Post by Logan on Jul 9, 2016 23:04:31 GMT -6
California state maintenance workers reject deal, authorize strike
Rank-and-file members of the California state maintenance workers’ union have voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown and authorize a strike, union officials said Thursday.
The deal would have increased workers’ pay 10 percent through 2019, but would have required them to pay nearly half of the increase back toward retiree health benefits. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office reported that the tentative deal would have increased payroll and benefit costs to taxpayers more than any deal with Unit 12 since at least 2005.
The International Union of Operating Engineers Unit 12 represents approximately 12,000 state maintenance workers from electricians and window cleaners to aqueduct construction workers and truck drivers. Union officials would not say how many members voted, but reported that 67 percent of those voting rejected the deal.
The rejection sends both sides back to the bargaining table. If those talks break down and the bargaining reaches an impasse, the union would be authorized to conduct a strike, although there are no immediate plans for a strike, said Tim Neep, the director of Unit 12 and chief negotiator for the union. He said workers’ willingness to go without pay is a sign of their dissatisfaction with the agreement.
Read more here: www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article88318707.html
Rank-and-file members of the California state maintenance workers’ union have voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown and authorize a strike, union officials said Thursday.
The deal would have increased workers’ pay 10 percent through 2019, but would have required them to pay nearly half of the increase back toward retiree health benefits. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office reported that the tentative deal would have increased payroll and benefit costs to taxpayers more than any deal with Unit 12 since at least 2005.
The International Union of Operating Engineers Unit 12 represents approximately 12,000 state maintenance workers from electricians and window cleaners to aqueduct construction workers and truck drivers. Union officials would not say how many members voted, but reported that 67 percent of those voting rejected the deal.
The rejection sends both sides back to the bargaining table. If those talks break down and the bargaining reaches an impasse, the union would be authorized to conduct a strike, although there are no immediate plans for a strike, said Tim Neep, the director of Unit 12 and chief negotiator for the union. He said workers’ willingness to go without pay is a sign of their dissatisfaction with the agreement.
Read more here: www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/the-state-worker/article88318707.html