JVS GAIN NEGOTIATIONS REPORT #3
JVS SoCal PROPOSES TO CONTINUE UNFAIR WAGE SCALES AND TAKE AWAY UNION MEMBER RIGHTS
UNION MAKES REASONABLE PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE COST-OF-LIVING INCREASES
AND MAINTAIN BENEFITS AND RIGHTS
JVS WAGE PROPOSAL
Management’s opening wage proposal keeps current GSW’s with less than 6 months at $16.32/hr. for their first year while paying new GSW’s hired after the new CBA is in effect at $16.80/hr! This would mean once again JVS would PAY LESS SENIOR GSW’s MORE THAN THOSE HIRED AFTER THEM! These 11 GSW’s would continue to make just 1 penny over the Living Wage (LWO) minimum of $16.31/hour and the current JVS Unit Assistant minimum rate.
The current JVS proposal excludes the “upon completion of probation” increase of 33 cents/hour for GSW’s. These new GSW’s would LOSE about $343 per year under the JVS proposal because the “upon completion of probation” increase is still in effect during negotiations.
Finally, long-term GSW’s, JD’s and QA’s with over 1 year would get only a .75 % increase “upon approval of this agreement,” with no retroactive pay back to July 1, 2020 (3/4 of 1 percent or just 13 cents/hr if you currently earn $17.16/hr) and only a .5% increase (1/2 of 1% or 9 cents!) on July 1, 2021.
AFSCME Local 800 Wage Proposal (Term of Agreement through January, 2022)
Increase all GSW, JD and QA employees’ wages and the minimum rate as follows:
Effective July 1, 2020: 3% (For example: The new minimum and in-hire rate would be $16.80/hour. GSW’s currently at $17.16 would increase to $17.67 retroactive to 7/1/20.)
Effective January 1, 2021: Cost-of-Living increase with minimum of 2% (based on Consumer Price Index for LA area, January 2020-January 2021). This is the same formula used to increase the LA County Living Wage Ordinance (LWO). Unit Assistants at the LWO ($16.31/hr.) will get this CPI increase in January, 2021 unless LWO is amended by LA County.
Increase the one Unit Assistant who makes over the LWO by same amount as other staff (3% in July, 2020, etc). The JVS proposal freezes her wages for the entire term of the Agreement!
Other Union Proposals:
Health Insurance: Maintain current benefits and 50/50 split for monthly premium increases. Add requirement for JVS to pay one additional month of insurance after employee is terminated, including layoff. JVS rejects our proposal to guarantee maintenance of the “overall benefits” of our plan and pay for additional month.
Vacation Accruals: Increase by 2 days per year; JVS rejects.
Vacation Request timeline: Lower to 21 calendar days for vacations over 5 days and 3 business days for vacations less than 5 days. The current unreasonable requirement is 45 days for all vacation requests; JVS proposes to reduce notice to 35 days for all vacations.
Sick Leave Accrual: 12 days per year (accrued one day/month) for all employees. Current benefit is only 9 days per year for first year of employment; JVS agrees to increase all employee accruals to 12 days per year.
Sick Leave Bonus: Improve by $100 per year; JVS proposes to increase bonus by $25.
Retirement Benefits: JVS start paying 5% of your salary into retirement (401 k) plan in addition to current salary. JVS rejects.
Acting Pay: $2.00 per hour increase when working in an Acting Supervisor position. Current rate is $1.00 per hour. JVS rejects.
Lead Pay: $1.00 per hour increase. Current rate is $.50 per hour. JVS rejects.
Discipline: Right to file grievance to protest unfair warning notices. Elimination of warning notices after 12 months if no similar incidents in that time period. JVS rejects.
Seniority and Layoffs: Add right to recall from layoff by seniority to CBA and right to “bump” to lower classification for qualified employees with seniority. Maintain seniority rights in JVS GAIN program-wide. JVS proposes to limit seniority to separate offices. Currently, for example, a GSW given a layoff notice from one office has the right to transfer to another office and displace a less senior employee. JVS currently rejects our proposals for recall and bumping rights even within your own facility.
Other negative JVS proposals include:
Severance Pay: Eliminate two-week severance pay in case of layoffs due to “lack of funds or lack of work, change in LA County or Maximus contractual scope of work.” This could eliminate the two-week severance pay in nearly every situation such as the major layoffs in January of 2020. JVS proposes to deny severance pay if layoff is “due to loss of funds, loss of work, change in LA County or Maximus contractual scope of work.” Severance will only be paid if a layoff is due to the vague condition of “reorganization of Employer’s facilities.”
Forced Private Arbitration: JVS proposes to severely limit employee’s rights to take legal action with State and Federal agencies for claims such as discrimination or denial of rights under the Americans for Disabilities Act, Fair Labor Standards Act or EEOC. Private arbitration would be required in these types of cases. For example, this would affect you if you and your employment attorney believe JVS is illegally denying your rights to a “reasonable accommodation” for a temporary or permanent disability.
Weaken Union Grievance and Arbitration Procedure: This is the process that gives real teeth to our ability to enforce our legal rights under our CBA. JVS proposes to add strict language to provide their attorney with loopholes to throw out valid complaints.
Weaken CBA “Transfers” Provision: Article 14.C-Transfers states that when JVS needs to transfer an employee to another facility they must first ask for volunteers. If there are no volunteers then they must consider factors such as “seniority, length of additional commute for the employee, and hardships such as medical or childcare needs or the employee’s need to care for a spouse, domestic partner, or elderly parent.” JVS proposes to essentially eliminate those required considerations by adding qualifying language that permits them to do involuntary transfers for “any business-related reasons.” They also propose to completely delete the consideration for seniority or personal medical reasons in case of transfers. Unfair transfers were a major concern for the employees that organized the Union in 2012.
Other News
- Union CBA extended until December 31, 2020.
- Wage Arbitration settlement funds should be mailed to eligible employees within one week.
- Next Negotiations is on September 30
For questions please contact Union Bargaining Team members Dominic Agbabiaka, Shonta Gregory, Georgino Ludwig, or Lisa Thomas, or Union Representative Gary Guthman at gary@afscme36.org or (213) 248-0381
To view a copy of our current Collective Bargaining Agreement, go to the Local 800 website at AFSCMELocal800.org; here is the website page with the GAIN CBA.