Surveys Reveal Furloughs are a Top Issue
After reviewing hundreds of bargaining surveys, members identified eliminating furloughs as a primary focus this year as well as fighting for a fairness agreement and protecting retirement security.
“Furloughs haven’t been easy for anyone. They’ve created hardships for families, while resulting in major time restraints to deal with high levels of service needs. This issue needs to be looked at closely in bargaining.” -Tom Finan, Agriculture standards investigator IV, Bargaining Team Member
Look at Last Year
Last year, SEIU members warned the County against the detrimental use of furloughs and its hurtful impact on services.
But the County implemented the contract, meaning it forced horrible terms of conditions of employment such as unlimited furloughs, lay-offs by merit, no overtime rights and no job security on SEIU members.
Members fought to remove these conditions and succeeded on most of them. But after nearly a year, it is clear that furloughs do not work. Furloughs have cost more to the County in certain departments such as the Riverside County Regional Medical Center and other 24 hour-operations.
Looking Forward
This year, your bargaining team is offering solutions to stop mandatory furloughs, while generating savings for the County. They include:
1. Implement cost savings offered by members
2. Offer voluntary furloughs
3. Advocate for stimulus money
4. Add two extra bottom steps for new hires
5. Early retirement
SEIU 721 Events
April 5, 2010
Bargaining Meeting
8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Flood Control Building
1995 Market Street, Riverside, CA 92501
Bargaining Room 1/ H.R. Mgmt Caucus Room E-F
April 7, 2010
Contract Action Team Meeting/ Town Hall for Riverside County Auditor Controller
6 p.m.-8 p.m.
SEIU 721 Riverside Office
Some of us having furloughs like themand want to keep them. Make them voluntary.
I feel that SEIU has fought and benefited their members through the tough times that we are presently experiencing. I feel that because SEIU is as strong as its members and it has shown Riverside County its strength and shown the other (not as strong) unions by taking the lead in showing Riverside County that through the tough economical times we not only stand for integrity but also with honor and to aid not only one another but those we serve on a daily basis with less and less to serve them with. SEIU has stood strong and has made the statement through the workforce that we will not be pushed by the strong arm of the upper echelon of the rulers of this County. I feel SEIU has stood for the rights of each of the employees they aid, whether or not they are able to stand in the front lines to be counted.
RCRMC Nurses would like to negotiate last contracts proposed 72 hour full time benefits. And Priority to be in hourly wage increase.
Hey nurses why don’t you stop asking for so much and stop cheating the rest of us that are a part of this Union. You ask for too much and leave nothing for the rest of us that are a part of SEIU. Yes we get that it is hard to staff for nurses but that does not mean that you should get double time for weekend shifts when you have called in sick during the regular week…The amount in OT has increased for nurses since we went on furloughs and that is why the furloughs didn’t work! It increased because they found away to work around the furloughs in order to still receive their full pay and I am tired of my check being 10% short each pay period while a good portion of the nurses have not felt the cut at all because they get so many perks out of this contract. Again, can we for once not just negotiate for the nurses and remember that there are others that pay their $12 a pay period too.
Here are the facts from a Riverside County RN. I think what should be researched is how far below parity nurses being paid at RCRMC or throughout the County. Look at industry standard for nurses, most hospitals are 72 hour full time benefited positions. Research some of the perks at other hospitals regarding weekend incentives, holiday pay and paid time off. The nurses have been able to get OT even before this contract was ratified. It has only become public knowledge, because the County is in a budget crunch and is using the hospital to prove that furloughs don’t work. We the nurses consistently have made far less than competing hospitals and will probably always be below parity due to county wages. I think individual research should be done by those who feel nurses get all the perks. Find out for yourself what other nurses are obtaining in their contracts, then make an educated argument with facts. RE: Riverside Community Hospital and Kaiser. Thanks
I actually don’t blame the Nurses for their abusive overtime/furlough gig.
I do blame the Board of Supervisors (Buster, Tavaglione, Stone and Ashley) I leave the new guy Benoit out of that because he wasn’t around.
How in the world, they did not see this coming? Anybody with high school and common sense knows that forcing furloughs on employees of a 24 hours facility is recipe for disaster! Anyhow, this group of people along with Bill Luna, and Ron Khomer are running the county! !
Now they are getting ready to do lay-offs….they should be the first ones been laid off for INCOMPETENCE! They don’t deserve their 5 figure salaries to do such poor job and not to have any common sense!
It’s good to see that some are actually having a Voice. Not only did the furloughs NOT work, but departments under Federal Budgets were furloughed and the money saved does nothing for the General Fund. All it did was back up the work and cause delays in processing that wasn’t necessary in the first place…And scrambled Admin to find ways to use the savings, since it was already budgeted for the fiscal year. With Federal money…Use It or Lose It!!! If Admin Funds decrease next fiscal because the payroll “was not needed”, then we haven’t really seen the full affects of the lost funding. ….More to Come!! END FURLOUGHS FOR FED DEPARTMENTS NOW!!!!!!!1
The nurses need to be in a separate union, or different negotiations. They are different and should be counted differently instead of used as a bargaining chip. Nurses should never have been furloughed.We also prefer 72 hour work weeks with full benefits, like so many other hospitals across the country.
There is a severe nursing shortage that wil continue for many years and the week-end premium pay still not not assure there is adequate staffing, but it would be even more dangerous working conditions without it..
Although we had to reprioritize our monthly spending habits at home, our family found that we liked the furlough idea. It gave us more time together that we didn’t have before and home life seemed more balanced and a little less hectic.
I would support keeping furloughs (no more than two days per month) on the table as a cost savings measure.
The unfairness of all this is SEIU are treated like step children. While LUINA got the luxury of COLA’s, step increases along with flex allowance the SEIU Supervisors got nothing but headaches and responsibilities. It appears the County refuses to address these horrible issues to lack of fair compensation. Furloughs were not the solution (to one Union only)……..the Board along with Luna should have cut wages 10% across the board for “all” County employees instead of attacking SEIU. And, RSA only got 5 days furlough and cut in flex? It’s all a joke and one-sided!