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2006: "We Have Not Yet Begun to Fight"
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(January 6, 2006) - 2006 will be a big year for CCPOA members as well as many other employees of the state of California. Coming off of a successful opposition against the Governor's anti-union Propositions, the New Year will include a heavy political re-election year for state government, as well as a struggle with the current administration over the CCPOA-represented BU6 labor contract which is due to expire this year as well.
In addition, 6 other bargaining units join us, whose contracts will also expire in 2006 - in fact, 18 of the 21 bargaining units in the state of California will be negotiating contracts that have already expired or will expire this year. SEIU (Service Employees International Union, Local 1000), represents administrative workers, nurses, teachers, librarians, printers, janitors and technology workers make up the more than 90,000 member union, which represents 9 bargaining units that it will have to negotiate in 2006. Seven other unions that represent scientists, engineers, firefighters, Highway Patrol officers, doctors, psychiatric technicians and operators of heavy equipment, will also be called upon to re-negotiate their contracts this year.
Mike Jimenez, President of CCPOA told the press, "We're looking forward to the fight. It'll give us the opportunity to keep the membership rallied in a political year, and give them direction for their anger."
Many say that even though the public workers' unions defeated the Governor's Special Election in 2005, there is still a "bad air" about the relationship between union workers and the current administration. SEIU 1000 President Jim Hard stated that he hadn't seen any "real change" in attitude toward state workers saying, "We haven't spoken to the guy [Governor Schwarzenegger] since the summer of 2004, when he was still engaging us. Since November we've been trying to negotiate a contract with him, but he hasn't given his negotiators the authority to negotiate."
Some experts say that the combination of CCPOA and SEIU 1000 up for negotiation at the same time and in an election year could mean a long and tumultuous fight for all involved. SEIU 1000 was meeting with representatives and negotiators on a regular basis in 2005 until the time of the Special Election. In December, two meetings produced no breakthroughs, and currently the administration has set up no additional meetings for 2006. The CCPOA has also had some issues with the state, considering that the administration reneged on the 2002 contract signed by the union back in 2004, in the middle of a five-year contract deal.
The Governor's office isn't giving any hints as to what is in store for any pay scale changes in 2006 for state workers. Department of Finance spokesman H.D. Palmer had been quoted by the press earlier this week stating, "Anything regarding employee compensation will be part of the budget the governor will send to the Legislature on January 10th." And Personnel Administration Department director Navarro has stated that the state is planning to "conduct its most comprehensive compensation study in 20 years" and will have it completed by March 2006 and use it as a pay/benefits guide.
In 2005 the administration achieved agreements with the unions that represent state attorneys, administrative law judges and safety employees. The safety employees received no general pay increase, however four sub-categories within that department will receive between five and ten-percent adjustments. The lawyers received a 2.5% raise retroactive to July 5th, and an additional two to four-percent cost-of-living increase that will begin July 1, 2006.
In order to receive these increases, both unions agreed to health cost cuts that would phrase in over the next two years for dependents of "new hire" employees. The Chief Legislative Advocate for the California Union of Safety Employees, Tim Fries, said his union was basically given a choice to accept the deal from the state, or continue paying an extra $150/month to cover the cost of their healthcare. "They call this collective bargaining?" he said, "There's no collective bargaining about it - it's called collective begging."
The lawyers also agreed to what SEIU's representatives call "a crummy deal." This includes a series of pension changes such as an opt-out provision of CalPERS in exchange for a salary stipend, an extra 1% each year into retirement and final pension based upon a 3-year average salary instead of a 1-year high. Other unions within the state are watching this deal and are wondering what the state has in store for their own contract negotiations.
But Navarro says that he wants to get away from the "cookie-cutter approach to bargaining," saying that the deals with the lawyers and safety employees do not signal what the state has planned for the other bargaining units in negotiation. He said, "You have to tailor the contracts to the particular group of employees you're dealing with."
Not as a part of any negotiations, during the examination of the prison system's health care system, Judge Henderson of the U.S. District Court awarded direct-care nurses that work in state prisons and hospitals a one-year, three-stage 18-percent raise. He also awarded a $20,000 bonus for new nursing hires in "hard to recruit" areas, as well as a 10-percent raise for prison doctors.
Union members should be sure to stay aware of all news regarding their bargaining unit negotiations, as well as attend monthly union meetings, and are encouraged to read the newsletters and mailings that come from the state-level offices. 2006 will be a "fighting year" for many of the state's unions, but after the victories that public workers enjoyed over the current administration in 2005, they should be encouraged by their successes and ready for the next battle.
For more information on CCPOA, or to make sure that your address is registered with the union to receive publications and mailings, please visit www.ccpoa.org.
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