As of July 19, 2016, the Administration was in the midst of contract negotiations with 16 out of the 21 bargaining units throughout California after most state employee contracts expired on or around July 1.
SEIU Local 1000 is currently in the process of negotiating contracts with the state over 6 different bargaining units. In a document dated July 8, the state offered SEIU rank-and-file employees a 12 percent general salary increase spread out over 4 years. However, the offer would also require a 3.5 percent increase in contributions towards prefunding retirement health benefits over that time period.
Some other details of the state’s offer to SEIU-represented employees are:
- The state would not be able to require furloughs in the first year, but count in subsequent years.
- An 80-hour annual cash-out would be added to vacation and annual leave benefits.
- In addition to the general salary increase, two dozen classifications would get additional raises, the largest going to Unit 1 Actuary Series (10 %) and Licensed Vocational Nurses in Unit 20 (11.5%).
On July 30, 2016, SEIU Local 1000 released a newsletter stating that the talks had come to a crossroads and they “feel that the state’s offer does not meet the priorities [the members] shared [with the state] through town halls and bargaining surveys.” SEIU Local officials did not respond for comment.
According to Ted Toppin, Lobbyist and ACSS Legislative Correspondent, “The statutory provisions of the budget extend the 2016 pay raises – and the prefunding retiree health schedules – extend to the state supervisors and managers who are linked with the rank and file employees of each bargaining unit”.
>> Click here to read more in the article from the SacBee.