Unit 21 Bargaining Unit

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Highlights from Unit 21 Tentative Agreement

Early Saturday morning, the SEIU Local 1000 bargaining team reached an overall Tentative Agreement with the State. If ratified, the contract would significantly raise the wage floor for tens of thousands of state workers. It represents the largest three-year contract in Local 1000 history.

At the master table, we negotiated a retroactive pay raise for all employees, won retroactive special salary adjustments for more than 300 job classifications, maintained the health care stipend with no expiration date, reduced the pre-retirement (OPEB) funding, secured a health facility retention payment, and added, changed, or preserved a number of skill-based differentials, allowances, and other reimbursements that factor into our state income. Our general salary increase, our wage equity increase, and our unit-based Special Salary Adjustments are retroactive to July 1, 2023.

Here are the highlights from the Unit 21 (Professional Educators and Librarians) bargaining table:

We instilled and reinforced respect for our Unit 21 professionals:

  • Protected our professional status by preserving language in three contract sections:
    1. 19.19.21 – Work Week Group E – Policy (FLSA-Exempt);
    2. 19.19.21(a) – Guidelines for Applying Work Week Group E Policy; and
    3. 21.16.21 – Professional Responsibility
  • Enhanced our professional autonomy by removing a reference to work schedules from the contract
  • Retained our right to convene a Professional Assessment and Development Committee
  • Received commitment to discuss the potential for educational leave transfers in the new State Payroll System Project

We strengthened protections for our Unit 21 professionals:

  • Enhanced due process rights for arduous pay differential requests which include receiving written responses from departments
  • Protected our right to training for hostile and threatening behavior
  • Protected our right to training in infectious disease control
  • Protected our right to the alternate pre-retirement death benefit

We increased compensation for our Unit 21 professionals:

  • Won special salary adjustments (SSAs) of 5% for three (3) classifications, retroactive to July 1, 2023:
    1. Transportation Programs Consultant, Department of Education (2683)
    2. Nursing Education Consultant, Department of Consumer Affairs (8250)
    3. Private Postsecondary Education Senior Specialist (2743)
  • Secured new reimbursements of up to $200 for job-related certifications
  • Increased professional development reimbursements from $75 to $200
  • Increased travel reimbursement rates to federal levels

This email summary shares highlights from the Unit 21 table; you may have already received the email recap from the master table. During the ratification process, you’ll be able read and learn more detail about the Tentative Agreement. Besides email, we’ll be posting information about our Tentative Agreement on our Contract Action Center page.

What happens next?

To become a contract, our Tentative Agreement must go through a number of steps in order to become law and the document that governs our working relationship with the State. Those steps include approval by the Statewide Bargaining Advisory Committee, a ratification vote by Local 1000 membership, legislative approval, and the Governor’s signature. Click here to read more about what steps we’ll be taking.

Unit 21 bargaining update for July 13, 2023

Your Unit 21 bargaining team is reaching out to give you an update on our negotiations on behalf of the Educational Consultants and Library workers we represent. Our last Unit 21 bargaining session with the State was on June 26. A couple of Unit 21 proposals are still outstanding, and another group of Unit 21-related proposals—largely economic—are being negotiated at the master table.

Want a more detailed Unit 21 bargaining update? Join us on a Zoom call on Tuesday, July 25. Use the link below to sign on. **Please note: no registration is necessary.

  • Tuesday, July 25, 2023, 12 Noon to 1 PM:

 https://seiu1000-org.zoom.us/j/82053318155?pwd=bStnMXNDQ2YrRWdNWHNWMDBHRHVWQT09

Here are some things you need to know:

Where does bargaining go from here?
Watch this July 13 video message from Irene Green, Local 1000 Vice President for Bargaining.

Unit-specific bargaining, along with negotiations at the master table, are being scheduled on a day-to-day basis. When there’s activity at the table, we’ll email and post the results, often on the same day. Click here to read all the recaps of bargaining activity.

What is the status of our contract?
As you know, we have not yet reached an overall tentative agreement on a new contract with the State. Our rights are still protected under the terms of our previous contract, which expired on June 30. Please remember that the $260 health care stipend had a June 30 sunset clause and will not be included in your August paycheck. That issue is part of our current negotiations.

You can read about your current contract rights in this mobile-friendly, searchable database.

What actions can I take to win a good contract?
As the bargaining team works to achieve meaningful progress at the table, it’s important that we keep our focus on Union solidarity and strength building. It’s true, that in order for our demands to be heard, Local 1000-represented employees need to stand together. More than ever, taking action in the workplace is an important show of strength. More actions will follow, but stand up now for a contract that Respects Us! Protects Us! and Pays Us!

Stay informed with all the bargaining news at our Contract Action Central web page

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, June 26, 2023

As we push towards completing our negotiations with the State, our Unit 21 team recorded another significant tentative agreement that protects a key priority of ours: maintaining our professional status as Educational Consultants and Librarians.

After the State tried to delete language that grants us discretion in executing our work, we were able to retain all our language in the contract section 21.16.21 – Professional Responsibility. We fought the State’s attempt to impose a takeaway, keeping the language that allows us to exercise our professional judgment in our work, including the location and scheduling of work hours to fulfill our professional responsibilities.

We also secured agreement on 11.65.21 – Arduous Pay Differential. We improved language in this section, which now guarantees proper notification from management when our members submit a request for arduous pay for extreme overtime work. Previously, no notice was required, and “answers” often never happened.

We also rolled over 12.8.21 – Overtime Meals and 8.28.11 – Educational Leave, preserving two past contract wins.

Finally, our efforts to, with a new proposal, enable Unit 21 members to transfer educational leave to those not normally eligible for this leave were rejected. Despite being positive about the idea, the State ultimately rejected our proposal, citing problems with implementing the idea due to a “Vietnam-era” payroll system.

Want a more detailed Unit 21 bargaining update? Join us on a Zoom call on Tuesday, June 27. Use the link below to sign on. **Please note: no registration is necessary.

With just a few days remaining before our contract expires, Unit 21 is on standby to meet once again with the State to resolve outstanding issues. When we meet, you’ll read it here first!

To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Winning a good contract starts with you. Don’t just belong to the Union, participate.  Sign up for our Silent Protest March in Sacramento on June 29.

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Sunday, June 25, 2023

Your Unit 21 bargaining team worked through the weekend to bring home a strong contract for the Educational Consultants and Librarians we represent. We’re reporting some progress today, along with aggressive efforts to preserve our professional status.

We reached agreement with the State on contract section 8.15.21 Personal Leave – Voluntary as rollover language from previous contract campaigns which continues the solid protections we have to maintain a work/life balance.

We still have a number of outstanding proposals at the table. Among the most important are proposals that govern the very core of our work: the ability, as professionals, to control the “when,” the ”where,” and the “how” of what we do.

The State is trying to strip us of this fundamental right to control our schedules and that affects the quality of our work and the autonomy already granted in the contract. Section 19.19.21 defines our FSLA-exempt status, and 19.91.21(a) has guidelines for the implementation of 19.19.21. The State proposes to delete the guidelines and take away previously hard-earned rights. They have also proposed revising 21.16.21, stripping us of our use of our professional judgment in conducting our work.

“This cannot stand, and we need to keep up the fight to the very end,” said Bobby Roy, Unit 21 bargaining chair. “We need each of our represented employees to reach out to CalHR and make the demand for no takeaways.”

Right now, you can call, email, or Tweet CalHR and make that demand. Use this link to get the contact information, and Tell CalHR to Respect Us, Protect Us, and Pay Us

Then, stand up for state workers on Thursday, June 29 at 10:00 a.m. by joining a silent protest march at the Capitol. You can sign up here.

Want a more detailed Unit 21 bargaining update? Join us on a Zoom call Tuesday, June 27. Use the link below to sign on. **Please note: no registration is necessary.

With just a few days remaining before our contract expires, Unit 21 is on standby to meet once again with the State to resolve outstanding issues. When we meet, you’ll read it here first!

To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at seiu1000.org

Winning a good contract starts with you. Don’t just belong to the Union, participate.  Sign up for our Silent Protest March in Sacramento on June 29.

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 29 Silent Protest March at the Capitol in Sacramento here.

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Thursday, June 22, 2023

Respect for our professional status as educators in Unit 21 has been a constant theme over the nine weeks we’ve been bargaining a contract. Today, as we have in previous bargaining sessions, we’ve made advances in our demands for the Educational Consultants and Librarians we represent.

We reached tentative agreement (TA) with the State on four contract sections. While all four were rollovers of previous contract wins that preserve our hard-earned rights, one is of particular importance: the FLSA Exempt Policy that grants our represented employees the freedom to choose how, when, and where we do our work. Those four TAs are:

  • 11.64.21 – Professional Development
  • 19.19.21 – FLSA Exempt Policy
  • 12.24.21 – Commercial Driver License Fee Reimbursement
  • 13.18.21 – Professional Assessment and Development Committee

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

We listened carefully to the input you shared through town halls and the bargaining surveys, and today we continued to fight hard for some contract language that governs our ability to develop ourselves and our careers, our professional responsibilities, and the discretion to apply our professional judgment in our work. We’re seeing evidence that the State wants to actually take away some of our previously-won rights in this area, and we’re fighting vigorously against it.

This is how bargaining works: We propose, the State counters, and our team strategizes our response in an effort to achieve our members’ goals. In another example of our work, when we proposed to offer educational leave credits to eight additional Unit 21 classifications, the State rejected it. Our response: A new idea, the transfer of educational leave credits to other employees so that they can take advantage of opportunities they normally couldn’t.

Want a more detailed Unit 21 bargaining update? Join us on a Zoom call next Tuesday, June 27. Use the link below to sign on. **Please note: no registration is necessary.

  • Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 12 Noon to 1 PM:

 https://seiu1000-org.zoom.us/j/82053318155?pwd=bStnMXNDQ2YrRWdNWHNWMDBHRHVWQT09

Unit 21’s next session with the State is Monday, June 26. However, with just eight days remaining until our contract expires, bargaining sessions could happen at any time. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our 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.​

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, June 12, 2023

Today’s Unit 21 bargaining session showed greater engagement by State negotiators, and we made some positive steps with six tentative agreements reached today.

There was troubling news: The State attacked us with counter proposals on three contract sections that define the very nature of the work of Education Consultants and Librarians.

 “This is disrespect, pure and simple. These three sections are foundational, at the heart of Unit 21,” said Bobby Roy, Unit 21 chair. “The State wants to weaken our professional status and to diminish our autonomy.”

“These are three sections that matter most to us,” added Bobby Roy. They are: 19.19.21 and 19.19.21 (a), which govern how our work is scheduled, and 21.16.21, which governs how we do our jobs. “This cannot stand, and we need to engage as a Unit and push back to protect our rights and our ability to provide quality services to California’s residents.”

Here’s where the fight begins: Unit 21-represented workers are encouraged to attend a bargaining update (Zoom call) where you’ll learn more about the State’s dangerous proposal and our plans to maintain our professional status as stipulated in the contract.

Here are the scheduled times you can join this important update:
**Please note the Thursday call requires pre-registration.

  • Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 12 Noon to 1:00 p.m. :

 https://seiu1000-org.zoom.us/j/82053318155?pwd=bStnMXNDQ2YrRWdNWHNWMDBHRHVWQT09

In other Unit 21 bargaining today:
We proposed to roll over and protect earlier contract wins on two sections:

  • 9.18.21 – Alternative Pre-Retirement Death Benefit
  • 13.12.21 – Employment Opportunities

We reached tentative agreement with the State on six contract sections, plus the two sections (above) that were proposed today:

  • 8.21.21 – 10-12 Leave
  • 8.31.21 – Personal Leave Program: 1992 and 2003
  • 17.11.21 – Education Leave: Conversion at Retirement
  • 17.12.21 – Retirement Systems: State Teachers’ Retirement System (STRS) and Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS)
  • 9.18.21 – Alternative Pre-Retirement Death Benefit
  • 13.12.21 – Employment Opportunities

Unit 21’s team also agreed to move these two economic proposals to the master table for further negotiations:

  • 11.1.21 – Special Salary Adjustments
  • 12.14.21 – Professional Development

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

Unit 21’s next session with the State has not yet been scheduled. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract sessions, click here for our 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 22 Rally at the Governor’s Office in Los Angeles here

Bargaining Unit 21 Recap: Monday, June 5, 2023

With less than a month before our contract expires, our bargaining team forges ahead while facing growing concerns about a backlog of unanswered proposals that address key priorities of the Unit 21 members we represent. And it’s frustrating our team.

“The State’s reluctance to move forward is not without a cost,” said bargaining team member Susie Watt. “It results in a low level of trust in the process, and we want to believe that the State cares and wants to collaborate with us on the well-being of state employees.”

“Right now, what does the State have to offer us except overwork and underpayment?” added Watt.

“We’re being stonewalled on the things that matter most to our employees,” said Unit 21 Chair Bobby Roy. “At the same time, we’re concerned about the $260 health care affordability payment and a bump in our CalPERS contribution that are scheduled to take place at the end of our current contract.”

Unit 21 continues to fight for contract language that recognizes our professionalism and protects our earlier contract wins.

Today, we proposed to roll over section 17.12.21 – it’s language that allows those in Unit 21 to carry over their retirement “relationship” earned at CalSTRS, bypassing any issues that would be affected by their state employment. It’s an important recruiting tool and a huge benefit to retain our retirement eligibility and status.

We reached tentative agreement with the State on one contract section: 10.13.21 – Access to Work Areas 24 Hours. It’s a win, as this language change further acknowledges that the work of Unit 21 doesn’t have a set schedule and guarantees maximum flexibility to do our work.

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

Unit 21 will return to the table on Monday, June 12. In addition, we’ve made it clear to State negotiators we’re ready to meet at any time to foster progress. 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 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 the 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 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 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, 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 a tentative agreement with the State to “rollover” the 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 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 contribution to the education of California’s youth,” said Bargaining Unit 21 Chair Bobby Roy.

“We are essential because while students are a fraction of our population, they are 100 percent of our future,” he added.

Unit 21 presented six 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 six “rollovers” all govern working conditions. BU 21 Chair Bobby Roy underscored two of these as exemplars of Respect Us! “15.4.21, Employee Transfer, is important to Bargaining Unit 21 because as professionals, we embrace new challenges. 19.1.21, Hours of Work, is a priority to those BU 21 members in Workweek Group Two because it protects the quality of 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

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.