Unit 21: Educational Consultants and Librarians

Our Union team met with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) on Tuesday May 10, 2022, regarding updates to Title 15 regulations governing the Inmate Grievance process. The Department is required to implement these updates by the Armstrong court decision, with the majority of the updated language relating to the process that the Department must follow for investigations into staff misconduct. Emergency regulations were implemented in January of this year, but the permanent regulations are still being drafted.

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

Our Unit 21 bargaining team made good progress at the table on Tuesday in their pursuit of protecting and advancing the rights of the Educational Consultants and Librarians they represent.

One tentative agreement that was signed empowers Unit 21 members to assert their rights to a safe workplace by giving them a stronger voice in requesting safety-related equipment necessary to do their jobs.

Our Unit 21 educators went to the table Friday with a focus on creating an employee culture that embraces the diversity of the California Department of Education (CDE) workforce.

“Our goal is to create a culture and environment that encourages more professional and personal growth for our members and having an open dialogue with the state is a good start” said Miguel Cordova, Unit 21 bargaining chair.

Our Unit 21 team, representing Educational Consultants and Librarians, went to the table today to continue their fight for fair wages and better professional opportunities.

Three Local 1000 members—two from the California Department of Education (CDE) and one from the Department of Consumer Affairs—joined the team as subject matter experts at the bargaining table to share the value of the work they do to build a California for All.

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.

The strongest steel is forged from the hottest flame. Like in the case of Bobby Roy, an Education Programs Consultant with the California Department of Education, life’s turns can feel like Hell, but the heat can forge your strength and push you toward success. It also helps if your army in battle is Local 1000.

In 2000, Bobby Roy’s mother, a preschool teacher at the YMCA, died and left the 21-year old with their South Sacramento house and the care of his grandmother. His mother also blessed him with a concrete goal for survival.

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.

The Unit 21 bargaining team – representing Educational Consultants and Librarians — closed out bargaining unit negotiations after meeting Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

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.