Roman Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Oakland and SEIU Local 265 Announce Unprecedented 10-year Contract

PLEASANTON, Calif. (Dec. 22, 2014) – Roman Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Oakland (RCC of DO) and Cemetery Workers’ & Greens Attendants’ Union, SEIU Local 265 announced today they have ratified an unprecedented 10-year agreement. The agreement, which was negotiated over four years, includes a “no-layoff” provision to protect workers’ jobs, a buy-out of their union managed pension, and healthcare with no lifetime caps. To help fund the increased benefits, the RCC of DO secured an agreement to outsource lawn and landscape care at its six cemeteries in the Bay Area, enabling Union members to continue to perform the specialized tasks involved in burials and facilities maintenance at the properties.

“We have a special role in all our communities to support and uphold the dignity of workers and their right to fair and living wages,” said Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ, Bishop of Oakland. “The agreement we achieved by negotiating in good faith maintains jobs and protects the economic interests of both the Church and the workers involved.”

Features of the contract include incentive-based wage increases throughout the 10-year contract span, no job eliminations, and the unprecedented “no-layoff” clause. Attrition that occurs through retirement enables the outsourcing of lower-skilled jobs, in order to save on costs and reduce headcount over the long term. The agreement was shepherded by Catholic Management Services (CMS), a ministry of the Catholic Church that offers business services that support the leadership and ministry of each client diocese.

“We are really proud of the partnership between the Union and the employer to find inventive solutions to really complex issues such as health care, pension, and wages,” said Robert Seelig, Executive Director of CMS. “Negotiations can be difficult and both sides worked to build trust which is evidenced by a 10-year agreement ratified by a 22-1 vote by the union membership in favor of the new agreement.”

One of the solutions achieved was with regard to employees’ pensions. A federal statute pension, controlled by the Union, was underperforming with RCC of DO as the employer obliged to cover the shortfall. In the past this limited the Union’s ability to negotiate concessions because of the federally mandated payment being made by their employer. CMS and Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services (CFCS) have now received Union consent to withdraw from the SEIU National Industry Pension Fund. RCC of DO will continue to contribute to the Union’s pension. Once bought out of the pension, eligible employees will be enrolled in The Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland Lay Employees’ Money Purchase Pension Plan. This move provides a defined contribution pension for employees, while eliminating liabilities for the employer.

Usually there is a cap on healthcare spending in Union agreements, often making an agreement that is unequally advantageous to one party versus the other. Under this agreement RCC of DO will cover 100 percent of premiums and split dependent costs; therefore the savings and costs are shared by both parties as healthcare costs fluctuate. The healthcare plan is the same one that Diocese of Oakland employees participate in.

A creative approach used jointly by the parties in this arrangement is the subcontracting of some work across the properties in Alameda and Contra Costa County that the agreement encompasses. The savings gained from the subcontracting are shared with the employees and fund specific wage increases tied to the successful implementation of the new program. With no job eliminations and a guarantee of no layoffs for the duration of the 10-year contract, Union staff will spend more time supporting families that visit the cemeteries.

ABOUT SEIU Local 265

SEIU Local 265 has represented cemeteries, country clubs, greens attendants and landscapers for over 70 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. It represents 300 member workers who work for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Oakland and Fresno, and Jewish and non-denominational cemeteries, as well as golf courses throughout the Bay Area, from Fresno to San Pablo to Palo Alto. It participates in numerous labor councils from Northern and Central counties in California. In 2006, Local 265 was granted statewide jurisdiction and is moving forward with a campaign to organize cemeteries, landscapers, country club workers, monument dealers and mortuaries in order to better their trade. For more information visit: http://www.seiulocal265.org/ .

About Catholic Management Services

Founded in 2011, Catholic Management Services (CMS) is a ministry of the Catholic Church providing strategic planning and professional services to address the needs of the Catholic Church today. As an organization owned and operated by the Church, Catholic Management Services has developed mission-centric programs in human resources, information technology, sales, marketing, communications, outreach, accounting and finance, to support the leadership and ministry of each client diocese. For more information visit: http://www.cmsmission.org

About Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services of the Diocese of Oakland (CFCS)

Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services of Oakland is a charitable organization serving the Diocese of Oakland. As a ministry of the Catholic Church, we provide funeral and cemetery services, as well as educational outreach to parishes and caregiver organizations. Our mission is to provide guidance and wisdom on end-of-life services. As a charity, CFCS is committed to offering innovative programs that provide financial assistance, free options, and programs to meet the needs of our faith community. For more information visit http://www.cfcsoakland.org/.