Region 1 Bargaining Update

February 28, 2018

Your Bargaining Team met with Region 1 today at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.  Special thanks goes out to Lorena Pike (Full-time, Santa Maria), Hernan Vargas (A), Ana Plasencia (A), and Sandra Rodriguez (A) for showing your support by observing the negotiation process in action. 

This update is going to be brief, which unfortunately mirrors today’s bargaining session. Not only did the Court’s spokesman Joe Wiley and the rest of the Court’s team not arrive until 11:30 am, but Court Counsel Ivette Peña was not present during any part of the session. The minimal content of the two paltry proposals that the Administration offered us today would suggest that there was not a real intention to work through a full session, perhaps owing to the absence of Court Counsel.

Despite asserting that interpreter assignments are one of their top priorities, the Court notified us that the new computerized interpreter assignment system may not be implemented until July of this year, at the earliest.  We requested time to preview this system and the Court agreed to present “screenshots” of the new software system at our next session.
The only other two topics of note were:

  1. A discussion of cross-assignments during which the Court asked a series of questions and presented different possible scenarios as to whether or not an interpreter would be paid or given equivalent work in the event of a missed/cancelled cross-assignment.
  2. A lengthy exchange about the half-time coordinator position in Santa Barbara (CFI unit member Lorena Pike). Although this coordinator is paid for four hours a day as an interpreter, and the other four hours as a coordinator, her coordinating duties often extend well beyond the four hours allotted for this purpose. We are hoping to get her additional compensation for the double duty she performs.

CFI members demonstrated to the administration that we are united and willing to fight for a fair contract by holding a noontime rally in front of Stanley Mosk Civil Courthouse.  We thank all those members who participated and made your voices heard!

The next bargaining session will be held on March 21st, 2018, 10:00 am, at the CWA District 9 Office, 12215 Telegraph Road, Suite 210, Santa Fe Springs, California 90670. We are expecting the next session to be of particular interest, as the Court will be sharing more detailed information about the new computerized assignment system. To those of you for whom this is a crucial issue, your team encourages you to attend and support. Get your Requests for Time Off into the office today!

In solidarity,

Your Region 1 Bargaining Team
Pedro Ramirez-Navas
Doris Vick
Robert Guerrero
Daniel Kaufman
Michael Ferreira
Caren Sencer, Spokesperson