CAPE Contract Ratification

CAPE MEMBERS TO VOTE ON SALARY CONTRACT RATIFICATION

After more than a year of bargaining for a salary contract that was uniquely complicated by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in the case Flores v. City of San Gabriel, the CAPE Negotiating Team has reached a Tentative Agreement with the County of Los Angeles for across-the-board pay raises of 7 percent over the three-year term. Salary contract ratification ballots will be mailed to all CAPE members on July 8, 2019. Members will have roughly two weeks to review your salary contract summary and vote to ratify your new contract by mailing back your ballot.

So why was this so difficult? According to County negotiators, in order to come into compliance with the law as clarified in the case Flores vs. City of San Gabriel, the County needs to drastically reduce the amount of money employees take home as income from the Choices Plan (the unspent benefits allowance). For some members, this amount is more than $600 per month, and thus we refused to reach agreement at either the salary or the fringe bargaining negotiating tables without coming up with a strategy to protect your paychecks.

Members from several CAPE units made their voices heard loud and clear by sending emails to the Board of Supervisors, attending and speaking out at Board meetings, and demonstrating at Supervisors’ field offices. For those units that participated, we know that the Board of Supervisors heard you loud and clear as we were able to achieve additional improvements that will be identified in your ratification packets.

Further, because of the County’s demand to reduce dollars available for benefits and cap the ability to take home unspent benefit allowance dollars (because of the Flores case), we achieved a landmark agreement at the fringe bargaining table that includes:

  • $500 bonus (Payable within 60 days of Board of Supervisors approval (pending) – one time)
  • One full paid holiday (8 hours - ongoing)
  • +1% “Sustainability Bonus” (Jan. 1, 2020 – ongoing)
  • +2.75% “Sustainability ½ Step” (Jan. 1, 2021 – ongoing)

OFFICIAL BALLOTS TO BE MAILED, COLLECTED, AND COUNTED BY ELECTION VENDOR

CAPE members will receive your official ballots from Haynie & Company CPAs, our official election vendor for the contract ratification vote. The process utilized by the election vendor is designed to ensure both member privacy and ballot verification. The process guarantees that each ballot is cast by a full member of the Union, eliminates any possibility of duplicate ballots, and ensures that no connection can be made between members and how they voted.

Note: Ballots mailed directly to the CAPE office and not the election vendor will not be counted.

ADDRESS CHANGE? Any CAPE member who has recently moved should immediately contact the CAPE office to make sure your ballot materials are sent to the correct address. You can update your information by calling 626.243.0340 or emailing [email protected] and indicating you are changing your address. There is also an address change form on the CAPE website at https://capeunion.org/update-your-contact-information-0.

Have questions? Call the Contract Hotline at 626.243.0150