Working people standing together for Kern County
July 22, 2015
Critical Point in Bargaining Process
The bargaining process is moving slowly, but our bargaining team is continuing to push the process along. The
members of the bargaining team are county workers who we nominated and elected to time off work to bargain
the best possible contract. They have been working to keep good proposals on the table and keep the County
from going to impasse and imposing changes on us. It’s a difficult job and our unity breaks and meetings with
members of the Board of Supervisors have kept the County at the bargaining table.
Highlights from our last proposal are below and the back of the flyer has more on the process. Everyone needs
to get involved and plan to attend the August 12 General Membership meeting where we will work on a
plan to move forward.
Highlights from our last proposal:
A 4 percent one-time cash bonus within 30 days of contract ratification.
An additional COLA after one year: Our bargaining team is looking at formulas based on the Discretionary
General Fund size that would automatically trigger a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for all SEIU 521
members. This could tie a future salary increase to items like oil revenues and property taxes or a
combination of revenue streams.
An opt-out ability for the Retiree Health Care Supplement: Our bargaining team is working on the
logistics of allowing individuals to opt-out and transfer funds to a 457 plan or a 125 plan. This will equate to a
2.12 percent increase for members currently contributing to RHCS. An FAQ on this program will be available
soon.
Conceptual agreement on bereavement leave: 3 additional paid days off for each occurrence.
Equity Study: County agrees to do an Equity Study, to be
completed by August 2016. Parties agree to meet and confer on
the implementation of this study in November 2016.
Next CAT Meeting is
Wednesday, August 12
Dinner: 5:30 Meeting: 5:45—7 p.m.
SEIU Union Hall
1001 17th Street
Upcoming Events:
August 12
Bargaining and Unity Breaks
Membership Meeting
5:30 p.m. dinner
5:45 p.m. meeting
SEIU Local 521 | PHONE: 661.321.4190 | facebook.com/SEIU521Kern | www.seiu521.org
Join the winning team, become a member! www.seiu521.org
Our Process So Far
Last fall, SEIU members nominated and elected a bargaining team to represent our interests at the bargaining
table. Since January, we’ve had a number of meeting where we’ve discussed proposals with the County. Some
of these discussions have led to new proposals and some have not.
Going forward, the will try to come to an agreement with the County on the terms of the and then a Tentative
Agreement will be reached. Once that happens, all SEIU members in good standing will have the chance to
accept or reject the contract in a vote. If we accept it, the Board of Supervisors will sign off and we will have a
new contract.
We have kept the County at the table for seven months and avoided a number of very negative outcomes. Our
bargaining team is doing everything in their power to get the best possible contract. If we show support through
actions at the workplace, we can let the County know that we care and that we’re willing to fight for the best
outcome.
At the beginning of negotiations, the County offered us nothing but takeaways, including
caps on our vacation and sick leave, the right to privatize any county service without a
meet and confer, and a move to take overtime pay from hundreds of workers.
Thanks to our bargaining team, our CATs and the folks who participate in unity breaks and other
worksite actions, we’ve got a proposal on the table that the County may agree to.
Highlights from the current proposal:
 NO TAKEAWAYS
 Four percent one-time cash bonus within 30 days of contract ratification
 A possible COLA after one year tied to County revenues
 An opt-out ability for the Retiree Health Care Supplement which equals a 1.8% raise for
the majority of workers
 Salary comparison with other comparable counties
We need to push hard to make this proposal acceptable to the County. Get involved, come
to a CAT meeting, attend your worksite actions and help spread the word!
SEIU Local 521 | PHONE: 661.321.4190 | facebook.com/SEIU521Kern | www.seiu521.org
Join the winning team, become a member! www.seiu521.org