CX Teamsters Close to a Deal with UC!

On May 28 and 29 our CX Teamsters Bargaining Team met with the UC negotiating team at UC San Diego and we believe a deal is within reach! We reached Tentative Agreements on a number of critical articles, including Article 10 – Hours of Work, Article 23 – Parking, and Article 36 –  Sick Leave, with major wins for Teamsters workers in each, but several articles, including on wages and benefits, have yet to be agreed on.

Because our CX Teamsters contract expired on Sunday, May 31 and our bargaining team decided against extending our contract, our Unit is now operating under status quo. Read on for what that means and more on what we’ve won at the bargaining table!

What we’ve tentatively agreed on:

• Article 10 – Hours of Work: Included departmental seniority for shift bidding purposes; added language clarifying that a second meal period of thirty minutes shall be provided for work shifts of ten continuous hours or more; and incorporated language regarding required minimum rest and meal periods, including waivers and penalty pay for medical center employees when missed.
• Article 23 – Parking: Maintained current contract language, with parking rate caps laid out in Appendix G.
• Article 36 – Sick Leave: Expanded the use of sick leave for employees, increased the number of days available for bereavement from 7 to 10 days, and included sixteen hours of sick leave for per diem employees annually.
• Appendix A: CX-Unit Wage Tables: Updated TCS URL.
• Appendix F: CX-Unit Arbitration Panel: Updated list of approved arbitrators.
• Appendix G: Parking: Maintained parking rate caps at all locations but UCLA, which will be limited to a modest increase from $5 to $10.

In addition to these TAs, on May 28 we introduced our new Article 49 – Workplace Technology to protect our members from AI surveillance and job loss. The UC did not present us with a counter but understood the importance of this language and protections to our members.

Unfortunately, the UC failed to present their benefits proposal on May 29, including their proposal on healthcare rates. Our team was unable to present a counterproposal on wages without this information. The UC has said they plan to present their proposals on all open articles, including wages and benefits, together in one package, and our teams have agreed to meet again next week, June 8 and 9, in Oakland. 

What is Status Quo?

Now that the contract has expired, the UC is required by law to maintain the same wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment for Bargaining Unit employees that existed at the time the contract expired, up until an agreement with the union is reached. The UC also must maintain any past practices.

Terms of the agreement that do expire include binding arbitration as the final step of the grievance procedure, the management rights’ clause, and the “no strike” clause. The UC is bound to continue to apply “just cause” and giving notice to the Union regarding discipline. Our Union will file unfair labor practice (ULP) charges against the UC for any unilateral changes.

All CX Teamsters should note changes to the terms and conditions of their employment so that our Union Representatives are able to file charges in a timely manner to ensure no waiver of our rights. Please be sure to reach out to your Union Representative with any concerns so we can protect you during this period! We believe that our time in status quo will be short and that a deal will soon be reached.

In Solidarity,
Our CX Teamsters Bargaining Team

Deborah Reed, LBNL
Tiffany Amber Rodriguez, UC Berkeley / UCOP
Kat Lambert, UC Davis/ANR
Dianna Sahhar, UC Irvine
Jennifer Carrero, UC Merced
Bernardette Williams, UCSF
Maia Bailey, UCSF
Marina Jurich, UCSD Campus
Robert Sandoval, UCSD Health
Deateria Dickinson, UCSB
Sarah Harker, UCSC
Katherine Colato, UCLA Campus
Jason Perez, UCLA Health
Raymond Gomez, UC Riverside / UCPATH
Jason Rabinowitz, Secretary-Treasurer and Lead Negotiator
Catherine Cobb, President
Melissa Munio, First Chair
Alex Vermie, Research Analyst