eNewsletter - July 18, 2008
Court Reporters Win on Electronic Recording
On July 7th, the San Francisco Official Court Reporters Association (SFOCRA) and the California Official Court Reporters Association (COCRA) won a huge victory in a long battle to protect how court transcripts are made and distributed.
A recent Senate bill featured a proposal to expand the use of audio recording practices and replace official court reporters. While the bill aimed to cut costs incurred by courts and the public by using electronic recording devices instead of court reporters, in reality the bill would have raised costs and caused layoffs across the state. While the fees for official transcripts created by court reporters are regulated by the state, no regulations are placed on fees for electronically recorded transcripts, allowing freelance copiers to charge exorbitant costs for transcripts. Additionally, electronically recorded transcripts can often be inaudible, or conversely, can fail to eliminate testimony that a judge strikes from the record.
This major legislative win could not have been possible without the support from State Assemblyperson Mark Leno, as well as the dedication and hard work of Court Reporters across California, Local 21's lobbyist Liberty Sanchez of Broad and Gusman, and the efforts of SEIU and AFSCME, who all attended daily (and sometimes nightly) meetings in Sacramento to educate legislators on the issue and keep their fellow Court Reporters updated. Click here to read the letter sent to members of the Legislative Budget Conference Committee on behalf of Local 21 and other associations representing court reporters.
San Francisco Adopts Balanced Budget
After months of budget hearings and meetings between San Francisco officials, unions, and financial consultants, the Board of Supervisors formally adopted a budget for FY 2008-2009 on July 16th, closing a $338 million deficit with minimum hardship to Local 21 members and other City employees.
Several months ago Mayor Newsom asked for significant concessions from City unions in the form of unpaid furlough days. While several smaller unions made concessions, Local 21's leadership and bargaining team declined. A Local 21 delegation including economic consultants Steven Raphael, Associate Dean of the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, and Michael Stoll, Chair of UCLA's Department of Public Policy, met with the City Controller and reviewed their financial records. The delegation verified that the City's spending had exceeded its growing revenues by millions. Many Local 21 members who agreed to make concessions to help the City out of its "financial crisis" several years ago felt that repeated give-backs were unwarranted given the revenue increase.
Few layoffs emerged from such a massive deficit, and Local 21's Internal Placement Committee is currently working to further reduce the number of City employees displaced from their jobs. Although little good can emerge from a deficit of such magnitude, Local 21 leaders and staff made huge strides in mitigating any harm to members and San Francisco residents.
For more information on CCSF's budget and Local 21's response, visit the San Francisco Budget Information page on our website.
Local 21 Speaks Out for Real Reform in the City of Oakland
At the Oakland City Council meeting on July 15th, Local 21 addressed reform measures being evaluated by the Council that would safeguard against City officials exerting undue influence on an employees' ability to perform their job.
Local 21 Staff Representative Vickie Carson highlighted the need for change in the form of effective and thoughtful reform, and urged the Council to prioritize addressing matters that prohibit City officials from inappropriately influencing the hiring and direction of City staff, enforcing merit-based hiring practices within the City, and working with City unions to create and implement effective solutions to end nepotism and discrimination. Carson stated, "These issues are too critical to the success and responsible management of the City to be developed unilaterally and presented to City Unions only when the Council is ready to adopt hastily developed reforms. Both the City and Unions should be working together to develop well thought out policies and reforms that will bring true transformation to Oakland."
Local 21 members at the City of Oakland have been working under an expired contract, with little movement at the bargaining table. To read more about Local 21's negotiations in Oakland, visit the Oakland Chapters' webpage.
Richmond Retiree Health Update
Local 21 and SEIU 1021 have been engaging in coalition bargaining on retiree medical benefits with the City of Richmond. Since bargaining began in 2007, little movement on the reopener has occurred. After numerous attempts by the City to bargain in bad faith, the unions and the City failed to reach any concrete settlements and agreed to mediation several months ago.
The two sides have been unable to reach an agreement due to the City's unwillingness to increase its current retiree medical benefit from the current $244 per month, to a percentage of the Kaiser Permanente premium which would increase annually to keep up with skyrocketing medical costs. At the last mediation session on July 11th, Local 21 and SEIU 1021 presented the City's negotiators with a proposal that would increase the current retiree medical benefit to the full dollar amount of the Kaiser Permanente plan. The City's negotiators are expected to present the proposal to the Richmond City Council in late July. If the Council approves this increase in the level of benefits, Local 21 and SEIU members will vote on whether to accept the agreement. City of Richmond members previously rejected an offer made by the City to make a one-time increase to the monthly benefit by $100, which would still only cover a fraction of retiree medical costs.
Free 'Health and Safety on the Job' Training
Attention South Bay Members! UC Berkeley's Labor Occupational Health Program is offering a free course for individuals interested in taking a leadership role in promoting health and safety in their workplace.
The three-day weekend training will provide hands-on experience in Cal/OSHA, workers' compensation, workplace injury and illness prevention, ergonomics, identifying and controlling hazards, and more. Everyone who completes the training will receive a certificate verifying their completion of coursework as a Worker Occupational Safety and Health (WOSH) Specialist.
The trainings will be held on Saturday August 2nd, 9th, and 16th from 8am to 5pm in San Jose. To register, contact Fredda Olivares at 510/643-8087.
L21 Express is the bi-weekly email publication of IFPTE Local 21. Local 21 represents more than 7,000 Bay Area professional public employees. Main Office Phone: 415.864.2100 South Bay Phone: 408.291.2200
