Santa Clara County, union cut salary deal

Santa Clara County and a union representing nearly 12,000 county employees have reached a tentative salary agreement, averting the renewal of a strike that disrupted county services last fall.

The county and Service Employees International Union Local 521 struck a deal just after 6 p.m. Thursday, two hours past a deadline the union set for determining whether to proceed with a strike starting Friday.

The tentative contract, which still needs to be ratified by union members and approved by the

Board of Supervisors, provides annual 3% raises over four years.

“We are extremely proud to have stood resilient and united throughout these negotiations,” chapter President Janet Diaz said in a statement. “As a result, we have an agreement that will truly help us meet the needs of our families and the community we serve. This agreement allows us to

begin to rebuild the longstanding partnership between management and our workforce to ensure Santa Clara County can be the best place to live, work and raise our families.”

Some employees will get additional raises depending on their jobs, and all will see increases of at least $1 per hour, according to county CEO Jeff Smith.

All employees also will receive a signing bonus equivalent to a 3% raise effective for the period between the June 2019 expiration

of the last contract and when the new contract kicks in this year, Smith said.

“I’m really happy we have a deal and there won’t be a strike,” he added. “And I’m happy members have an offer that is equitable and reasonable that will be seen by them as a positive demonstration of the county’s commitment to their workers and services.

“I’m sad that it took so long for us to get here, but that’s water under the bridge,” he continued. “It’s a difficult time

for the world and economically, so that’s just the way it happens.”

SEIU, which represents more than half of the county’s 22,000 employees, announced Sunday evening that its members would strike if a deal had not been reached by Thursday evening.

The county and SEIU met for a marathon bargaining session that began at 1 p.m. Wednesday and stretched until 3 the next morning. At the same time, strike captains for SEIU met Wednesday evening to prepare for the

potential walkout.

Workers have packed Board of Supervisors’ meetings routinely since the last contract expired, and in October many participated in a rolling strike over 10 days to show their frustration with the county’s proposals.

Although the union has declined to discuss its demands in detail, members were pushing for a shorter contract and larger salary increases than the county had offered. The county’s last, best and final offer in October was a five-year contract with 3% annual

raises, plus additional wage increases for certain positions

The county was concerned that a strike could affect Tuesday’s primary — 1,750 permanent and extra-help employees at the registrar of voters are represented by SEIU — and requested a court injunction Wednesday to block them from participating.

But late Thursday afternoon, before a deal was struck, the union agreed those employees wouldn’t participate in a potential strike.