Unit 4 Bargaining Update for Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Unit 4 Members Tell State Negotiators it’s time to Invest in its Employees

Local 1000’s Office and Allied work force met with state negotiators on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, to make the case California needs to invest in them and the important work they do in carrying out and supporting the administrative work of state agencies all across California.

On Tuesday, Unit 4’s bargaining team submitted over 25 special salary adjustments and did four presentations to state negotiators that detailed the substance of the work they do and the importance of that work to the efficient and accurate running of state agencies.

We know that as state workers, when people get a chance to hear our stories and relate to our experiences, that can make a difference in how they value our work and us. Unit 4 is a dedicated and valuable workforce.

In one of the presentations, a Unit 4 subject matter expert (SME) talked about her experience working for the state and wondering if she could still afford to put food on the table for her family. She also talked about work load issues and communicated that understaffing has led to high levels of burnout and high vacancy rates, but not higher wages.

The State of California’s Office and Allied workforce is over 23,000 strong but represents some of the lowest paid workers in state government. The SME’s shared their everyday struggles to keep one step ahead of poverty with the state’s bargaining team on Tuesday. The SME’s  message to the state was clear: To invest in its workforce so that they have the ability to take care of their families, to serve the residents of California and to provide opportunity for future generations.  If we want a California for All, the state will have to do better. 

Karen Jefferies, Chair of Unit 4, said,  “having to stress about providing for the basic necessities for you and your family is still a reality of being an office or clerical worker in California. We need the state to invest in us. For state workers in Unit 4, our fight is a fight for fair compensation and economic justice.”