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County reaches deal with SEIU on eve of strike vote
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More from County NewsThe county of Ventura and negotiators for its largest employee union agreed on a tentative contract Tuesday, one day before union members were scheduled to vote on whether to strike if no deal was reached.
The contract proposal is subject to the approval of the county Board of Supervisors and the workers, who are represented by the Service Employees International Union.
SEIU members will meet tonight to discuss the proposal, and they will vote by mail over the next week and a half, union negotiators said.
The negotiators were pleased with the contract proposal. It would increase salaries by an average of 7.5 percent over the next 26 months, according to a summary released by the SEIU.
The first raise, a 3 percent bump, would be applied retroactively to earnings since July 15, the union said.
The minimum raise would be 6.69 percent. "Market adjustments" would give bigger raises to workers who make less than their counterparts in other counties.
"All of the employees will be getting a raise, and more will be going to healthcare," said Dora Saenz-Belden, a union negotiator and a child welfare worker with the county.
"The county really invested in their workforce this year," said Saul Medina, a psychiatric social worker and another member of the SEIU bargaining team. "This is the first time that everybody will get a raise."
Negotiations went on for four months, and union members have been working on an expired contract for nearly a month.
The talks spilled into the public eye often. The union held public rallies to urge the county to spend more on salaries and benefits, and scores of workers appeared at Board of Supervisors meetings to ask the board directly for more.
SEIU members will meet tonight at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Ventura to hear the details of the proposed contract.
Ballots will then be mailed to all union members, and the contract will be ratified by workers if more than half of the respondents approve it, said SEIU spokeswoman Jeanette Sanchez.
Posted by Tom_Johnston on July 25, 2007 at 5:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
As is too often the case here in the Star, reporting on SEIU in Ventura County is not completely accurate.
The vote that was to be held was not, as the article implies, a vote on "whether to strike if no deal was reached."
It was in fact a vote to authorize the Bargaining Team to be able to call a strike should negotiations fail.
A minor point perhaps, but the way it read was a bit misleading.
Can't speak as to the rest of the article's accuracy, since I don't have that information yet. We'll see.
Posted by ed.fitzhenry on July 25, 2007 at 7:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"Ballots will then be mailed to all union members, and the contract will be ratified by workers if more than half of the respondents approve it, said SEIU spokeswoman Jeanette Sanchez."
So, if only three people send in their ballots, and two vote to ratify the contract, it's approved? God Bless the Ventura County Star and their highly "skilled" writers and fact-checkers!
Posted by hmccarth on July 25, 2007 at 7:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
a union meeting in a church? how sacreligious!
Posted by laviecharmee on July 25, 2007 at 10:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ed, I think that is correct. If only 3 people vote and 2 vote yes, it passes. We recently voted to decertify the union and we only need 1/2 of those who returned ballots to say yes to have it happen. Odd but true.
It makes sense since you cant count on everyone to vote. So it is the majority of those that DO vote that win.
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