LA County employees represented by SEIU 721 have overwhelmingly ratified an agreement that protects working families and will lead to service improvements for residents. Out of the total vote, 96% voted yes to approve their unit contracts and 97% approved the fringe benefits including family health care and dependent care.
Over 4,800 LA County SEIU 721 members voted to ratify the two-year contract that preserves services, provides an increase in County contributions to health care, and avoids furloughs or layoffs.
Dozens of members volunteered to count the votes Monday night, November 9.
“For me getting involved for the first time in the bargaining process I am very pleased,” says Joe Coleman, custodian in Bargaining Unit 201.
“This was a strong vote of support for all the hard work our bargaining teams did.”
Luis Villegas, chair of bargaining unit 431 says, “We would not have won this agreement without the united voice of our membership. From the worksites to the bargaining table we did this by working together.”
See contract details
Next steps: Bargaining team members will be proofing the contracts which are due to the Board of Supervisors by November 19. This will give the Auditor-Controller enough time to make payroll system changes to include the Jan. 1, 2010 increase in the County’s contribution to our health insurance plan. The negotiated 2009-11 Union contracts are not binding until they have been adopted by the Board of Supervisors. We’re hoping for a December 15 finalization.
