MOUs are found online at http://hr.smcgov.org/memorandum-understanding-mou American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employee (AFSCME) Healthcare positions (excluding Physicians, Registered Nurses, and Clerical/Support positions) Institutional Services (Cooks, Dietitians, Food Service Workers, etc.) Parks Department (excluding Clerical & Support positions) Planning Department (excluding Clerical & Support positions) Plant and Equipment Maintenance…
[DATE] [UNION PERSON] [UNION NAME] [ADDRESS] Dear [UNION PERSON]: We have been experiencing problems with weekend registrations in our customer service center. We are required to provide registration coverage 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. Currently, staff are assigned weekends on a rotating basis (four weekends on…
Be alert to the usual causes of potential grievances, and correct minor irritations promptly. Be familiar with the MOU(s) and other written policies/agreements. Do not knowingly violate the MOU. When a mistake is made, take ownership and move to promptly correct it. Stay informed about what is going on in…
Meet with upper management and/or Human Resources to finalize the plan. Analyze proposed changes and alternatives that were made at the meeting, and incorporate them if they allow you to reach your objective without incurring excess cost or experiencing operational problems. In your file, document the specific reasons why any…
Start the meeting by explaining the proposed change and the reasons for the change. You should use the comparison document you prepared as a guide to assist you in explaining the change, and you might also prepare an outline of the plan to share with those in attendance. It is…
You can expect a union representative, the union steward and one or more affected employees to attend. The union gets to select which employees attend, and often employees selected may not be those that will be directly impacted. Management can object to the number of employees if it impacts coverage…
It is important that you adequately prepare so that you present yourself at the meeting as being organized and knowledgeable about the specifics of the change and the reasons for the change. It is essential that management be able to explain the issue that is generating the need for the…
After consulting with Employee & Labor Relations, notify the employee organization(s) of the change in writing. The notice should describe the proposed change in detail and explain why the change is being planned. The written notice should be sent a minimum of four weeks before the proposed implementation date, providing…
The need to provide employee organization(s) with advance notice and an opportunity to “meet and confer” is triggered any time the management of a department or sub-unit of a department plans to make a workplace change, and that change is likely to affect represented employees in some manner, even if…
All County Departments and Divisions are covered and these guidelines should be considered and used by all County management staff. One or more employee organizations may be involved, depending on the issue and which employees are likely to be affected.
As part of the County’s relationship with the employee organizations, and as required by California law, management must provide reasonable advance written notice to employee organizations whenever it intends to implement a rule or workplace change that will likely affect employees in that department or unit. San Mateo County has…
By statute and contract, unions have the right to be notified about planned changes in the terms and conditions of employment, and to meet and express their views prior to implementation of the changes. Management has a duty to meet in good faith and to give full consideration to the…
MMB allows unions to negotiate a provision which requires all employees in the representation unit who are not dues-paying members to pay the union an “Agency Shop” or “Service” fee in lieu of dues. The Agency fee is generally a slightly lower amount than membership dues since it cannot, by…
When a meeting is being held for which release time is provided, the union sends a written request to Employee & Labor Relations indicating the date, time, and nature of the meeting, and the name of the employee(s) to be released. The MOUs state that requests are to be submitted…
The “Weingarten” decision states that an employee is entitled to representation at any meeting where an investigatory interview is being conducted and where the employee might reasonably believe that the interview could lead to disciplinary action. The employee must request such representation – there is no obligation to advise the…
Stewards are entitled to reasonable paid official time (also called “release time”) to represent employees in investigations or at grievance meetings, to attend meetings where matters affecting employees’ “terms and conditions” of employment are discussed, and to “meet and confer” on issues involving the unit. For instance, the budget hearings…
Unions generally have paid employees known as “business agents,” “field representatives,” “labor representatives,” “worksite organizers,” etc. These individuals are employed and paid by the union. These business agents generally represent the larger interests of the organization, such as bargaining MOUs, representing employees during disciplinary hearings, and seeking new members. Union…
MMB provides employees the right to choose a union to represent them in matters of wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment. MMB also requires that management “meet and confer” or “consult” with elected representatives. Management must provide the union reasonable advance notification of any change in personnel…
“Labor Relations” refers to interactions between an employer (management) and an employee organization (union). For public sector employers in the State of California, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (MMB) governs labor relations. The MMB’s purpose is to “promote full communication between public employers and their employees by providing a reasonable method of…