Ventura County Changes Their Proposal But the Financial Impact is the Same
On Oct. 8, Ventura County's management and the SEIU 721 bargaining team met for the first time since the Board of Supervisor's rally. The County's latest proposal was dramatically different then their previous proposal but the affects on an employee's paycheck is nearly the same.
At the negotiations, the county's chief negotiator announced "the county has decided to shift to where the problem is." The county withdrew the merit delay and 401k match suspension for 12 months but proposed increasing the member portion's of the pension contribution by 3% instead of 2%. The county left open the possibility of having furloughs in 2011 in addition to the furloughs in 2010. Oct 15 barg update mtg paystub.pdf"Workers are willing to help preserve services during these difficult times but the County's proposed permanent cut on top of the furlough is excessive and would cause a hardship for many of us" said Ted Perez, Mental Health Associate and member of the Bargaining Committee.
Ventura's contract expired on Sept. 30 but the contract is extended while negotiations continue to progress.
Next Steps
Attend the Oct. 15 meeting. Have your questions answered and give direction to the bargaining committee. Click here to rsvp.
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We must not allow the county to make changes, or more specifically, to intrude and weaken our ability to receive a solid pension. Perhaps we should consider that the county contributes close to 100% of managements pension. I would hope that our coalition of unions would unite together to protect our pensions and stand together like unions used to at one time. We are in a time were we need to use our voice and stand strong, not relent, and certainly not be afraid. So my dear sisters and brothers; think about what the county is trying to do with the big picture in mind. I hope that we will not be short sighted in our resolve to stand strong and not allow the county to start chipping away at Labor Rights and ultimately break the back of Labor. May the Lord bless and keep everyone, in His perfect care. I also want to thank everybody at our Local 721 in Ventura, our bargaining team, and my fellow contract action team members for all of the difficult work you are doing and for your support.
Naval Veteran For Peace :-)
Carolyn Lucille Consoli
Community Services Worker III
Ventura County Public Health-Tobacco Prevention Education/Policy and Control