AB 119, which mandates union access to new employee orientations, was passed on June 27, 2017. The bill requires public agencies to provide ten (10) days' advance notice to the applicable union of any new employee orientation. In addition, the bill also requires public agencies to provide to the unions, the name, job title, department, work location, work, home, personal cellular telephone number, personal e-mail address, and home address of any new employee within thirty (30) days of hire or by the first pay period of the month following hire. The same information must also be regularly provided to the unions for all employees every one hundred and twenty (120) days. Most of the County's current memoranda of understanding already include a procedure for unions to access employees during orientation. Several of the County's bargaining groups, however, have requested to negotiate the structure, time, and manner of access of the union to a new employee orientation, as permitted under this bill.
SB 866, which addresses how public agencies and unions are to manage union membership dues, was passed on June 27, 2018. As a result of the bill, unions are now responsible for informing the County of any current dues deductions for their members.
The attached side letter is the resulting agreement reached with AFSCME, Local 2700. The County and AFSCME, Local 2700 have agreed to incorporate the side letter into Section 2 (Union Security) and Section 46 (Union Representation of Temporary Employees) of the Memorandum of Understanding between Contra Costa County and AFSCME, Local 2700.
If the side letter of agreement is not approved, the current process for onboarding new employees will continue until an alternative process is adopted.