Unit 17: Registered Nurses

Bargaining Unit 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 30, 2023

As Unit 17 returns to the table once again to negotiate with the State, our bargaining team is fighting to solve the urgent problems faced by Registered Nurses and make their needs a priority at the table.

Unit 17’s bargaining session opened with a presentation from a subject matter expert, Dr. Taffany Hwang, who presented the troubling situation facing nurses in state service. Rising separation rates, which have led to high vacancy rates are crippling nurse’s ability to provide high-standard quality care to California’s vulnerable population. Overworked, underpaid, and undervalued, nurses are burnt out and need solutions now.  

“Our focus today was upward mobility and compensation, and we have proposed major reforms,” said Vanessa Seastrong, Unit 17 Chair. “These issues have plagued nurses throughout the last three years leading to separation rates above the national average and crisis-level vacancy rates.”

The new language sections proposed today address some of the most critical issues facing nurses.

Unit 17 proposed the following three sections of the new language today:

• 11.X.17 Salary Adjustments (Unit 17)
• 11.17.17 Recruitment and Retention Differential (R&R) (Unit 17)
• 13.11.17 Nursing and Upward Mobility Joint Labor Management Committee (Unit 17)

Responding to the State’s concerns voiced at Mandatory Overtime Committees last year, Unit 17 proposed language to automatically implement a recruitment and retention differential of $800 for any department that has a vacancy rate of 20% or greater.

“We believe this will help departments that are understaffed by improving retention and compensating overworked nurses,” said team member Sheila Coonan.

Unit 17 also proposed an article today that recognizes and addresses the cost-of-living crisis impacting nurses.

“Nursing should be seen as an attractive position in state service,” said Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “We want the state to show the value of these positions by raising salaries to compete with private sector wages. Fair pay is vital to nurses, leading to safer staffing and patient care.”

Unit 17 proposed a 15% salary adjustment, in addition to whatever GSI is ultimately reached at the Master Table. The bargaining team is continuing to focus on raising the wages of nurses who have been underpaid and undervalued for far too long.

Implementing an upward mobility ladder would help retain experienced nurses by giving them opportunities to advance within Unit 17 and to mentor coworkers.

“Dr. Hwang did a very good job identifying the issues in upward mobility in her classification, as a Nurse Consultant III,” said team member Felicia Barbato. “In general, it’s hard for a lot of nurses to have opportunities to advance in their classifications without having to go into management or leave the state.”

While our Unit 17 bargaining team continues to negotiate with the State, we continue to prioritize the demands voiced by registered nurses at the table.

Today, the State reached a tentative agreement on the following sections:

• 9.21.17 Reasonable Accommodation (Unit 17)
• 10.7.17 Protective Clothing and Equipment (Unit 17)
• 10.38.17 Rest Areas (Unit 17)
• 13.25.17 Mandatory Training (Unit 17)
• 19.6.17 Show Up Time (Unit 17)
• 19.16.17 Change in Shift Assignment (Unit 17)
• 19.17.17 Mixed Shift Work Weeks (Unit 17)
• 19.19.17 Work Week Group (WWG) Definitions (Unit 17)
• 21.19.17 Nursing Policy and Procedures Manual (Unit 17)

Additionally, Unit 17 received the State’s counter proposal on the following section:

• 10.11.17 Hazardous Materials (Unit 17)

The State proposed one rollover section to the union at today’s bargaining session:

• 10.37.17 Wellness Programs (Unit 17)

“In the next four sessions of bargaining, we hope to see counterproposals offered and tentative agreements reached on our outstanding article sections,” said Seastrong.

Unit 17 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, June 6. 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 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

While Unit 17 continues to negotiate with the State, our bargaining team is making sure that the voices and needs of Registered Nurses are a priority at the table.

Today’s bargaining session began with our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Two nurse practitioners joined the bargaining team to present the justification for their proposed 30-40% pay increase.

In addition, four rank-and-file Health Facilities Evaluator Nurses (HFENs) from across the state provided background on the work they do to serve the most vulnerable members of the public, sharing heartfelt stories from their work experiences. They spoke on the issues they face in their work environment, including a 23% vacancy rate, ongoing backlogs, and low salaries.

“Our members are passionate about these issues,” said bargaining team member Sheila Coonan. “We want to voice their demands at the bargaining table.”

The State needs to provide its Registered Nurses a livable wage. Our proposals today address the financial gap experienced by HFENs. HFENs from across the state are sent to Los Angeles to help relieve the backlog. While there, they work alongside LA County nurses in the same classification while making 30% less.

“Very rarely are HFENs in Los Angeles long enough to take advantage of the travel incentive,” said bargaining team member Felicia Barbato. “We have proposed expanding the verbiage so all HFENs sent to LA will reap the benefits they’ve earned.”

Additionally, nurses required to wear professional attire have never had a clothing allowance in spite of the financial difficulties they have incurred.

“We are representing the state in our work environment, and we need to be professionally dressed,” said Barbato. “The state needs to provide a reasonable allowance for RNs to be prepared for work.”

Nurse practitioners have not had a special salary adjustment since 2006. Because of this, their wages are not comparable to the private sector.

In order to make up all these differences in compensations across these three classifications, BU 17 passed three financial proposals today to the State:

• 11.1.17 – Special Salary Adjustments (Unit 17) – 30%
• 11.59.17 – Health Facilities Evaluator Nurse LA County Travel Incentive –

California Department of Public Health (Unit 17) – $167 per day

• 12.X.17 – Professional Clothing Allowance (Unit 17) – $450 per year

The state offered Tentative Agreements for the following rollover sections:

• 2.4.17 - Distribution of Union Information (Unit 17)
• 5.17.17 – Classification Recruitment and Retention Committee (Unit 17)
• 14.20.17 – Classification Reviews (Unit 17)

Our team has made it very clear to the State that movement at the table is crucial. “We are waiting for responses to a remaining 60 proposed article sections,” said Vanessa Seastrong, Unit 17 Chair. “These need to be addressed in the next 4 weeks of bargaining.”

Unit 17 returns to the table next week, on Tuesday, May 30. 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 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 16, 2023

As we enter another week of bargaining with the State for a contract that respects, protects, and pays the workers who have kept California running, our Bargaining Unit 17 team returned to the table on May 16.

In spite of the number of articles that were considered today, the pace of negotiations still must remain high to address all sections that must be approved. “We will see movement forward if the State will provide counter proposals for article sections we have submitted, allowing negotiations to actually begin,” said BU 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong.

Unit 17 proposed the following remaining rollover article sections:

·         8.25.17 – DSH Vacation Scheduling

·         13.18.17 - Professional Practice Groups

·         21.19.17 - Nursing Policy and Procedures Manual

·         21.20.17 - Labor Management Committee – Nurse Utilization

·         21.21.17 - Contract Violation Waiver

·         21.22.17 - Licensure

·        Appendix N –

1.17 – Departmental Approved Courses and Application Procedures for Educational Differential

2.17 – FLSA Exempt Employee Differential

7.17 – Activation of Correctional Treatment Centers (CTCs)

16.17 – Side Letter

Unit 17 proposed new language for the following article sections:

·         8.26.17 - Department of Veterans Affairs Vacation Scheduling

·         10.19.17 - Prevention and Management of Assaultive Behavior or Therapeutic Strategies and Interventions Training (PMAB/TSI)

DVA Vacation Scheduling is a section the Union and the State worked on together back in 2021. During bargaining, the team wants to make sure that the policy implemented last year for vacation schedules is standardized throughout the department by ensuring it becomes part of the contract.

“The problem we had with DVA was there was no standardized process for vacation time,” said Sheila Coonan, DVA Redding. “We met with the State and took the ideas we liked and collaborated to build this policy that we implemented. Across the board, everyone at my facility loved it. Nurses knew exactly what vacation time they had when they walked out the door. It helped solve issues of preferential treatment and confusion, creating a fair and equitable standard for all DVA members across the state.”

The bargaining team proposed new language to strengthen section 10.19.17 noted above so that our members can be trained and educated in how to protect themselves from assaultive behaviors which can happen in state facilities. “The PMAB training is part of DVA and DDS where we are supposed to receive training every two years. Prior to Covid, the last time it was offered in my workplace was in 2018. We pushed on how important it is to add DVA because this training must be introduced across the board for any workers who face these situations”, said Sheila.

“Our new language proposal includes TSI training that should be provided upon hire, as this secures the worksites of CDCR/CCHCS and the safety of the nurses,” said BU 17 Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “We all expect to come back from our jobs in one piece. But when the state neglects to provide us with this training, it puts us all at risk.”

Finally, we reached tentative agreement with the State on the following sections:

·         9.19.17 - Light/Limited Duty Assignments

·         10.24.17 - Immunization Against Diseases

·         10.25.17 - Infectious Disease Control

·         10.35.17 - Employee Self-Protection

·         13.18.17 - Professional Practice Groups

·         13.26.17 - Non-Mandatory Training

·         13.27.17 - In-Service Training

·         21.20.17 - Labor Management Committee – Nurse Utilization                       

·         21.21.17 - Contract Violation Waiver

·         21.22.17 - Licensure

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

The team has made headway today with the State, reaching tentative agreement on a number of important article sections. “We informed them that we’ve provided all of our rollover language and that we need some counter proposals on our future article sections,” said team member Sheila Coonan. “We received four more tentative agreements for rollover sections later in the day, and we proposed two new language sections at the table after lunch.”

Movement at the table is a good sign for the future of negotiations, but the State still needs to provide counter proposals or tentative agreements to these outstanding sections. “Next week, I expect more rollovers to be returned,” said Seastrong. “We need to receive counters so we can negotiate on the articles that matter to our members. The ball is in their court.”

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 23. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 15, 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.

And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.

Bargaining Unit 17 & 20 Recap: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Happy Nurses’ Week from your Bargaining Unit 17 (BU 17) and Bargaining Unit 20 (BU 20) Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committees (BUNC). While we celebrate the work nurses do across the country, SEIU Local 1000-represented nurses went to the table on May 9 to focus on Mandatory Overtime and Voluntary Overtime, which affect our nurses statewide.

Of primary concern to almost all state nurses is the issue of Mandatory Overtime (MOT). “This morning, BU 17 and 20 together met with the State to pass our voluntary and mandatory overtime article sections,” said Unit 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong. “Today at the table a large volume of new proposals were presented from both bargaining teams to address these issues. We passed a total of 10 proposals, 4 for Unit 17 and 6 for Unit 20,” said Seastrong. “As we expected, the State received these MOT article sections but didn’t ask many clarifying questions, and we are still awaiting a counter proposal.”

BU 17 proposed the following article sections containing new language regarding Mandatory Overtime (MOT):

• Article 19.14.17 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
• Article 19.15.17 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)
• Article 19.22.17 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
• Article 19.23.17 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)

BU 20 proposed these article sections addressing MOT for their unit as well:

• Article 19.13.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
• Article 19.14.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
• Article 19.15.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)
• Article 19.21.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
• Article 19.22.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
• Article 19.23.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)

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

Currently, a holdover of less than two hours is not counted as mandatory overtime. “This is an inconvenience and demoralizing for many of our members,” said BU 17 Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “An hour means a lot of someone’s day. Our new proposal is to have a holdover of one hour to be counted as MOT.”

These issues led to the team proposing a change to the existing MOT language. “We proposed that the State reduce the number of mandatory overtime shifts by one a year until we get to zero,” said BU 20 Chair Heather Markovich. “We also proposed language to strengthen the voluntary overtime process.”

Currently, BU 17 RNs can be mandated for two overtime shifts per month, while BU 20 CNAs and LVNs have three. “We want to reduce this down to 1 for RNs and 2 for LVNs and CNAs,” said Seastrong. “We would continue to reduce MOT by one shift per year until 2025 when Unit 17 and 20 will both have zero.”

Other changes to the article sections strengthen contract language so that our workers can take the shifts that they want to work and gives state employees preference over external registry. “We want the state to address these article sections,” said Seastrong. “For the last three years, we’ve been in a Mandatory Overtime Task Force, and nothing was done. Without language to make them get this problem under control, we don’t think this issue will be solved. The state has violated this agreement in the past, so stronger language and protections are needed.”

Another ongoing issue addressed during the joint session was language proposed by the units that ensured that BU 17 and BU 20 nurses cannot be mandated into another bargaining unit position. “Unit 17 and Unit 20 are being mandated into other BU positions. “We are being used to plug gaps in the state’s workforce,” said Mutebi.

“Today, state workers stood up and told the State that this practice accounts for the huge turnover in the state’s workforce,” said Mutebi. “This represents a huge disrespect for our LVNs, who are forced to cover for workers making more money when they themselves are not paid equally,” said Markovich.

To ensure that these protections are enforced, bargaining units proposed language that includes penalties for the state when these terms are violated. “We included in this proposal that when mandatory overtime shifts are required of state workers after we bring them down to zero, the state will have to pay a penalty of double-time for any mandated shift,” said Markovich.

The two units worked together to present these major proposals to the State. These issues have been ongoing for years while managers have ignored the problem. By joining together, the two units were able to support each other and provide insight to the State regarding the impacts on nurses. “Mandatory overtime has a huge impact on nursing staff, so we have to come together to fight this issue, because it affects all of us, especially after all of us were working mandatory overtime during COVID,” said BU 20 Vice Chair Sarah Cooper.

The fight for this important protection is on. “The nurses’ actions in the workplace are what brought the State to the table on this issue in 2019,” said Seastrong. “We need to see that same energy now to move the State to take our proposals seriously. We need actions in the workplace so the State can see how bad the nurses want mandatory overtime to go away.”

“In 24-hour facilities, there is no separation between these units,” said Mutebi. “Neither of us can say our job is complete without each other. When we come together at the table, it shows the synergy of these two units fighting the injustices that the state is trying to put on our membership.”

In addition to article sections passed during the joint session, Unit 17 proposed the following rollover sections:

• Article 19.4.17 – Meal Periods (Unit 17) 
• Article 19.6.17 – Show Up Time (Unit 17)
• Article 19.7.17 – Report Preparation Time (Unit 17)
• Article 19.9.17 – Exchange of Days Off (Unit 17)
• Article 19.16.17 – Change in Shift Assignment (Unit 17)
• Article 19.17.17 – Mixed Shift Work Weeks (Unit 17)
• Article 19.19.17 – Work Week Group (WWG) Definitions (Unit 17)
• Article 19.24.17 – Floating (Unit 17)
• Article 19.25.17 – Travel Time (Unit 17)
• Article 19.26.17 – Workweek Correctional Institutions (Unit 17)

Finally, the State offered tentative agreements to the following article sections.

• Article 8.13.17 – Court Appearances and/or Subpoenas (Excludes Unit 17)
• Article 13.2.17 – Informal Performance Discussions (Unit 17)
• Article 13.6.17 – Performance Appraisal (Unit 17)
• Article 13.9.17 – Letters of Instruction (LOI)/Work Improvement Discussion (WID) (Unit 17)
• Article 13.12.17 – Employment Opportunities (Unit 17)
• Article 13.28.17 – Education and Training Opportunities and Resources (Unit 17)
• Article 13.29.17 – Research Projects (Unit 17)
• Article 14.4.17 – Duty Statements/Post Orders and Work Instructions (Unit 17)
• Article 15.4.17 – Employee Opportunity Transfer (Unit 17)

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

After their morning session bargaining alongside Unit 20, Unit 17 had an active day at the table, focusing on rollover language. “It was a busy day on our end,” said Unit 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong.

“We have given the State 61 article sections of new language and rollover, and we have only received 18 rollover back in total,” said Seastrong. “While receiving the TAs today was a good sign, the State still needs to start dealing with our new language and not just rollover. We have a number of easy article sections with simple changes that are still under review by the State.”

While the State moves through rollover language, SEIU Local 1000 members are ready to fight for a contract that represents the needs identified in their bargaining surveys and Town Hall meetings.

“We’re hoping that the State will come back and begin the negotiations of bargaining, not just tentative agreements for rollovers,” said Seastrong. “We want to get into the details of language changes. We are focused on action to move the State. Nurses are ready in workplaces across the state to take action to support our bargaining team.”

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 16. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 15, 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 17 Recap: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

We are entering our third week of bargaining with the State for a contract that respects, protects, and pays the workers who have kept California running. Our Unit 17 Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee, or BUNC, went to the table on May 2 to focus on ways to keep our nurses safe and protected while on the job.

Our Unit 17 BUNC presented thirteen articles as “rollovers,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The articles proposed for rollover are the following: 

• 13.2.17 -   Informal Performance Discussion
• 13.9.17 –   Letters of Instruction (LOI) /Work Improvement Discussion (WID)
• 13.12.17 – Employment Opportunities
• 13.6.17 –   Performance Appraisal
• 13.25.17 – Mandatory Training
• 13.26.17 – Non-Mandatory Training
• 13.27.17 – In-Service Training
• 13.28.17 – Education and Training Opportunities and Resources
• 13.29.17 – Research Projects
• 14.4.17 –   Duty Statements / Post Orders, and Work Instructions
• 14.20.17 – Classification Reviews
• 15.4.17 –   Employees Opportunity Transfer
• 16.7.17 – Continuation of Benefits

Additionally, the State agreed to four of our articles, and thus, a “tentative agreement” (TA) was reached on the following articles that were rolled over in last week’s negotiations.

• 11.5.17 – Release of Paychecks – Night Shift or First Watch
• 12.6.17 – Alternate Transportation
• 12.10.17 – Replacement of Damaged Personal Clothing and/or Articles
• 12.13.17 – Tools, Business Equipment, Materials, and Supplies

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

During today’s negotiations, the State requested evidence from a subject matter expert on safety. The BUNC was able to bring Charles Staubitz, an SEIU Local 1000 member working as a nurse instructor at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, to present on article 10.5.17 – Safety Orientation.

“It went very well,” said Vice Chair Mary Naidoo. “He made a brilliant presentation to the State about the backlog in training that has created enormous problems.”

Charles stood up for his coworkers and shared with the State the actual training that workers currently get, which covers basic elements of safety policies and procedures essential to doing their job. This training, already part of our contract, is essential to have before starting work in a correctional facility.

“This article currently gives the state 45 days to provide safety training to new employees. We have proposed that this training occurs upon the hiring of the employees. Having a current backlog of three months to one year is unacceptable. Our new members can end up making mistakes that cost them their jobs and can be catastrophic for the rest of us who work in institutions. One mistake by anyone can lead to the death of any of us,” said Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi.

“We did not have as productive a day as we expected due to the State’s delays and time management issues,” said BUNC member Sheila Coonan. “These delays disrespect the time of the bargaining team, especially when we have so little time to move forward on these issues. We have more time-consuming articles that both sides know will require considerable back-and-forth discussion.”

“We have 8 more weeks to bargain before the deadline. With only nine (9) TA’s so far out of our total 47 articles proposed, we need the State to give us more. They’re moving at a snail’s pace,” said Chair Vanessa Seastrong.

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 9. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s other bargaining 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 17 Recap: Tuesday, April 25, 2023

The registered nurses who work in California prisons, veterans’ homes, developmental centers, mental health hospitals, Departments of Health Care Services and Public Health, special schools, and other departments represented by Local 1000—Bargaining Unit 17—went to the table with the State on April 25^th for the second week of negotiations on unit-specific issues.

Our Unit 17 Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) presented eight articles as “rollovers,” signaling our desire that the existing language remains unchanged, keeping in place the hard-won rights from previous contract campaigns. The rollover articles include the following provisions from Articles 11 and 12: 

• 11.2.17 – School for the Deaf and Blind Pay Differential
• 11.3.17 – Salary Definition
• 11.5.17 – Release of Paychecks – NOC Shift or First Watch
• 11.18.17 – Retirement Compensation
• 11.58.17 – Arduous Pay Differential
• 12.6.17 – Alternate Transportation
• 12.10.17 – Replacement of Damaged Personal Clothing and/or Articles
• 12.13.17 -Tools, Business Equipment, Materials and Supplies

Additionally, this afternoon, the BUNC proposed new language in the following four contract provisions with financial implications to our members:

• 11.6.17 – Overtime Checks
• 11.56.17 – Registered Nurse Lead Differential
• 11.57.17 – Educational Differential
• 12.18.17 – License Renewal Fees

Finally, the State agreed to five rollover proposals, and thus, a “tentative agreement” was reached on the following provisions:

• 10.10.17 – Medical Monitoring
• 10.15.17 – Personal Alarms: CDCR
• 10.16.17 – Alarm System: DDS and DSH
• 10.18.17 – Referral of Assault/Battery
• 10.36.17 – Incident Debriefing

The articles proposed today that have financial impacts for our members represent an important response to a contentious issue for BU 17 members. “We have issues at some of our worksites where the state delays overtime paychecks up to a year, which is both disrespectful to workers and impacts their pay,” said BUNC Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “The night shift lead differential of $150 has been in place since 1999. In spite of the changes over the years, the state is resistant to adjust this to reflect inflation and cost of living changes.”

Additionally, the reimbursement of license renewals fees is often delayed due to the CalATERS reimbursement process, which makes it very difficult for our members to receive the money they are owed. “We want to be reimbursed directly within 60 days of when our licenses expire,” said Mutebi. “With the difficult procedure we have now with CalATERS, many workers give up before the process is completed.”

While this represents a large number of articles sent across the table by the BUNC, the negotiating team has noticed a serious issue with the State’s willingness to address critical issues to our members. “We are not even negotiating on many of these articles yet,” said BUNC 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong. “We gave them 16 articles for rollover last week, and only received 5 back. This is a disturbing signal that it will take a long time to get through our 92 articles that we need to negotiate. We want to move through these minor issues as soon as possible so we can get to the more meaningful issues that matter to our members.”

Simple language changes proposed by the BUNC are under extensive and unnecessary review by the State’s negotiators. While these kinds of delays are not new, this particular State bargaining team has worked with Unit 17 before and should have a thorough understanding of which issues at play are critical and which are procedural.

“We’re asking the State why they are so resistant to making changes to language that deals with non-financial issues when these are existing protections from earlier contracts, sometimes for many years,” said Seastrong. “Moving past these items, while they are important, would help both sides get to the meaningful changes that we need for our members.”

Our negotiating team is interested in an equitable conversation, not delays over minutia that wastes time and delays important resolutions. “The state of California is supposed to be a union-friendly, progressive state,” said BUNC 17 Vice Chair Mary Naidoo. “We should not be experiencing these kinds of difficulties with our process. The State had a whole week to address articles for which they have never shown they have a problem or made any statements that they had any concerns about.”

These concerns will influence our strategy going forward. “We are going to be choosing our words carefully as we move forward so that we can focus on the issues that matter most to our members: respect in the workplace and equitable pay for all members,” said BUNC 17 member Shelia Coonan.

As always, the State’s responses to bargaining are rooted in the amount of pressure SEIU Local 1000 members apply when on the job. “We are passionate at the table and can speak for what is important to our members. We know the low salaries, high turnover and backlogs are hurting our members and their families. We need actions and noise at the workplace. We need noise.  The organized action and the noise in the workplace will support our efforts at the table,” said BUNC member Felicia Barbato. “We increase the pressure as the State feels the heat from members statewide.”

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 2^nd. 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 17 Recap: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

After kicking off bargaining for our “master table” session last week, members across the state are making their voices heard as we demand a strong contract that Respects, Protects, and Pays the employees that kept California running for the last three years.

On April 18, Bargaining Unit 17 (BU 17), went to the table to begin their unit-specific negotiations with the State. BU 17, which represents registered nurses, is prepared for a long negotiation to get members the pay and respect they have demanded. Our negotiating team is using what they saw earlier in the process to strategize on how best to move forward and prioritize issues that members identified as important in town halls, bargaining surveys, and worksite visits.

“We looked at each and every submission from our members,” said Bob Mutebi, Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committee (BUNC) Alternate Vice Chair for BU 17. “Each article was considered based on this set of data, which determined what we would roll over and what we would propose changes to.”

During Tuesday’s session, our team presented a number of contract articles for “rollover,” a term used to describe parts of the contract that don’t require negotiation this cycle. We rolled over 16 articles Tuesday, with additional minor language changes to 5 articles focused on health and safety concerns. Setting these protections aside during bargaining ensures that we will be able to address the ongoing issues without risking these workplace protections crucial to medical and social services.

“The most important feedback we’ve received from Registered Nurses statewide is work/life balance, scheduling, and salaries”, stated Vanessa Seastrong, Unit 17 Chair.

BU 17 has the most individual articles of all the bargaining units in the contract, with 92 articles whereas most other units have 30 to 40, so negotiations will take longer to go through each article. “Building our strategies around the responses from CalHR allows us to be flexible,” said Seastrong. “These were simple word changes, things that could be handled fairly easily, and we are expecting to have a response from the State next week.”

With this in mind, for upcoming sessions of bargaining, BU17 is going to focus on a strategic approach to address salaries, health, and safety, as well as recruitment and retention issues that have plagued Registered Nurses. 

“This is a long process. A lot of these issues are going to go back and forth for a while,” said Felicia Barbato, an RN at the California Department of Public Health for 11 years and a member of the BUNC. “Our success at the table is dependent on the strength and unity of our members.”

“Our members can and do bring the State to the table on issues that are important to us. Members can support their bargaining team at their worksites with Purple Up Wednesdays and by attending events and participating in actions,” said Seastrong.”

Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for April 25. To read about what happened in Tuesday’s Bargaining Unit 1, 3, and 4 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.