Table Talk
1021 Bargaining News & Actions – Updated Sept. 7
Fighting for Free Speech in Sonoma County
In embattled Sonoma County, the Superior Court bargaining team is keeping up the pressure amidst a very public fight over a draconian new ban on wearing union items to work. Employees have been disciplined not just for wearing t-shirts and lanyards, but anything purple! Management even shut off the electricity to an outdoor outlet so we couldn’t power the microphone at an August 29 noontime rally. Little did they expect we’d have a generator.
In the meantime, County employees are heading for the table fighting now that the Board of Supervisors has changed the retiree health formula in defiance of several union contracts.
Recent Settlements
Marin County ratified a three-year agreement with up to 13% in raises linked to the Bay Area Consumer Price Index. There were also major improvements in the Medical Cafeteria plan, but the creation of a fourth tier amounted to a takeaway on retiree health.
Napa County ratified a two-year agreement with raises of 5.7% to 8.2% linked to the Bay Area CPI. Probation Officers and Corrections Counselors got a 5% premium to compensate for lack of Safety Retirement. Employees with Kaiser got 100% coverage for themselves.
The City of Sutter Creek settled a one-year agreement with a 5% COLA and a commitment to meet with the union to explore retiree medical benefits.
The City of Sonoma and the newly organized City of Fort Bragg also settled and ratified contracts in July. The Sonoma members ratified theirs unanimously.
The Peralta, Santa Rosa, and Chabor-Las Positas community college districts all settled contracts during summer vacation. So did the Sonoma County Office of Education and San Lorenzo Unified School District; and Hayward USD Maintenance and Operations settled re-opener that included wage increases.
Past Table Talk Updates
JULY 24, 2007
More than 40 contracts affecting 1021 members expired on or about June 30. Here are some of the results that have come in so far.
Marin County
The people of Marin County look forward to their county fair each year. This year, however, visitors arrived to find 1021 members who work for the county handing out balloons and stickers reading: “Marin County UN-Fair.” County employees and RNs are continuing to bargain and -- like their colleagues in the city and county of Napa -- are working without a contract while raising public awareness of the substandard packages being offered by management. The balloons were a big hit with the kids, and the message got a warm reception from the grown-ups.
PICTURED: MediCal Eligibility Worker Miguel Garza was among the 1021 members who handed out balloons during opening weekend of the Marin County Fair.
City of Novato
One good piece of news from Marin: City of Novato supervisors reached a settlement on June 26 that gives them a four percent raise now and five percent on July 1, 2008. The two-year contract also won a substantial parity adjustment to the benefits structure and the promise of a wage parity study using cities comparable to those used by exempt management classifications.
San Francisco Nurses
After a long and contentious fight, San Francisco’s nurses won a three-year contract with numerous economic victories — including an across-the-board 17.5 percent pay increase over three years — as well as agreements on minimum staffing levels.
Peralta Community College District
Members at the Peralta CCD approved — by an overwhelming 156–1 vote — a two-year contract with pages of new language strengthening the grievance and arbitration process. The contract also marks a win on economic issues: COLA, additional longevity pay, and an economic reopener on any new general fund or growth money coming into the district.
City of Lathrop
Employees of this Central Valley city have ratified a contract with equity adjustments ranging from 2.5 to 10 percent and a $1 per hour increase in standby pay — all retroactive to January 1. The three-year deal also includes a 2.5–3–3 COLA and an educational stipend increase from $700 to $1,100.
Del Norte County
Okay, not exactly a bargaining story, but good news from the Organizing Department. Way up at the top of the state, the Del Norte County Employees Association voted to affiliate with SEIU 1021 with a landslide 82 percent of the vote. Under the agreement, DNCEA members will be full members of the union; elect their own officers, shop stewards, and bargaining teams; and be eligible to run for seats on the 1021 Executive Board.