One of the goals of the Unit 1 bargaining team is to improve and protect working conditions, contained in those contract sections that govern how and where we do our work. Those hard-earned rights are often as important as economic issues.
Today, we continued our back-and-forth discussions about, literally, employee workspaces. Article 21.5.1—Work Space Allocation sets standards for desk and office assignments based on job classification and other criteria. It’s your home for, often, 40 hours or more each week and we want to ensure the standards are clear and enforced.
Unit 1 team members Beth Bartel, Frank Askin, and Vincent Green led the discussion and supported the notion that current contract guidance has standards that the State hopes to remove. Negotiations continue …
We reached a tentative agreement on four “rollover” provisions that maintain previous contract wins; three of them govern working conditions while a fourth continues reimbursement for job-related license fees.
- 14.13.1 – Lead Responsibilities
- 19.9.1 – Exchange of Time Off (Multi-shift Operations)
- 19.13.1 – Overtime Assignments for Work Week Group 2 (WWG2) Employees
- 12.18.1 – Professional License Fees
We also reached tentative agreement on contract section 1.2.1 – Designation of Confidential Positions, which contains stronger language governing your working conditions rights.
You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org
Today, Bargaining Chair Susan Rodriguez pressed the State for responses, inquiring about the status of more than 20 proposals that remain unanswered by the State, including some that were presented more than a month ago. “Many key issues remain, and with just over three weeks left before the contract expires, it’s time for the State to engage now,” said Rodriguez.
Unit 1 is scheduled to return to the table next week, on June 13. To see updates on other bargaining sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at www.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.