Contra Costa County has reached settlement with 9 labor unions on a brand new contract, one which the union leaders hope will entice staff to keep at their jobs and never defect for different Bay Space county governments.
9 unions that characterize greater than 6,000 staff — together with hospital lab technicians, IT employees, social service staff and prosecutors — have agreed in precept to a four-year deal, with a 5% elevate every year.
It’s one of many extra profitable elevate constructions in current reminiscence for county staff, a few of whom stated the COVID-19 pandemic has worn them skinny and led lots of their colleagues to hunt jobs with different public employers similar to Alameda, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties.
“We’ve felt plenty of stress and stress from being short-staffed for therefore lengthy,” stated Rose Castañeda, an accountant within the county’s employment and human companies division who referred to as the brand new deal an “thrilling step in the correct path.” The 5% elevate she receives subsequent yr would be the highest she’s gotten since she was employed in 2017.
For county leaders, the deal was a mandatory step to satisfy sky-high inflation charges and compete with neighboring counties the place greater property values constantly produce extra tax income.
“This places us in a greater place to recruit and retain the best expertise and expertise amongst workers in vital areas,” stated Supervisor John Gioia, who voted on Tuesday with fellow supervisors to ratify new contracts for all of the unions, except Contra Costa Public Defenders, which continues to be finalizing phrases with county officers. The contract is efficient as of Aug. 1.
The county, which had a emptiness price of 20% amongst almost 10,000 full-time positions final yr, in comparison with 12% in Santa Clara County, has additionally agreed to rent an out of doors agency to match the salaries provided by numerous county departments in opposition to market-rate wages.
The agency’s examine can be full by subsequent summer time, and union leaders plan to satisfy with county officers afterward to debate adjusting salaries for jobs that at present don’t pay sufficient.
“That, mixed with simply the general contracts, gave our unions the arrogance that the county has executed all that it may inside its means presently to attempt to handle the worst staffing issues,” stated Sean Stalbaum, lead organizer with nine-union coalition Workers Up Contra Costa.
Labor leaders had initially sought a 20% deal over three years and the county countered with 12%, producing an extended standoff that ran effectively over the past contract’s expiration date in June. They settled on 20% over 4 years.
At giant rallies in current months, labor leaders stated the county had not been in a position to fill a rising variety of vacant positions and leaned on current staff to hold out a number of jobs.
Castañeda, who was promoted to an accounting place in her division, watched her staff of 5 immediately shrink when two senior staffers resigned.
“It was very difficult to have the ability to do the issues we have to do to serve our group,” she stated.
The well being companies division particularly felt the pressure, seeing a 14% enhance in vacancies final yr from 2020 after a grueling pandemic left them stressed and exhausted.
By reaching a deal, the 2 sides staved off what Stalbaum described as a probable deadlock in negotiations that will’ve required the state’s mediation.
“We knew going into this that the county was not going to have the ability to present all that we had been searching for,” Stalbaum stated. “We’re grateful for the county’s management in doing as a lot as they might this cycle to attempt to right the staffing issues we now have.”