Bargaining Updates

- September 30th, 2024

Today the Bargaining Team met with County for our first day of mediation. Mediation has confidential components, so there are going to be some details we are unable to share and we will share as much as possible to continue receiving member input. We made some progrson a number of articles and are working through economic proposals with the County and our Mediator.  

We were able to finalize Article 5 (Discipline and Discharge) in both bargaining units. 

For Article 8 (Selection & Promotion) in both units, we continue to propose the elimination of “Limited Duration” language. 

We had a very productive conversation with the County today on Article 13 (Safety) in the General Unit. We were able to ask clarifying questions so that we could further draft contract language that is agreeable. 

For Article 14 (Training), we continue to propose the General Unit have access to 60 protected hours per year for educational training directly related to on the job duties. We also continue to propose $500 to reimburse employees annually for continuing education requirements for licensure. For the same article in the Nursing Unit, we are close to an agreement for continuing education hours & reimbursement. 

- August 28th, 2024

Today the County provided the Union with another proposal and made a presentation on the current cost of the Union’s proposals. The County made small movements in their current proposal and those will be discussed below. 

General Unit

Definitions: 

  • One of the first proposals the County provided in our previous bargaining sessions stated there were “no permanent jobs at Lane County” and they proposed moving away from the term ‘permanent’ to ‘regular’. The Union pushed back against this in our previous proposals and today, they agreed to keep current contract language and will retain the term ‘permanent’. 

Discipline and Discharge: 

  • The County continued to propose current contract language for this, rejecting the Union’s previous proposal of discipline going stale after two years which matches other contracts within the County.

Grievance Procedure:

  • The County proposed suspension at step 2 of the discipline process. The Union has proposed that the County announce at step 1 if suspension was on the table. 

General Provisions: 

  • The County returns to previous contract language and does not agree to pay for relevant professional memberships for the General Unit despite this provision being in the Nursing Unit contract. 
  • The County agreed to our language around Loan Repayment and to define full time to be 30 hours or greater for the Department of Education's Public Service Loan Forgiveness Certification. 
  • The County continues to keep current contract language around parking and is not willing to provide bus passes for employees stating restrictions placed on Lane County by LTD. The County does not see the validity of further investigating costing out bus passes as they presume there may not be a lot of interest in usage of the passes.

Selection and Promotion: 

  • The County continues to present the concept of Limited Duration positions in the contract. The Union is not interested in additional non-represented positions whose probation lasts the duration of their time at the county, up to 2 years.  

Hours of Work and Overtime: 

  • The County hasn’t moved in this Article and are retaining the current contract language. Please see previous member communications for more details on this. 

Wages:

  • The County made some changes and proposed improved market value adjustments for 7 classifications. They continue to retain their offer of a 3% wage increase for every classification. 
  • They proposed a .3% increase to the 2024 COLA to a 4.3% COLA for the first year but retained the range of 1-4% for the next two years. 
  • The County continues to reject longevity pay for employees who have dedicated 10, 15, 20 and 25 years to county employment. 
  • They rejected the proposal to pay training differentials for non-lead/senior positions providing training to coworkers. The County stated that it is the responsibility of all Lane County employees to provide training.
  • They rejected the proposal to increase deferred compensation from 1% to 2% when an employee matches 1% with their own funds. 

Leave and Holiday Time: 

  • The County retains their original proposal except for the change in classification name from Solid Waste Fee Collector to Waste Acceptance Technician. 

Insurance and Related: 

  • The County proposed allowing employees hired prior to January 1, 2025 to have access to the Co-pay Plan for the duration of the contract; Employees hired January 1, 2025 and later will only have access to the High Deductible plan and the Plus Plan. The county’s previous statement that “everything is negotiable” (when asked if the county intended to completely remove the Co-Pay plan in future negotiations) leaves membership in a vulnerable position in regard to the plan being available in the future.

Safety: 

  • The County continues to retain their previous proposal. 

Training: 

  • The Country continues to retain their previous proposal. 

Layoff and Recall: 

  • The County provided clarifying language around secondary recall members being required to complete a supplemental questionnaire. 

Waste Acceptance Technician: 

  • The County agreed to the new classification title of Waste Acceptance Technician. The County continues to retain their previous proposal which includes not accepting set-up time for rural sites.

Termination: 

  • The County retains their previous proposal and continues to agree to a 3 year contract. 

For the Nursing Contract, the County continues to state no adjustments are needed beyond the 3% overall market adjustment. No other changes were made; all other proposals were in alignment with the General Unit proposals above. 

The Union has requested mediation and the County is agreeable. 

 

- July 31st, 2024

Today the County provided their newest economic proposal. They have agreed to some minor changes but the bulk of their proposal has not changed. Additionally, they agreed to a 3 year contract. 

General Provisions (Art. 7)

  • The county agreed to a $100 increase in annual Nursing Unit uniform allowance for a total of $450.
  • The county is still rejecting our proposal to cover parking fees for AFSCME members, and denying LTD bus passes. The Union is counter-proposing a parking credit for employees who pay for parking & a limited amount of bus passes available for AFSCME members.

Wages (Art. 10):

  • The County is sticking to their original offer of a 3% one-time wage increase with a 1 - 4% COLA (cost of living adjustment) in addition to some market adjustments to bring those classifications within 95% of market value. 
  • The County continues to reject any language around hazard pay and longevity pay and want to focus on putting their financial resources into base pay. 
  • The County did approve a 5% differential for preceptor pay and 3% differential for CHC workers who are assigned to report to a location different than their assigned work site. 
  • The County has kept current contract language and propose to keep deferred compensation at 1%. 
  • The Union bargaining team provided a counter proposal with the following changes:
    • We moved from a 10% market adjustment for all classifications to a total of a 6% adjustment split over three years. In 2024 members would get 4% and in 2025 and 2026, members would get 1%. This market adjustment still keeps most members at a competitive wage.
    • We proposed a COLA range from 2% to 6% for all three years to continue to make sure that our cost of living wages accurately reflect inflation rates as closely as possible. 
    • We decided to remove our request for hazard pay and are considering reviewing job classifications to identify the continued hazards we face.  
    • We have continued to fight for longevity pay and have proposed longevity pay at 10, 15, 20, and 25 years with an increase of 2.5% at each interval. 
    • We continue to ask for a 5% differential pay for employees providing training who are not in a lead role. 

 Insurance and Related (Art. 12): 

  • The County continues to propose the sunsetting of the co-pay plan and to require employees to engage in the wellness program to receive their full employer contribution to their Health Savings Account when on the High Deductible Health Plan.
  • The County rejected the idea of a joint Union & County Benefits Study Group but stated they would be open to a focus group in order to increase member voices in this area. 
  • The Union counter proposal:
    • We provided our previous proposal of not sunsetting the Co-Pay plan and we didn’t accept the tobacco surcharge. 
    • We also continue to propose the county provide the full funding for the HSA card for employees on the High Deductible plan without having to participate in the live well center program. 

 Safety (Art. 13): 

  • The County proposed language that employees have an obligation to not perform unsafe acts and that no employee shall perform work for which a state license or certification is required if they do not currently possess that certification or licensure, for the nursing contract. This is in line with the general contract. 
  • The County maintains an annual $200 boot/footwear allowance for the General Unit, and has agreed to expand this allowance to more employees.
  • The Union counter proposal:
    • We continue to advocate that employees who hold licenses have protection and the ability to not engage in work that would jeopardize their license, without fear of disciplinary action. 
    • We continue to propose language that protects employees who are unable to come to work due to adverse weather and climate conditions, giving them the option to work from home if they are able. 

 Training (Art. 14):

  • The County has proposed that Nurse’s Unit members will continue to have access to continuing education funding & the County will budget for additional job-related training and education annually. 
  • The County agreed that if an employee is denied a training request, the employee will receive a written response justifying the denial within 14 days. 
  • AFSCME counter proposal:
    • We continue to request Lane County provide up to 60 hours a year for voluntary educational training related to job duties, and to reimbursement up to $500 annually for the cost of continuing education for licensure. 
    • We continue to push for equity in our contracts by including language in the General Unit that encourages the County to make reasonable accommodations for employees who are going back to school. This language is already in the Nurse’s unit.  

 Termination (Art. 19 General/Art 21 Nursing): 

  • The County agreed to a 3 year contract. 

 Waste Acceptance Technician (Art. 18 General): 

  • The County agreed to a new title: Waste Acceptance Technician. We will be accepting that title change at this time. 
  • The County accepted our proposal to follow Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) guidelines & reimburse employees for travel time if their requested worksite for the day is more than 30 miles from their regular reporting place. 
  • The County still declines to provide our rural sites 15 minutes to set up prior to opening the site & are still having conversations about this piece. 

 Medical Legal Death Investigators (Art. 20 General):

  • The County proposed a new article defining Medical Legal Death Investigators for contract purposes, as the MLDI’s are now AFSCME members. This article is still under review, and we will be discussing its contents with the MLDI’s in the near future in order to make sure that their special needs and job requirements are within the contract language. 

- July 17th, 2024

Today we countered on our economic package with the County.  

Wages:

  • The Union continues to fight for fair and equitable wages. We proposed a 10% market adjustment for all members plus additional market adjustments for wage increases for eleven (11) classifications in the General Unit and twelve (12) classifications in the Nursing Unit. 
  • The Union continued to propose a COLA based on the CPI-U West data each year with the following limit: 3%-6%.
  • We continue to believe that members deserve to be honored for their commitment to the county and we have held strong with proposing longevity pay for employees who have worked at the county for 5, 10, 15, and 20 years, with a 5% increase at each milestone.
  • We also believe it is important to protect our employees who are exposed to hazardous environments and have provided a more clear and concise list of job duties that would qualify for a 5% hazardous pay increase. While the County continues to focus on improving the safety of their buildings, we understand not all hazards are related to our buildings & employees should be safe wherever they work. We are focused on the safety of our employees regardless of where they are working. 
  • We also continued with our fight for training pay, essential worker pay, members utilizing their bilingual skills who are not in bilingual classifications, and an increase from 1% to 2% in deferred compensation. 

 Insurance and Related: 

  • The Union continues to propose the continuation of the co-pay plan for new employees and rejects the county’s proposal to sunset this plan. We continue to propose a joint Union & County Benefits Study Group so we can identify more innovative ways to keep our healthcare affordable & accessible to members. 
  • We also proposed that the county continue to provide the full cost of the deductible for the High Deductible insurance plan, rather than requiring employees to engage in the wellness program to receive their full employer contribution or their Health Savings Account.
  • Gym Membership: Although the county has implemented the new Fit and Active program, we have heard from members that there are already issues in the implementation (i.e., certain locations are limiting Lane County employee access during certain hours). Because of these roll-out issues, we kept our current proposal. If these concerns get rectified, we will happily agree to the current program proposed by the county. 

Safety: 

  • We are still concerned about the cost of inflation and are asking for $50 more for footwear in the General Unit.  
  • We continue to propose our Health & Safety committee to create a policy regarding working in poor air quality. The County informed us they are working on a county-wide policy related to air quality & we are eager to hear their proposal. 

Training:

  • For both the General & Nurses Unit, we continue to fight for parity in training and educational opportunities, and require Supervisors provide justification for rejected training requests.  
  • The Union also continues to fight for employee’s access to 60 hours of paid time to engage in work related trainings; if employees are denied training requests, a written explanation would be required. 
  • Additionally, the Union also proposes a training budget of $500 per employee for continuing education related to maintaining our licenses and certifications. 
  • We also continue to ask the county to invest in employees’ advanced educational opportunities by agreeing to reasonable accommodations for employees who have a need to attend classes during the work day. 

Termination: 

  • We are asking for a 3 year contract. The County originally proposed a 2 year contract. 

 Leave: 

  • The County and the Union are very close on agreeing with this article, but we continue to fight for employees who are on medical and disability leave to be in a paid status so they will receive their holiday pay. 
  • Additionally, no new employee should have to take Leave Without Pay during the beginning of their time at the County, so we are advocating they receive 40 hours of additional TM after working at Lane County for 6 months.  

Waste Acceptance Specialists: 

  • The County brought in Jeff Orlandini (Waste Management Division Manager) to review our proposal regarding set-up time prior to the shift & safety concerns at rural sites. In his review of the data, he did not identify any sites, other than Cottage Grove, that are processing payments before 8:15 am, thus supporting the County’s claim that employees are not showing up prior to their 8:00 am shift. When the Union asked Jeff to clarify which sites were experiencing early morning arrivals (and likely customers who have been there before gates open), he was unable to provide clear data - he only looked at 1 employee’s transactions, though he did agree that setup takes time.  Our concern is not that we are being forced to arrive early, but starting our shifts at 8:00 am (the same time sites open up to customers) is unsafe - we don’t have enough time to conduct our opening duties without community members watching our every move. This is unsafe & we reiterated this is the focus - improve the staff safety by potentially adjusting our schedules & collection times to improve worker safety. Allowing fee collectors to set up prior to site openings will improve customer service as we won’t need to do work around or look unprepared while starting our days. 
  • We do not expect a tentative agreement on this article soon, as the County is considering our request to allow 15 minutes of set up time an “economic” request, so they will likely provide their response when they respond to our wage proposal passed along today. 

Proposals from Lane County

Discipline and Discharge

  • The County continues to reject our language around disciplines being stale after 2 years, saying that just cause protections would cover this.

Selection/Promotion

  • The County accepted some of language around promotions and transfers–including language allowing employees in the same department and classification to trade positions and some  language around probationary employees who promote.

Layoff and Recall

  • We are getting closer to an agreement on this article, and the County has accepted our proposal to increase the period of recall rights from 24 to 36 months.

 

- July 10th, 2024

Today the Union met with the County to review our proposals on Hours of Work and Overtime, Waste Acceptance Specialists, General Provisions, and Discipline & Discharge. We also met with the County’s Insurance Broker to discuss the proposed changes to our health benefits.

Hours of Work & Overtime

  • If an employee is requesting an alternate work schedule & it is denied, we are protecting the right to grieve that decision. The County reiterates that Supervisors have the sole discretion to schedule employees, but without the ability to grieve, we are concerned alternate work schedules will not be approved equitably. 
  • Currently, General members are eligible for overtime if they have more than 40 hours paid in a week & Nurse members are eligible for overtime if they worked more than 40 hours. If an AFSCME member took TM, FMLA, or other protected leave, they would not be eligible for overtime that week. We do not agree with this language & are continuing to advocate for employees to receive overtime when it is earned. 
  • The Union continues to advocate for employee compensation for work conversations that happen outside of work hours. We know supervisors sometimes text us while we are not on the clock, and we are focused on employees receiving compensation for working outside your scheduled hours. Employees should be able to enjoy their time away from their work without interruption. 
  • The Union continues to advocate for equitable access to Comp Time and we are awaiting further County clarification on why Comp Time is not available to all employees in an equitable manner. 

Waste Acceptance Specialists (AKA Solid Waste Management Fee Collectors)

  • Rachelle advocated strongly for her coworkers today, leaving the County without any questions or comments. She stated that we believe that calling us "attendants” undervalues the vast amount of knowledge required to assist the public in proper disposal for their solid waste materials, recycling education and special training for hazardous material disposal including enforcing local and state regulations. We hear that there are other "specialists” within Waste Management but do not find it confusing as the County has stated to those working within Lane County Waste Management as one is titled "special waste" and the other is defined as "waste acceptance”. Additionally, we have fought for at least 15 minutes of paid preparation time at all sites prior to the site opening- it is already the norm at our Glenwood Transfer Site and Short Mountain Landfill, and our rural fee collectors need this time even more because they often do not have other colleagues to help open the site. This is a safety concern and good customer service to the public to have the appropriate time to have the site operationally ready at opening time. Overall, the Union is fighting for employees to be recognized for the work that they do and provide a safe environment in which to do it.

General Provisions & Discipline and Discharge

  • The Union continued to advocate for the removal of stale discipline from employee files after 2 years. This is standard in other contracts and recognizes that one-time errors should not follow you throughout your career.
  • The Union continued to request free parking and free bus passes for all AFSCME members. Again, employees should not have to pay to be at work.
  • The County originally proposed paying for professional memberships for the Nurse’s unit, and the Union has proposed the same for our General Unit members. The County does not know why employees in the General Unit would need or benefit from a professional membership and are asking us to provide more examples before they will consider the additional cost. If you are a General Unit member & would like to be part of a professional organization, please respond to this message so we can advocate for you at the bargaining table.
  • The Union asked for an increase for the uniform allowance in the Nurses unit to $500 a year from the current $350 a year. We understand the cost of uniforms, footwear, and medical supplies continues to increase & our reimbursement should increase accordingly. 

Insurance Broker Conversation

  • Thank you to all 379 members who responded to our healthcare survey - your responses and comments were shared at the Bargaining Table with the Insurance Broker and helped us get clarification on how to use our health benefits. The Union is staying strong on keeping our Co-pay plan and ensuring the County is identifying all cost-saving options before pushing that cost onto members. 
  • Today, AFSCME was notified of a free insurance resource called the Benefits Resource Center that is available to all Lane County employees. If you feel you are overpaying for medical care, don’t understand why a claim or request was denied, would like help in navigating your health plan, or just have questions, please reach out to their team at [email protected] 

- June 17th, 2024

Today was a busy day in Bargaining as AFSCME received the County’s counter to our wage proposal, safety, grievances, and Articles 18 for both units. The County stuck with their original proposals. 

WAGES & OVERTIME (Article 10 & 9)

  • The County moved the goalposts, again, stating that employees getting 95% of the comparator county rate is “highly competitive,” and have since increased market adjustments for a limited number of positions. The County is not proposing market adjustments to classifications that received these in the last contract, as we already have sufficient wage increases and is sticking to their original offer of a 3% one-time wage increase with a 1 - 4% COLA (cost of living adjustment). However, the Union’s market analysis shows that more employees need market adjustments; we will continue to advocate for at least 95% of our comparator’s rates, as this is not highly competitive, but should be the starting point.
  • Longevity Pay - the County rejected this differential stating they want to focus on increasing base pay. So, employees who have worked here for more than 5 years, and are at Step 9, would continue to only get the COLA increases.  
  • Hazard, Essential Worker, and Training/Preceptor Differentials - the County denied all of these as well because they are “too broad” and the County would rather focus on using this money to improve building safety.
  • Overtime - We understand some members would rather choose Comp Time rather than Overtime, but the County refuses to allow employees this option because comp time has “potential economic impacts” and some department’s funding doesn't allow for Comp Time. These rationales are not enough for us to back down, and we will continue to push for employee choice and expanding work-life balance opportunities. 

SELECTION and PROMOTION & LAYOFF (Article 8 & 16) 

  • AFSCME agreed with most of the County’s proposals to speed up the Selection, Promotion, Layoff & Recall processes, but we had some concerns with extending probation for demotions and promotions. The County did not give any indication into their stance on this counterproposal, but our focus is on using the probation period as a learning experience & requiring Supervisors to provide feedback during the probation period before terminating employment.  

LEAVE TIME & HOLIDAYS (Article 11)

  • AFSCME has proposed that new employees receive 40 hours of TM so you do not have to go into LWOP (Leave Without Pay) and potentially lose your seniority. The County is concerned that employees would sell back this TM, which is not our intent - the goal is that employees have a safety net, and we will counter with clarification.
  • The County denied expanded bereavement for friends, pets, and miscarriages, stating we “already have generous” TM banks to use in those situations. 

INSURANCE (Article 12)

  • The County is sticking with their original proposal to phase out the Co-Pay plan, increase out-of-pocket minimums & deductibles, and require employees use the Live Well Center to get their full employer contributions. The County was not able to provide clarification on the actual cost of medical care when asked, and we are planning to meet with the County’s insurance broker to better understand how employees can maximize their health benefits. 

SAFETY (Article 13)

  • The County agreed with expanding the General Unit classifications who qualify for a safety footwear allowance, but are keeping the limit at $200. For both the General & Nurse’s unit, the County removed our language protecting employees who are asked to perform work that might cost them their license. AFSCME and the County agree that no employee should perform work that jeopardizes their license or certification, and we will counter with clarified language.
  • Additionally, when discussing hazard pay for safety concerns, such as needle pickup or encampment abatement, the County was surprised to hear that employees were asked to or already managing these hazards.
  • The County denied allowing Solid Waste Acceptance Specialists 15 minutes of set-up time prior to their shift to enhance safety. The County did not find data showing that customers were waiting for the sites to open, but when provided real-life examples refuting that assumption, the County did not adjust their stance. 

TRAINING (Article 14)

  • AFSCME previously proposed employees who are denied training opportunities receive written rationale for denial, and the opportunity to grieve that decision. The County revoked the option to grieve, which we will continue to fight for as we know not all requests are treated equally. Additionally, the County removed the option to pay for continuing education and make a good faith effort to adjust schedules for employees seeking higher education, because the County doesn’t want to bankroll a General Unit member getting a nursing degree or an employee who is learning a skill that isn’t going to be used at the County. Overall, the County does not want to pay for training and workforce development unless we clearly identify how the training is relevant to our work, just providing an additional opportunity for management to deny employee growth. 

GENERAL PROVISIONS (Article 7)

  • The County denied our proposal to pay for parking and provide bus passes, saying the County cannot afford the costs. The County's proposed costs were not well defined and we will continue to advocate for employee parking & alternative transportation.

TENTATIVE AGREEMENTS

  • Nurse’s Unit:
    • Expanded Practice Dental Hygienists (Article 18). The County agreed to the language we added for allowing flex time if not able to work set scheduled hours in a week, and not only having to use TM. 
    • Appendices A, B, C (flex staff classifications, classifications, & bilingual classifications)
  • General Unit
    • Appendix D (Bilingual classifications)

- June 5th, 2024

Today the Union presented our proposed changes to Hours of Work & Overtime, Grievance procedures, Nurse’s Article 18 (Expanded Practice Dental Hygienists [EPDH]) & a new Advanced Practice Clinicians Article for the Nurse’s contract. These articles are the last of our initial economic proposals and we now await the County’s response. Below is an overview of our proposals:

Hours of Work & Overtime

  • Reorganized & updated language to have the General & Nurse’s Unit match - General Unit considers “paid hours” as counting to an 8-hour work day or 40-hour work week, whereas the Nurse’s considers “worked hours.” Currently, Nurse’s Unit members who take TM or FMLA during a workday or workweek will not meet that 8 hour or 40 hour “worked hours” requirement & are not eligible for overtime pay. The County wanted the General Unit to match this language, and we pushed back, recommending we keep the General Unit language & make the Nurse’s match. 
  • Overtime & Comp Time - we proposed General & Nurse’s unit members can choose either Overtime or Comp Time, as members do not have equitable opportunity to accrue comp time (i.e., CHC employees). The County advised some funding sources do not allow employees to accrue comp time, only Overtime. We are asking for clarification on when this occurs, and may consider adding those examples in the contract. The County also brought up concerns that if you accrue comp time at one wage, but “cash it out” at a different wage (i.e., after your merit raise), this would have a negative economic impact on the County. The County indicated it is unlikely they will agree with this proposal. We eagerly anticipate their counter.
  • Reporting Place - with expected expansion of clinics and continued short staffing, we expect the County to continue floating staff to alternate work locations. Therefore, we proposed employees do not need supervisor approval to complete their shift at their original reporting place. 

Grievance

The County & the Union are closely aligned on this article. The County is still concerned with potential overpayment during arbitration and is seeking to limit how much an arbitrator can award for reimbursement when someone is underpaid. We will continue to fight for employees to receive their appropriate compensation. 

EPDH 

We are close to agreement on this article as well. The Union proposed language on Flex Scheduling to match the rest of the unit. 

Advanced Practice Clinicians Article

Advanced Practice Clinician = APC

The Union has proposed to keep APC panel size no greater than 1000 for 1.0 FTE. We are working to codify language surrounding Indirect Patient Care (aka Admin Time). Additionally, we have proposed a Patient Access Workgroup that will periodically meet to discuss the impact of increased Physician panel sizes. APCs are concerned with how the panel size increase will directly affect their daily schedule and panel access. 

  • Codifying an APC position on the Provider Advisory Council - there is already APC participation, so this is just formal recognition. 

-          May 29th, 2024

First, thank you for attending our member meeting earlier this month and providing feedback to our Bargaining and Communications Teams.  Based on member's input, we finalized & proposed our wages and benefits to the County.  Below is a summary of our proposal:

Wages

  • Increasing wages & COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) to ensure all of us are paid within 95% of our job's market value, which includes the following:
    • 11% market adjustment - this alone brings most employees into a competitive wage (95% of the market average).  We settled on an 11% market adjustment as we missed out on this money by only receiving 6% cost of living in the past 3 years (cost of listing in the past 3 years was actually 17%).
      • 7 classifications are not within 95%, and we proposed additional market adjustments to bring them up to 95%
        • Animal Welfare Officer - 2 grades
        • Maintenance Specialist 1  - 3 grades
        • Maintenance Specialist 3 - 2 grades
        • Waste Management Fee Collector - 3 grades
        • TS Business Analyst -  2 grades
        • Info Technology Specialist 1 - 2 grades
        • Payroll Specialist, Sr - 1 grade
  • Proposing a COLA of 3% minimum and maximum of 6% - the County proposed 1% minimum COLA, which we know does not meet the needs as cost of living has increased more than 1% each year.
    • By increasing the maximum COLA option, this would allow us to receive the ACTUAL cost of living adjustment as last year's was ~4.3% (with the County's previous proposal, we would have lost 0.3%).
  • Proposing differentials for employees who perform hazardous work, essential work, training (when not a lead or senior employee), and float pay when nurse's unit members are floated to another location.
  • Proposed a Longevity Pay - for employees who have continuously worked at Lane County for 5 or more years, you will receive a 5% wage increase; after 10, you will receive an additional 5% for a total of 10%.  This will continue through 20 years of service.

Benefits

  • We are fighting to retain our benefits & the County did not have much to say about our proposal.  We suggested a Joint Labor-Management Insurance committee, so AFSCME members have a voice in our healthcare choice.

The County bargaining team advised us that the differentials we proposed might not be accepted by the Board of County Commissioners, because they are considered "hidden compensation."  We do not accept this rational because other units already have differentials, and we will continue to fight for worker safety & compensation.  Overall, if the County paid us a fair, competitive base wage, we would not have to fight for these differentials & market adjustments - it's time to compensate us appropriately.  

 

- May 3, 2024

Today in bargaining, we focused on Safety and Staff Retention.  We want to make sure we work in a safe environment and have the training and tools we need to protect ourselves and others.  In response, the county consistently emphasized the cost over staff safety.

Safety

  • The Union proposed an Adverse Weather & Climate Conditions policy that would codify language in the Adverse Weather MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) and prioritize staff safety when transportation and telework are not safe or possible. We also requested the Joint Safety and Health Committee prioritize addressing hazardous air quality and heat index. 
  • The Union proposed safety articles to expand safety footwear allowance to all classifications who would benefit from specialized footwear.  The County is unable to respond to this request without considering the entire wages and benefits package, forcing members to consider safety over compensation.
  • The Union proposed expanded language in the Unsafe Acts section of the Safety Article, stating employees shall not suffer disciplinary action when refusing to perform work that would jeopardize their license or certifications.

Staff Retention

  • The Union proposed common language related to stale discipline (stale discipline is discipline that occurred more than 2 years ago), and the County is pushing back saying we already have a system that works.  We know from experience this system does not work.  
  • The County previously proposed continuing education reimbursement to all Nurse's Unit members, since they need it to retain licensure and certifications.  Today, the Union proposed expanding that same reimbursement to the General Unit to ensure equity in licensure and certifications reimbursement and renewal. 
  • The Union proposed additional language around the County providing appropriate and relevant supervision to behavioral health employees to ensure employees meet supervision hour requirements and receive the proper guidance and training in their specialized fields.
  • What are your thoughts on the County's proposed changes to benefits?  As a reminder, here's what they are proposing:
    • Despite the County touting benefits as one of the most attractive components of our wage, the County is proposing cutting into health benefits in an attempt to balance their budget.
    • County is proposing to sunset the Co-Pay plan starting January 1, 2025, even though this is the most commonly selected plan among AFSCME members. 
    • The County is pressuring members to look into the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) even though only 2 comparator counties have HDHP plans.
    • The County is requiring employees to complete the Live Well Center Credit to receive full HDHP HSA/HRS-VEBA funding.  
    • The County is proposing a tobacco use surcharge for members.   

-          April 24, 2024

Today the General & Nurse's Bargaining Units met with the County and received the County's wage & benefits proposal.  Below is a summary:

Wages

  • Based on the County's wage analysis to comparator counties, the County proposes a one-time Market Adjustment (3% increase) for all AFSCME members.
    • The County considers 5% difference in wages to our comparator county's wage "within error"
    • The County considers 10% difference in wages to our comparator county's wage "competitive"
    • The County considers >10% difference in wages to our comparator county's wage out of alignment and will consider a market adjustment to get within 10%
    • Less than 1 in 10 classifications will receive an additional market adjustment
  • The County is proposing a 4% COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) based on CPI (Consumer Price Index)
    • Example, inflation for 2023 was 4.29% so the County is proposing a 4% COLA for 2024.
    • For 2025, the County is proposing a 1% to 4% COLA, dependent on the 2024 CPI rate.  We are not sure when we will know the actual CPI rate for 2025.  

Benefits

  • Despite the County touting benefits as one of the most attractive components of our wage, the County is proposing cutting into health benefits in an attempt to balance their budget.
  • County is proposing to sunset the Co-Pay plan starting January 1, 2025, even though this is the most commonly selected plan among AFSCME members. 
  • The County is pressuring members to look into the High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) even though only 2 comparator counties have HDHP plans.
  • The County is requiring employees to complete the Live Well Center Credit to receive full HDHP HSA/HRS-VEBA funding.  
  • The County is proposing a tobacco use surcharge for members.   

We will share our wage & benefits proposal to AFSCME members after we have presented it to the County during bargaining.  If you have questions about the Bargaining Session or looking for more information, please reach out to a Communication Action Team (CAT) member.  Word of mouth is a great way to stay connected & for our Bargaining team to keep AFSCME members engaged.

-          March 20, 2024

Today your bargaining teams met with the Lane County Management bargaining team to begin bargaining a successor agreement. We met for half of the day and was able to agree to ground rules and additional bargaining dates through the summer. The County also provided proposals for several articles for both General and Nurses Units. The articles for each unit are listed below. Besides ground rules and bargaining dates, we have not agreed to any of the County’s proposals.

Ground rules: Adding 2 members to general unit team and 1 member to nurses unit team. Paying team members for a full day for the days we are scheduled for a half day, allowing us time to prepare for the next session, Identified the 6th session as the cut-off date for new proposals. We can counter proposals but will not be able to open any articles not previously opened.

Bargaining dates:

  • Half days: April 17, April 24, May 2, May 29, June 5
  • Full days: June 17, July 10, July 17, July 31, and August 28.

County proposals for General Unit

  • Definitions: Adding Limited Duration Employee, Reassignment and Salary Sanction. Changing permanent position/employee to regular position/employee. “Lane County has no permanent positions or employees.” Adding clarifying language or fixing grammar.
  • Article 1: changing “permanent” to regular.
  • Article 3: clarifying language around dues
  • Article 4: adding ORS
  • Article 5: Adding Salary Sanction as an option for suspension, extending timelines in the discipline process.
  • Article 6: adding “or designee” for step 1; extending timelines for the grievance process
  • Article 9: adding flexing option for non-exempt employees, changing overtime language so that overtime begins after 8 hours in a day that is worked time and 40 hours in a week that are worked (rather than paid time). Overtime is now recorded to actual time worked rather than to the nearest 10th hour. Memorializing language from MOU for meal/rest periods for Juvenile Justice Specialist.
  • Article 14: clarifying language around clinical supervision.
  • Article 20: 2 year contract, instead of typical 3 year contract
  • Appendix A: Adding list of non-represented positions. Recently the board approved job title changes for non-represented positions, so they more closely match their job duties.
  • Appendix B: Adding LMD Tech 1 and 2 to the flex series Appendix C: Adding LMD Tech 1, 2 and Sr; Community Service Worker, Sr, MHO Care Coordinator 1 and 2; changing Waste Management Fee Collector to Waste Management Site Attendant.
  • Appendix C: Adding classifications

County proposals for Nurses Unit

  • Definitions: See Definitions for General Unit, adding transfer and demotion
  • Article 3: See Article 3 for General Unit.
  • Article 4: Similar to Article 4 for General Unit
  • Article 5: Same as Article 5 for General Unit
  • Article 6: Same as Article 6 for General Unit
  • Article 9: Adding flex option for non-exempt employees, overtime is recorded for actual time worked (rather than to the nearest 10th hour).
  • Article 14: Continue medical education (CME) for NP/PA upto $2500/year; Sr EPDH/EPDH upto $1500/year; Community Health Nurse 1 and 2 upto $500/year; LPN/PCC upto $300/year, MA 1 and 2 upto $200/year.
  • Article 18: Added “assigned to school based preventative services” to this article.
  • Article 19: Length of contract is 2 years rather than the typical 3.
  • Appendix A: Adding Medical Assistant Apprentice to flex series
  • Appendix B: Adding classifications to list
  • Appendix C; Adding Classifications to list

 

We have an email address set up for contract questions and comments. If you want to ask a question or comment on the proposals, please use your personal email to contact [email protected]