CAPE Members: Protecting Vital Public Services for Residents and Businesses
CAPE is the certified bargaining unit representative for the employees of six Los Angeles County bargaining units and one County Sanitation Districts' bargaining unit. CAPE is statutorily authorized under state and federal law to represent the combined interests of more than 2,500 employees.
All CAPE contract negotiations are conducted by a process known as collective bargaining, a type of negotiation used by employees and employers to work together to ensure the continuation of vital public services. Collective bargaining allows the employees to speak with management in a united voice regarding their important workplace rights, wages and the terms and conditions of their employment. Management also benefits because contract agreements set out clear expectations for both sides.
The unit negotiating teams are made up of volunteer CAPE members representing their respective bargaining unit.
Before the end of a salary contract term, the CAPE Board of Directors appoints members and representatives to a negotiations team to assess the membership's interests in a successor agreement. The team may request a membership survey, salary comparison studies and a variety of economic reports to justify bargaining demands.
Negotiations teams meet frequently to discuss objectives, outline goals and craft salary and working condition contract bargaining proposals prior to meeting with management representatives.
During negotiations, the CAPE teams and management meet until both sides agree on a successor contract. Once an agreement is reached, the final contract is called a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This is the contract that governs the majority of terms and conditions of CAPE-represented employees' employment.