Update February 19, 2014:
Here is the new contract.
A majority of CFI members from the greater San Francisco Bay Area (Region 2) voted to ratify a tentative agreement that gives interpreters raises and the ability to bargain over the working conditions of Video Remote Interpreting.
A total of 108 out of 143 interpreters voted in person or in online voting on the TA, which was reached Dec. 5. following a week-long series of pickets at courts around the Bay Area.
All ballots were tallied on Sunday, December 15, 2013. No ballots were disqualified. Blake Whitehead, CFI Tellers Committee, said the final results of the voting were:
Yes (in favor of ratification): 83 votes = 77% of voters
No (against ratification): 25 votes = 23% of voters
Did not vote: 35
Both sides had to compromise to come to this agreement and the committee recommended ratification.
On VRI the courts agreed to delay any implementation of VRI until after December 31, 2014 and the right to bargain the impacts of VRI on working conditions.
- a 2% increase effective October 1, 2014,
- another 2% increase to the base wage effective October 1, 2015,
- and a $2,500 signing bonus for every single employee _ whether full time, part time or intermittent _ will be distributed within 45 days of ratification.
- the dual language pay differential,
- the increase in the education reimbursement,
- and the ability to use that reimbursement every two years rather than annually.
Read the TA here.
Previous post:
CFI Region 2 bargaining committee reaches tentative agreement
December 5, 2013
Our CFI brothers and sisters have reached a tentative agreement with the courts in Region 2 that includes a pay raise of 2% starting October 2014, followed by a similar raise in 2015. $2500 bonuses will be paid to each and every employee within 45 days of ratification of the contract. There will be further discussion about VRI, assignments and cross-assignments, with a reopener in the contract. See other details by clicking here.
There will be a ratification meeting Tuesday, December 10 at 7 p.m. in San Francisco or Oakland — location to be announced.
Our local will be in touch with the The Newspaper Guild contracts committee which must approve the TA for ratification by the members in Region 2. The bargaining committee recommends acceptance.
This TA includes important gains from earlier proposals which are directly linked to the mobilizing by our members.
Let’s thank the hard-working bargaining committee (Kate Bancroft, Fanny Suarez, Katy Van Sant and Andy Ta) and mobilization team, led by MaryLou Aranguren with staff support from Anabelle Garay. We thank ALL those members as well as the other union members that assisted in the mobilization efforts. We will never forget the outpouring of support from our sisters and brothers from SEIU 1021, CWA locals throughout the region, and many allies in the broader labor movement. This shows the real power of working people standing together.
In Solidarity,
Carl Hall
Executive Officer
Pacific Media Workers Guild
