Bargaining Update #18

Glossary

PIC: Person in Charge

CCL: Current Contract Language

COLA: Cost of Living Adjustment

KSA: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs are attached to a position, not an individual. Positions with a KSA attached to them pay a premium on hourly wages.) 

FTE: Full-time equivalent

Today we presented our Compensation Counter Proposal to the County.

All of the below proposals are still in bargaining and do not have tentative agreements.

County Proposals

• • Addendum F: Department of Library Services  

• Library Person in Charge (PIC) Assignment and Premium Pay

• • • Our counter-proposals have gotten closer around PIC compensation; in the County’s counter-proposal on June 12th, they maintained our language on PIC assignment being “measured from the beginning of their PIC training or first PIC shift, whichever is sooner.” 
    • The County maintained their proposal that “an employee serving in the role of a PIC may be reassigned to another geographic work location or branch.”

• Article 20: Workload and Standards

• Employee Participation and Teams

• • • • For a second time we proposed language to give employees “an opportunity to provide an evaluation of training and support provided by the representative manager or supervisor”, and for a second time the County has stated that this would be an infringement on Management Rights. 

• Non-Disciplinary Notices Regarding Performance or Conduct

• • • • For a second time we also proposed language for supervisors to give advance notice to employees ahead of planned meetings involving coaching on performance deficiency; the County continues to decline language around advanced notice. 
      • Our last counter-proposal included post-meeting summaries from the supervisor to the employee within fourteen (14) days of any coaching session or non-disciplinary meeting; the County countered with language that supervisors will provide a written meeting summary within fourteen (14) days of providing oral coaching on a performance deficiency. 

• Article 22: Shift and Work Assignment

• Compensation During Training Program

• • • • The County countered our proposal for employees in a training program to be compensated at no less than the first step of the pay range for the budgeted position with CCL. 

• Work Unit and Work Assignment Determination and Specification

• • • We proposed that employees “instructed to report to a new location without a change in schedule and with fewer than fifteen (15) days notice” be paid a premium; the County countered with CCL.
    • The County countered that changes in the Department structure and/or business needs result(ing) in the need to make changes to employees’ regular geographic work locations, shifts or hours, and regular days of work exceeding ninety (90) days in duration NOT be subject to impact bargaining. 

Union Counter Proposals 

• Article 14: Compensation

• Wage Adjustments

• • • • We proposed that all employee wages be adjusted in accordance with our proposed wage table in Addendum A effective July 1st, 2025.
      • The County proposed on May 15 to maintain the current contract language of a 1 – 4% COLA effective July 1st, 2026 and July 1st, 2027. Our Union countered with a minimum hourly increase of 3 – 7% or one (1) dollar, whichever is greater. 

• Market Adjustments for Selected Job Profiles

• • • • The County maintained our proposed language that “priority will be given to job classifications that have not been reviewed within a ten-year period.”

• Negotiated Wage Changes

• • • • We proposed that employees who would not otherwise receive an immediate step increase as the result of a market adjustment study “receive the wage increase at the step where they were before the adjustment.”

• Compensation Plan

• • • • We maintained our position that no member of the bargaining unit shall be paid at a rate less than twenty-seven dollars ($27) an hour effective July 1st, 2025. 

• Longevity Pay

• • • • We maintained our proposal for employees to receive Longevity Pay at eight (8), fourteen (14), and twenty (20) years of service with the County. 

• Compensatory Time

• • • • We proposed that Compensatory Time accrued over ninety-six (96) hours be paid out as overtime.

• Overpayments and Payments in Violation of Contract

• • • • We countered the County’s language around employees being expected to ensure the accuracy of their pay-stubs each pay cycle. Our supervisors have to confirm our time entries in Workday after our initial submission. For checks and balances to work as intended, the responsibility of confirming the accuracy of time entries must be on the employee submitting the entries AND the supervisor approving them. 

• Payments in Error

• • • • We proposed that the County not seek reimbursement for overpayments to an employee made in error more than ninety (90) days preceding the discovery of error, as opposed to the CCL of one-hundred and eighty (180) days. 

• Bilingual Pay

• • • • The County rejected our proposal for a 10% differential over base rate to multilingual employees, and we’ve now  countered with a 7% differential.
      • We proposed language that regardless of standards set by the County, an employee who is expected to perform translation or interpreting work and has not taken or passed a fluency test will still receive a language differential. 

• Culturally-Specific Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Positions Compensation

• We proposed removing language that prevents employees who qualify for a culturally-specific KSA and language differential from having these premiums stack.

• • • • We maintained our stance that employees who believe their assigned work qualifies their position for a KSA be able to request a KSA differential directly to their supervisor and receive a decision within fifteen (15) calendar days.

• Operationally Essential Assignment Compensation

• • • • We proposed a fifty percent (50%) hourly premium to employees in Operationally Essential Assignments for all hours worked during a County curtailment or closure of non-essential services. Increasing the current twenty percent (20%) hourly premium to fifty percent (50%) reduces the amount of curtailment and closure events that need to occur for these employees to truly benefit from the premium. 

• Professional Fees and Continuing Education

• • • • We proposed an increase to the amount of training-related fees and expenses the County will cover for employees every year.
        • One thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per fiscal year per employee assigned 0.75 FTE and above
        • One thousand dollars ($1,000) per fiscal year per employee assigned less than 0.75 FTE
      • We proposed an increase to paid release time for employees to attend trainings
        • Three (3) paid release days per fiscal year per employee assigned 0.75 FTE and above
        • Two (2) paid release days per fiscal year per employee assigned less than 0.75 FTE
      • We proposed that when an employee is specifically required by management to participate in development or training, that time will be considered time worked for pay purposes and that all expenses related to the employee’s participation be covered by the County
      • We proposed that when an employee is approved for a training of six (6) hours or more, they be released for the duration of their shift and not be required to report back to work.

• Article 18: Settlement of Disputes

• Arbitration

• • • • We maintained our position that arbitrators may provide for retroactivity as they deem appropriate and not be limited by the date the grievance was filed.

• Stewards: Definition and designation

• • • • We maintained our language that specifically states the right of stewards to represent employees through the reasonable accommodation process

• Unfair Labor Practices

• • • We proposed that advance written notice of intent to file an unfair labor practice charge by either party be optional.

Action Items & Events 

We will be hosting a membership Blitz to visit potential members at their homes June 25th, 27th, and 28th. We will go out in pairs for 3-4 hour shifts to talk to our coworkers about our union, our current contract campaign, the importance of their membership and ask them to join. There will be a 3 hour training on Wednesday, June 25th from 9am – noon which we strongly encourage all who can participate in house visiting to attend; however, we can provide training daily before each shift. 

This is a great way to build our member strength and we would love your help. Please sign up and join us! If you have any questions, please reach out to the Cabinet at 88cabinet@afscmelocal88.org. 

• To Participate

• • Sign up for the Blitz!
  • If you sign up for a shift during your work day:
    • Fill out our Local 88 Lost Time Request Form. 
    • Provide written notice to your immediate supervisor that you will be taking Union Reimbursable Time five (5) working days in advance of the shift you signed up for.
    • When entering your time into Workday for your Blitz shift, enter it as “Union Time Reimbursable”.

Our counters can be found in our published proposals folder for everyone to read in more detail. Please keep emailing the Bargaining Team at bargaining@afscmelocal88.org with your questions and concerns. If you want to watch us bargain, sign up to be a Bargaining Observer! Follow Local 88 on Instagram and Facebook and check out the AFSCME Local 88 website to stay up to date on all our Local’s news. 

We appreciate you reading our updates, observing our bargaining sessions, and repping your Union pride in Green. These actions make a difference! Stay strong and stay united!