The SEIU 721 bargaining team achieved important tentative agreements with Riverside County during negotiations on April 22. The agreements mean both parties agree to end furloughs, maintain wages, implement a fairness agreement and commit to find affordable health care and more.
“We’re getting fair treatment at the bargaining table. It’s a sign of respect we haven’t seen in years past,” said Bonnie Maffia, a senior appraiser and bargaining team member.
The bargaining team achieved these critical tentative agreements:
• Fairness Agreement – Equal treatment among LIUNA, management and unrepresented employees to ensure that SEIU 721 members would receive any benefits given to (LIUNA, management or unrepresented.)
• End of Furloughs – End furloughs no later than June 30, 2010.
• Compensation Language Stays the Same – Language ensures no cuts to current wages.
According to the tentative compensation agreement, wages would return to 2009 levels prior to the beginning of furloughs. Therefore, Riverside County employees would return to working 80 hours per pay period.
• Agreement to Search for More Affordable Health Insurance – Agreement creates a path for the union to search for a comparable or better insurance plan at a more affordable rate to lessen the out of pocket expenses for members. This agreement opens the discussion to find more affordable coverage as long as it creates no additional cost to the county or members.
• Retirement Provisions Stay the Same – Management agrees to maintain the current employee contribution levels (i.e. 100% after 5 years.) Riverside County will maintain the same rate of employer contribution ensuring no additional burden on members.
Next Steps-
The bargaining team and management are still discussing the issue of frozen step increases. Other issues under discussion include resolving compaction for supervisory classifications to ensure fair compensation that is equitable to management. The union has participated in a joint task force with Riverside County and placed a long-term solution to resolve compaction.
Take Action: Attend the next bargaining meeting on April, 28, 2010.
8 AM-1 PM
Riveride County Flood Control Building
1995 Market Street
Riverside, CA 92501
Hi Bonnie:
Thanks for the good news !
But please clarify:
1) “End of Furoughs” & “no cuts to current wages”
Does this mean we go back to working 40 hours a week and we remain at 10% pay reduction ?
2) What about restoring our step increases ?
Some of us did not received them as we should have.
Thanks for all your hard work on our behalf.
Best regards,
Tom C.
Does the end of the furloghs mean that we keep our wages prior to the fuurloghs without any pay cuts? What about 10/40 schedules? Will we be able to work 10/40 schedules so that we can continue to have Fridays’ off?
Thank you
Any agreement on getting our step increases back?
What is the status of the following items?
1. Repayment for the mandatory furlough salary lost from July 2009 to date?
2. Development of Career ladder for Communicable Disease Specialists?
3. Restoration of salary back to the amounts prior to July 2009.
4. Is SEIU sueing the county of Riverside for the amounts lost due to furlough as it is for state employees?
5. What consessions has SEIU already agreed to?
What about our step increase? Our step increase was frozen (SEIU) while LIUNA employees kept all their step increases and cost of living!
Also, it is not fair that the SEIU employees who were at the top did not share the same burden. Employees who were NOT at the top step got a 10% furlough AND lost their 5.5% step increase, so they really got a 15.5% CUT while others got 10% (while they enjoyed being at the “untouchable” top).
Unfair, unfair, and unfair, unfair and unfair!
THey are agreeing to all of this because they are going to lay people off. Do you guys have your heads in the sand???? Lay offs lay offs? Sure if I am cutting the workforce then no need
to cut pay and retirement because they will have enuf money to pay for it.
If all this great stuff is happening why did I get my 2 week lay off notice yesterday, with 13 years seniority and they say I have no bumping rights?
Hi, my name is Rick and I’m an elected member of the bargaining team. There is no doubt we are in an epic economic crisis. Last week, the county announced in negotiations that the deficit went from $72 million to more than $130 million.
No matter what we do or say to show County management how to implement cost saving measures they decided long ago that they intend to lay off employees regardless of what we do.
Last year, the county was set on implementing furloughs despite the fact that SEIU 721 told them they would not work. A year later, they proved unsuccessful and ended up being more costly in 24 hour operations.
Layoffs would devastate this community and clearly, the union does not support any measures that would cost employees jobs and reduce public service. However, our focus as a bargaining team remains on being able to restore services to the public and make gains in our new contract— items we can have a voice in right now.
Gains at the Table most recently are, keeping retirements inTact which Management vowed that they “were coming after”, Furloughs are ending June 30th and as of this writing our 10% cut in salary is ending as well. Securing the the opportunity to research and implement Better and more affordable Health Care, and a fairness agreement insuring any benefits given to Management, Unrepresented, Confidential and LIUNA, SEIU 721 menmbers will be afforded the same benefits.
Negotiations have not concluded and we still have several items on the table to secure for members.
I’d be ok with no wage increases, if it meant no furloughs, other pay cuts or lost jobs. My husband’s union is talking about furloughs (LIUNA), so we’ll be in the same boat next year as we were this last year, but at least we’ve learned to cut back. We rarely ever go out to eat and we’ve found ways to cut back. It’s been difficult, but we’ve managed (barely). No money going into savings, but we’re up to date on our house payments. It’s a trade off, I guess…
You said “Fairness Agreement – Equal treatment among LIUNA, management and unrepresented employees to ensure that SEIU 721 members would receive any benefits given to (LIUNA, management or unrepresented.) ” Does that mean If LIUNA gets hit with furloughs, then we would be hit with it too? Does the Fairness Agreement only applies to the Positives and not the Negatives?
Hi Paul,
The bargaining team reached a tentative agreement to include no furloughs for SEIU 721 members. The Fairness Agreement only applies to “benefits” meaning increases or improvements in compensation, wages, etc. Isn’t this great news? Your bargaining team is working hard to reach a fair agreement with the county that honors the critical contributions of county workers. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Member Resource Center at (877) 721-4YOU or contact your union worksite organizer.
Thanks, Tracie
I WAS TOLD BY THE UNION AS OF 7-1-10 WITH THE NEW CONTRACT THAT 72 HOURS WOULD BE A FULL TIME BENEFITED POSTION AND WOULD NOT AFFECT OUR INSURACE, HOLIDAYS, SICK OR VACATION TIME. WE HAVE LOST OUR VACATION DAYS AND ARE BEING DEDUCTED TIME FROM OR VACATION AND SICK DAYS. i HAVE CALLED THE UNION TO REPORT THIS AND THEY DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. WHAT IS GOING ON?