The SEIU Local 721 City of Ventura bargaining committee reached a tentative agreement with the City on July 9, and all four bargaining units, A, G, S, and Q have approved the tentative agreement. The City Council voted to approve the contract at its July 28 meeting.
These are some of the highlights of the 18-month contract:
- 500 retro pay bonus, paid in August 2014 (paid separately from normal pay period)
- 1% wage increase, August 2014
- 1.5% wage increase, June 2015
- The City has a 6 month extension option (June to December of 2015). Exercising that option would lead to an additional wage increase of 1% in December of 2015
- There were also wins in vacation cash out, empowering members on the Health Insurance Committee, rest and recovery and uniforms for some units.
Bargaining started back in January of 2014. Members participated in unity actions, spoke up at city council meetings and even brought in their families for support to help win a fair contract.