Members ratify cost savings agreement
Side letter trades pay for time off, creates task force to cut outsourcing
Local 1000 members have ratified an agreement with the governor over the terms of a temporary compensation compromise.
Of voting members, 65.76 percent cast ballots in support of the side letter agreement, which allows the state to cut costs during challenging economic times and initiates a strong, new process to stop outsourcing state jobs.
"Because Local 1000 chose to negotiate with the governor rather than let our members be subject to imposed furloughs, we were able to achieve important solutions that went beyond a pay reduction in exchange for time off," Local 1000 President Yvonne R. Walker said.
"This agreement eliminates student assistants and non-mission critical retired annuitants," Walker added. "More importantly, this side letter creates an outsourcing task force that will identify and reduce or eliminate wasteful private vendor contracts. This is solid progress on a problem we have been fighting for years."
Members participated in voting at nearly 100 sites throughout California on June 27. The ballots were counted by hand on July 2.
Although a side letter agreement does not require ratification by the membership, the elected bargaining team felt that front-line Local 1000 members should have the opportunity to weigh in on the agreement.
Here are some of the basic terms of the agreement:
- The salary of Local 1000-represented employees would be reduced by 4.62 percent for 12 months, ending July 1, 2013.
- Employees receive eight hours time off per month, taken at the employee's discretion in the same month it is earned.
- All the other benefits and worker protections in our contract remain the same, including a 3 percent raise for employees at the top step on July 1, 2013.
- There is no impact on our pension plan.
- Student assistants and non-mission critical retired annuitants will be eliminated.
- Student assistants and non-mission critical retired annuitants will not be hired while PLP 2012 is in effect.
- A new outsourcing task force will be created to identify and reduce or eliminate wasteful private vendor contracts.
"If we had simply refused to bargain with Gov. Brown, we would have been stuck with whatever terms he imposed with the Legislature," said Margarita Maldonado, vice president for bargaining. "By stepping up and engaging in the process, we were able to obtain an agreement that is more fair, more flexible and makes progress on outsourcing."
Watch Channel 1000
On the broadcast you'll learn about the results of the ratification vote, highlights of the compensation compromise and how the member-elected bargaining team utilized member input while negotiating the agreement.
