Early Saturday morning, the SEIU Local 1000 bargaining team reached an overall Tentative Agreement with the State. If ratified, the contract would significantly raise the wage floor for tens of thousands of state workers. It represents the largest three-year contract in Local 1000 history.
At the master table, we negotiated a retroactive pay raise for all employees, won retroactive special salary adjustments for more than 300 job classifications, maintained the health care stipend with no expiration date, reduced the pre-retirement (OPEB) funding, secured a health facility retention payment, and added, changed, or preserved a number of skill-based differentials, allowances, and other reimbursements that factor into our state income. Our general salary increase, our wage equity increase, and our unit-based Special Salary Adjustments are retroactive to July 1, 2023.
Here are the highlights from the Unit 4 (Office and Allied workers) bargaining table:
23 different classifications in Unit 4 received pay increases of 5% (11.1.4 Special Salary Increases). Another 41 classifications received 4% (11.5 Wage Equity Adjustment). These increases are on top of the general salary increase, retroactive to July 1, 2023, and pensionable. You can read a complete list of classifications affected by these increases here.
We increased the Lottery Sales Scratcher Bonus (11.27.4) by 12%. It was the first adjustment in this incentive program in more than 20 years, and stronger language ensures that the bonus structure is consistent year-to-year. These improvements were recommended by a Joint Labor Management Committee and won at the bargaining table.
New language (11.XXX.4) expands the geographic reach of the Recruitment and Retention Differential paid to Legal Secretaries and Sr. Legal Typists to now include Fresno and Sacramento Counties. (Pay Differential 141)
Office Technicians and Sr. Legal Typists working at the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR’s) Division of Worker’s Compensation Appeals Board, who have a court reporting certificate or equivalency, now qualify for a 5% pay differential.
Another new contract section (5.XX.4) creates a new statewide Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC) for Unit 4 DMV employees to address statewide issues, not just local or regional concerns. This powerful too allows our Union the opportunity to make changes in the workplace in between contract bargaining.
We also preserved an important contract provision: the Unit 4 Upward Mobility Task Force (5.13.4). This group will continue meeting to update recommendations and best practices for upward mobility programs providing career development for Unit 4 employees.
This email summary shares highlights from the Unit 4 table; you may have already received the email recap from the master table. During the ratification process, you’ll be able read and learn more detail about the Tentative Agreement. Besides email, we’ll be posting information about our Tentative Agreement on our Contract Action Center page.
What happens next?
To become a contract, our Tentative Agreement must go through a number of steps in order to become law and the document that governs our working relationship with the State. Those steps include approval by the Statewide Bargaining Advisory Committee, a ratification vote by Local 1000 membership, legislative approval, and the Governor’s signature. Click here to read more about what steps we’ll be taking.