Contract enforcement reverses sick leave denials

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Two representation wins for members who were initially denied sick leave prove, once again, that the collective strength of Local 1000 can make all the difference for members facing the indifferent bureaucracy of state government during a time of personal need. 

In the first case, a member at the Sierra Conservation Center was denied the ability to utilize other leave credits in lieu of sick leave for an otherwise sick leave related absence. The Chief Deputy Warden issued a form claiming there was no catastrophic need for the substitution of leave. The member’s steward, Karen Devoll, and Unit 1 Bargaining Chair, Brenda Modkins, worked to try to informally resolve the matter with SCC but, ultimately, CDCR management would not resolve the matter until a grievance was filed. Local 1000 secured an agreement with CDCR to cash out the member’s leave credits that she had been initially denied.
“Local 1000 definitely supports its members,” says the member. “They worked quickly to help resolve my issue.”

In the second case, one of our members at the DMV in San Jose was denied the ability to take approved dock when she needed sick time. DMV management was forcing her to substitute vacation leave even though she didn’t want to. When the member reached out, our stewards interceded on her behalf and secured her right to use the approved dock and continue to accrue her vacation time for its intended use.

Both cases highlight the value of a strong, member-led union that is there to fight for its members, not only to bargain for a strong contract but to enforce that contract in the workplace.

“We will always stand up for our hard-fought rights,” says Modkins of Local 1000’s aggressive representation. “We make the state follow the contract.”