County Labor Relations Bargaining Update - September 2023

Author: County Labor Relations Team
Date: 9/1/2023 9:53:19 AM

Check out this Fall’s Employee and Labor Relations full of important updates, including upcoming Paid County Holidays, 2024 Cafeteria Contribution Rates, Open Enrollment 2024 FAQs, and SLOPA Bargaining Updates.

Did You Hear the News? The County’s Newest Paid Holiday Native American Day Replacing Columbus Day falls on September 22nd

In June, the Board of Supervisors approved the addition of Native American Day as a paid County holiday and the elimination of Columbus Day as a paid holiday. Native American Day falls on the fourth Friday in September, and for this year will be on September 22.

This change applies to all County employees, so make sure to mark your calendars for this month! The remaining paid County holidays for the 2023 calendar year include the following: 

In addition, the Board of Supervisors approved changes to allow employees on their initial probationary period to utilize personal leave, as well as to include Library employees as eligible participants in the Annual Leave program. These changes became effective the pay period including July 1, 2023. For additional information, review the agenda items from the Board of Supervisors meeting.

Scheduled 2024 Cafeteria Contributions

When evaluating your healthcare elections this year, it’s important to consider what your cafeteria contribution will be. A cafeteria contribution is the fixed dollar amount the County contributes towards employees’ healthcare premiums when enrolled in County medical insurance. The monthly cafeteria amount is determined by your Bargaining Unit (BU), and contribution tiers are based on the number of dependents you have enrolled in your County medical plan.

The table below shows the monthly cafeteria contribution amounts by contribution tier for the 2024 calendar year. Any scheduled increases to cafeteria contribution amounts are in blue and bold. These rates are effective the first paycheck of January 2024.

For additional information, please review the Memorandum of Understanding for your employee association.

Open Enrollment 2024 Healthcare Changes: Frequently Asked Questions

Understandably, many employees have shared with us their concern about the size of the 2024 increase to our medical insurance premiums and its impact to their paychecks. The increase affects all County employees, and you will likely hear more in the media about similar impacts on premium increases across the country, particularly in our region and state.  For example, other health insurance carriers, such as CalPers Health and Kaiser, are also experiencing double digit increases to medical premiums this year. Click here for the answers to key questions related to your questions and concerns.

The County is committed to providing you wide-ranging benefits with multiple medical plan options to fit your family’s needs. For the most recent information and to review medical plan options, find a training to attend, schedule a 1:1 appointment with the Benefits team, or learn more about the transition to Blue Shield, please visit the 2024 Open Enrollment webpage. Check back often, as information on the Open Enrollment website is updated daily.  

Bargaining with the San Luis Obispo Prosecutors’ Association (SLOPA) Reaches Pre-Impasse Mediation

The County and SLOPA, the union representing Deputy District Attorneys in Bargaining Unit (BU) 04, have met a total of five times and have continued to bargain in good faith for a successor MOU/contract. At the most recent meeting, both parties mutually agreed to pre-impasse mediation as an attempt to arrive to an agreement in this next phase of the bargaining process. The parties have also agreed that if pre-impasse mediation does not result in agreement and an impasse is declared, a second round of mediation will not occur. Pre-impasse mediation has been scheduled for the middle of September.

For more information about the bargaining process, check out the Lifecycle of Labor Bargaining infogram!