Santa Cruz Union agreement with Santa Cruz details revealed
UPDATE OCT. 24, 2022, AT 4:14 p.m.- New details have been released Monday in the deal reached between the City of Santa Cruz and SEIU that ended a three-day worker strike.
The deal reached is a three-year labor agreement that includes a 12% compensation increase over the length of the deal. A one-time payout of $1,800 was also agreed to be given to represented employees, and salary adjustments for certain jobs to bring them to market rate.
“We’re pleased to come to an agreement that allows us to structure a fair compensation package that better meets our employee’s needs, while also being respectful of the City’s long-term financial picture,” said City Manager Matt Huffaker. “I look forward to working with our entire staff to ensure that we will continue to provide the quality services our community expects.”
The agreement now goes to the Santa Cruz City Council for ratification on Nov. 15.
Santa Cruz Union comes to agreement with Santa Cruz to end workers strike
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV)- The City of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz SEIU Local 521 have reached an agreement, according to the union.
The union said they will receive salary adjustments and a pathway to bring wages to market rate.
Chapter President Ken Bare said he believes the agreement "will start to address the union's demands."
The union went on strike after an original agreement fell through between them and the city Friday. City workers had left their posts for the past three days to demand better wages.
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UPDATE OCT. 17, 2022 AT 5:14 p.m.- The Santa Cruz SEIU Local 521 officially started their strike on Monday morning as Santa Cruz residents saw some of their services shut down.
Union leaders were out in full force at Santa Cruz City Hall. The union rejected a three-year deal that included a 12 percent increase. Union leaders are accusing the city of unfair labor practices.
"What we are doing here is that we are applying as much pressure as they apply to us," Alberto Palomino, who is a city employee on strike said. "We have various employees that live in their cars and have been assaulted at their jobs, and we are fed up."
Santa Cruz City Manager Matt Huffaker hopes that a deal is reached soon.
Other services like trash collection and park services will be closed throughout the strike. All libraries will be closed until Saturday, Oct. 22. The libraries that will be Capitola Branch Library and the Scotts Valley Branch Library will have limited hours.
City parks and rec centers will also be closed during the strike. For more information, click here.
UPDATE Oct. 13, 2022, at 10:18 a.m.- The City of Santa Cruz said a strike is imminent despite a tentative agreement being reached between the city and SEIU on Oct. 2.
The city said the SEIU rejected a three-year 12% compensation increase and a one-time payment of $1,100. SEIU said they will strike beginning on Oct. 17.
If a deal isn’t done by Monday, those in the union will hold out of work which will cause certain essential services like landfill and recycling centers to be closed.
Negotiators on both sides had reached a deal on a tentative agreement.
However, when negotiators from the SEIU side took it to workers, 83% of those who voted on the deal were not happy with it. This caused that tentative agreement to get scrapped.
City Manager Matt Huffaker says things will get back on track for a new deal saying, “We’re hoping that in a matter of days, we’ll have an opportunity to sit down with them and see if we can continue our work to reach an agreement that meets the needs of our employees and at the same time is fiscally responsible for the city.”
Those who work with the union, like Senior Distribution Operator of the Water Department Alberto Palomino, say their income is not enough to afford living costs in the city.
“I have two other jobs, besides this job, that I do on the weekends,” Palomino said. “So that I can try and get ahead. I would love to have one job. I would love to have one job and work just that one and have weekends off, but I don’t have that luxury if I wanna get ahead.”
The city does understand how crucial SEIU is to its essential services.
Huffaker says they’ll look to try and get something done before Monday, saying, “We’ll be doing everything we can to get back to the table and see if we can address some of the outstanding concerns that our
SEIU employees may have.”
Palomino wants the city to understand how much this negotiation means to them as much as it does the city.
“Santa Cruz employees are hard workers,” Palomino said. “And we take pride in keeping our parks clean, keeping the garbage picked up on time, making sure everyone has water. And I wish that the negotiating team for the city would take that kind of pride and take that kind of dedication to the employees as we do for the city.”
Now the key essential services like police, fire, water and sewage will remain uninterrupted.
Other services like trash collection and park services will be closed throughout the strike. All libraries will closed until Saturday Oct. 22. The libraries that will be Capitola Branch Library and the Scotts Valley Branch Library will have limited hours.
City parks and rec centers will also be closed during the strike. For more information click here.
UPDATE Oct. 12, 2022, at 10:21 a.m.- Santa Cruz city SEIU has rejected an agreement with the city and will resume striking.
“The City has worked hard to negotiate an agreement with SEIU,” said City Manager Matt Huffaker. “Our employees are hardworking and dedicated to their community. It’s unfortunate that the impacts of a strike will hit city residents hardest.” Huffaker noted that there will be significant reductions in City services resulting from a strike.
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UPDATE AT 3:10 PM- The City of Santa Cruz and SEIU Local 521 reached an agreement to a deal on Sunday afternoon.
The deal includes a 12% ongoing compensation increases over the next three years, and a one-time payment of $1,100. According to the city, the agreement helps all SEIU employees earn a living wage.
The city and SEIU have been in negotiations since the start of this year.
"We are pleased to be able to structure a compensation package that better meets our employee’s short-term needs, while also being respectful of the City’s long-term financial picture," Santa Cruz City Manager Matt Huffaker said in a statement
The strike was originally set for Monday morning but now has been canceled. Regular city operations will resume as normal on Monday morning.
ORGINAL STORY
Starting next Monday Oct. 3, workers in the SEIU Local 521 will be on strike.
The strike won’t affect essential services like police, firefighters, and water. However, other services will be limited or closed.
Popular spots like beaches and the wharf will still be open to the public. Local parks and libraries will be closed until this strike is over.
Closures like the park are more important to some people than meets the eye.
Some parks hold small schools and little league games in them. Cottage School student Sebastian Zuluaga explains why the strike impacts everyone involved.
“If we can’t be in the school, then it’s a lot bigger than we think,” Zuluaga says. “Cause why would they take us out of school for no reason?”
The city says they understand the severity of getting a deal done with union leaders.
In a statement, Mayor Sonja Brunner states,
“We recognize that city services are only as good as the employees who provide them, and we have extremely dedicated and hard-working employees, many who were born and raised here. We have prioritized and listened and made budget adjustments along the way to be able to offer our employees a 12% increase over three years as we continue to improve our city’s long-term fiscal health. our commitment is strong, and it’s disappointing that we’ve been unable to reach an agreement with SEIU.”
This statement comes after SEIU held a conference to state their feelings on the negotiations.
In a previous statement, Chapter President and Bargaining Team Member Ken Bare stated,
“Our members were provided with all the facts regarding the city’s proposals, and their votes will determine how we proceed. They've worked daily to keep our city safe today and throughout the ongoing public health crisis. city workers came out in record numbers to demand a stop to the city’s unfair labor practices and an agreement that addresses the challenges they face daily.”
The city says it will open a website to update people on their negotiations with the union.
For the full details, click here.
