CSC

Contract Update – #1

On December 16, 2015, our union bargaining team met with the State’s bargaining team for our first full bargaining session since we agreed to ground rules on October 8, 2015. We exchanged initial proposal for our successor agreement to begin on July 1, 2016. Additional proposals will made at the next two bargaining session after the first of the year.  Based upon the State’s initial proposals, we are going to have to fight very hard for our contract. We also made cost savings and transformation proposals to the State as contemplated in the 2011 SEBAC agreement. Those specific proposals are included in this Update.

State’s Proposals

• Modify the Management Rights provision to allow management to make unilateral changes to our rights under the contract during the term of the contract.
• Limited the Union’s right to represent our members.
• Limited the stewards’ right to represent our members.
• Allow management to unilateral change the service rating form.
• Not allow members to grieve unsatisfactory service ratings.
• Eliminated carryover of unused tuition reimbursement funds from one contract year to the next.
• Eliminated all funds in the Workshop and Conference Fund.
• Changed the grievance procedure to limit the right to have grievance be heard at arbitration.
• Allow disciplinary transfers to occur in conjunction with other discipline.
• Limit and in some cases eliminate transfer rights for members.
• No general wage increases.
• No annual increments or lump sum payments.
• Eliminate weekend differential.
• Eliminate night differential.
• Eliminate on-call pay.
• Eliminate call back pay.
• Eliminate Acting Shift Commander Pay.
• Eliminate Meal money.
• Eliminate longevity pay.
• Eliminate Educational Stipend.
• Eliminate EMT stipend.
• Eliminate Lincoln’s Birthday Holiday.
• Eliminate already accrued vacation in excess of 60 days.

Union’s Proposals

• General Wage increases for each year of the three year contract.
• Annual increments and lumps payment for each year of the three year contract.
• Increase night shift differential for each year of the three year contract.
• Increase weekend differential for each year of the three year contract.
• Establish a Health and Wellness Committee.
• Allow one day per year for members to participate in health and wellness activities.
• Increase Union Business Leave to allow members to participate in the Union’s conventions.
• Increase compensation for Captains and Counselor Supervisors to address compression issues.
• Ban the use of retired state employees to perform our work.
• Increase the funds in the Workshop and Conference Fund.
• Increase the funds in the Tuition Reimbursement Fund.
• Improve the disability retirement income for members permanently injured on the job.
• Upgrade Parole and Community Services Managers salaries to address wage compression issues.
• Provide the same general wage increase members received on July 1, 2015 to Parole and Community Services Managers.
• Provide for the same annual increments and lump payments members received for 2015-2016 contract year to Parole and Community Services Managers.
• Provide overtime payments to Parole and Community Services Managers.
• Provide on-call pay to Parole and Community Services Managers.
• Provide call back pay to Parole and Community Services Managers.
• Provide telephone response pay to Parole and Community Services Managers.
• Provide for annual stipends for Educational attainment.
• Provide a stipend for members that obtain their doctorate.
• Add to Holidays, Election Day and an employee’s Birthday.
• Savings and Transformation

Proposal 25

Savings and Transformation

In furtherance of the SEBAC 2011 agreement as it relates to savings and transformation, the parties shall consider and implement the following:

1. Inmate prescription drugs – The Department of Correction shall cease the practice of throwing away inmate prescription drugs when an inmate is transferred from one facility to another or the inmate is released from incarceration. The prescription drugs shall follow the inmate. This includes the AIDS cocktail and HEP C drugs.
2. Inmate prescription drugs – The Department of Correction shall cease the practice of throwing away inmate prescription drugs when an inmate is no longer taking the prescription drug. The prescription drug shall be returned to the pharmacy for a refund or reuse by another inmate.
3. Inmate prescription drugs – The Department of Correction may use the State health care plan to purchase drugs for inmates if there is a cost saving relative to the current system of purchasing drugs.
4. Electricity – The Department of Correction in conjunction with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Division of Construction Services within the Department of Administrative Services shall use, develop and implement renewable sources of energy using Connecticut based companies. Each facility shall be assessed for the use of wind or solar power. Any excess energy generated by such renewable sources shall be offered to the communities in which the facilities are located.
5. Reform the Bail Bond System – Transfer the bail bond system from a private function to a public function. Cash payments for bail bonds shall be paid to the State of Connecticut and not to a private bail bond company.
6. Video conferencing – Establish a procedure for video conferencing for inmates and their attorneys. This will negate the transportation of inmates to court on motions filed by their attorneys for the purpose of only meeting with their clients.
7. Eliminate the District Administration offices and assign District Administration staff to the central office or facilities.
8. Encourage state employees on disability retirement to apply for and receive Social Security Disability Insurance by raising the floor for offsetting Social Security payments from 60% to 80%. This would allow SSDI recipients to have Medicare as their primary health care insurance shifting 100% of pre-65 medical costs from the State to 80% paid for by the Federal government.
9. Eliminate the spousal penalty for state employees on disability retirement to encourage them to apply for SSDI.
10. Regionalize laundry services in the Department of Correction.
11. Teach inmates as a vocational skill to repair torn or ripped mattresses and inmate uniforms.
12. Implement Union’s health care proposals including a smoking cessation program.
13.  Implement the FLES rate for health insurance to include employee and children only.
14. Implement photo-ticketing for cars that speed through highway work zones.
15. For Parole and Community Services Managers assign work locations based upon daily commuting mileage on a voluntary basis.
16. Use open-source software to avoid expensive licensing arrangements.
17. Implement electronic medical records for inmates.
18. Implement recycling program at state prisons.
19. Lease prison property for cellphone towers or other state-owned commercial properties.
20. Hire new employees in non-essential positions on a 35 hour work week and then phase in over four years to 40 hours for bargaining units with 40 hours.
21. Automatically grant all requests for voluntary schedule reduction for non-essential employees.
22. Grant requests for voluntary schedule reduction for essential employees if it does not impact operational needs.
23. Staff all 24/7 positions with 2.2 employees for each position.
24. Grant all schedule reductions requests for non-essential employees for an 8 hour 4 day work week.
25.  Grant all schedule reduction requests for non-essential employees for an 8 hour 4 day work week, and where operational to allow for one day to be telecommuted from home.
26. Restrict take home state vehicles to initial responders to incidents during off-duty hours in the Department of Correction.
27. Hire primary care medical staff to treat inmates and thus reducing hospital emergency room visits and to better manage care for inmates with chronic conditions.
28. Establish a hospice and end of life care unit with the Department.
29. Put out to bid Correctional Managed Care Services.
30. Credit each employee with one vacation day for every calendar quarter without sick leave use. Credit employee with one additional day of vacation time for each year without sick leave use. So an employee without any sick leave use in a calendar year will be credited with extra five vacation days. The vacation accrual would be in addition to the maximum vacation accrual and would not be subject to forfeiture and shall be paid out at time retirement.
31. Establish an in-house program for inmates to be released based upon the Governor second chance that would provide the following:
    1. Enrollment through Access-CT for health care insurance coverage.
32. Selection of a primary care provider

ii.   Transmittal of electronic medical records to primary care provider

1. Housing First approach to residency following release
2. Enrollment in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and, where appropriate, Women, Infants and Children Program
3. Employment – working in conjunction with the Department of Labor secure employment prior to release.