Unit 15: Allied Service Workers

Overview

Unit 15
Allied Service Workers

Unit 15 includes civil service custodians who clean various state buildings, laundry workers, supervising cooks, and food services workers in the prisons and other state institutions.

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Unit 15 Bargaining Updates

Bargaining Unit 15 Recap: Monday, June 5, 2023

Unit 15 continues to press the State to advance the economics and working conditions of our Allied Service workers. While we made some important progress today, there remain more than 10 proposals still awaiting any kind of response from the State.

“Incremental progress is cause for optimism, but we can’t move forward on key Unit 15 issues without some kind of answer,” said Unit 15 Chair Eric Murray. “Negotiations are a two-way street, and it’s incumbent on the State to do their share.”

We’re working to address the State’s lack of reasonable timing when scheduling required training. Some supervisors are ignoring current contract language governing required training, and so our proposal for section 13.22.15 strengthens language to allow our represented workers to not only do their jobs well, but to reasonably and reliably schedule their personal commitments without interruption.

A similar, new proposal – 8.X.15 Vacation Scheduling Bid (CDCR/CCHCS) – offers a new procedure that will also improve our work/life balance. We heard our members when they said that management often ignores reasonable and common practice when scheduling time off, explaining “we don’t have it in writing.” We aim to improve this.

Today: Unit 15 reached tentative agreement with the State on three contract sections:

  • 13.19.15 – State Required Training
  • 13.22.15 – CDCR (Adult Programs) Training
  • 13.23.15 – CDCR Training (Juvenile Programs)

Of particular note: We pushed hard to win agreement on the training at DJJ.  Our members will be among the last workers as the state closes the juvenile facilities.  This ensures their training will be kept current for future work situations.

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

Unit 15 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 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.

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 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), in turn leaving space for counter proposals from the State.

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 1st 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

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 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 shift 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 affect 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

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 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 employee’s 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, 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

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 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:

  1. 8.24.15 DDS Vacation Scheduling System for Common Level of Care (LOC) Nursing Staff in Bargaining Unit 15
  2. 11.22.15 INTENTIONALLY EXCLUDED
  3. 10.14.15 Personal Alarms-CDCR (Unit 15)
  4. 10.16.15 Alarm System: DDS and DSH (Unit 15)
  5. 10.20.15 Active Treatment Crisis Management, Therapeutic Strategies and Interventions Training or Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, (CPI) (Unit 15)
  6. 13.18.15 Employee Group Meeting (Unit 15)
  7. 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

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 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

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.

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Bargaining Unit 15 CDCR Food Service JLMC Meeting Update 

On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, our Union’s Bargaining Unit 15 Statewide CDCR Food Service JLMC met with the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR), the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Correctional Health Care Services (CDCR-CCHCS) to address issues CDCR and CDCR-CCHCS Food Service Workers are experiencing across the state. We covered the following topics:

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Unit 15 Upward Mobility and Career Development (JLMC)
Meeting Update

On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, our Local 1000 Bargaining Unit 15 Statewide Upward Mobility and Career Development Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) met with CalHR, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Department of General Services (DGS), Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Department of State Hospitals (DSH), Employment Development Department (EDD), and California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet) to continue to discuss the current status of upward mobility and career development programs and to plan for future steps.

Announcement

Bargaining Unit 15 Upward Mobility and Career Development JLMC Meeting

On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, our Union’s Bargaining Unit 15 Statewide Upward Mobility and Career Development Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) met with CalHR, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Department of General Services (DGS), Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Department of State Hospitals (DSH), Employment Development Department (EDD), and California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet) to continue to discuss the current status of upward mobility and career development programs and to plan for future steps.

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Bargaining Unit 15 Food Service JLMC Update

On Tuesday, May 3, 2022, our Union’s Bargaining Unit 15 Statewide Food Service Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) had its first meeting with the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR), Department of State Hospitals (DSH), Department of Developmental Services (DDS), California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet), and California Department of Education (CDE) to address issues Food Service Workers are experiencing across the state. We covered the following issues:

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Unit 15 Upward Mobility and Career Development JLMC Meeting Update

On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, our Union’s Bargaining Unit 15 Statewide Upward Mobility and Career Development Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) had its first meeting with CalHR, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Department of General Services (DGS), Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Department of State Hospitals (DSH), Employment Development Department (EDD), and California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet) to discuss the current status of upward mobility and career development programs and to plan for future steps.

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Unit 15 Statewide Custodian JLMC Meeting
Update from March 29 Meeting

On Tuesday, March 29, 2022, our Union’s Bargaining Unit 15 Statewide Custodian JLMC had its first meeting with California Department of Human Resources (CalHR), Department of General Services (DGS), California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet), Department of State Hospitals (DSH), and California Prison Authority (CalPIA) to address issues Custodians are experiencing across the state. We covered the following issues:

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Meet & Confer with CA State Lottery on COVID-19 Safety Protocols

On Wednesday, January 26, 2022, our Union, led by Lottery Job Stewards, had a Meet and Confer with the California State Lottery (Lottery) to address issues with implementation and enforcement of the California State Lottery COVID-19 Safety Protocol. The job steward team is continuously and consistently holding Lottery accountable for health and safety violations related to COVID-19.  Considering Lottery field staff work with the public daily, holding Lottery accountable for mandates on COVID Testing and N95 Masks is a top priority.

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FTB Notice of Update to Remote Work Plan
Phase 2 Meet and Confer

On Thursday, September 9, 2021, our Union met with the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to meet and confer on FTB’s notice of Phase 2 of the Updated Remote Work Plan. Phase 2 is presently set to begin November 1, 2021, and will bring employees who are currently teleworking one hundred percent (100%) of the time into the office an equivalent of twenty percent (20%) of their time or equivalent to one day a week.

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Department of State Hospitals (DSH)
Meet & Confer update

On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, SEIU Local 1000 met with the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) to meet and discuss over the status and future of Health and Safety Committees at all five facilities, per Section 10.2 of the MOU. At this meeting, member leaders represented all the DSH facilities, except for Atascadero. Positive steps were taken and will continue in order to ensure success for Health and Safety Committees at each facility to appropriately address concerns collaboratively with management and all staff unions.

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Update: State Fund JLMC

On March 29, 2021, our Union met with the State Compensation Insurance Fund (State Fund) management team. The JLMC resumed meeting to discuss the recent member-only work-life balance survey many of you participated in.

The survey results were generally positive, but members did respond with concerns about feeling overwhelmed at times and the challenges of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Some of the major details from the JLMC discussion include:

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Department of State Hospitals (DSH)
Meet & Confer update

On Tuesday, May 4, 2021, SEIU Local 1000 met with the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) to meet and confer over DSH’s application for a permanent exemption to the California Standards for Workplace Violence Prevention in Healthcare, which mandates guidelines for reporting to the Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) regarding workplace violence incidences.

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Caltrans District 4 Layoffs
Update as of April 20, 2021

Last week, we met with Caltrans and CalHR for the first time regarding the Caltrans District 4 Toll Collectors and Custodians Layoffs. We confirmed that all permanent employees impacted were given SROA status and that CalHR will be working with Caltrans to set up individual options meetings very soon.

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CDCR CCHCS Entrance Screening Process
Update

On February 4, 2021, our Union met with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) to meet and confer over the implementation of the institutional entrance screening policy at each institution throughout the state.

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Update on SCIF Performance Appraisal

On August 12, 2020, our Union met with the State Compensation Insurance Fund (State Fund) to continue discussing the planned update of the Performance Appraisal process within the department. State Fund plans to remove the three tier rating system of inconsistent, successful, and exceptional from annual performance appraisals and instead rely on a process where management regularly communicates performance expectations and concerns to employees throughout the year.

Some of the major details from the negotiations include:

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Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
Temperature Screening

On September 15, 2020, our Union met with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to discuss the Field Office Temperature Screening Expansion implementation within DMV field offices throughout the state.

As part of the effort by the DMV to actively manage the spread and containment of COVID-19 in accordance with CDC and CDPH guidance, the Field Operations Division (FOD) will implement employee and customer focused screening protocols which will include a health questionnaire and temperature screening.

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Bilingual Differential Increase Implementation

For the first time in 42 years, we were able to increase the Bilingual Pay Differential to $200/month. This comes after 20 years of fighting for an increase including a joint task force and hundreds of members telling their story. We have been fighting for the implementation of

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Bargaining Unit 15 – DGS Custodians
FAQs

SEIU Local 1000 Bargaining Unit 15 has been in communication with the Department of General Services (DGS) to understand the department’s policies in response to the Corvid-19 crisis and its impact on our Custodian workforce.  Please check out the information below for the most recent information from DGS. 

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BU 15 – Update on Food Service Task Force
Food Service Task Force focuses on key issues

Update as of March, 17, 2020

On March 11, 2020, the Unit 15 Food Service Workers team launched their Task Force meetings with the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

The team was led by Maria Patterson, Chair of Bargaining Unit 15 and Garth Underwood, Vice-Chair of Bargaining Unit 15, as well as Kevin Quaife, Correctional Supervising Cook (CSC) from California Correctional Center and Susanna Redfearn, CSC from Avenal State Prison.  

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Unit 15 Bargaining Update for Wednesday, August 21st, 2019
Unit 15 Scores Big Win on Overtime Distribution

Our Unit 15 bargaining team culminated another successful negotiating session with the state by reaching agreement on overtime distribution language for members working at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

“We fought hard and won language that makes the distribution of overtime more fair and transparent,” said Garth Underwood, a member of the Unit 15 team. “At the same time, we’re ensuring the well-being of workers at CDCR by strengthening language on overtime shifts.”

Today’s tentative agreement (TA) includes the following provisions:

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Unit 15 Bargaining Update for Friday, August 9th, 2019
Unit 15 Gains Rights that Improve Personal Safety and Protect Personal Time.

Friday’s Unit 15 bargaining session saw advances in our contract language that benefit the welfare of our members on the job and in their personal lives via safety, and the time off we all use to keep a work/life balance.

 “We’re delivering tentative agreements that respond to issues our Unit 15 members raised at town halls and in bargaining surveys,” said Lisa Bocast, a member of the Unit 15 bargaining team.

Unit 15 signed a total of four tentative agreements (TAs) Friday:

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Unit 15 Bargaining Update for Thursday, July 25, 2019
Unit 15 Fights to Improve Work/Life Balance with Stronger Overtime Language

Our Unit 15 bargaining team returned to negotiations with the state today in an effort to ensure that the state’s custodians, food service workers, cooks, laundry workers and security guards can enjoy a better work/life balance through more carefully defined and improved overtime distribution provisions for additional work that’s either mandated or voluntary.

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GeoPay Task Force Presents and Releases Report 

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.

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DJJ Cellsense Meet and Confer

On August 7th, 2018, our union met with the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Department of Juvenile Justice (CDCR DJJ) to discuss the implementation of the Cellsense Contraband Detector program within the DJJ Facilities in the state.

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EDD Fingerprint and Background Checks

Due to new IRS rules regarding fingerprinting and background checks, the Employment Development Department (EDD) implemented new policies impacting about 5500+ of our members. Local 1000 met multiple times with EDD and the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) to ensure the implementation was not overly broad and did not impact any of our members unnecessarily.

Some of the major results of our team’s negotiations include the following:

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New bargaining team members elected as work begins on 2020 contract negotiations
We're building member power to leverage a great 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. 

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Unit 15 Upward Mobility Task Force Meeting

On June 15, 2018, the Bargaining Unit 15 Upward Mobility Task Force met with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the Employment Development Department (EDD) to discuss the departments’ upward mobility programs for Unit 15 employees.

Garth Underwood, a Correctional Supervising Cook (CSC) in CDCR led the team with support from Eric Murray, CSC in CDCR, Ellis Washington, Custodian in EDD, Eric Colón, CSC in CDCR and Maria Patterson, Chair of Unit 15.

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Unit 15 Statewide Food Service Workers Task Force

On June 8, 2018, the Unit 15 Food Service Workers team launched their Task Force meetings with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA).

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Custodian Task Force Targets Better Working Conditions

Our Unit 15 members are launching a Custodian Task Force to improve working conditions and secure the proper equipment and chemicals to do their jobs.

The Task Force is just one of the wins our Unit 15 Bargaining Team achieved during the last round of contract negotiations. Custodians in four different state agencies— Department of General Services (DGS), Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Department of State Hospitals (DSH) and the California Prison Industry Authority (CalPIA)—will participate in and benefit from the effort.

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Pay raises in effect

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.

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DDS Developmental Center Retention Stipend Agreement Overview

Highlights:

  • Effective date: July 1, 2016
  • Amount: Up to $6,000
    • $250 is accrued for all employees that meet the criteria each full quarter during the fiscal year 2016/2017
    • $500 is accrued for all employees that meet the criteria each full quarter effective July 1, 2017 until separation from DDS.
  • Payout:
    • There will be two payouts of the retention stipend:
      • January 2018 or the first month following the 50% decr
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“Lift and Shift” Bargaining Update for June 5

SEIU Local 1000 Met with the State to Negotiate Impacts of the “Lift and Shift” on the Psychiatric Programs at Vacaville, Stockton and Salinas

On June 5, 2017, SEIU Local 1000 met with representatives from the Department of State Hospitals (DSH), California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) to negotiate the impacts of the transfer of the Psychiatric Programs from DSH to CDCR and CCHCS at Salinas Valley State Prison – Salinas, California Medical Facilit

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Bargaining News for Friday, October 14
State shows a lack of movement as we return to the table - Our actions will make the difference for a contract we can be proud of

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.

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Collective power delivers results
Union clout fixes delays in SSSB claims

Local 1000 leveraged our collective power to get relief for members at the State Special Schools who were struggling with delays in State Special Schools Benefit (SSSB) funds. SSSB funds are a type of unemployment benefit for employees of the State Special Schools run by the California Department of Education (CDE).

Local 1000 members and staff met several times over the past eight months with department representatives. The union forced management to identify what was causing delays and to find ways to minimize those delays. 

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Members will make the difference
President Walker announces 2016 contract campaign focus: take action

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.

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Local 1000 makes continued progress on Unit 15 Upward Mobility
September 24 meeting identifies resources and sets goals

The Unit 15 Upward Mobility Team met September 24 with the state’s representatives to discuss Upward Mobility programs.  Jesse Aranda (DSH) led the table, alongside Garth Underwood (CDCR), Shavone Brown (DGS), Ellis Washington (EDD) and Contract Department staff.

 The union and the state continued to identify existing state resources for Upward Mobility programs in DSH, DGS, EDD, CDCR and DDS.  The Union and the state agreed to produce a comprehensive toolkit that pulls together the resources and information that the team has identified during these meetings.

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Members push for upward mobility in Unit 15
JLMCs mark progress at multiple departments

On July 23, the Unit 15 Upward Mobility Team met with the state’s representatives in a Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) as part of a continuing dialogue about gaps in the various departments’ upward mobility programs. 

Along with Chair Jesse Aranda (DSH), the team is comprised of Garth Underwood (CDCR), Shavone Brown (DGS) and Ellis Washington (EDD), as well as staff from Local 1000’s contract department.

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DGS Steward speaks out for Raising the Wage

Alfredo Cortez is a custodian and steward at DGS in San Diego. On April 15, he took a stand in solidarity with all workers when he participated in the National Day of Action for $15 and a Union because, as he says, “Under $15 an hour is never a living wage in the city of San Diego.”

Click here to watch him speaking at the rally in front of the State of California office building in San Diego at the Fight for 15 Rally.

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Bargaining team preparing for the future
Working to build power for 2016 negotiations

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.

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Unit 15 Task Force Seeks to Hire and Retain Talent

After years of experiencing high turnover rates in CDCR’s Correctional Supervising Cook (CSC) classification and losing talented workers to other professions, members in Unit 15 have reached an agreement with CDCR to address the turnover issue.

Supervising cooks in facilities across the state launched a task force in December and will meet with CDCR management four times over the next 12 months. These meetings will be an opportunity for the CSC Task Force to present proposals aimed at promoting the hiring and retention of skilled and experienced CSCs.

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DGS Washes its Dirty Laundry
Local 1000 wins settlement for DGS custodians

More than two hundred custodians working in the Department of General Services (DGS) will each receive $300 in a settlement that represents a victory for Unit 15 workers who are required to wear a uniform at work. The settlement covers “laundering and associated expenses” after several DGS custodians in southern California filed grievances complaining that the uniforms that they were handing over to the department for washing were coming back dingy and soiled. The cost of rewashing their uniforms –at home–began to add up.

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CCHCS layoffs: what you need to know

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.

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New safety program for Napa State Hospital
Local 1000 fights to protect our members and sees results

A new Injury and Illness Prevention Program – developed with input from Local 1000 – will roll out over the next year at Napa State Hospital (NSH). Designed to improve the safety and well-being of NSH employees, the new program features education and training, risk assessments, safety inspections, comprehensive reporting and an emergency response and action plan. 

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Unit 15 2014 Timebooks on the way

It is that time of the year again! The Unit 15 2014 Timebooks (pocket calendars) are in production and will be mailed to the DBURs (district bargaining unit representatves) or a key leader/activist at your worksite very soon.  Be sure to look out for them in the next couple of weeks.