members. We know the low salaries, high turnover and backlogs are hurting our members and their families. We need actions and noise at the workplace. We need noise. The organized action and the noise in the workplace will support our efforts at the table,” said BUNC member Felicia Barbato. “We increase the pressure as the State feels the heat from members statewide.”

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 2^nd. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

After kicking off bargaining for our “master table” session last week, members across the state are making their voices heard as we demand a strong contract that Respects, Protects, and Pays the employees that kept California running for the last three years.

On April 18, Bargaining Unit 17 (BU 17), went to the table to begin their unit-specific negotiations with the State. BU 17, which represents registered nurses, is prepared for a long negotiation to get members the pay and respect they have demanded. Our negotiating team is using what they saw earlier in the process to strategize on how best to move forward and prioritize issues that members identified as important in town halls, bargaining surveys, and worksite visits.

“We looked at each and every submission from our members,” said Bob Mutebi, Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) Alternate Vice Chair for BU 17. “Each article was considered based on this set of data, which determined what we would roll over and what we would propose changes to.”

During Tuesday’s session, our team presented a number of contract articles for “rollover,” a term used to describe parts of the contract that don’t require negotiation this cycle. We rolled over 16 articles Tuesday, with additional minor language changes to 5 articles focused on health and safety concerns. Setting these protections aside during bargaining ensures that we will be able to address the ongoing issues without risking these workplace protections crucial to medical and social services.

“The most important feedback we’ve received from Registered Nurses statewide is work/life balance, scheduling, and salaries”, stated Vanessa Seastrong, Unit 17 Chair.

BU 17 has the most individual articles of all the bargaining units in the contract, with 92 articles whereas most other units have 30 to 40, so negotiations will take longer to go through each article. “Building our strategies around the responses from CalHR allows us to be flexible,” said Seastrong. “These were simple word changes, things that could be handled fairly easily, and we are expecting to have a response from the State next week.”

With this in mind, for upcoming sessions of bargaining, BU17 is going to focus on a strategic approach to address salaries, health, and safety, as well as recruitment and retention issues that have plagued Registered Nurses.

“This is a long process. A lot of these issues are going to go back and forth for a while,”

said Felicia Barbato, an RN at the California Department of Public Health for 11 years and a member of the BUNC. “Our success at the table is dependent on the strength and unity of our members.”

“Our members can and do bring the State to the table on issues that are important to us. Members can support their bargaining team at their worksites with Purple Up Wednesdays and by attending events and participating in actions,” said Seastrong.”

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for April 25. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s Bargaining Unit 1, 3, and 4 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Unit 20 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Thursday, June 1, 2023

The Unit 20 team went to the table on June 1 to negotiate with the State on the issues that have been impacting workers across the state as we fight for a contract that respects, protects, and pays all SEIU Local 1000 represented state workers.

BU 20 proposed the following new language to the State during today’s session:

11.xx.20 Alternate Range Criteria Adjustment for Registered Dental Assistants

The State’s negotiating team proposed the following rollover sections to our bargaining team:

10.38.20 Rest Areas (Unit 20)
12.23.20 Laboratory Services and Deliveries (Unit 20)
13.31.20 20/20 Programs (Unit 20)
13.30.20 Orientation (Unit 20)
13.32.20 Education and Training Opportunities (Unit 20)
13.33.20 Mandatory Training (Unit 20)
13.34.20 Non-Mandatory Training (Unit 20)

Additionally, the State offered a counterproposal to the following sections:

10.20.20 Assaultive Response Training (Unit 20)

The State agreed to SEIU Local 1000’s language change and added additional language, which the BU 20 team will review and respond to the State at the appropriate time.

7.2.20 Holidays – State Special Schools (Residential Counselors and Night Attendants) (Unit 20) the State did not accept our language changes and countered with rollover.

Finally, a tentative agreement was reached today on the following new language section:

10.25.20 Infectious Disease Control (Unit 20)

The State did reach a tentative agreement on the language change proposed by Local 1000, in section 10.25.20, expanding the infection disease control language to include CCHCS and CDE. This gives our members the right to information on outbreaks in their workplace.

Additionally, the team presented new language adjusting the range criteria for Registered Dental Assistants. These underpaid and understaffed workers have demanded a pathway to reach their maximum pay in a shorter amount of time. The team proposed new language to the State today to change the amount of time it takes to go from one range to another range from 10 years to 4 years. This was in direct response to the survey feedback and town halls that were attended by the Registered Dental Assistants.

“Previously, Registered Dental Assistants took about 15 years to get to their max pay,” said Unit 20 Chair Heather Markovich. “We presented to the State that all dental assistants should have the same process for reaching their maximum pay.”

“The State needs to take action on our articles,” said team member Silas Wagner. “We’ll be back at the table on Monday with the same demands, and we will continue to fight for what our members deserve. We aren’t going to roll over in the face of delays.”

While the State presented the team with 8 rollover proposals today, there continue to be delays in negotiations on critical issues faced by Unit 20 workers.

“We need to negotiate over the exchange of time language, vacation time, post and bid, and mandatory overtime,” said Markovich. “We need the meat, not the crumbs.”

Unit 20 returns to the table next week, on Monday, June 5. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at 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.

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Monday, May 22, 2023

While our Unit 20 bargaining team continues to work with the State by presenting proposals that advance the wages and working conditions of our Medical and Social Services Specialists, the State remains largely unresponsive to those proposals.

“Negotiation is a two-way street, an exchange of information, and we’re still waiting,” said Heather Markovich, Unit 20 Chair. “We’re doing our part, but without feedback on our proposals, there’s no opportunity for progress, and we’re not solving the issues facing our members.”

The numbers are stark: to date, there are 39 outstanding proposals that remain unanswered. We’ve reached tentative agreement with the State on just 12 contract sections, and one more is in progress.

We’ve told the State that time is running out. With no bargaining scheduled for next Monday (Memorial Day), only 4 regularly scheduled sessions remain before the contract expires.

“We’ve asked the State what they’d do if the roles were reversed and asked them to imagine that they weren’t getting the input necessary to respond to,” added Chair Markovich. “Their response was, basically, ‘we’re doing our due diligence’ without any promise of a change of behavior.”

Still, our team is moving forward. We reached tentative agreement on three proposals, a number of weeks after we presented them:

11.5.20 – Release of Paychecks (Unit 20)
12.22.20 – State Special School Field Trip Expenses (Unit 20)
15.4.20 – Employee Opportunity Transfer (Unit 20)

These “rollovers” preserve and protect rights from previous contract wins. We’re awaiting a response on 39 additional proposals.

There will be no bargaining on Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day). Unit 20 returns to the table in two weeks, on Monday, June 5. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Monday, May 15, 2023

Our bargaining teams have returned to the table this week, fighting for a contract that respects, protects, and pays all SEIU Local 1000 represented state workers. Our Bargaining Unit 20 negotiating team went to the table on May 15 to negotiate financial matters that impact these vulnerable and underpaid classifications. Subject matter experts in the unit discussed the issues they experience in the workplace and explained in detail to the State the consequences of years of short staffing and low pay.

During today’s bargaining session, the team proposed four sections for “rollover,” maintaining important workplace protections secured in previous contracts:

11.5.20 – Release of Paychecks
11.61.20 – Split Shift Differential
11.63.20 – Certified Nursing Assistant/EMT Pay Differential
12.18.20 – License or Certificate Renewal Fees

We proposed the four sections below with new language to reflect changes we want to see to our contract:

10.5.20 – Safety Orientation
11.1.20 – Special Salary Adjustments
11.60.20 – LVN Recruitment and Retention
11.62.20 – Dental Assistant Registration Differential

Additionally, we made a counter proposal in response to the State’s first counter proposal for the following section:

13.12.20 – Employment Opportunities

Finally, the State and the Union reached a tentative agreement on the following rollover sections:

19.18.20 – Rescinding Approved Time Off
19.31.20 – Split Shifts

The language proposed today about safety orientation by the bargaining team reflected the same concept as BU 17. The bargaining teams are trying to align the language of Units 17 and 20. “We work side-by-side with each other,” said Unit 20 Chair Heather Markovich. “LVNs, CNAs, RNs, and Medical Assistants working on the same unit should have the same protections.”

Today, the bargaining team proposed special salary adjustments for Unit 20 employees, asking for individual pay raises for some of the most impacted and lowest paid classifications. “We let them know our members should not have to suffer anxiety about homelessness or paying for food instead of rent,” said Markovich.

These issues are at the heart of the State’s current crisis of vacancies in positions across California. “If they don’t pay and respect us, they will run out of employees,” said Markovich.

“If the wages are not raised, no one will come to work for the state.”

The focus at the table on economics is giving voice to the concerns of state workers who have struggled for recognition of their needs for years. Experts spoke about their experiences in job roles across California, including a Senior Clinical Laboratory Technologist, an X-ray technician, and SSA-I (ASL interpreters) from the Department of Rehabilitation and School for the Deaf in Riverside.

“We are dealing with ASL proficiency,” said bargaining team member Silas Wagner. “It takes years of experience to become an interpreter with the skills necessary for the unique needs and education levels of our deaf state employees. Someone who has 6 months experience, which is listed in the job description, will be woefully unprepared and overwhelmed on the job.”

These jobs are in-demand positions; not everyone can be an interpreter and years of experience are needed. The State knows this but has refused to pay these qualified professionals what they’re worth. “They work hard,” said Wagner. “Those in these roles need to be taken seriously.”

The State also heard from a Senior Clinical Lab Technologist and an X-Ray Technician in regard to how their low pay has impacted new hires and retention. The high vacancy rate has increased their workload; instead of covering one facility, they have to cover multiple facilities. The Senior Clinical Lab Technologist must have a license from the State Department of Health Services. In order to obtain that license, they must have a bachelor’s degree and a major in clinical laboratory science. Due to the low pay, most people with this license seek higher-paying positions outside of state service.

Similarly, the X-Ray Technicians also have a high proficiency level for their job along with a license. Due to low staffing levels, they also service multiple facilities while they were originally hired to service just one facility. This also causes patients to be transferred to outside facilities if there is no X-Ray Technician on duty as they are at another facility. The cost of transporting patients along with their escorts is extremely high, which is costing the state unnecessary funds.

In the CNA classification alone, there are 749 vacant jobs across the state. Uncompetitive wages have meant that the state can’t hire, further exacerbating the problems. In order to solve the state’s financial issues regarding their workforce, Unit 20 employees need to be paid a fair and competitive wage.

Unit 20 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 22. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Bargaining Unit 17 & 20 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

BU 17 proposed the following article sections containing new language regarding Mandatory Overtime (MOT):

Article 19.14.17 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
Article 19.15.17 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)
Article 19.22.17 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
Article 19.23.17 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)

BU 20 proposed these article sections addressing MOT for their unit as well:

Article 19.13.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
Article 19.14.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
Article 19.15.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)
Article 19.21.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
Article 19.22.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
Article 19.23.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

In addition to article sections passed during the joint session, Unit 17 proposed the following rollover sections:

Article 19.4.17 – Meal Periods (Unit 17)
Article 19.6.17 – Show Up Time (Unit 17)
Article 19.7.17 – Report Preparation Time (Unit 17)
Article 19.9.17 – Exchange of Days Off (Unit 17)
Article 19.16.17 – Change in Shift Assignment (Unit 17)
Article 19.17.17 – Mixed Shift Work Weeks (Unit 17)
Article 19.19.17 – Work Week Group (WWG) Definitions (Unit 17)
Article 19.24.17 – Floating (Unit 17)
Article 19.25.17 – Travel Time (Unit 17)
Article 19.26.17 – Workweek Correctional Institutions (Unit 17)

Finally, the State offered tentative agreements to the following article sections.

Article 8.13.17 – Court Appearances and/or Subpoenas (Excludes Unit 17)
Article 13.2.17 – Informal Performance Discussions (Unit 17)
Article 13.6.17 – Performance Appraisal (Unit 17)
Article 13.9.17 – Letters of Instruction (LOI)/Work Improvement Discussion (WID) (Unit 17)
Article 13.12.17 – Employment Opportunities (Unit 17)
Article 13.28.17 – Education and Training Opportunities and Resources (Unit 17)
Article 13.29.17 – Research Projects (Unit 17)
Article 14.4.17 – Duty Statements/Post Orders and Work Instructions (Unit 17)
Article 15.4.17 – Employee Opportunity Transfer (Unit 17)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

While the State moves through rollover language, SEIU Local 1000 members are ready to fight for a contract that represents the needs identified in their bargaining surveys and Town Hall meetings.

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Monday, May 1, 2023

We are entering our third week of bargaining with the State for a contract that respects, protects, and pays the workers who have kept California running through chaotic and unprecedented times. Our Unit 20 (BU 20) Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) went to the table on May 1^st, International Worker’s Day, prepared to fight for our members and the safety and security of the people they serve.

“We passed a lot of language over to the State for approval, including vacation scheduling language from the task forces, as well as making minor tweaks to language around infection control, assaultive response training which includes de-escalation techniques. We also proposed expanding existing language on infectious diseases training to the California Department of Education (CDE) as well.”

These are all meaningful changes that respond to the major disruptions that the State of California has gone through over the last three years of the pandemic. The State, however, does not share the same urgency for our member’s needs.

Unit 20 has 11 outstanding provisions from previous weeks, not including the 5 additional rollovers and 7 new proposals passed today, pending responses from the State. “I felt like there wasn’t sincerity on the State’s part,” said Heather Markovich, Unit 20 BUNC Chair. “We started the day and asked what they had for us. They told us they had one rollover.”

After multiple weeks, the State is still slow to respond to these issues or even ask clarifying questions. “It’s hard to say what’s going on behind closed doors,” said Markovich. “When we asked them if they had any questions or comments about what we sent, they said they were still reviewing.”

Unit 20 was able to reach a Tentative Agreement with the State on one rollover provision from our previous contract, 13.18.20 - Professional Practice. You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 20 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 8^th. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org.

If you’re not already an SEIU Local 1000 member, join us today.

Unit 20 Bargaining Summary: Monday, April 24, 2023

Bargaining has entered its second week for our Unit 20 Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC), representing LVNs, CNAs, Teaching Assistants, Dental Assistants, Registered Dental Assistants, Dental Hygienists, Pharmacy Technicians, Laboratory Technologists, Physical Therapists, Counselors, and many other classifications working across California.

On April 24^th, the Unit 20 BUNC went to the table to continue unit-specific negotiations with the State. We presented four contract articles to the State for “rollover,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The State agreed, and thus, a “tentative agreement” was reached on these three articles:

5.18.20 –         Labor Management Committee, California School for the Deaf, Riverside
10.32.20 –         Information Regarding Medical Condition
21.22.20 –         Licensure/Certification

The State also returned a proposal from last week on continuing education. “When they asked why this proposal was an issue for us, we went into our surveys and were able to provide specific cases from responding workers,” said BUNC Chair Heather Markovich. “The State was pushing back on costs on this issue, but we wanted them to understand that by increasing the knowledge of our workforce, we can both support the quality care to our patients and the career opportunities workers have.”

In addition, the Unit 20 ream proposed new language today, centered around the Post and Bid procedure, which affects our certified nurse assistants and LVNs in all our locations. “This has a very broad impact,” said Markovich. “The Post and Bid process allows members to choose shifts, work area, and days off based on seniority. This allows our workers to better manage their work-life balance as they see fit. We have multiple people who have spouses or significant others who use the post and bid process so that they can minimize childcare costs, which remain high across the state.”

As we present more and more articles to the State, negotiations will continue to evolve, but our goals are clear. Our members need more support from their employer, and we need to maintain and expand our protections in the workplace. “This meeting was a little more tense than last week,” said Markovich. “They had a lot of questions for us, but we handled it well as a team.”

The tensions at the table are in part due to our bargaining team holding the State accountable to its workers. After a proposal is passed across the table to the State, their negotiators have a week to review it and respond. “We’re putting a lot more pressure on the State to respond to us,” said Sarah Cooper, BUNC Alternate Vice Chair. “The State sometimes delays passing back counteroffers and tentative agreements. They started the day saying they had nothing to give us and that we may receive one agreed on proposal by the end of the day.”

In spite of the State’s pessimistic outlook, the Unit 20 BUNC was able to use our member’s responses to surveys, town hall meetings, and other comments to keep the meeting productive and fight for our member’s rights. “Heather pushed and demanded answers after they had a week to do their research,” said Cooper. “By the end of the day, we had three rollovers agreed to and proposed new language.”

Unit 20 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 1^st. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org.

If you’re not already an SEIU Local 1000 member, join us today.

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Monday, April 17, 2023

On April 17, Bargaining Unit 20 (BU 20), went to the table to begin their unit-specific negotiations with the State. BU 20, which represents medical and social services specialists, including LVNs, CNAs, Teaching Assistants, Laboratory Technologists, Physical Therapists, and Counselors, has faced some extremely challenging conditions as they navigated COVID-19 and the State and management’s response.

“Members drive this process, and we follow their direction,” said Heather Markovich, Bargaining Unit 20 Chair. “There’s a lot riding on this, but we came in prepared thanks to our research, the strength of our team, and the time we spent getting to understand our strategy. We’re very cohesive.”

During Monday morning’s session, our team presented a number of contract articles for “rollover,” a term you’ll hear used to describe parts of the contract that don’t require negotiation this cycle. Today’s rollover articles include maintaining our Labor Management committee at California School for the Deaf, Riverside; our return-to-work “light/limited duty” program for employees incapacitated due to illness or injury; and a continuation of the Flexible Benefits Program (FlexElect). Setting these protections aside during bargaining ensures that we will be able to address the ongoing issues without risking these workplace protections crucial to medical and social services.

We presented four new proposals in the afternoon that contained new language and new protections for members. Two of these proposals focused on time-off exchanges and continuing our education leave programs, built off existing language to strengthen the protections we have in our worksites.

Additionally, we presented two new proposals designed to address the ongoing problem of mixed shifts. BU 20 represented employees often find themselves working most days on one shift but with some days assigned shifts earlier or later in the day. Additionally, we proposed a task force for pharmacy technicians in Stockton, including post and bid language. If successful, pharmacy technicians could choose their workplace and pick their schedules.

“Our focus is on addressing the issues our members identified in our bargaining surveys, town halls, and meetings at worksites across the state, said Markovich, who works as a Licensed Vocational Nurse at the California Medical Facility. “We’re members just like all of our coworkers. The input from the surveys and town halls leads where we go in negotiations.”

Unit 20 returns to the table next week, on Monday, April 24. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Unit 21 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, May 22, 2023

We’ve listened carefully to the contract priorities of our Unit 21 members—gathered at town halls and through bargaining surveys—and we’re responding with proposals that reinforce our rights and underscore the State’s obligation as an employer.

While we’re pushing hard to advance those priorities, there’s been no real response from the State on proposals that have been on the table for weeks. “I haven’t been given the authority,” was the response from the State’s lead negotiator when pressed for an explanation.

Today, Unit 21 presented five contract sections as “rollover” language that our members identified as top priorities.

“These sections define the professional status of our members and ensure our ability to perform at our best,” said bargaining team member Susie Watt. “These protections are of vital importance to every Unit 21 employee.”

Those key “rollover” sections are:

19.19.21 Work Week Group E – Policy (FLSA-Exempt) (Unit 21)
19.19.21(a) Guidelines for Applying Work Week Group E Policy (Unit 21)
21.16.21 Professional Responsibility (Unit 21)

These three sections are made more important because Unit 21 employees are more likely to work well over 40 hours a week. A number of grievances have been filed over violation of rights conferred in these three articles, yet the State isn’t seeing that simple respect for the contract by the State and its managers is a clear path to improving our work environment.

Unit 21 proposed stronger and more precise language in the following section:

10.13.21 Access to Work Areas 24 Hours (Unit 21)

Our goal is to strengthen language that governs our ability to align office access and our personal work schedules. “Few of our employees have a conventional schedule, and expanded access ensures the quality and timeliness of our work product,” said Unit 21 Chair Bobby Roy.

Today, we also proposed to roll over the following sections:

8.21.21 10-12 Leave (Unit 21)
8.31.21 Personal Leave Program 1992 and 2003 (Unit 21)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

No bargaining is scheduled for next Monday (Memorial Day). Unit 21 returns to the negotiating table in two weeks, on Monday, June 5. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org.

If you’re not already an SEIU Local 1000 member, join us today.

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, May 15, 2023

As the Unit 21 bargaining team presses the State for additional recognition of their professional skills, their commitment to serving the state, and the importance of their work, we’re utilizing members as Subject Matter Experts who provide real context to the jobs they do and the challenges they face.

Today, three of our Unit 21 archivists spoke in support of three contract sections we proposed that would strengthen existing language by aligning it more closely with today’s reality.

To wit: our Archivist series job classification hasn’t been updated since 1966—just one example of many where the state is falling farther and farther behind in recognizing and correcting this and many similar needs of Unit 21 members.

Stephanie Geller, Veronica Lara, and Melissa Tyler used real-life examples of those challenges; perhaps none more stunning than the evolution of the documents they handle from paper to digital.

“Old job specs don’t speak at all to the work we do. Digital information requires new skills to collect, preserve, and provide access to records, and we’re fighting to bridge the gap between new job demands and the formal education required to do our jobs,” said Archivist Veronica Lara. “Every day we’re not trained or earn additional certifications is another day the state loses records.”

Today, under the umbrella of “Respect Us!” and “Pay Us,” we proposed stronger, more relevant language on the following contract sections:

12.14.21 Professional Development (Unit 21)
12.15.21 Reimbursement of Credential – License Fees (Unit 21)
11.64.21 Professional Development (Unit 21)

A proposal for new contract language—XX.XX.21 Telecommute Telework Program (Unit 21)—was presented by Unit 21 bargaining team member Monica Grimes and the Unit 21 archivists, who described key issues affirming our professional status—that we are evaluated by our work product and are not hourly employees. This new contract section reinforces our demand for respect to do our work professionally and on time.

Finally, under the heading of “Respect Us,” we reached tentative agreement on two previously-presented proposals. They are 13.6.21 Performance Appraisal and 21.17.21 Recognition of Authorship.

“This is a bargaining unit comprised of life-long learners,” said Unit 21 chair Bobby Roy. “In all cases, we want to be fairly treated, to enhance our service to the state through career development and to grow in our jobs.

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 21 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 22. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org.

If you’re not already an SEIU Local 1000 member, join us today.

Unit 21 Bargaining Summary: Monday, May 8, 2023

Our Unit 21 (Educational Consultants and Librarians) bargaining team continues to press state negotiators for recognition and reward for contributions they make to California, for the high level of expertise and experience their job classifications demand, and for the adverse working conditions they experience due to untenable workloads and a high vacancy rate.

“Respect us, protect us, and pay us isn’t a campaign slogan, it’s a demand,” said Bobby Roy, Unit 21 Bargaining Chair. “We are presenting contract proposals that will make all three of those demands real for Unit 21’s represented employees.”

Today, we called for respect and pay by proposing stronger language for 11.65.21 – Arduous Pay Differential. Our classifications don’t offer overtime or CTO for additional work, which is prevalent due to high vacancy rates. We’re calling for contract changes that will compel management to provide timely answers for requests for this differential, and for the ability to use a grievance/arbitration procedure when denials are unreasonable.

Several subject matter experts from Unit 21 were on hand to present our proposal and back it up with a compelling presentation. Click here to learn more about the issue.

We also are making a “pay us” demand with new language in 11.2.21 – Special Salary Adjustments in the following three classifications: Nursing Educational Consultant (58%); Transportation Program Consultants (14.28%); and Private Postsecondary Education Senior Specialists (5%).

Six of our Nursing Educational Consultants (NECs) joined the bargaining session to illustrate their need for respect and parity and a 58% Special Salary Adjustment. “This is a classification that is facing a 41% vacancy rate, demands an experienced, licensed nurse with additional educational degrees, yet pays $11,000 a year less than registered nurses fresh out of school,” said Chair Bobby Roy.

Local 1000 is making a concerted effort to show that state workers aren’t anonymous lines on a spreadsheet—they are dedicated professionals. These SSAs would reward them for their commitment.

Grace Clerk is a NEC, working in Redlands for the Department of Consumer Affairs, where she “protects the state, protects the health care providers, and the patients,” but asks, “Who protects the Nursing Education Consultant?” She wants to be recognized as a nurse “who has dedicated my life to my passion. I am not a nameless person behind a computer.”

Towards that goal of recognition, and to stave off a growing vacancy rate, Unit 21 today proposed a new language calling for a 5% Recruitment and Retention differential for NECs.

We continue to make progress on other fronts, reaching tentative agreement on seven “rollover” articles from previous contract wins, all focused on the concept of “protecting” Unit 21-represented employees. In addition, we presented two additional articles to the state, also existing articles, for “rollover” – 13.6.21 Performance Appraisal of Permanent Employees, and 21.17.21 Recognition of Authorship.

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 21 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 15. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org.

If you’re not already an SEIU Local 1000 member, join us today

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, May 1, 2023

Persistent and widespread vacancies are one of the biggest challenges facing the Unit 21 (Educational Consultants and Librarians) we represent. The adverse impacts on our workload and the quality of the service we provide to Californians are increasing.

In 2019, the Unit 21 had a 14% vacancy rate; today, it’s grown 50% to a staggering 22%. With one in five positions unfilled. The Unit 21 team chose to have an open-ended discussion about the problem.

We asked the State about their awareness of the problem, and what their plans were to improve the working conditions by filling the positions. The responses were less than satisfying. In one example, the State claimed increased recruiting efforts at the college level, despite many Unit 21 job descriptions calling for a minimum of 3-5 years’ experience.

“The state’s solutions don’t match the problems we face,” said Susie Watt, a member of the Unit 21 Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC). “We’ll continue to keep pushing the issue as we work through these negotiations.”

Unit 21 reached tentative agreement with the State to “rollover” current contract language for article 12.25.1, preserving our rights to reimbursement for medical examinations related to commercial driver licensing.

Today, we proposed to “rollover” seven additional contract articles that are examples of our “protect us” demand during this contract campaign and every day at work. Of particular note in this group: articles that govern training in infectious disease control (like COVID) and training in dangerous situations. These are all hard-won rights from previous contract battles.

10.5.21 Health Promotion Activities (Unit 21)
10.7.21 Protective Clothing (Unit 21)
10.9.21 Safety Equipment (Unit 21)
10.14.21 Personal Alarms (Unit 21)
10.20.21 Training for Hostile and Threatening Behavior (Unit 21)
10.25.21 Training in Infectious Disease Control (Unit 21)
13.10.21 Education and Training Required by Department (Unit 21)

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 21 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 8. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org.

If you’re not already an SEIU Local 1000 member, join us today.

Unit 21 Bargaining Summary: Monday, April 24, 2023

Bargaining Unit 21 went to the table with the State for their second bargaining session, negotiating for unit-specific contract advances for the Educational Consultants and Librarians we represent.

The April 24 session was hallmarked by the appearance of four subject matter experts who provided personal stories as a prelude to the proposal of a new contract article that would pay a $300 differential for our Transportation Program Consultants (TPC), who are required to hold and maintain a commercial driver license as part of their job requirements.

Andrew Peters, Ula Justus, and Kerri Gardner represented the TPCs, and shared the story of their responsibility in “training the trainers” who, in turn, train and certify the 56,000 bus drivers who transport more than a million of California’s K-12 students each year, while driving more than a quarter-billion miles.

“California’s school transportation system is the safest in the nation,” said Andrew Peters. “Our job requires significant driving experience, transportation management experience, and … a commercial license.” Our proposal aligns TPCs with other job classifications across the state who have similar licensing requirements and already receive a differential.

The team worked on two additional articles related to reimbursement related to maintaining those commercial licenses, and await the State’s response.

Hilary Thomson, Education Fiscal Services Assistant, was a fourth subject matter expert, and part of the one out of five Unit 21 employees that are not currently offered educational leave, despite the continuing education demands of their work. Our team presented a proposal to modify article 8.28.21, Educational Leave, to include the remaining eight (8) Unit 21 classifications not currently eligible for educational leave. At the same time, we proposed rollover language on a related article, 17.11.21, which converts unused educational leave into retirement service credits.

Following up on last week’s bargaining session, the Unit 21 team secured tentative agreement on eight different “rollover” proposals from last week, which maintain language from our current contract and preserve hard-won rights from past contract campaigns.

12.13.21 – Tools, Business Equipment, Materials and Supplies
14.4.21 – Duty Statements, Post Orders, and Work Instructions
15.4.21 – Employee Opportunity Transfer
19.1.21 – Hours of Work
19.16.21 - Shift Change
19.28.21 – Reduced Work Time
19.29.21 – Release Time for Commercial Driver’s License Examination
21.24.21 – Job Related Conferences and Conventions

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 21 returns to the table next week, on Monday, May 1. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org.

If you’re not already an SEIU Local 1000 member, join us today.

Unit 21 Bargaining Recap: April 17, 2023

The Educational Consultants, Specialists, Archivists, and Librarians represented by Local 1000—Bargaining Unit 21—went to the table with the State on April 17 for the first day of negotiations on unit-specific issues.

Respect Us! was the focus of this inaugural session. “Unit 21 employees are professionals with a special kind of expertise and deserve a contract that’s respectful of their commitment and contributions to the education of California’s youth,” said Bargaining Unit 21 Chair Bobby Roy.

“We are essential and every essential worker deserves to be respected, protected, and paid accordingly,” they added.

Unit 21 presented eight contract articles to the State for “rollover,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns.

These eight “rollovers” all govern working conditions. Bargaining Chair Bobby Roy underscored two of these as exemplars of Respect Us! “15.4.21, Employee Opportunity Transfer, is important to Unit 21 since there are not as many opportunities for career advancement for our professionals, so we embrace new challenges via career mobility. 19.1.21, Hours of Work, is a priority to those Unit 21 members in Work Week Group 2 because it acknowledges and respects their work/life balance.”

12.13.21 – Tools, Business Equipment, Materials, and Supplies
14.4.21 – Duty Statements, Post Orders, and Work Instructions
15.4.21 – Employee Opportunity Transfer
19.1.21 – Hours of Work
19.16.21 - Shift Change
19.28.21 – Reduced Work Time
19.29.21 – Release Time for Commercial Driver’s License Examination
21.24.21 – Job-Related Conferences and Conventions

You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org

Unit 21 returns to the table next week, on Monday, April 24. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

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Bargaining Unit Updates 2023

— Master Table Updates —

Master Table Bargaining Summary: May 31, 2023

Master Table Bargaining Summary: May 24, 2023

Master Table Summary: Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Master Table Summary: Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Master Table Bargaining Recap: Wednesday, May 3, 2023

No Master Table Bargaining Session for Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Master Table Bargaining Recap for Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Master Table Bargaining Recap for Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Unit 1 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Bargaining Unit 1 Recap: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Unit 3 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Bargaining Unit 3 Recap: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Unit 4 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Bargaining Unit 4 – Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Bargaining Unit 4 Recap: Monday, April 18, 2023

Unit 11 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: Monday, May 22, 2023

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: Monday, May 15, 2023

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: Monday, May 8, 2023

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: Monday, May 1, 2023

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: April 24, 2023

Bargaining Unit 11 Recap: April 17, 2023

Unit 14 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Bargaining Unit 14 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Unit 15 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, May 22, 2023

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, May 15, 2023

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, May 8, 2023

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, May 1, 2023

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, April 24, 2023

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, April 17, 2023

Unit 17 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

Bargaining Unit 17 & 20 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Unit 20 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Thursday, June 1, 2023

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Monday, May 22, 2023

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Monday, May 15, 2023

Bargaining Unit 17 & 20 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Monday, May 1, 2023

Unit 20 Bargaining Summary: Monday, April 24, 2023

Bargaining Unit 20 Recap: Monday, April 17, 2023

Unit 21 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, May 22, 2023

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, May 15, 2023

Unit 21 Bargaining Summary: Monday, May 8, 2023

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, May 1, 2023

Unit 21 Bargaining Summary: Monday, April 24, 2023

Unit 21 Bargaining Recap: April 17, 2023

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Master Table Bargaining Recap
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Master Table Bargaining Recap for
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