San Diego Superior Court Reporters Vote to Ratify Contract

San Diego Superior Court Reporters voted on September 3, 2009, to ratify the Tentative Agreement between SEIU Local 221 and the San Diego Superior Court.  Bargaining Team members Jim Partridge, Robin Casey, Nona Maestas, Jamie Billings, Sandy Quinn Smith, and Katie Langgle worked hard to negotiate this contract. The specifics of the contract include:

Term of Agreement
June 19, 2009 through September 30, 2010.

Wages
Employees will receive a 0% wage increase during the length of this contract (June 2009 – September 2010).

Furloughs
Employees will take 10 mandatory unpaid furlough days during the fiscal year July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010.  Specific dates for the furlough days will be as determined by the Executive Officer. The EO may implement two additional furlough days during the same fiscal year.

Probationary Period
Employees hired after the ratification of this contract will serve a twelve month probationary period.  Employees may receive up to six months credit toward their probationary period for Pro Tem work performed for the San Diego County Superior Court within the twelve months preceding the date of hire. The Pro Tem must provide proof of hours worked to receive the probationary credit.

Holidays
Lincoln’s Birthday and Columbus Day will be floating holidays (with the understanding that Court Reporters may use either floating holiday to attend NCRA-approved training/CCRA convention).

Flexible Benefits
San Diego Superior Court Reporters shall receive a 5% increase in January 2010.

Retirement
Tier B: Employee hired after August 28, 2009 shall be in the new Tier B program.  Tier B will consist of the following formula:
Formula                                                2.6% at 62
Final Average Compensation             Highest three year average
Minimum Retirement Age                   55
COLA                                                     Maximum 2%
This shall not affect the retirement schedule for current employees.

Use of Court Communications
The Union shall have access to the Court’s email, phone and voicemail systems.

Tuition and Training Reimbursement
The Court will continue to offer tuition and training reimbursement.

Benefits for Part-Time Employees
Benefits for part-time employees will be pro rated based on hours worked.

Vacation
Upon ratification of this tentative agreement, all Court Reporters will receive a one-time allocation of eight additional vacation hours.

If you have questions about the Court Reporter Contract, please contact Worksite Organizer Sarah Loud at 858-560-0151 x248 or sarah.loud@seiu221.org