Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Bargaining topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County employees urge board to bargain in good faith, warn of staffing losses if health care used as leverage
Summary
Two public commenters told the Solano County Board of Supervisors that current bargaining practices are harming county employees: Linda Cheeseman accused the board of using health care "as a weapon," and Jennifer LaRiviere relayed members' complaints including that a 1% offer is "insulting" and requests for a 3% COLA retroactive to October.
Public commenters at the Feb. 10 Solano County Board of Supervisors meeting urged the board to change its bargaining approach, warning that current practices risk worsening vacancies and losing experienced staff.
Linda Cheeseman, who identified herself as an office supervisor with the county, told supervisors the board "has failed that test" of leadership by sending negotiators without decision-making authority and recycling proposals without substantive change. "Health care is not a bargaining chip," Cheeseman said. "It is how our employees keep their children healthy, manage chronic illnesses, and survive emergencies."
Cheeseman warned that ongoing bargaining that she characterized as surface bargaining will result in more vacant positions and a loss of institutional knowledge. She urged the board to "send decision makers to the table" and to stop using health care as leverage.
Jennifer LaRiviere, who identified herself as a member leader of SCAU, relayed feedback from union members. Her summary included members saying "we lose too many people to other counties," that "1% is insulting," and calls to "apply the 3% COLA since October." LaRiviere said several members urged the board not to accept proposed medical language that they view as harmful and urged leaders to take direct action so employees "feel like you actually care."
The public comments occurred before the board moved to closed session to confer with labor negotiators under Government Code section 54957.6. No board response altering bargaining terms was recorded in the public session; the closed session items were read by the clerk earlier in the meeting and the board announced it would not report out publicly after closed session.
The meeting record contains no vote or negotiated settlement in the public portion of the meeting; the concerns raised were framed as public comment and union representations, and the transcript does not show a public reply by a board member that resolved the commenters' claims.
