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Thursday, 04 June 2009 |
 Amador County - Amador County's biggest union of employees, the Service Employees International Union, voted Tuesday to avoid a layoff with a shortening of the work week. “Our main union, SEIU, voted to have furloughs instead of layoffs,” said Terri Daly, Amador County Chief Administrative Officer. She said staff and employee representatives have tentatively agreed on a 4-day, 9-hour-a-day work week. 22 positions in varying departments of local government were considered for elimination. “This was definitely a pro decision for members to support one another and save those workers from losing their jobs, or possibly ending up on the streets,” said Mike Fouch, Worksite Organizer for SEIU Local 1021. He said “it’s a shame the county did not step up and this decision was forced onto the backs of our workers.” The decision came after a series of 3 SEIU membership meetings Tuesday between SEIU members and Amador County officials. Fouch said negotiations stem back to last year. At that time, the Board of Supervisors discussed a similar option but chose not to pursue it. This latest agreement is only the first step in a two-step process. In Phase 2, the parties involved will negotiate the specifics of language changes in the contract, and then it must be taken back to SEIU members for additional votes. Fouch said the county “wants this effective July 1st, and we have a lot of work to do between now and then.” SEIU represents approximately 56,000 employees in Northern California in city, state and school positions. SEIU Local 1021 represents 230 employees in Amador County. Story by Alex Lane, Jim Reece
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