Unit 21 went to the table on Tuesday to continue their fight for fair wages and better professional opportunities for Educational Consultants and Librarians across California.
Our bargaining team brought in representatives from the California Department of Education and the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation as well as the Foundation for California Community Colleges and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. This serves as an alert to the new administration that providing funding and no positions for projects leaves agencies with no other choice. It’s a first step toward addressing—and preventing—the future outsourcing of positions.
A major win from the session involved language that was contentious in previous negotiations, as the team and the state agreed to and signed roll-over language on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) exemption provision. Bobby Roy, Unit 21 vice-chair said, “This was a huge win for us to know that this language is now secured this early in the process.”
Overall, the team signed 14 tentative agreements in all, pushing the total to 24, including the FLSA exemption. Other important roll-overs that the team signed included provisions covering:
- Renewal of reimbursements for membership dues for professional associations.
- Renewal of reimbursements for credential and/or license renewals.
- Arduous pay language, which is critical for members who experience long-term vacancies in their unit and increased work projects and responsibilities beyond their full-time work.
Unit 21 will be back at the table within the next week.