While our Unit 20 bargaining team continues to work with the State by presenting proposals that advance the wages and working conditions of our Medical and Social Services Specialists, the State remains largely unresponsive to those proposals.
“Negotiation is a two-way street, an exchange of information, and we’re still waiting,” said Heather Markovich, Unit 20 Chair. “We’re doing our part, but without feedback on our proposals, there’s no opportunity for progress, and we’re not solving the issues facing our members.”
The numbers are stark: to date, there are 39 outstanding proposals that remain unanswered. We’ve reached tentative agreement with the State on just 12 contract sections, and one more is in progress.
We’ve told the State that time is running out. With no bargaining scheduled for next Monday (Memorial Day), only 4 regularly scheduled sessions remain before the contract expires.
“We’ve asked the State what they’d do if the roles were reversed and asked them to imagine that they weren’t getting the input necessary to respond to,” added Chair Markovich. “Their response was, basically, ‘we’re doing our due diligence’ without any promise of a change of behavior.”
Still, our team is moving forward. We reached tentative agreement on three proposals, a number of weeks after we presented them:
- 11.5.20 – Release of Paychecks (Unit 20)
- 12.22.20 – State Special School Field Trip Expenses (Unit 20)
- 15.4.20 – Employee Opportunity Transfer (Unit 20)
These “rollovers” preserve and protect rights from previous contract wins. We’re awaiting a response on 39 additional proposals.
There will be no bargaining on Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day). Unit 20 returns to the table in two weeks, on Monday, June 5. To see updates on other bargaining unit contract 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.
And be sure to save your spot for the upcoming June 8 March to the Governor’s mansion here.