Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Labor unions representing county employees will receive a salary increase, and improved health insurance benefits in a new contract.
The County and Management Employees Group, known as MEG; Law Enforcement Management Employees, also known as LEM and Service Employees International Union, Local 521, also known as SEIU Local 521, negotiated a new contract with San Benito County, which was approved by county Board of Supervisors at its Dec. 12 meeting.
“We value our employees,” Supervisor Mindy Sotelo told BenitoLink. “We’re happy we got this done and we’re happy we finally got a contract.”
Under the new contract, which is effective from Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2025, SEIU Local 521, LEM and MEG members will see:
- A 7% salary increase retroactive to Oct. 1
- A 6% salary increase after the first pay period after Oct. 1, 2024
- A health reimbursement account beginning January 2024
Full-time employees will see an additional $200 contribution from the county for medical plan options, and new employees with previous public sector experience will have a higher rate of vacation accrual.
SEIU Local 521 San Benito County Chapter President Christina Cardenas told BenitoLink: “We are excited we could reach an agreement with San Benito County, which secures investment in our community and the public services we provide.”
“Our contract empowers workers to take control of their healthcare destiny through an innovative healthcare reimbursement account system, and provisions to address retention and recruitment while providing a 13% salary increase over two years,” she said.
Representing 53,000 county, city and nonprofit workers, SEIU Local 521 represents employees in San Benito County as well as Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Monterey counties.
According to contract documents, as of Oct. 1, there are 214 San Benito County workers represented by SEIU. There are 76 county MEG employers and there are three LEM county employees.
The unions and the county had been in contract negotiations since August.
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service, nonprofit news.