Bargaining between UAPD and California State University (CSU) has progressed more quickly in the last few weeks, with tentative agreements (TAs) being reached on several non-economic proposals. The following changes will go into effect only once a final agreement is reached and ratified by the membership:
- Probation: The team TA’d on language that says time worked by a part-time employee can be counted towards the probationary period for a full-time job. Also, any employee on probation can request a review after one year, when the President or designee can make the employment permanent. Before this change in language, part-time employees had no guarantee that their time would count towards a permanent position, and the probation period was a mandatory two years.
- Pre-Discipline has been changed to Progressive Discipline, which is defined in the contract. CSU has to follow a more formal set of guidelines under Progressive Discipline, giving greater protection to doctors.
- Alternative Work Schedule: Employees are now allowed to request alternate work schedules, with approval subject to mutual agreement by the employee and the President or designee. Before this language change, management did not have to respond to employee requests for alternate schedules.
- Safety Committee: At each campus UAPD can designate a member to participate on the campus-wide Safety Committee in order to represent the interests of unit employees.
- Contracting Out: Language has been strengthened so that the Union can meet and confer over the impact of any contract that lasts more than one year. Previous language stated that the Union could meet and confer only about contracts that lasted “over a long period of time,” a vague standard which made it hard to hold CSU accountable for its contracting behavior.
The non-economic items still awaiting agreement include a Joint Labor Management Committee and a Specialty Compensation Study. The details of these will be made public after they have been agreed upon by UAPD and CSU.
As for the economic proposals, the team was not satisfied with what CSU initially offered as a compensation package for doctors. UAPD asked the Chancellor’s Office to request more funding that will not just cover general salary increases, but also raise the floor for those with the lowest pay as well as provide some kind of longevity bonus. The team has also asked for a board certification bonus and more compensation for Professional Development.
While both sides are moving steadily towards an agreement, no timeline can be given until after CSU issues its next economic proposal. The he next bargaining session will take place in mid-January.