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New Year Brings Some Progress at the Ventura County Bargaining Table

As contract negotiations reach the fifth month, the SEIU Local 721 bargaining team met with Ventura County management and was able to reach agreement on a few items.

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“We made some progress but we are still pushing for an increase in flex dollars to offset the higher medical premiums that continue to erode our paychecks,” said AC Carbajal, Bargaining Chair and Supervising Environmental Health Specialist
 
Tentative Agreement Highlights:

  • The County has agreed to a provision that allows employees to use paid vacation time in increments as small as two hours.
  • The County agreed to pick up the cost of the license for Resource Management Agency Building Inspectors.  This will bring this job classification to have parity with the other classifications that have costs associated with licenses that are required for the position.
  • The County agreed to have an internal compensation study for all divisions within the RMA.
  • Increase in the Market Base Premium for certain hospital classifications

Negotiations are scheduled to continue the week of Jan. 17. The 2010 contract remains in effect while negotiations continue.

0 responses to “New Year Brings Some Progress at the Ventura County Bargaining Table

  1. If too late, maybe next year try bargaining to have the day off after Thanksgiving. The courts are closed after Thanksgiving; in fact they have 5 extra holidays then the County. As a parent, finding daycare for the day after Thanksgiving is difficult and more costly. As a County employee dealing with customers in person, we only get between 5-10 customers the day after Thanksgiving. Maybe, each department of the County who deals with customers can keep a log as to how many customers they get the day after. Once the data is collected you can bring it to negotiations table and show them how slow business is that day. To open and pay employees, the County doesn’t make that much money.

    Another suggestion: if an employee who would like to have two Fridays off a month (as a furlough-no pay, no vacation time used), not work a 9/80 and it doesn’t interfere with work (meaning, there’s coverage) should be considered.

  2. If too late, maybe next year try bargaining to have the day off after Thanksgiving. The courts are closed after Thanksgiving; in fact they have 5 extra holidays then the County. As a parent, finding daycare for the day after Thanksgiving is difficult and more costly. As a County employee dealing with customers in person, we only get between 5-10 customers the day after Thanksgiving. Maybe, each department of the County who deals with customers can keep a log as to how many customers they get the day after. Once the data is collected you can bring it to negociations table and show them how slow business is that day. To open and pay employees, the County doesn’t make that much money.

    Another suggestion: if an employee who would like to have two Fridays off a month (as a furlough-no pay, no vacation time used), not work a 9/80 and it doesn’t interfere with work (meaning, there’s coverage) should be considered.