IMPASSE DECLARED

Friday, February 24, 2012

Negotiations for a first contract for the Sacramento Data Professional’s bargaining unit have recently broken down over economic issues.  Consequently, UPEC’s bargaining team recommended and received a vote of members to declare impasse and move the dispute to mediation.

The unit consists of about 280 computer professionals that work throughout Sacramento County maintaining the County’s computer systems.  Employees in the unit voted to certify UPEC as their bargaining agent last year and have been engaged in a steady fight to win a first-ever collective bargaining contract.

Senior Labor Representative Steve Allen chairs the bargaining team and is coordinating an impasse strategy to put pressure on the County in the event mediation fails.

Although a number of language issues have yet to be agreed to including agency shop, the main reasons for declaring impasse is the County’s demand for a wage cut while also ignoring our demand to make up 4.9% in COLA’s that most other County employees received.

Stay tuned for updates as we take this fight to the County!

Shasta County General Unit Meeting

Friday, February 17, 2012

Approximately forty (40) members of the Shasta County General Unit participated in our February 15 , 2012 meeting. Chief Negotiator, Steve Allen, answered questions and offered some directions this unit can proceed in as the expiration of the Memorandum Of Understanding draws closer.

Some of the members stated that Mr. Larry Lees has said that he does not want to take anymore from the employee’s of the County.

It was decided that this unit would start bargaining without an initial proposal and the bargaining team would go into the first meeting to hear the County’s proposal and ask any pertinent questions about the budget.
The members voted to proceed in this direction.

The following members volunteered to be on the bargaining team: Steve Suske, Ron Huey, Teri Bono, Twyla Carpenter, Diana Watson and Mark Juarez.

UPEC Announces Fall Golf Tournament

Sunday, February 05, 2012

REDDING HQ - UPEC members in the south bay area can now look forward to another golf tournament sponsored by UPEC!  Business Manager CHris Darker announced that a second PEC Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held in Pacific Grove at the City of Pacific Grove Golf Course on Friday, October 12, 2012. Plans are in the works to coordinate this benefit tournament with the LIUNA PacificSouthwest Regional Conference October 14-17th in Monterey this year.
“Our Scholarship Committee is taking an opportunity to grow the UPEC’s Scholarship fund by adding an additional golf tournament to raise funds for member scholarships”, said Chris Darker. The UPEC scholarship program is self funded by the income of the annual golf tournaments. The 3rd Annual Scholarship Tournament will be held at Gold Hills Golf Tournament on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at noon. The cost is $99.00 per person.
“Our Union Relations Representative Christine Perry is the driving force behind the golf tournament’s. Christine does an excellent job of putting these together every year and the have been very successful at raising funds for our youth”, said Darker.  For more information, please contact Christine Perry at 800-241-1890.

Employee Rights/Steward Trainings Announced

Friday, February 03, 2012

Redding HQ - UPEC Has scheduled member orientations and training for the first half of the year. A member orientation is scheduled in the Glenn-Colusa Region for Thursday, February 16th. THe time and location in Willows is pending. Employees Rights/Steward Training is scheduled in Redding for Saturday, February 25th beginning at 8:30 am - 4;30 pm and a second training on Saturday, March 24th in Capitola at 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. These trainings cover Employee rights in the workplace, Memorandums of Understanding and Steward rights and duties. All members are invited to attend the trainings and orientations. Business Manager Chris Darker and Senior Labor Relations Rep. Steve Allen are the instructors for the course. Each member receives a certificate of training. Please contact Patti Wyatt at UPEC 530-245-1890 or 800-241-1890 or by email . 

Executive Board Appoints Two Board Members

REDDING HQ - The UPEC Local 792 Executive Board Appointed two (2) new Board members to vacancies on the Board at their regular monthly meeting on January 21, 2012.  Executive Board member for the Butte Region, Holly Pearson resigned in October 2011 when she accepted a job offer outside Butte County. Holly had served as the Butte Regional Representative from 2007 - 2011. Pearson is replaced by Robert Thomas who is the current President of the Butte PRofessional Employees Association in Butte County.
Executive Board member for Shasta Region, Ralph Winstead was no longer eligible to serve when the Coleman Fish hatchery members voted to decertify from UPEC in December 2011. Ralph served since 2007. Winstead was replaced by Teri Bono who is a steward for the SHasta County General Unit and delegate to the Five Counties Central Labor Council in Redding. Business Manager Chris Darker administered the oath of office.  “This gets us back to having a full board with the exception of the Siskiyou Region” said Darker. Former Siskiyou DSA President Mike Karges resigned in July 2011.

UPEC Supports AB 1208

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

REDDING HQ - Business Manager Chris Darker announced this morning that both Local 792 and Local 777 are supporting AB 1208 Calderon. This bill has to do with Superior Court funding. The Bill would delete the existing way the Judicial Council allocates funding for trial court operations, and would instead require that the amount allocated to each trial court from the amount appropriated for trial court operations be equal to the pro rata share of the prior fiscal year’s adjusted base budget. Existing law provides that the Judicial Council retains the ultimate responsibility to adopt a budget and allocate funding for the trial courts,and authorize a trial court to carry unexpended funds over from one fiscal year to the next.  This Bill would delete those provisions and would instead provide that unexpended funds shall be the funds of that court, which may carry those funds over from one fiscal year to the next. This bill would prohibit those funds from being reallocated or redirected without the consent of the management of the trial court.
“This Bill will give our local trial courts local control and the ability to manage it’s own money without having to spend down their funds. We believe this will provide better stability for our members”, said Darker.