Solano County Board of Supervisors approves contracts with three employee unions

FAIRFIELD – The Solano County Board of Supervisors approved  labor agreements with three county employee unions on Tuesday, after lengthy negotiations since August and a two-day strike in January.

The agreements passed by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday include with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021; the International Union of Operating Engineers, Stationary Engineers (IUOE) Local 39; and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 21.

The three unions went on strike for two days in January. Striking workers were seeking a 12% wage increase and settled on a 6% wage increase over the next two years and two cash bonuses totaling $1,700.

SEIU 1021 was the first of the striking unions to reach an agreement with the county two weeks ago.

“Competitive wages and stable working conditions is key to ensuring experienced public servants can continue doing the jobs they care deeply about while helping the County recruit and retain the workforce needed,” the SEIU said in a statement. 

County spokesperson Matthew Davis said that a first wage increase of 3% will take effect immediately.  

In an email, Davis said that the total cost of the new contracts is estimated to be $63 million, spread over the following two years.

Members of SEIU 1021, which represents nurses, library workers, emergency communications and social services workers, will receive $47 million of that cost. Another $15.9 million will go towards members of the Stationary Engineers Local 39 and  International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21.

The Union of American Physicians and Dentists, UAPD, whose members also went on strike in January, have not reached an agreement with the county yet, union spokesperson Vivi Le said.

“We’re willing and ready to meet with the county as soon as March 30, but the county seems to be delaying and has not confirmed availability,”  Le said. 

UAPD negotiator Patricia Hernandez said in an interview that, “We’ve been really reasonable, but the county has not acknowledged that our doctors are below market.“

According to Hernandez, primary physicians are 8% below market rate and facing a severe staff shortage. Dentists are 20-22% below market, she said. 

The union is one of the smallest negotiating units in the county and down to 11, employees after a psychiatrist resigned yesterday, Hernandez said. 

“Theyre not being realistic and fair,” Hernandez said of the county. Ultimately, the negative affects “trickles down to the residents,” she said.

The county is also continuing to negotiate with Solano County public defenders, who started a strike late February, now in its fifth week, asking for higher wages. Public defenders rallied outside of Tuesday’s board meeting and spoke to the supervisors during the public comment period.

“Despite our repeated efforts, we’ve been unable to get the county to sit down and come up with a reasonable equity increase,” said Costa Kerestenzis, a representative for attorneys with the district attorney’s and public defender’s offices in the labor negotiations  at Tuesday’s board meeting.

According to a study paid for by Solano County, Solano consistently pays lower wages than neighboring counties. Various auxiliary bonuses that were approved Tuesday include specific raises for certain positions in order to match market rate wages, in addition to higher bilingual pay. 

Workers throughout the county say that the wage gap leads to high turnover and low worker retention, ultimately costing tax payer money. 

Jared Bunde, a Vallejo resident and public health nurse, said if he was to work in Solano County it would amount to a $35,000 per year pay cut when compared to workers in neighboring Contra Costa County.

The pay difference makes working locally, “a really tough decision to make,” said Bunde.

With over 12 years experience, Bunde said that the pay difference is even more important for entry level nurses. “If I was a rank and file nurse, it’d be more along the lines of a $60,000 a year pay cut,” said Bunde.