The contract agreement that governs CAPE members' fringe benefits, such as the County's contribution to Choices family health care coverage and Horizons, the deferred compensation matching contribution program, are negotiated collectively with all of the CCU-affiliated county employee associations sitting across the bargaining table from County management representatives.

With negotiations starting this year on both our Salary Contract and our Fringe Benefit Contract, it's important that CAPE members know who is making the decisions on proposals from management's side.

Ultimately, it is the five members of the County Board of Supervisors that gives direction on what we'll see at the negotiations table.  Likewise, they will vote to ratify whatever agreement we eventually secure at the table.

On November 10, 2014, the CAPE Negotiating Team for the Technical Support Bargaining Unit and Sanitation Districts’ management met with a State Mediator to attempt to bridge the current gap between the parties over the terms of a successor Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Unit’s employees. 

The contracts that govern CAPE members’ salary and working conditions, as well as fringe benefits, will both expire at midnight on September 30, 2015. The preparations are already underway to assemble the economic data and pay comparisons to present the best possible salary contract proposal to County representatives next year.

Early this year, after several rounds of difficult and contentious negotiations, the CAPE Negotiating Team for the Technical Support Bargaining Unit reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) with Sanitation Districts’ management for a successor MOU for their Unit. The TA, however, did not garner the required majority vote of the membership for approval.

Mark your calendars. The Los Angeles County Choices Annual Benefits Enrollment begins October 1 and continues through October 31, 2014. All eligible Choices County employees will have an opportunity during the Annual Benefits Enrollment to review their benefit elections and make changes for 2015.

Sometime ago, at the request of the Chief Information Office, a Countywide study was conducted with the goal of appropriately classifying positions performing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) related functions as their primary responsibility. The reason for the study, according to Management, was that the lack of GIS specific classifications hindered efforts to recruit, develop and maintain GIS technical expertise on staff.

The twenty-one member CAPE Political Endorsement Committee (PEC) gathered in February & March to engage and measure the candidates for L.A. County Supervisor, 3rd District, and L.A. County Assessor.

The two leading candidates for the Third District L.A. County Supervisor, as well as eight of the candidates for County Assessor including some CAPE members, participated in the CAPE endorsement process.

Second & Third Cost-of-living Pay Hikes Effective 10/1/14 and 4/1/15, Fringe Benefit Contract Adds to Paychecks

All six of CAPE’s Los Angeles County bargaining units ratified the salary contract agreement late last year providing for a 6% total across-the-board cost-of-living-adjustment pay increase. The first 2% pay increase was implemented retroactive to October 1, 2013 and hit members’ paychecks at the end of last year. The second and third pay hikes will be implemented in the next 12 months. 2% on October 1, 2014, and 2% on April 1, 2015.

December 5, 2013

The Coalition of County Unions -- CCU - leaders announced a tentative agreement on a new Fringe Benefit Contract with County management on December 5, 2013.  The new agreement arrives after months of stalled negotiations that followed the County's eleventh hour demand for changes to County Retiree Health benefits for future employees.