Update: State Board to Hold Hearing on County Workers' Strike

Update:

The Public Employment Relations Board will hold a settlement conference in Oakland next week on alleged unfair labor practice allegations that Solano County and the 1,800-member employees of SEIU Local 1021 union have made against each other in an ongoing labor dispute.

The union began what was intended to be a one-day unfair labor practices strike on Wednesday and continued the strike today. It does not plan to continue the strike Friday, a union spokesman said.

The headline of a news release issued by the county Thursday said PERB ruled the strike illegal. The release then said PERB “issued a complaint against SEIU Local 1021 characterizing SEIU’s strike as illegal.”

A PERB spokeswoman said both parties have filed complaints against each other, there have been no findings by an administrative judge and a settlement conference will be held Oct. 22 on Oakland.

In response to the county’s press release, Joanne Godreau, a Solano County eligibility benefits specialist said, “No ruling has been made. No hearing has been held. They know it.”

Solano County Assistant County Counsel Azniv Darninian said she did not see the headline of the news release, but the press release “is absolutely accurate.”

Earlier:

The state Public Employment Relations Board today said the current two-day strike by Solano County employees with Service Employees International Union Local 1021 is illegal.

The PERB said the strike constitutes a failure by the union to bargain in good faith in violation of the law, and created “a substantial and imminent threat to the health and safety of the public.”

• Previous Coverage:
• Solano County Workers on Strike Today
• Solano County Workers Vote to Strike

An estimated 1,800 county workers in the union staged a one-day strike Wednesday and agreed late Wednesday to strike again today.

SEIU Local 1021 represents social workers, infant nutrition counselors, public safety dispatchers, public health nurses, mental health specialists, veterans services workers, librarians, and child support and child welfare specialists, according to the union.

Five of the county’s libraries and a family health clinic in Vacaville were closed Wednesday because of the strike. Solano County officials disclosed the PERB’s ruling in a news release this afternoon.

“Many of the workers striking are vital to the protection of our most vulnerable populations,” said Gerald Huber, director of Solano County Health and Social Services, the largest unionized department in the county.

“I am extremely saddened to see county workers jeopardizing the public’s health and safety -- a duty they accepted when they were appointed to their positions,” Huber said in a statement.

The county and the union have been negotiating for three months and the current contract expired Sept. 28.

The SEIU Local 1021 members voted last week for a one-day strike.

SEIU Local 1021 spokeswoman Cecille Isidro said this afternoon she had just received a copy of the complaint against the union by the PERB’s senior regional attorney Ronald Pearson and would respond soon.

A call to another union representative was not immediately returned.

Solano County Proposal

Solano County officials said last week the union did not reply to the County’s last, best and final proposal. The County said it has offered a 2-year, $11.9 million contract and benefits package that includes a 3 percent wage increase upon ratification and another 3 percent in October 2016. The package maintains the County’s current health insurance contribution and a cafeteria plan contribution with increased contributions in 2016 and 2017, County officials said.

Union Demands

The County said the SEIU demanded two wage increases as part of the 2-year contract - 3.5 percent upon adoption and 3.25 percent in October 2016. The union also demanded higher medical contributions, the elimination of cost sharing for employee pensions and an additional floating holiday, the County said.

Cost Difference

The cost of the SEIU’s proposal is approximately $18.3 million - $6.3 million over the County’s proposal, according to the County.

--Bay City News