Unit 15 Bargaining Update for August 2, 2019
Unit 15 Works to Make Advances in Safety and Working Conditions

Our Unit 15 bargaining team met with the state on Friday and continued to make progress on issues identified by the Allied Service Workers they represent.

“It was a productive bargaining session,” said Alfredo Cortez, a member of the bargaining team. “We preserved many wins from past contract campaigns while working to make a difference for the future.”

Safety is critical for Unit 15 food service workers, and we expanded our members rights by reaching tentative agreements on safety equipment language, including adding language regarding the types of gloves made available to workers handling items such as dishes and pans at high temperature during the wash and dry cycle.

Our Unit 15 members participate in Joint Labor Management Committees (JLMCs)
to address unit-specific issues between contracts and to allow our members to make positive changes in their jobs and working conditions. On Friday, we reached a tentative agreement on language that expands the rights of our members, who will work more closely with the state to advance issues for food service workers and custodians and increase upward mobility for all Unit 15 members.

Our team also proposed language that would provide more training opportunities for Unit 15 stewards and District Bargaining Unit Representatives (DBURs) in the area of Post and Bid for work assignments at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). Our goal is to develop local leaders
to continue our union’s role in the execution of the Post and Bid process.

Finally, the Unit 15 team reached tentative agreements on nearly two dozen contract articles “rolled over” from previous contract wins.

With previously-presented proposals still outstanding, our Unit 15 team will return to the table for further negotiations and we’ll report our progress.