LA Courts

Court to resume afternoon assignments by seniority 

LOS ANGELES (February 23, 2016) _ We are happy to report that after several delays and setbacks, LA Superior Court will correct the way afternoon assignments are made, returning to past practice of making these assignments by seniority in accordance with the MOU, regardless of status as a C or F interpreter. The administration confirmed that they will switch back to past practice this coming Friday for Monday’s assignments. 
CFI pointed out that the change, not authorized by the Union, has cost a number of F status interpreters work and has put their benefit eligibility at risk. We will be having further discussions with management about how to address this.
LASC was giving priority to C status interpreters for these assignments, regardless of seniority, for more than half a year. The issue was resolved at a meeting last Friday, scheduled after LASC first acknowledged it was not following the contract, and then delayed correcting the problem and appeared to have doubts about correct application of the MOU’s seniority in assignments provisions. CFI representatives Alex Abella, Mary Lou Aranguren, Julie Drucker and Karen Stevens attended the meeting. 
The court had not given notice to the union when the change occurred, but acknowledged that priority was being given to less senior C status interpreters during a meeting with CFI on January 11. Court representatives initially said the change was based on a proposal from the Union that C status interpreters should have priority, but Court Counsel Ivette Peña acknowledged this is not what the clear language of the MOU requires and CFI noted that this is not the union's position. CFI has continued to pursue the matter since then to clarify the issues. 
Please contact us if you have information that would indicate there are ongoing issues, or if you have any questions or concerns. The information provided by members is always key to getting things resolved. 
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tags:
*union, *R1, *LA