Greetings, Union sisters and brothers. On December 12, 2024, your UPE 008 bargaining team had a second meeting with County management for the early stages of contract negotiations. On the good side, an agreement was reached on reasonable ground rules for bargaining.
On the not-so-good side, we received the County’s initial list of contract proposals, which can be summarized as a general attack on worker pay, benefits, and rights. Among the most memorable (and insulting) parts were the County’s COLA proposal with a minimum of one percent and a maximum of four percent (1% - 4%), a proposed restriction of special skills pay, and a proposed reduction in family death leave.
Your team is still processing the UPE membership bargaining surveys to help us prepare your proposals for forceful presentation to the County. The next scheduled bargaining session is on December 19, 2024.