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 across all units, 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 in to 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 1 (Professional, Administrative, Financial and Staff Services) bargaining table:
82 different classifications in Unit 1 received pay increases ranging from 2.5% and more (11.1.1 Special Salary Increases) and 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 added additional levels of differential pay for eligible Personnel Specialists, up to $4800 in new language found in 11.25.1 – Personnel and Payroll Specialist: Recruitment & Retention Differential (Unit 1). The breakdown is as follows: 12 or more months- $2400; 24 or more months- $3,000: 36 or more- $3,600 and 48 or more months- $4800.
The Lottery sales incentive bonus (11.27.1) has been increased for the first time in decades and now includes stronger language defining the parameters of how the bonus is achieved. The bonus dollar amounts were increased by 12% at each level.
Unit 1 members who work at the California Department of Insurance (CDI) and hold an Accredited Financial Examiner (AFE) or Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) certification issued by the Society of Financial Examiners who may be required by their job duties to conduct financial examinations of foreign insurers or act as the examiner in charge of a multi-state insurer will receive a $3600 bonus, subject to eligibility.
We’ve added the Health Program Specialist II classification to the pay differential (CalHR differential 412) to contract section 11.32.1
A 5% Educational Pay Differential (11.M1.1) will be paid to Management Services Technicians, working at the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR’s) Division of Workers’ Compensation and Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board, who obtain a certification of completion or proficiency from a California-recognized court reporting school.
Unit 1 employees who are FLSA-exempt, working at CAL FIRE are eligible for Pay Differential 63 – Incident Command Assignment (ICA) differential pay. (11.M2.1)
We won a Recruitment and Retention differential at the California Department of Education (CDE) ranging from 5-10%. 11.M3.1 – California Department of Education Local Assistant Budget Development Pay Differential (Unit 1) offers the differential to Staff Services Analysts and Associate Government Program analysts who are directly involved in local assistance cost and caseload estimate, and estimate methodologies submitted as part of the May budget revision, final budget, and all subsequent budget actions.
Five different classifications working at California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Disability Determination Services Division (DDSD) are eligible for a new Recruitment and Retention differential ranging from $2000-$3000 annually. 11.M4.1 offers the pay to Disability Evaluation Analyst I, II, or III, Staff Services Analyst, or Associate Governmental Program Analyst classifications.
We maintained our rights regarding the Information Technology Joint Apprenticeship Committee (5.20.1), pushing back against the State’s efforts to change the process and diminish Local 1000’s role. We also preserved a related section, 13.4.1 Information Technology (IT) Apprenticeship Agency Linkage Agreement (Unit 1).
We were able to preserve the IT Reclassification Committee language in 5.21.1.
For the Television Specialists (14.10.1), the State has agreed to conduct a classification and specification review during the term of this contract
At the master table, we were able to preserve 11.8 – Correctional Case Records Analyst Recruitment and Retention Differential of $2400.
“These are just highlights and economic gains. There are many other contract rights that were preserved, and nearly all Unit 1 language was left intact,” said Susan Rodriguez, Unit 1 Bargaining Chair. “Our Unit 1 team was diligent and thorough, and every issue got our full effort. We work to advance Unit 1 in every bargaining cycle, and we will continue that effort.
This email summary shares highlights from the Unit 1 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.