Text Box: Update From Local 620’s Northern Turf  By Bruce Corsaw    

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Text Box:     Local 620 members and staff have been busy up in the north negotiating contracts, conducting field campaigns and representing fellow members.  Santa Maria City     In November we completed the negotiations for 32-hour Part-time employees in the City of Santa Maria. I would like to congratulate members on an overwhelming victory. I would also like to thank the Bargaining Team for a job well done, Diego Vargas, Robert Lucero, Javier Valencia and our alternate Sara Cohen. Bargaining Team members and staff were able to achieve several benefits and financial incentives such as a 5.0% salary increase over a one year period, a $225 monthly cash allowance with proof of medical insurance, 2 additional floating holidays, 32 to 98 additional hours of Personal Time Leave (PTL) accrual based on years of service, $140 foot wear allowance per year, a grievance & appeals procedure from discipline (both with Non-binding Arbitration) as well as several other incentives. A lot of members have dedicated their service to a City that has not fully appreciated the hard work that they perform. With this 1st ever contract they are on their way to getting the respect and compensation that they and their families deserve. S.L.O. Superior Court     Local 620 is working on representational Issues with San Luis Obispo Superior Court due to recent anti-union tactics from Court Administration. It appears that the Court Administration is taking the position of violating members rights of representation at disciplinary meetings (Weingarten Rights). San Luis Obispo Court Administration, Managers and Supervisors have taken a position of harassment towards our fellow members with what they refer to as counseling meetings as well as constant verbal abuse. Steps that Local 620 is taking are appeals from discipline, the filing of grievances & complaints. We are also filing a complaint with State Public Employees Relations Board (PERB). S.L.O. Court Union leaders are surveying San Luis Obispo Superior Court members as  to their treatment by Administration. We plan to use the survey in

Text Box: our campaign to restore a professional atmosphere to San Luis Obispo Superior Court.   City of Guadalupe       Local 620 just ratified a successor contract for the City of Guadalupe. The Bargaining Team consists of Ester Britt, Carlos Ostos, Merodie Nelson, Silvia Rodriguez and myself. Negotiations went well, but our main obstacle was salary inequities. All members were out of market by 32% to 98% and Guadalupe’s ability to pay fair market salaries with their current budget was a problem. The Bargaining Team worked hard to bring salaries as close to market as possible, within reason. We organized members and their families to come to a City Council meeting to voice there concerns over pay equity as a job action. Political ‘Voice’     The importance of politics as public employee union members is evident when negotiating contracts and dealing with employee issues. It is important to stay informed and participate in these elections due to the fact as Public Employees these are our bosses. Recent victories in elections for Boards of Supervisors for both Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara Sheriff and Santa Maria City Council races were all made possible by members volunteering time and money in support of these individuals. Local 620’s COPE program is one of the tools that we use in supporting these victories. Where as a 2 or 3 dollar contribution per pay check may not mean much to most of our members, when you multiply it by thousands of members it creates a war chest that members can use to strengthen their position with employment issues both on the local level as well as nationwide. If you are already giving to Local 620’s COPE program, then you are helping your fellow union members and yourselves to become stronger. If you have yet to participate in this program you can contact your Steward, Field Representative or go online at seiulocal620.org for information and the required form to get involved. When we participate & support these programs then we achieve political victories and we gain strength at the bargaining table.