On October 23, your Sutter Bargaining Team met with the Court for our 5th negotiations session. We thought we were close to making an agreement today, but the Court kept pushing back on our most important counteroffers. They did come back with proposals to increase their contribution toward employee healthcare, and movement in other areas, but our two remaining asks are not unreasonable. We initially bargained for a three-year contract with a 7% raise in year 1, 4% in year 2, and 4% in year 3, but with budget uncertainties, the Court is offering a 2-year contract – 5% in year 1 and 2% in year 2. All we are asking is that the 5% be bumped to 6% to offset the costs of the healthcare for the higher premium plans.
Additionally, the Court agreed to part of our longevity proposal with one caveat: employees who reach 25 and 30 years of service would get a one-time 5% lump sum longevity payment upon contract ratification; however, that increase in the lump sum from 2.5% to 5% would not be given to those who reached 25 and 30 years prior to this agreement. We remain in our position to meet these two asks in order to reach an agreement. We fight for fairness and equality for all of our members.
Our next session is set for November 3, and we hope they can meet us where we are at. Please wear RED to support your team and stay tuned.
