Region 1 Bargaining Update

April 30, 2018, Airport Courthouse

The Bargaining Committee met with Court Administration today, and the following is a synopsis of the latest developments in our contract negotiations:

 Article 21 - Salary
 
Region 1’s counterproposal regarding salary includes a Bonus Payment of 2% at ratification for “A” status employees and a prorated amount for “C” status employees.  Those in “F” status would receive a one-time payment of $500. 
 
They continue to offer a 2.5% adjustment effective the first pay period after ratification, a 2.25% adjustment 12 months later, and another 2% 12 months after that.  Region 1 rejected our proposal for longevity pay and we will continue to press for recognition that employees’ commitment and experience matters.
 
We proposed language to address the issue of employees being docked for arriving late when assignments were made the same day and their spokesperson stated that there was “sharp disagreement on that.”  He stated as clarification that interpreters are not being docked, but are being paid for hours worked, not for commute time to their assignment.  He suggested that we “take these matters to arbitration, and see what the arbitrator says.  Our answer is ‘NO’.”
 
We continue to request that employees certified or registered interpret in more than one language pair receive an enhancement and proposed a 1% increase for all hours worked or paid.
 
While LA County does not have an assigned interpreter coordinator we nevertheless proposed a 10% adjustment should that occur and 15% for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.  Santa Barbara currently has a coordinator (who is a member of our unit) who is paid an additional 10% for hours spent coordinating.
 
Article 4 – Authorized Agents
 
We agreed to an address change in which the Santa Fe Springs office address will be used for communication between Region 1 and CFI.
  
Article 18 – Assignments
 
As the automated assignment system is nowhere near ready, your Bargaining Committee recognized that continuing to discuss this matter was nonproductive.  Not wanting to delay contract negotiations further, we suggested a Side Letter Reopener on this issue.  Court Administration agreed to that and proposed 30 days’ advance notice on the implementation of an automated scheduling system. This would allow us to see the actual system, and bargain over the issue when the system can be observed and studied.
 
Article 26 ‒ Employees’ Benefits
 
The Court submitted a proposal to modify the existing language in the Santa Barbara side letter to the contract clarifying the fringe benefits the employees receive.  Interpreter employees in the Santa Barbara Superior Court receive fringe benefits at the same level as those Santa Barbara Court employees represented by SEIU Local 620.
 
Conclusion
 
The Region One Bargaining Committee would like to give a special shout out to our members Claudia Lancaster (A), Sonia Cruz, and Maya Fonseca (F) for their generous support today, and hope they found the experience enlightening as to the bargaining process.
 
Bargaining Meeting
 
You will have an opportunity to meet with your Bargaining Committee for a “State of Bargaining” report that will explore the attached chart in further detail. We will give an overview of where things presently stand in the negotiations process, and we will address questions and comments you may have.  Remember to review the Bargaining Chart available in the Members Only section of the CFI member website.
 
The meeting is specifically to address the Region 1 contract and mobilization and will take place on Saturday, May 12 from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the CFI Local 39000 offices located at 12215 N. Telegraph Rd., Suite 210, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670.
 
In the meantime, we hope to see you at our upcoming bargaining dates on Friday, May 11 at the Santa Fe Springs Local office, and May 21st and 22nd at yet to be determined locations.
 
“A” and “C” status interpreters should send in their RTOs today to observe the negotiations first-hand.
 
In solidarity…
 
Your Region 1 Bargaining Team
CFI Local 39000, CWA-TNG
 
Pedro Ramírez-Navas
Daniel Kaufman 
Doris Vick 
Michael Ferreira 
Robert Guerrero 
Alejandro Delgado, Spokesperson