UPE met with representatives from Sacramento Superior Court as part of a reopener in the current contract. The purpose was to discuss potential salary increases based on available funds in the 2022/2023 budget. UPE was disappointed but not surprised that the Court had managed to make it to the end of the year without any funds available for members. Despite having an end-of-year balance of $5.1 million, the Court claims they are out of money for the year. This means no additional money for members now.
To check the Court’s math, UPE requested line-by-line explanations of the Court’s revenue and expenses. This is not the first time the Court sold UPE on a reopener with promises of raises mid-year. Once again, the Court took the opportunity to disappoint its members despite its claims of wanting its employees to be the best paid.
UPE and the Court will return to bargaining over a new contract in the spring. Members need to begin to prepare themselves for that fight. Members continue to face high workloads, poor training, and uninformed supervisors, creating toxic working conditions. Things will only change if we all stand together and tell the Court, ‘Enough is enough.’ When we all stand together, we can succeed.
On Monday, October 9, 2023, UPE will distribute a survey electronically to members about their working conditions and how management staff treat members. Board members, Stewards, and UPE will also have hard copies available for those who do not wish to complete the survey online.
Please take the time to complete the survey. This information will be extremely valuable for UPE as we prepare for bargaining next year.