After several late-night bargaining sessions, the CAPE Negotiating Teams reached Tentative Agreements with Los Angeles County representatives earlier this month on new three-year CAPE Bargaining Unit contracts for CAPE members. The new contracts include the following salary and working condition gains, among other enhancements:

• 10% total across-the-board pay increases for all CAPE Bargaining Unit members within 2 years, 6 months of the start of the new contracts:

Regarding your important fringe benefits, the Coalition of County Unions (CCU), including CAPE representatives, have already secured important gains as the CCU continues to negotiate with the County to achieve the maximum possible fringe benefit improvements this bargaining cycle.

Although the CCU has yet to reach an overall Agreement, the following benefit gains are assured for CAPE members and all CCU-member union employees:

• A New Cesar Chavez annual Holiday every March 31 starting in 2017.

On Monday, September 28th, during the longest and most intense negotiation session of this salary contract bargaining cycle, the CAPE Negotiating Teams representing Appraisers, Engineering Technicians, and Professional Engineers pressed hard to make real progress with the County prior to CAPE members' current contracts expiring on October 1st.

Although the CAPE Teams achieved some important movement, as the negotiations carried into the early morning hours Tuesday, too many issues that are critical for our side remained unresolved to be able to reach an overall agreement.

County Coalition of Union (CCU) representatives, led by CAPE Counsel Blaine Meek, continued talks this month with County officials aimed at securing a successor Fringe Benefits agreement to provide more than 40,000 County workers with sick days, vacation days, retirement contributions, the County's contribution to the Choices medical benefits, and the County's contributions to the Horizons deferred compensation program. The current Fringe Benefit agreement, which is negotiated with County officials separately from the Salary Contracts, expires next month on September 30, 2015.

CAPE members' current Salary (Bargaining Unit) and Fringe Benefits contracts with Los Angeles County will expire at midnight on September 30, 2015. The Unit Salary contracts are negotiated by the CAPE Bargaining Teams. The Fringe Benefits contract is negotiated by the Coalition of County Unions (CCU), an alliance of ten unions including CAPE representing the combined interests of nearly 35,000 County employees in fringe benefits and various county-wide employee relations issues.

The Coalition of County Unions (CCU) and CAPE representatives there remain hard at work negotiating the terms of a successor Fringe Benefits contract for CAPE represented employees.

The County's contribution to the Choices medical and dental programs, County funding of the Horizons deferred compensation plan, CAPE members' pensions and retiree healthcare programs, and your important sick, vacation, and holiday time provisions are just a few of the many important benefits being negotiated at the Fringe Benefits contract bargaining table.

During the 2015 round of contract negotiations, CAPE is determined to achieve a fair across-the-board COLA increase package for CAPE members, one that restores the purchasing power lost during the Great Recession. Other major goals include reducing DPW Management's use of contract employees, gaining more influence over changes to members' work schedules, improving special pay practices, and expanding training opportunities for CAPE-represented employees.

On Monday, June 1st, CAPE-member volunteers representing several professional-employee job classification series will present their best arguments to LA County Management representatives for fixing salary inequities and various operational problems in their ranks.

Like CAPE members’ Salary Contracts, the Fringe Benefits Contract covering important benefit provisions for CAPE-represented employees is scheduled to expire September 30, 2015. The Fringe Benefit Contract is negotiated by all of the affiliated County employee associations, including CAPE, as part of the Coalition of County Unions (CCU).

The contract that controls pay and working conditions for CAPE members expires on September 30, 2015, but preparations for this year's Salary Contract negotiations are already well underway. The demand letter to commence formal negotiations was sent to County officials in March, along with CAPE’s initial proposals for the negotiations.