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.
Rollover language was also passed that preserves the right to improve workplace equality by keeping in place a Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC). The JLMC is dedicated to addressing issues of race and diversity, an effort supported at the table by testimony from Unit 21 members.
The professional status of Unit 21 members was preserved by a tentative agreement that protects their status as FLSA-exempt.
The state and our bargaining team continued to discuss a proposal we presented earlier that provides training for members who deal with the public and face threatening and hostile behavior.
Unit 21 returns to the bargaining table on Friday, August 9. That same day, a joint table session that includes Unit 3 will discuss the need for improved understanding of the intricacies of those educators who are state employees, yet are members of the CalSTRS retirement program.