The following topics were covered in the latest session:
Information Request – In a turnaround from last week, CDCR has agreed to provide the requested information about discipline and contractors to UAPD.
Use of State Equipment (3.1) – UAPD and the State rolled over the existing language on the use of State equipment after the State clarified that under the current language Union Stewards can use state e-mail for informational purposes.
Grievance and Arbitration (6.11) – UAPD proposed strengthening our grievance and arbitration rights by adding language that requires that an arbitrator be scheduled to hear a grievance within 60 days of the Union making the request for arbitration. Both sides are moving closer to an agreement on this article, with the State opting to write a counter to our proposal for the next session.
Flexible Work Hours (7.1) – UAPD proposed voluntary 12–hour shifts as an option for members of our bargaining unit. Those choosing the option would work six 12-hour shifts and one 8-hour shift in a two week period. We are awaiting the State’s response.
Proposal to Increase Vacation Leave (9.1) – Two weeks ago, UAPD proposed that employees accrue between two and four extra hours of vacation credit each month. The State responded that it is not interested in increasing vacation leave. The Union is preparing its response.
Unpaid Leaves of Absence (9.6) — UAPD proposed amending current contract language so that unpaid leaves “shall not be unreasonably denied,” and the State granted us a tentative agreement on the article. Under the newly agreed-upon language, the granting of unpaid leaves is not left solely to the discretion of individual managers.
Proposal to Increase Annual Leave (9.9) – Two weeks ago, UAPD proposed that employees enrolled in the annual leave program accrue between two and four extra hours of annual leave credit each month. The State is now working on a counter proposal.
Enhanced Non-Industrial Disability Insurance (ENDI) (9.17) – The State has proposed a rollover of current language that offers ENDI to the bargaining unit. UAPD continues its comparison of ENDI and State Disability Insurance (SDI) to determine which program better fits the needs of our members. UAPD has requested additional visits from ENDI and SDI experts to answer our remaining questions, and we will not respond to the State’s proposal until we have a clear sense of which program best suits doctors.
Rollovers — Taking into account the multiple sections in each of the articles and side letters, our contract covers about 130 separate issues, not all of which need to be renegotiated in every round of bargaining. When both the Union and the Employer agree that a particular section of the contract requires no change, a tentative agreement is reached on the existing contract language. The UAPD team has been carefully reviewing the contract to see where we believe the current language is best left unchanged, and this week we tentatively agreed to several more articles we are happy with in their current form.
Our next day of bargaining is on Tuesday, September 9th. Look for another update following that session.