There was some light at the end of the tunnel today in contract negotiations between our Unit 20 bargaining team and the State.
“It’s the most productive meeting we’ve had; we’re seeing a break in the log jam of unanswered proposals,” said Sarah Cooper, Vice Chair of Unit 20. “With three sessions remaining, we hope to bring home a good contract for our represented employees.”
Still, some of the most important proposals for our members—among them, post and bid and mandatory overtime—haven’t been responded to, and we continue to press for a resolution.
As part of today’s session, we reached a tentative agreement on a number of contract sections:
- We won stronger language on 13.12.20 – Employment Opportunities, which will modernize the way the department posts and communicates job openings available to our members.
- Following up on a joint commitment we made with the State during the last bargaining cycle, we reached tentative agreement on 8.25.20 – CDCR/CCHCS Vacation Scheduling and solidified our ability to reasonably schedule time off.
- We reached tentative agreement on 20.13.20 – Shift/Day Off Preference of Assignment – Schools for the Deaf. It preserves our previous, hard-won contract language.
You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org
Unit 20 will return to the table on Monday, June 12. In addition, we’ve made it clear to State negotiators we’re ready to meet at any time to get our work done. As Unit 20 Chair Heather Markovich said today, “We’ve got employees on this team who often work 16-hour days, and we’re good to go.”
To see updates on other bargaining unit contract 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.