Unit 11 members work in a wide array of state departments
including Caltrans, Department of Fish and Game, Department of
Water Resources, and the Department of Food and Agriculture.
View a graph of all the departments that are part of Unit 11
For general questions regarding Unit 11,
e-mail uniteleven@seiu1000.org.
Our fight for economic justice continues as we set the stage for contract negotiations.
On February 27, our GeoPay Task Force presented the acting director of CalHR and a team of state representatives with an in-depth report recommending solutions to the economic challenges many state workers face caused by the high cost of living in the communities they live and work in throughout the state of California.
Local 1000 members are using the power of our union contract to
address a wide variety of economic factors that deeply affect
those we represent. With the support and help from members across
the state, the team is already working to build the power and
leverage we will need to be successful when we bargain our next
contract.
More than 150 newly-elected and returning bargaining
representatives, members of the Statewide Bargaining Advisory
Committee (SBAC), came together on July 14-15, taking important
steps on the road to contract negotiations that will begin next
year.
Also elected was the 58-member Bargaining Unit Negotiating
Committee (BUNC)—representatives from each of the nine bargaining
units in Local 1000—the bargaining team responsible for
negotiating our new contract.
Professional development and upward mobility are key priorities
for our union, and our members, and an innovative new Information
Technology (IT) Apprenticeship Program offers Sacramento-area
members an opportunity to improve their state careers.
2016 was a historic year for our members, our union and all
Californians. We came together to fight for a contract we can all
be proud of and nearly went on strike for the first time in 44
years.
As a result, we won the largest labor contract ever negotiated
with the state, and we did it by standing together in our union.
You can view our contract here.
Starting August 1, we’re receiving our first paycheck reflecting
our 4% general salary increase—one of the many outcomes that we
won in contract negotiations.
As you may know, one of our big gains we made through bargaining
involves geographic task force, which will look at how workers
who do the same job and work in high cost-of-living regions are
compensated.
The State and our Union will participate in a task force to
evaluate how the cost of living in certain areas creates
recruiting and retention problems for certain state jobs.
We are looking for members to participate in the Geographic
Compensation Work Group who are deeply connected and have direct
experience dealing with this issue. Are you interested?
Governor Jerry Brown today signed Senate Bill 28 (Pan), the bill
authorizing the Memorandum of Understanding between the state and
SEIU Local 1000, our union representing 96,000 employees, about
40% of the state’s workforce.
The deal was reached between the state and Local 1000 on Dec. 3,
2016, after eight months at the bargaining table and just two
days before an impending strike.
In a big step forward, our Tentative Agreement (Senate Bill 28)
cleared the Senate on Feb. 17 with a 26-7 vote.
Our TA cleared two previous hurdles earlier in February by being
approved by two Senate committees.
The bill now moves to the Assembly. SB 28 will first be heard in
the Assembly Budget committee on March 2 upon adjournment of the
Assembly floor hearing that day. The bill will be voted on by the
Assembly floor at a future date, then on to the governor’s desk
for his signature.
Our Tentative Agreement cleared two hurdles this week as it
makes its way through the Legislature and closer to the
Governor’s desk.
Vice President for Bargaining Margarita Maldonado testified
before two Senate committees in support of our agreement, and
both committees voted to move the TA forward.
Speaking on Feb. 6, Maldonado told the Senate Public Employees
and Retirement Committee that we represent about 40% of
California’s total state employees and provide a broad range of
valuable services to California and our communities.
After nearly eight months of negotiations, we have reached a tentative agreement with the state, early Saturday morning, on a contract we can all be proud of.
Below is a basic overview of what we won on compensation. This overview does not include any information on the non-economic improvements that were agreed upon, or how we plan on addressing some of the concerns we raised about the state’s conduct during bargaining. As we work to finalize and compile all of the tentative agreement we will send you additional details.
We have been in negotiations with the state for six months and
have reached agreement on many items. Our intention is to
continue to negotiate in good faith on all remaining terms.
However, we have not yet reached agreement on a livable wage
that values our work and respects the services we provide to all
Californians.
Local 1000 members provide valuable services to the state of
California and our communities. We believe everyone who works
hard for a living should be able to provide for their families.
Our bargaining team met with the state for the first time in
three months and ended the week frustrated by a continued lack of
movement by the state on key issues.
Earlier in the week, our team presented eye-opening information
illustrating the gender pay gap in state civil service. Our union
is 66% women and 34% men. The seven unions the state has reached
agreement with, overwhelmingly comprised of men, are paid a
staggering 43% more than Local 1000 members.
Our bargaining team worked hard today with the state’s
negotiators to achieve a common understanding of the state’s
Civil Service Improvement (CSI) initiative – a broad-based
strategy to reform civil service employment, including
recruitment, training, and a much-needed revamp of outdated
classification specifications.
Our team is working to solve some deep frustration with the
state’s slow progress and the lack of involvement with our union
to create a real plan with real timelines.
Our bargaining team met with state negotiators today for a
detailed discussion about the cost of retiree health care – one
of the key issues remaining to be settled as we work for a
contract we can all be proud of.
“We’re challenging the assumptions the state is using to
calculate the costs of this benefit and the share our members
will be asked to pay,” said Yvonne R. Walker, Local 1000
President.
Boosted by the actions in our workplaces over the last few weeks,
our bargaining team returned to the table today with state
negotiators and called for a pay raise that respects the valuable
services we provide to all Californians.
We reminded the state that in the months since we last bargained,
we heard from thousands of members who said at town halls and in
surveys that the state’s offer doesn’t recognize our hard work;
that working families shouldn’t have to live paycheck to
paycheck.
As we continue to take actions in support of a strong contract,
we are still fully protected by our existing contract. Each of
our hard-earned rights, achieved in past negotiations, is still
in force.
Our stewards are still providing real representation to enforce
our hard-earned rights. And as we show our strength and pledge
our support to take all Local 1000 authorized actions, management
will threaten and try to intimidate us in an effort to weaken our
cause. We’re not falling for it.
I’m writing to you with a very important message about contract
negotiations.
During our July 30 executive session, our SEIU Local 1000 Board
of Directors voted unanimously to authorize a statewide
membership vote on any and all concerted actions, up to and
including a strike, in support of bargaining our contract.
In short, we are exploring every option available to win a
contract we can all be proud of.
After three months of bargaining in good faith, our negotiations
with the state have reached a crossroads. In an era of healthy
state finances, our bargaining team feels that the state’s offer
does not meet the priorities that you shared with us through town
halls and bargaining surveys.
Beginning Friday July 8, we’ll be holding a series of town
halls up and down the state where members will hear the details
of the state’s offer and have an opportunity to share their
thoughts and opinions.
Your actions are working and making the difference at the
bargaining table!
After CalHR Director Richard Gillihan insulted us and said we
were only worth a 10% increase over four years and a
3.5% contribution to retiree healthcare, you stepped up the
pressure and took immediate action. We responded the next day by
holding worksite actions up and down the state and flooding
Gillihan’s phone with the message that we are worth MORE than 10%
and we will not stop until we get a great contract.
It worked. Our collective action pushed the state.
Our Unit 11 bargaining team went to the table today eager to
continue productive negotiations after securing a big win at the
master table last night regarding the upkeep of state
housing. You can read more about that victory here.
In a productive day of negotiations, our Local 1000 bargaining
team made significant advances Saturday, moving more of our
members’ priorities into the contract and fine-tuning proposals
to maximize our rights and protections.
Our Local 1000 bargaining team returned to the master table today
for the first time after thousands of members gathered Wednesday
at the state capitol to rally for a great contract.
We met with the state briefly to review and understand the scores
of proposals previously presented by Local 1000, and still
requiring a response from state negotiators.
In complete disregard for the important work that we do and the
vital services we provide to California, the state today flat-out
rejected our salary proposals.
Our team reached tentative agreement with the state to preserve
more than 20 existing contractual protections impacting our Unit
11 members. We also discussed some of the many economic and
classification proposals that we put on the table.
However, state negotiators denied our proposals and were
unwilling to entertain any proposals dealing with the multitude
of classification issues that our Unit is experiencing, citing a
future promise of the unfunded Civil Service Improvement project
currently being implemented by the administration.
Your Unit 11 bargaining team returned to negotiations with the
state today, and our discussions focused on making sure the state
understands the important work our unit members do and their
rights under the contract.
We gave a presentation to the state about the outdated and
inconsistent Laboratory Assistant and Laboratory Assistant,
Correctional Facility specifications and the inadequate pay the
classifications are receiving. We began working on updating these
classification series in conjunction with the state based on
language we won in the last contract.
Unit 11’s bargaining team went to the table today to press the
state on issues of properly compensating and classifying the
highly-skilled workers in our membership.
After a month of working through the themes of working
conditions, health and safety, leaves and professional
development, your bargaining team spent this week focusing on
issues of compensation. In addition to asking for a 22 percent
across-the-board raise for all the state workers we represent,
our individual units also pressed the state on compensation
issues that affect their members, such as classification
adjustments and differentials.
Our Unit 11 bargaining team went to the table today to continue
to press the state to compensate our members for their skills and
experience. We gave the state five proposals that recognize that
the work performed by Unit 11 requires specialized knowledge and
often contains a heightened risk of injury.
Three of our proposals would increase the current differentials
for the following duties:
Through the extensive member outreach we conducted at town halls,
worksite meetings and with our bargaining survey, we identified
Professional Development as a top priority for our members. The
bargaining team focused the week’s activities on professional
development, pushing the state to invest in and maximize the
career potential of all its employees.
In today’s negotiations, the Unit 11 team pursued different
avenues to increase opportunities for the advancement and
enrichment of Unit 11 members through the following proposals:
Local 1000’s Unit 11 bargaining team met with state negotiators
today, representing the interests of our members who work in
Engineering and Scientific classifications.
The health and safety of our members is a focus this week – it’s
one priority we identified through the feedback we received at
bargaining town halls and thousands of bargaining surveys. Our
other priorities for this contract are workplace conditions,
leaves, professional development, and compensation
Local 1000’s Unit 11 bargaining team met with state negotiators
for the first time today, representing the interests of our
members who work in Engineering and Scientific classifications.
The team shared their diverse backgrounds and deep job experience
with the state’s negotiators, describing the work they do to keep
California moving forward, healthy and strong. Together, they
held a frank discussion about working conditions in Unit 11 and
set the tone for negotiations to come.
Our Unit 11 bargaining team presented two proposals to the state:
Local 1000’s bargaining team met with the state today in our
first day of contract negotiations – backed by thousands of our
members who “purpled up” and participated in worksite actions up
and down the state in support of a great contract.
On April 13, Local 1000 will go to the table with the state to
begin bargaining a new contract. The union’s 63 elected member
leaders have one goal: to bring the 95,000 state workers we
represent the best contract we’ve ever had.
As we prepare for 2016 Contract Negotiations, state employees all
over California are getting ready to step into the arena and
fight for a good contract. We will need an active and
informed membership to do battle at the bargaining table, at the
ballot box, and in the legislative budget battles to fund state
services.
This is no time to sit on the sidelines. It’s Our
Union. Our Union. Our Future.
Bargaining leaders – Margarita Maldonado, Vice President for
Bargaining, Rionna Jones, Chair of Unit 20 and Kim Cowart, Chair
of Unit 17 – met with California Correctional Health Care
Services’ (CCHCS) executive management to discuss the
dissatisfaction of members across the state regarding their
mishandling of post and bid, an ill-advised staffing model, their
proposal to create a new Medical Assistant classification, the
use of mandatory overtime and other chronic issues.
Local 1000 has launched its 2016 contract campaign with these
words from President Yvonne R. Walker: “Our contract will be
about the strength and the power of our members to win something
amazing.”
Speaking to members statewide on a conference call for Local 1000
stewards and hundreds more who heard the call at listening
parties, Walker looked forward to the upcoming negotiations
feeling confident about the preparation that’s gone before.
Our 63-member Bargaining Unit Negotiating Council (BUNC) recently
spent three days training intensively for upcoming contract
negotiations. Local 1000’s contract expires July 1, 2016 – just
ten months from now.
Bargaining strategies and tactics were key topics, along with
discussions about member engagement. The focus: honing the skills
necessary to negotiate a fair contract that protects our
hard-earned rights from previous contracts while improving our
wages, working conditions and benefits.
Nearly 200 bargaining representatives from across the state voted
this weekend to elect Local 1000’s 63-member Bargaining Unit
Negotiating Council (BUNC). These member activists and leaders
will be responsible for negotiating the successor contract. The
current contract expires July 1 of 2016.
Representatives from each of the nine state bargaining units met
Saturday afternoon and evening to elect their bargaining teams.
Local 1000 representation led to two Unit 11 workers receiving
thousands of dollars in back pay after the union forced the state
to correct errors in wages and benefit deductions.
“These wins are another example of the contract enforcement
efforts Local 1000 provides to all members,” said Tamekia N.
Robinson, Local 1000 vice president for organizing and
representation. “Even bureaucratic mistakes cost members the
money they’ve earned, and we’re here to help.”
Building power in the community, facing challenges and developing
union leaders were key themes of last week’s meeting of the
Statewide Bargaining Advisory Council (SBAC) in Southern
California.
Nearly 200 elected bargaining representatives from up and down
California—including the 60-plus members who negotiate our
contract with the state—meet three times each year to develop
strategies for bargaining and to understand and respond to issues
that affect our lives at work and at home.
Our Unit 11 team – representing Engineering & Scientific
Technicians- on Saturday discussed proposals addressing several
of the priorities of Unit 11 members and ended the day with a big
win for Unit 11 Laboratory Assistants.
A wage increase, a guarantee of no new furloughs and a range of
other improvements to our rights and working conditions lead the
advances secured in our new 3-year Master Agreement. The
agreement was reached between the Local 1000 bargaining team and
representatives of the state, ratified by 90 percent of voting
members and signed into law by the Governor. Language is also
included pertaining to each individual unit.
Brown signs contract transparency bill after push by members
After receiving 3,397 letters from Local 1000 members, Gov. Jerry
Brown signed into law a bill that adds legislative muscle to our
ongoing fight to protect jobs and prevent wasteful government
spending.AB 906, authored by Assembly member Dr. Richard Pan
(D-Sacramento), increases public scrutiny of private vendor
contracts that are out of control and receiving little
oversight.
On September 23, 2014, the Local 1000 negotiating team came to an
agreement with CalHR and California Correctional Health Care
Services (CCHCS) regarding the 2014 Phase 3 Staff Reductions.
Some of the highlights of the agreement include:
Local 1000’s work on updating the Lab Assistant and Lab
Assistant, Correctional Facility job classification
specifications is nearly complete. The state acknowledges the
need to add the Phlebotomy Licensing requirement to the
classification specifications and the need to change the minimum
qualifying education requirement to completion of
12th grade.
Laboratory Assistant (Correctional Facility) employees at
Corcoran State Prison are now receiving phlebotomy differential
pay after Local 1000’s Laboratory Assistant Classification Team
pressured CalHR and management at the California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Health
Care System (CHCS).
California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) has mailed
more than 600 State Restriction of Appointment (SROA) letters to
Local 1000 members in seven of our nine bargaining units in
anticipation of just over 200 planned layoffs scheduled to occur
on December 1, 2015.
The majority of the layoffs affect bargaining units 17 and 20;
the other affected bargaining units are 1, 3, 4, 11, and 15.
Our Unit 11 bargaining team – representing Engineering &
Scientific workers – signed tentative agreements Wednesday on
numerous existing contract provisions that represent gains from
previous contracts.
Our Unit 11 team signed a tentative agreement Wednesday night to
expand an existing statewide Joint Labor Management Committee
(JMLC) to include issues in health and safety, and
classifications as well as architectural and engineering
concerns. The agreement also adds the Department of Fish
and Wildlife and the Department of Food and Agricultural.
Local 1000’s bargaining team signed the first tentative agreement
of our new contract at the master table today, one that provides
a huge advance in our fight against outsourcing.
Contract implementation and fighting for working families were
the focus of a recent gathering of Local 1000’s Statewide
Bargaining Advisory Council – held Feb. 8 and 9 in Manhattan
Beach. More than two hundred elected Local 1000 members attended
– our unit bargaining teams, along with other District Bargaining
Unit Representatives (DBURs) and Classification Bargaining Unit
Representatives (CBURs).
Contract implementation and fighting for working families were
the focus of a recent gathering of Local 1000’s Statewide
Bargaining Advisory Council – held Feb. 8 and 9 in Manhattan
Beach. More than two hundred elected Local 1000 members attended
– our unit bargaining teams, along with other District Bargaining
Unit Representatives (DBURs) and Classification Bargaining Unit
Representatives (CBURs).
Attention Unit 11 employees: We need your feedback to pursue a
great opportunity.
Our prior contract negotiations have yielded an opportunity to
allow Unit 11 employees to participate in a 20/20 program. This
program potentially grants up to 20 work hours per week for
employees to participation in a formal educational curriculum.
Before the state and Local 1000 reach an agreed upon process for
implementing the 20/20 program, we need your feedback.
Please fill out the survey before Dec. 19, 2013.
