One week after hearing from the State that they had “no interest” in bargaining over mandatory overtime (MOT), our team pushed back, and after a marathon 17-hour bargaining session, won three big tentative agreements: fair scheduling, better protection of days off, and a unique path to future negotiations.
“We ‘mandated’ this long bargaining session to underscore the issues our members face,” said Vanessa Seastrong, Unit 17 Bargaining Chair. “Our team pressed the State for positive change, and we won.”
Our tentative agreements, listed below, do not include a reduction in mandated shifts. Here are highlights of the important changes we achieved:
Greater transparency with a standardized mandate list. Each facility will maintain a universally-available list of impacted employees with dates of last mandated shift. This system will help employees visualize a fair and open approach to the MOT process. The new process will allow members to ensure they receive credit for their MOT shift and know where they are actually on the list.
Better protection for days off. We’ve safeguarded against mandated shifts the day before any pre-approved day off. The day before your pre-approved day off is now considered your Friday because our contract states an employee can’t be mandated on their RDO.
Stronger task force, early negotiations. This is our biggest win – new language that creates a Joint Labor Management Task Force to create solutions to MOT, along with implementation plans for those solutions. The task force will meet every other month and issue a joint report to CalHR and the department heads with strategies to reduce MOT across all affected departments. Here’s the kicker: this new agreement allows Local 1000 to re-open all MOT-related contract articles on or after July 1, 2025, well before our next traditional round of contract bargaining. It’s an unheard-of accommodation by the State and gives us optimism for future improvements.
Here are the contract sections we reached agreement on (with changes as summarized above):
- 19.13.20 Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
- 19.14.20 Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
- 19.14.17 Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
- 19.15.17 Overtime Mandatory Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)
- 19.15.20 Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)
- 19.34 Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) – Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) Joint Labor Management Task Force for the Strategic Reduction of Mandatory Overtime for RNs, LVNs, CNAs, and MAs (Units 17 and 20)
- 19.36 Department of State Hospitals (DSH) Joint Labor Management Task Force for the Strategic Reduction of Mandatory Overtime for RNs and LVNs (Units 17 and 20)
- 19.37 California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) Joint Labor Management Task Force for the Strategic Reduction of Mandatory Overtime for RNs, LVNs, and CNAs (Units 17 and 20)
- 19.38 Mandatory Overtime
Earlier this week, we also secured tentative agreement on these two sections governing voluntary overtime.
- 19.22.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
- 19.23.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)
Unit-specific bargaining sessions are being scheduled on a day-to-day basis. We’re scheduled to return to the master table again on Thursday, August 10, and Friday, August 11. 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.
As Local 1000 works to bargain a successful contract, we’ve escalated our actions to make our demand to be respected, protected, and paid more visible – and more impactful.
On Wednesday, August 16, Local 1000 members are taking emergency action to demand living wages.
It’s unacceptable that state employee wages are so low that we can’t afford to live in California.
We provide the essential services that keep our state running. We are not backing down until we win the livable wages our families need.
Time is running out. The State of California must act now to pay its essential state workers for the important work we do. Join union members and community allies to demand livable wages NOW.
When: Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Time: 12:00 Noon – 2:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.
Where: Capitol Annex Swing Space, 1021 O St, Sacramento, CA 95814
Can’t join us in Sacramento? Check here for other pickets and actions organized by members across California.