The Unit 13 bargaining team met with the State on Monday, August 22, 2016. The State passed a counter proposal on salaries which was, “All unit 13 employees shall receive a General Salary Increase (GSI) of 3% effective the first day of the pay period following ratification by both IUOE and the legislature. All Unit 13 employees shall receive a GSI of 3% effective July 1, 2017, and another GSI of 2% effective July 1, 2018.”
On special salary adjustments for Chief Engineers, Stationary Engineers, and Water/Sewage Plant Operators and Supervisors classifications, they offered 2% upon ratification by both parties, 2% effective July 1,2017 and 2% effective July 1, 2018.
While they have increased the amount for the special salary classification adjustments from their previous proposal, they also changed the effective dates so they would no longer be retroactive to July 1, 2016. That move alone could cause a delay in receiving the increases up until the November 2016 pay check. Thus pushing back the effective date at least four months.
They are still demanding that employees pay 3.9% of their wages into a retiree health and dental trust fund (OPEB).
In addition, the State has rejected the Union’s proposals to: narrow the pay gap between our engineers and water and waste water operators with other public and private jurisdictions; provide certification pay for engineers who possess the CFC Universal EPA 608 certification; increase the certification pay for water and waste water operators who hold multiple licenses; increase the pay for Chief Plant Operators; increase the night shift differential; add additional prisons and CalFire camps to the recruitment and retention differential and to increase it to $2600; provide longevity pay for years of service between 10 and 30 years; provide special locality pay for the bay area and several other high cost areas in the state; and to provide a special pay differential depending on the level of water and waste water plant our members operate.
As you can see, a majority of proposals that the Union has presented and vehemently argued at the table, that would address the recruitment and retention problems the State is experiencing, have been rejected outright with little if any consideration by the State.
At the conclusion of Monday’s session the union declared Impasse and therefore, we will be seeking an Impasse declaration from the Public Employment Relations Board which will allow us to proceed to mediation.
In Solidarity,
Unit 13 Bargaining Team, Rod Harvey, Robert Pokorski, Don Hoffman, Julie Holt, Gary Bryant, Dallas Phillips, Stan Owens