Wednesday, Dec 19, 2018
 by 
Christa Bigue
  • SEIU Logo

    The San Mateo Board of Supervisors today approved a new three-year agreement with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) which includes pay increases for cost of living adjustments, longevity and equity.

    SEIU represents over 1,453 County employees in varied classifications across departments. The current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SEIU expired on Oct. 6, 2018 and the County finished negotiations on Dec. 1, 2018. SEIU members ratified the County’s offer on Dec. 12, 2018. The new MOU will remain in place until Oct. 2, 2021.

    “I am pleased that the County and SEIU have agreed to a contract that increases our employees’ compensation in a meaningful way while respecting the County’s budget constraints,” Board President Dave Pine said.  “We are looking forward to working together to continue providing the highest quality services to our county residents.”

    Significant changes for employees in this bargaining unit include:

    • Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA): 3 percent effective Dec. 30, 2018, 3 percent effective Oct. 6, 2019 and 2 percent to 3 percent based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) effective Oct. 4, 2020;
    • Equity increases of 1 percent concurrent with the salary increases in 2018, 2019 and 2020 for all job classifications;
    • Longevity pay: a new longevity tier of 1 percent after the equivalent of five years and increased longevity pay totaling 2.5 percent at 10 years, 4 percent at 20 years and 6 percent at 25 years;
    • Vacation accrual at higher increments after the equivalent of five years of full-time employment with incremental increases every five years through 25 years;
    • Sixteen “Winter Recess” hours to be used during the winter holidays.

    “The willingness of the County and our labor partners to reach this agreement is a sign that we all remain committed to our work serving the public and to fairly compensating our employees for that work,” County Manager Michael Callagy said.

    The cost of the salary and other changes will increase the County’s pension obligation by 0.04 percent. However, due to the County’s ongoing fiscal prudence, the new agreement provisions will not impede the County in its ongoing efforts to pay down its retirement costs.

    The complete Board agenda packet and meeting video, when posted, are available at: https://sanmateocounty.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx