April 21st was the first day of Bargaining Unit 16 negotiations. After introductions, both sides agreed to the ground rules that will govern this round of bargaining.
Prior to the start of negotiations, Chief Negotiator Nereyda Rivera requested several types of information that the team will need to conduct bargaining. For example, we requested the number of vacancies by classification, department and institution, the names of doctors affected by the PEPRA pension cuts, and various kinds of leave reports. Today Principal Labor Relations Officer Candace Murch provided much of the information that we requested, and the team will review what was provided for completeness. The team also requested additional information from the State at this meeting.
Both sides agreed to roll over three articles for which we have no new proposals. Bargaining will continue next week at the UAPD office in Sacramento. Stay tuned for future updates.