Employees’ union ends mediation without a deal

The union representing 12,000 Santa Clara County employees announced this week that a weekslong effort to mediate a contract with the county has ended without a resolution, but it won’t resume a strike until at least after Jan. 10.

In a letter to the county chief operating officer Miguel Marquez, the union’s bargaining committee said it was disappointed by the lack of movement in the county’s position. It also pointed out a generous offer the county made to managers undermines its argument that there isn’t enough money to give union members bigger hikes.

“For months this committee has been told that our proposals were fiscally irresponsible, that they would put the county ‘in the red,’ ” the committee wrote in the letter. “It was only a few days ago that we learned that money was in fact no object for Santa Clara County, at least when it came to compensation for management employees.”

Service Employees International

Union Local 521 entered into mediation with the county on Oct. 31, following a rolling strike that took place a total of 10 days in October. The union represents almost half of the county’s workforce, including cooks, janitors, clerical staff, social workers, engineers and psychologists.

SEIU began a series of walkouts on Oct. 2 that targeted different departments, contending the impetus was its objections to changes in the Department of Family and Children’s Services, the relocation of a Family Resource Center in East San Jose and safety issues related to housing children removed from their homes.

The union is also pushing for higher salary increases, which it argues would address a crucial staffing shortage.

County management has said that with the economy slowing down, the county won’t see the revenue growth needed to afford the kind of raises SEIU members want.

In a news release late Thursday, SEIU chapter president Janet Diaz, a patient business services clerk at Valley Medical Center, said the union will continue negotiating with the county and “commit to refrain from calling a strike” before Jan. 10.

The county’s last offer to SEIU employees would have provided 3% raises annually over five years, or a total of 15%, plus additional wage increases for certain positions.

An offer to the County Employees Management Association on Dec. 4 would give a 3% raise over five years and cut management employees’ pension contribution by 3% in the first year of the contract and 2% in the second year.

In the news release, SEIU characterized the reduction in pension contributions as a virtual salary increase and said it’s unfair for the county to offer the highest paid employees a better deal.

“Denying equity to the SEIU workers will only exacerbate the economic divide that already exists in our community,” Riko Mendez, the union’s CEO, said in the statement.

County CEO Jeff Smith said it’s not accurate to equate a decrease in pension obligations to raises, noting that management employees pay significantly more of their salary toward pension costs.

SEIU employees pay about 3% of their salary toward pensions and management employees about 16%, although the percentage varies based on when an employee was hired.

Cutting an employee’s pension contribution increases take-home pay, and the county is required to pick up the difference.

The higher pension contribution “causes major problems with the ability to attract new employees and promote employees (to management),” Smith said.

Smith said he believes the county will eventually reach a resolution with employees.

“I am disappointed in their approach, but I’m not surprised,” Smith said. “We’ll just keep discussing and stay at the table.”