The SEIU Local 721 City of Ventura bargaining committee reached a tentative agreement with the City on July 9, and all four bargaining units, A, G, S, and Q have approved the tentative agreement. The City Council voted to approve the contract at its July 28 meeting.
SEIU 721 members in the City of Palm Springs voted 87% to ratify a proposed contract with management on Tuesday, July 15, 2014. The four-year contract was approved by City Council on Wednesday evening.
Public employees have been under attack by anti-worker interest groups who have tried to blame public service workers for the recession. The real facts are that Riverside County public service retirees only receive $25 a month toward retiree medical benefits and current workers are below community standards in wages.
The SEIU Local 721 Santa Barbara County bargaining team held a meet and confer with County negotiators on July 9, 2014. They reviewed pay inequities for two job series, Social Workers and Career Employment Specialists. We were able to meet on this because of the language we won in our last reopener.
The SEIU 721 City of Palm Springs bargaining team negotiated a tentative agreement with Palm Springs management on Tuesday, July 15, 2014. City workers will see a 4% salary increase over the four-year contract. A ratification vote will be held Tuesday, July 15.
Following several weeks of City of Hemet worker testimonies on how proposed layoffs and cuts will affect working families and the need to respect the collective bargaining process, the Hemet City Council approved a budget that calls for elimination of positions and more cuts.
As part of Reopener discussions provided for in our current contract with the County, your SEIU 721 Bargaining Committee met with County representatives on June 10, 2014.
The SEIU 721 bargaining team and Palm Springs management have held several productive bargaining sessions over the past two weeks. The last session was held on Tuesday, May 20. SEIU 721 researchers produced a deep financial report on the City’s finances and the bargaining team is analyzing those findings.
A union wide push for pay equity and fairness, SEIU 721 members have won a major victory that will provide members with increases in FLEX benefits and up to 8% more in pay over the next two years.
Reflecting on the past and moving toward the future, negotiations between SEIU 721 Palm Springs General Unit and city management began on Wednesday, April 15, 2014, with the union acknowledging the retirement of SEIU negotiator Mark Reid’s years of service and having optimism for this year’s bargaining.