Bargaining Table Talk Contract Update 6.21.18

The 2018 Contract campaign continues! Locals 34, 552, 1719, 2822, 2864, and 2938 are at the table. The Union will keep members updated through this newsletter known as “Table Talk” Please keep in mind, Economic Issues will not be discussed in negotiations until August.

Here is a summary side by side comparison of both opening proposals in May:
Union
Step Increases remain at 5%
No Increase in Health Insurance
Vacation/Leave: One-time opportunity to switch back to Vacation/Sick leave if currently on PTO. Increase vacation accrual levels.
Holidays: Holiday pay for the full day you are working. This would include facilities that have gone to 12-hours shifts. Add one floating holiday per year.
Strengthen Union Security language
Increase Foreign/Sign Language Stipend
Simplify Bereavement Leave language & change to the # of hrs in a ‘normal’ shift (ie 8, 10, 12 hr)
Discipline: remove ‘oral reprimands’ or ‘coachings’ from supervisors file if no same/similar w/in 2 yrs

County
Reduce Step Increases
Modest increase in Health premiums
Switch all new employees to PTO effective 7/7/19. PTO will be the default choice for employees not making selection.
No Changes
Remove employee from Union activity if they do not follow respectful workplace
Eliminate Pay for ‘Occasional’ Use
Remove Bereavement Leave from Contract & only have in HR rules
Keep Written Reprimands in HR file indefinitely

We returned to the table on May 31st. We developed a few Tentative Agreements:
*Removes the Ban on employees observing a religious holiday if it happens to fall on a Sunday.
*Extends SLWOP Program through duration of new contract
*Union Drops proposal to remove ‘oral reprimands’ from supervisors file and County Drops proposal to keep Written Reprimands in HR file indefinitely
*Removes language that the County charges Union for furnishing the seniority list
*County Drops proposal to remove Probationary Period language from contract and Union agrees County can extend Probationary Periods with notice to Union
*Union allows County to grant employee Mobility Assignments without prior consent signature from Union as long as there is timely notification to Union

We returned to the table again June 12th and 14th and have some additional Tentative Agreements:
*Changes Funeral Leave to “Bereavement Leave” and allows the use of the time in hours rather than days
*Changes the Health Care Savings Plan (HCSP) investment from County to one date (Feb 1st) each year instead of payments throughout the year
*County dropped their take away of call-back pay for Medical Examiner’s office
*County dropped their proposal to ‘discipline’ union activists if the County believed the activists were not being ‘respectful’ in their activism
*County dropped their proposal to require geographic disbursement of Union stewards
*County dropped their proposal to remove Step 1 of the Grievance process
*County dropped their proposal to decrease the Layoff list callback period to 1 year instead of 3

There are still language proposals on the table! Some will be discussed in supplemental negotiations which are done individually with each local for issues that pertain only to that local. These will occur in June and July. We will continue to negotiate any remaining Master Language proposals and all Economic proposals in August. Our next Master Negotiations session is 9am Aug 2nd at Central Library Pohlad Room.