Fresno County Tentative Agreement Reached!
BREAKING: Tentative Agreement Reached!
In March, our Fresno County Chapter Bargaining Team had one of two decisions to make as the world as we knew changed; cancel negotiations meetings and accept the status quo contract OR navigate the new frontier and bargain entirely online, at a distance. With the feedback and support of hundreds of members throughout the chapter, our bargaining team decided to be bold and courageous; they stepped up to the plate and fought as hard as possible to improve the livelihoods of their fellow coworkers in one of the most challenging times of our lives.
We’re proud to announce that after countless member Zoom meetings, member lobby visits, follow up emails, text blast campaigns, and phone calls, the County and our Union were able to come to a tentative agreement with nine articles as our bargaining team attempts to settle the contract by your support to vote and ratify our contract. Next year is uncertain and these nine victories merited protection. But what is certain is that next year your coworkers will return to the bargaining table; we will regroup, recover, and reset the fight with a fresh start in the coming new year.
Member ratification on the tentative agreement will begin on Wednesday, September 30th at 7:00 AM and conclude on Thursday, October 1st at 7:00 PM. Our bargaining team made up of your fellow Fresno County workers are recommending a YES vote to accept the Tentative Agreement. Pending the results of our membership vote, the tentative agreement will then be voted on by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors for approval.
How To Vote
Our membership vote will be conducted completely online. To receive as many notifications as possible by Wednesday, September 30th, you must have a current email and phone number on file. Update your contact information by visiting: www.seiu521.org/signup – this can be completed in less than 2 minutes.
Only full dues-paying members are eligible to vote on the tentative agreement. If you are not a current member or unsure, sign up to become a member here: www.seiu521.org/membership. To avoid receiving a provisional ballot, you must submit a membership application by Monday, September 28, 2020, at 5 pm.
Election Details
Start date and time: Wednesday, September 30th, 7:00 AM
End date and time: Thursday, October 1st, 7:00 PM
Election Format: Virtual online ballot. Eligible members will receive an email and text message from ELECTION BUDDY to cast one vote to accept or reject the Tentative Agreement. One vote per member.
Highlights from the agreement:
- Term- This will be a one-year contract from the date it is ratified by the Board of Supervisors and we will resume negotiations next year.
- Healthcare- Effective December 14, 2020 the County will contribute an additional $25.00 per pay period for all eligible employees (.8 FTE or higher) toward their healthcare plan which includes Employee Only, Employee plus Child(ren), Employee plus Spouse, and Employee plus Family.
- New Employee Orientation- The County has agreed to increase the time the Union has to orientate new employees from 20 minutes to 25 minutes.
- Union Representative Leave of Absence- The County has agreed to go from 30 days to 45 days when submitting reimbursement of wages to the Union and defines the Internal Organizer, as well as the Chapter President, who has the authority to release Union Representatives.
- Release Time- The County has agreed to update the language from 24 hours to three days’ notice when releasing Stewards or Officers to attend County meetings.
- Court Appearances- The County has agreed to be able to put a night shift or PM shift employee who has been moved to day shift for the week of reporting for jury duty back to their original shift when released as a juror. i.e. If a night shift employee is moved to day shift for the week of jury duty but is released on Tuesday, they would be able to go back to their original shift the next day instead of having to stay on day shift the rest of the week.
- Holidays- This article was updated by adding the words “March 31” in a paragraph at the bottom of the article to define it as the date the Cesar Chavez’ Birthday holiday falls on each year.
- UNITS 3, 12, and 36 CCAIR Differentials- For classifications that are eligible for the Children’s Crisis Assessment Intervention and Resolution (CAIR) differential we updated language that clarifies the current $4.00 per day differential will equal $40.00 per pay period
- Unit 12 Disciplinary Action- The County has agreed to include this Article as an addition to Unit 12’s contract which expands members’ rights to have Union representation during the disciplinary process.