AFSCME REACHES TENTATIVE SETTLEMENT FOR SERVICE WORKERS WITH UC

AFSCME announced today that they had reached a tentative agreement with UC and that the strike planned for next week has been called off.  As you will see, this tentative agreement is the result of a long series of bargaining sessions and will be voted on soon by the AFSCME membership.  Negotiations between AFSCME and UC about the contract for Patient Care Technical Workers will continue next week.  I have copied the announcement below.


AFSCME 3299 ANNOUNCES “HISTORIC” TENTATIVE AGREEMENT FOR UC SERVICE WORKERS

Members Must Ratify 4 Year Agreement; Strike Scheduled for March 3-7 has
been Cancelled; Bargaining with AFSCME 3299 Patient Care Technical
Workers to Continue this week

Oakland: The University of California and AFSCME 3299 have reached an
historic, tentative, 4-year contract agreement for the system’s 8300
Service Workers. As a result, next week’s scheduled strike by AFSCME
3299 represented UC workers has been cancelled.

For UC Service workers affected by the agreement—99% of whom are
currently income eligible for some form of public assistance—the
potential settlement includes 13.5% across the board wage increase (over
4 years), affordable healthcare benefits for both current employees and
retirees, and important new safe staffing protections—including limits
on contracting out.

“After more than a year of good faith bargaining, we have finally
reached a historic agreement with UC that will pull thousands of its
full-time employees out of poverty and begin to rectify staffing
practices that needlessly put our members and the people they serve at
risk,” said UC Service Worker and AFSCME 3299 President Kathryn
Lybarger. “While this proposed settlement includes compromise on both
sides, it honors the contributions that career service workers make to
this institution, as well as UC’s responsibility to build ladders to the
middle class. Our members are deeply grateful to the thousands of
students, faculty, colleagues, elected officials, and everyday taxpayers
who have stood with us, and stood for the principles of fairness and
dignity that bind every member of the UC community.”

While UC Service Workers have secured a tentative agreement, the 13,000
UC Patient Care Technical Workers represented by AFSCME 3299 remain in
bargaining with UC, with more sessions scheduled for later this week.
The Patient Care Technical Unit had been scheduled to sympathy strike
with Service Workers next week.

“The Patient Care Unit has been engaged in good faith bargaining for
more than 20 months—even longer than Service Workers—and like Service
workers, has already given UC 80% of what it wants, including the
university’s top priority of pension reform,” Lybarger added. “Having
seen the unflinching resolve of our membership and the many thousands of
Californians who support them, it is our hope that the spirit of
compromise that UC finally brought to the table yesterday to reach a
settlement with UC Service workers will continue in upcoming bargaining
sessions with the Patient Care Technical Unit. If it does, we believe
that an end to this unfortunate, protracted dispute may finally be
within reach, and a new period of cooperation can begin."

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Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We did it!

Late last night, the Bargaining Time signed an historic, 4-year
tentative contract agreement for UC Service Workers (SX) that meets all
of our core demands on wages, staffing and job security.

Accordingly, we have cancelled the system-wide strike that was scheduled
for March 3-March 7th.

Here is what UC Service Workers Have Won:

Wages: 13.5% in ATBs; 2% steps in 2014, 2015, 2016; plus $200 signing bonus.

     4.5% ATB 60 days after ratification, plus $200 signing bonus
     3% ATB July 1, 2014 +2% step
     3% ATB Oct. 1, 2015 + 2% step
     3% ATB Oct. 1, 2016 +2% step
     Double Time Pay after 12 Hours

Staffing: New Protections on Contracting Out, Seniority and Layoffs.

     Arbitration language to ensure UC cannot layoff SX employees due to
contracting out

     Agreement that Service work at new UC facilities (UCSD/Jacobs
Hospital, UCSF Mission Bay, and UCLA/Luskin Hotel and Conference Center)
will be performed by AFSCME 3299 SX Unit

     Seniority in Layoffs, Transfers, Promotions, and Scheduling

     Temps must be laid off before career workers

Healthcare Benefits and Retirement:

     1 Tier Pension
     Freeze on Kaiser and Healthnet Premiums for life of the Contract
     Current Employees Grandfathered into Old Rules on Retiree Healthcare
     Freeze on Kaiser Rates for Retirees during life of the Contract

And NO PTO!

Download the Victory flyer in ENGLISH, SPANISH, and CHINESE.  More
information about member meetings and a ratification vote will be coming
soon.

But we are not done yet.

By standing firm these past twenty months, you made today’s historic
victory possible. Now, we must keep up the pressure to ensure our
brothers and sisters in the Patient Care Unit receive the same fair
contract settlement.

PCT Bargaining is scheduled for February 27th and 28th. And we are
asking you to call Janet Napolitano at 510-987-9074, to remind her that
AFSCME 3299 will not stop fighting until UC provides Patient Care
workers the fair wage increases, staffing protections, and job security
they deserve.

Thank you for your continued strength and resolve.

In Unity and Solidarity,