On Monday March 2, 2009, CUE Local 10 met with representatives of Labor Relations and Staff Human Resources to discuss two union proposals pertaining to layoffs. In attendance for the union were David Silva-Espinoza (V.P. of Local 10, FAST office), Kimberly Rutherford (President of Local 10, Police Dispatch) and Laura Ortiz-Spiegel, (TAPS Disability Van Services) and Nora Hochman, CUE Staff.

The union submitted two written, detailed proposals. The first was a completely new Article 13 – Layoffs and Reduction in Time. The same proposal is being submitted to the statewide master bargaining table. Highlights of the proposal feature a campus-wide seniority system, with seniority by classification, complete with bumping rights. The new proposal eliminates the concept of layoff units. The proposal also includes a new order of layoff, starting with outside contract temporary workers, students, regular temporary employees, probationary, ending with the workers CUE represents. The language is found in most other labor agreements in unionized public sector places of employment around Santa Cruz County and elsewhere.

The second proposal is a Catastrophic Job Bank. Modeled on the current Catastrophic Leave bank, the proposal seeks to save jobs by permitting donations of accrued vacation time to a “bank” that could then be transferred to a CUE worker given a layoff notice. The purpose of the proposal is to extend the job of a laid-off worker. There are a number of significant details being worked on with this proposal and the union will keep you posted as things develop.

No agreements were reached with the exception that in the case of the Catastrophic Job Bank, the parties will come back together for another discussion as soon as more information has been collected. University representatives will be forwarding the newly proposed layoff language to the Office of the President.

Local 10 will be scheduling another meeting of the CUE Layoff Committee soon to discuss the specifics of this March 2nd meeting and to consider future steps.

Stay tuned for more information.