Published: March 17, 2021

Here’s the latest from The Specials Coalition bargaining team, your member-elected representatives who negotiate on behalf of the following agencies: ODE, OSL, OST, DAS, Commission for the Blind, PERS, DOJ, OHCS, TSPC, DOR, DCBS, BOLI, DVA, WCB, HECC and the Licensing Boards.

Check out Seiu503.org/IAmEssential or join the State Worker Facebook group for the latest news and events related to bargaining.


Our Special’s Coalition bargaining team met with management on Wednesday, March 10th for a very productive session.

We made several new proposals based on areas of concern brought forward through bargaining surveys from membership.

  1. Two new Letters of Agreement that would provide workers with a clearly mapped career flow chart and allow individuals looking for career development opportunities to work with Human Resources to create a plan for their future career development goals.
  2. We also passed a proposal that sought safety assurances for OSHA workers who sometimes experience threatening behaviors from the community. The language allows the workers to be able to present their concerns and work with management to receive support to ensure their safety.
  3. There was an additional proposal related to DCBS that adjusted current contract language on filling of vacancies to prioritize internal candidates for lateral transfers and promotions.

Management presented the Union with a counter proposal regarding a Letter of Agreement (LOA) related to DAS custodian scheduling. The proposal aligned with the Union’s position that the language should move into the contract after many years as an LOA and were able to sign a Tentative Agreement (TA).

In Unity,

Your Specials Coalition Bargaining Team