Happy Nurses’ Week from your Bargaining Unit 17 (BU 17) and Bargaining Unit 20 (BU 20) Bargaining Unit Negotiating Committees (BUNC). While we celebrate the work nurses do across the country, SEIU Local 1000-represented nurses went to the table on May 9 to focus on Mandatory Overtime and Voluntary Overtime, which affect our nurses statewide.
Of primary concern to almost all state nurses is the issue of Mandatory Overtime (MOT). “This morning, BU 17 and 20 together met with the State to pass our voluntary and mandatory overtime article sections,” said Unit 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong. “Today at the table a large volume of new proposals were presented from both bargaining teams to address these issues. We passed a total of 10 proposals, 4 for Unit 17 and 6 for Unit 20,” said Seastrong. “As we expected, the State received these MOT article sections but didn’t ask many clarifying questions, and we are still awaiting a counter proposal.”
BU 17 proposed the following article sections containing new language regarding Mandatory Overtime (MOT):
- Article 19.14.17 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
- Article 19.15.17 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)
- Article 19.22.17 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services (Unit 17)
- Article 19.23.17 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling (Excluding CDCR) (Unit 17)
BU 20 proposed these article sections addressing MOT for their unit as well:
- Article 19.13.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
- Article 19.14.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
- Article 19.15.20 – Overtime Mandatory Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)
- Article 19.21.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – Excluding CDCR LVNs and CNAs (Unit 20)
- Article 19.22.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services LVNs (Unit 20)
- Article 19.23.20 – Overtime Voluntary Scheduling – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services CNAs (Unit 20)
You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org
Currently, a holdover of less than two hours is not counted as mandatory overtime. “This is an inconvenience and demoralizing for many of our members,” said BU 17 Alternate Vice Chair Bob Mutebi. “An hour means a lot of someone’s day. Our new proposal is to have a holdover of one hour to be counted as MOT.”
These issues led to the team proposing a change to the existing MOT language. “We proposed that the State reduce the number of mandatory overtime shifts by one a year until we get to zero,” said BU 20 Chair Heather Markovich. “We also proposed language to strengthen the voluntary overtime process.”
Currently, BU 17 RNs can be mandated for two overtime shifts per month, while BU 20 CNAs and LVNs have three. “We want to reduce this down to 1 for RNs and 2 for LVNs and CNAs,” said Seastrong. “We would continue to reduce MOT by one shift per year until 2025 when Unit 17 and 20 will both have zero.”
Other changes to the article sections strengthen contract language so that our workers can take the shifts that they want to work and gives state employees preference over external registry. “We want the state to address these article sections,” said Seastrong. “For the last three years, we’ve been in a Mandatory Overtime Task Force, and nothing was done. Without language to make them get this problem under control, we don’t think this issue will be solved. The state has violated this agreement in the past, so stronger language and protections are needed.”
Another ongoing issue addressed during the joint session was language proposed by the units that ensured that BU 17 and BU 20 nurses cannot be mandated into another bargaining unit position. “Unit 17 and Unit 20 are being mandated into other BU positions. “We are being used to plug gaps in the state’s workforce,” said Mutebi.
“Today, state workers stood up and told the State that this practice accounts for the huge turnover in the state’s workforce,” said Mutebi. “This represents a huge disrespect for our LVNs, who are forced to cover for workers making more money when they themselves are not paid equally,” said Markovich.
To ensure that these protections are enforced, bargaining units proposed language that includes penalties for the state when these terms are violated. “We included in this proposal that when mandatory overtime shifts are required of state workers after we bring them down to zero, the state will have to pay a penalty of double-time for any mandated shift,” said Markovich.
The two units worked together to present these major proposals to the State. These issues have been ongoing for years while managers have ignored the problem. By joining together, the two units were able to support each other and provide insight to the State regarding the impacts on nurses. “Mandatory overtime has a huge impact on nursing staff, so we have to come together to fight this issue, because it affects all of us, especially after all of us were working mandatory overtime during COVID,” said BU 20 Vice Chair Sarah Cooper.
The fight for this important protection is on. “The nurses’ actions in the workplace are what brought the State to the table on this issue in 2019,” said Seastrong. “We need to see that same energy now to move the State to take our proposals seriously. We need actions in the workplace so the State can see how bad the nurses want mandatory overtime to go away.”
“In 24-hour facilities, there is no separation between these units,” said Mutebi. “Neither of us can say our job is complete without each other. When we come together at the table, it shows the synergy of these two units fighting the injustices that the state is trying to put on our membership.”
In addition to article sections passed during the joint session, Unit 17 proposed the following rollover sections:
- Article 19.4.17 – Meal Periods (Unit 17)
- Article 19.6.17 – Show Up Time (Unit 17)
- Article 19.7.17 – Report Preparation Time (Unit 17)
- Article 19.9.17 – Exchange of Days Off (Unit 17)
- Article 19.16.17 – Change in Shift Assignment (Unit 17)
- Article 19.17.17 – Mixed Shift Work Weeks (Unit 17)
- Article 19.19.17 – Work Week Group (WWG) Definitions (Unit 17)
- Article 19.24.17 – Floating (Unit 17)
- Article 19.25.17 – Travel Time (Unit 17)
- Article 19.26.17 – Workweek Correctional Institutions (Unit 17)
Finally, the State offered tentative agreements to the following article sections.
- Article 8.13.17 – Court Appearances and/or Subpoenas (Excludes Unit 17)
- Article 13.2.17 – Informal Performance Discussions (Unit 17)
- Article 13.6.17 – Performance Appraisal (Unit 17)
- Article 13.9.17 – Letters of Instruction (LOI)/Work Improvement Discussion (WID) (Unit 17)
- Article 13.12.17 – Employment Opportunities (Unit 17)
- Article 13.28.17 – Education and Training Opportunities and Resources (Unit 17)
- Article 13.29.17 – Research Projects (Unit 17)
- Article 14.4.17 – Duty Statements/Post Orders and Work Instructions (Unit 17)
- Article 15.4.17 – Employee Opportunity Transfer (Unit 17)
You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org
After their morning session bargaining alongside Unit 20, Unit 17 had an active day at the table, focusing on rollover language. “It was a busy day on our end,” said Unit 17 Chair Vanessa Seastrong.
“We have given the State 61 article sections of new language and rollover, and we have only received 18 rollover back in total,” said Seastrong. “While receiving the TAs today was a good sign, the State still needs to start dealing with our new language and not just rollover. We have a number of easy article sections with simple changes that are still under review by the State.”
While the State moves through rollover language, SEIU Local 1000 members are ready to fight for a contract that represents the needs identified in their bargaining surveys and Town Hall meetings.
“We’re hoping that the State will come back and begin the negotiations of bargaining, not just tentative agreements for rollovers,” said Seastrong. “We want to get into the details of language changes. We are focused on action to move the State. Nurses are ready in workplaces across the state to take action to support our bargaining team.”
Unit 17’s next meeting with the State to win a contract that Respects Us, Protects Us, and Pays Us is set for May 16. To read about what happened in Monday’s Bargaining Unit 11, 15, 20, and 21 sessions, please visit the Contract Action Center page at 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