While the State remains silent on our key economic proposals, our Master Table bargaining team pressed ahead by presenting nine proposals with stronger language improving our leaves, our working conditions, and the addition of a new holiday for Local 1000-represented employees.
Our current contract expires on June 30—in sixteen days—and our team is ramping up their efforts to bring home a contract we can all be proud of. Our actions on the work site, at rallies, and on social media are critical to our success. It’s time for all of us to stand up and stand together!
Today, we proposed that Juneteenth (June 19) become a state holiday. Nearly a year ago, Governor Newsom established this date as a holiday in California, but the law requires state employees to use our accrued leave to celebrate Juneteenth rather than receiving eight hours of personal holiday credit.
“We believe that the liberation from captivity and the end of slavery is something that every Californian should be able to celebrate, including those in the state’s civil service,” said Irene Green, Vice President for Bargaining. “Juneteenth should not be relegated to a personal holiday. It is an opportunity for all Californians to celebrate freedom as a shared value.”
Also today, our team was proud to present two proposals that reflect Local 1000’s commitment to embracing diversity and fostering inclusivity. It’s even more rewarding to have those values commemorated in our contract. We’re calling on the State to make parental leave gender-neutral and to make gender-neutral restrooms available in the workplace.
Here are the proposals presented to the State negotiators today.
7.1 – Holidays
- Adds June 19 (Juneteenth) as a new holiday
8.1 – Vacation/Annual Leave
- Sweeping increases in all types of monthly leave accrual, annual leave carry-over, and annual cash-out of accrued leave
8.2 – Sick Leave
- Increases the monthly sick leave accrual for full-time employees from 8 to 16 hours
8.4 – Parental Leave
- Ensures the eligibility for parental leave is gender-neutral for any qualified employee
8.10 – Release Time for State Civil Service Examinations
- Adds the ability to use leave credits for those seeking lateral transfer opportunities
8.15 – Personal Leave Program (PLP) – Voluntary
- Increases the number of hours an employee may opt to use from 8 hours to 16 or 24 hours monthly; removes the upper limit of accruable hours and removal from the program
10.33 – Temperature Controls (Excluding Units 3 and 15)
- Reinforces the use of state guidelines for temperature and humidity standards
11.12 – Deferred Compensation Plans and Tax-Advantaged Retirement Savings (Unit 21)
- Rolls over existing language maintaining participation in certain retirement programs
We presented one additional proposal and reached a tentative agreement with the State on the same day:
10.12 – Employee Restroom Facilities
- Calls for the provision of single-occupancy, gender-neutral restrooms as well as facilities separate from those provided to inmates
Also today, the State returned five counterproposals on a range of contract sections. Our master table bargaining team will review those and deliberate the next steps.
You can read the details of these and all current contract articles at contract.seiu1000.org
Want more bargaining information? Be sure to join us tonight, Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 6:30 p.m., for an important bargaining update call with Vice President for Bargaining Irene Green. Please register here to receive the Zoom link.
Our next Master Table session is scheduled for June 21. To read about what happened in all our bargaining sessions to date, 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 22 Rally at the Governor’s Office in Los Angeles here.