By Bay City News Service
After almost eight months of negotiations, Contra Costa County and representatives of a labor coalition have reached a tentative agreement for a new contract.
Under the agreement, reached Monday between the board and a labor coalition representing some 4,000 county employees, workers would see their pay cut by 2.75 cut instead of the 3.2 percent outlined in what the board had called its "last, best and final offer."
Negotiators reached the agreement Monday evening after four days of bargaining that included a "marathon session on Saturday that went past midnight," county spokeswoman Betsy Burkhart said.
Labor coalition spokesman Rollie Katz said that while the outcome of the talks is far from ideal, union representatives generally agree that it's better than the county's previous proposal.
"It's the best we can do under terrible circumstances," he said. "It's better than what we were facing."
Under the county's previous offer, the unionized workers would have faced an immediate 3.2 percent pay decrease. Now, the 2.75 percent cut will take effect in July.
In addition, the county has agreed to pay two $500 bonuses -- the first in May 2012 and the second in May 2013 -- that should help workers defray out-of-pocket health care costs, Katz said.
The new contract also gives unionized employees three extra paid holidays, he said.
The workers will still be required to pay all increases in health care costs, a major sticking point during negotiations.
The contract needs to be ratified by all five unions that make up the labor coalition. The Board of Supervisors will then vote on the tentative agreement in January.
The $500 per yr for 2 years is a cash payout that will get taxed and end up being about $300! For low income families that will be out of pocket THOUSANDS of $! The only reason they wanted to IMPOSE thier contract (before the end of December is because of a new law that would take place in January 2012 that would set into place some parrameters for workign together for resolution if the 2 parties feel they have reached an impasse. The County decided that they are not willing to be subject to such laws, not prepared to be transparent, don't stand behind the same principles they require of thier employees and volunteers to uphold Brown Act, Roberts Rules, Open Meetings, and transparency in government. This is Tea Party economics on the backs of poor people and Wisconsin has already gone down this road. Now we have a road MAP!
It is so obvious that you are part of a tax and spend mentality. I suggest you study a bit of history, we need to learn from it. The Roman empire fell when more people were on the payroll than were paying into it. Your presidents decision to spend way beyond our means set a stage for your children in the future to eat Skippy dog food instead of meatloaf. But then again you are probably eating organic and free range chickens.
The only Empire around here exists of households that sit quite comfortably above all this clamor, happy to cause as much disfuntion as you are willing to raise for them.
(I know you will jab about over paid employees, of which MANY of us are not, and WE are the ones that should NOT have been attacked by people like you or our lying Board of Supervisors.)
You are misinformed, I too was a county worker for 34 1/2 years. I know that it is tough times for all government workers at this time. I remember as the dot com world flourished many of my friends ridiculed staying in a much lower paid section of the work world. Now years later they take from that, like gov't workers are the selfish ones. Far from the truth. I also do not like waste and feel the current direction of gov't spending exemplifies such. Please do not think I do not fully support and understand the plight of gov't works, I do.