“We were surprised by the remarkable progress made today.”

OUR BARGAINING TEAM: Michelle Grennan, Kimberly Matson, and Miroslava Dashkel.

We would like to thank everyone who attended last week’s Contract Action Team (CAT) meeting! At this meeting we discussed how negotiations have progressed slower than expected because of how unprepared the Employer has been and their unwillingness to move on most issues. As a group we worked on an action plan to pressure Management to take contract negotiations seriously and work with us towards a fair agreement.

Then your Bargaining Team returned to negotiations the next day and were shocked by a sudden change in Management’s attitude. The Employer seemed to have come to the table looking to come to a deal soon, which was a drastic change from what we’ve experienced throughout this bargain. 

In fact, we made remarkable progress at this session as we moved much closer, and even won some tentative agreements, on outstanding issues including wage increases and premium pay. We are significantly closer to a deal!

Your Bargaining Team will meet again with the Employer on September 30. We are cautiously optimistic about our next meeting and are prepared to follow through with the action plan discussed at last weeks CAT meeting if Management returns to their old pattern of delay.  

Update your Information with the Union! Due to the current health crisis, contract votes are being conducted through mail-in ballots. We’ll need an updated address to ensure you get a ballot when it’s time to vote your contract.