Region 2 Update

Negotiations Resume but Yield Little Progress

SAN FRANCISCO (Feb.14, 2017) _ Your Region 2 negotiating team returned to the bargaining table to continue the fight for pay parity and employee priority, following a six-week hiatus. 

The parties remain far apart on our most important issue: wages. The Region’s proposal is still at 12% over three years. The Union’s proposal would provide a 25% pay increase over three years.

CFI also introduced an innovative proposal last week that would allow individual courts to provide increases above the uniform salary range in the MOU, up to the federal pay rate, including recruitment incentives, wage offsets for increases in benefit costs, and COLAs provided to other employees. The Region has not yet responded to that proposal.

The Region still refuses to provide a wage offset to address the pension contribution increases that have shrunk interpreter paychecks and additional retirement contributions that are expected in some counties. The Region says it is taking the pension issues into account in its wage offer. For an interpreter who just lost 6% in take home pay that 12% means a net increase of only 6%. The Region’s sugge

stion that this is enough after years of disparate treatment is especially unacceptable to interpreter staff when so many Bay Area courts are now paying contractors 45% more than our current wage to meet their language access needs in Spanish and other languages.   
 
CFI and Region 2 representatives did reach some tentative agreements during the two-day bargaining session on the issue of holiday pay, status of intermittent interpreters who qualify for benefits and grievance and arbitration processing. Resolving some issues and narrowing the subjects still on the table is at least some progress, and we have had some good discussions on cross assignment and performance evaluation issues. Important sticking points remain, however, on cross assignment scheduling and work priority as well as how wages and changes in benefit costs should be structured.
 
We expect a new wage proposal from the Region at our next session on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Additional dates are planned for February and March, during which your bargaining committee will continue moving forward to ensure pay equity. 

Remember to show the courts your support for pay parity and a fair contract by wearing red every Wednesday. Keep the momentum going and send your photos from red Wednesday to [email protected].