Riverside County Law Library Members Unanimously Ratify New Contract

SEIU 721 began negotiations with Riverside County Law Library management for a new contract almost one year ago. Instead of accepting a status quo, long-term contract, the bargaining team committed themselves to winning important gains in wages and healthcare benefits, which would be competitive with other public service workers. With this new agreement, not only will members receive a substantial salary increase, but the Library will also pay for all the increases in the healthcare premium rates for professional employees and their families, as well as dental and vision benefits for full-time employees. It was a long and difficult process, but the members remained united and they were even successful in bringing additional job classifications, types of workers and new members into the bargaining unit.
“The Law Library’s revenue is solely dependent upon a small portion of money collected from the County’s civil filing fees. This presented challenges to winning any increases for our members. We won a great contract because we had an experienced chief negotiator who identified that it was crucial for us to work collaboratively with the new management to find creative ways around those challenges. In the end, we were rewarded fairly for our years of hard work and dedication.” 
 – Janice Searle, Library Specialist and SEIU 721 bargaining team member

Highlights of the one-year contract: • 3% COLA, retroactively paid to July 1, 2013. • 100% employer paid medical benefits for professional employees’ entire families. • $50 monthly increase for employees participating in the Flexible Medical Benefit Plan. • 100% employer paid dental and vision benefits for full-time employees. • Pay parity for everyone with new salary scales using the current American Association of Law Libraries Salary Survey. • Monthly Labor-Management Committee to continue to work on pending issues. The Law Library’s Board of Trustees approved the tentative agreement on Feb. 7, 2014.
Click here to download the tentative agreement. If you have questions, contact Worksite Organizer Roman Martinez: (213) 494-7084 or roman.martinez@seiu721.org. You can also contact the 721 Member Connection: at (877) 721-4YOU (4968).