After a highly successful month-long Tentative Agreement (TA) voting process, 99% of voting SEIU Local 721 members voted in support of the new 3-year contract with Los Angeles County.
That’s an overwhelming number of members who emphatically said: Yes, We’re Taking a Stand to Raise Up All of LA County!
The newly ratified 2015-2018 contract covers over 57,000 LA County Workers who were negotiating with the County since the beginning of the year and were working without a contract since October 1st. The ratification vote also puts a bookend to a bargaining process that saw SEIU Local 721 members show their unity and power at the LA County Board of Supervisors’ meetings, and walked on the boss throughout the contract fight to deliver the best possible contract.
The agreement is a game-changer for County Workers and sets a higher standard from here on out. Members voted to ratify an agreement that brings 10% general raise over the next 3 years, provides a pathway to permanency for temporary workers, guarantees a $15/hr. minimum wage by 2018, and officially recognizes Cesar E. Chavez Day as an official holiday starting in 2017. See here for TA Summaries per Bargaining Unit.
“As the largest employer in LA County, the County must set the bar when it comes to creating jobs that offer livable wages and stability to working families,” said Bob Schoonover, President for SEIU Local 721. “The men and women on the frontlines of providing critical services in our communities must be able to also provide for their own families, this is why we prioritized raising the lowest paid workers to $15 and ensuring folks like our library pages had the security of a path to a permanent job.”
In addition to raising working families, the contract boasts key victories targeting the recruitment and retention of experienced staff through salary adjustments in the Department of Health Services as well as directly improving the quality of services through a reduction of caseloads for Social Workers at the Department of Children and Family Services.
“The 99% have spoken! We’re extremely proud of the contract emphatically supported by the majority of our membership, our commitment to continue to raise up all of LA County brought out an unprecedented number of voters proving that together we will continue to make big things happen” said Linda Dent who for the past 35 years has worked as a Clerk for LA County. “Our agreement guarantees we can continue to provide more critical services, from the Emergency Room nurses saving lives to the caseworkers protecting the safety of children throughout the County, this contract takes big key steps in the right direction.”
The agreement heads to the LA County Board of Supervisors for final approval. SEIU 721 leadership and your bargaining team members are working closely with LA County officials to keep the process moving and ensure full ratification before the end of the year. The goal is to have raises and salary adjustments right in time for the holidays – stay tuned!
Union have done great things for the American workplace. The $15 movement will help the working class.