City of Hollister employees, in a 25-21 vote, accepted the
city’s
”
best and final offer,
”
Thursday.
The decision was based on whether or not the city’s offer met
the workers’ needs. The majority felt the new contract was
something they could live with, said John Vellardita, executive
director of the local Service Employees International Union
817.
City of Hollister employees, in a 25-21 vote, accepted the city’s “best and final offer,” Thursday.
The decision was based on whether or not the city’s offer met the workers’ needs. The majority felt the new contract was something they could live with, said John Vellardita, executive director of the local Service Employees International Union 817.
With negotiations dragging on since the worker’s contract expired June 30, to finally have closure on the issue was important to many of the members, Vellardita said.
Even the dissenting minority was satisfied with the sense of finality the vote procured, but they expressed a definite degree of disappointment over the decision, he said.
“We’re prepared to live with the agreement, but the city has to take note that a lot of folks are unhappy,” he said.
The member’s core provisions, salary and health insurance, were taken into consideration by the city.
The agreement offered a 2.5 percent salary increase in the first year, but didn’t specify the second or third years, Vellardita said.
The offer also included an addendum to the worker’s health insurance, said City Manager Dale Shaddox.
The workers will not have to pay more than $50 a month for health insurance, however the city has set aside a specific amount of money every year for each employee’s insurance package, he said.
“No money actually comes out of their pockets,” he said. “They can pledge the money towards a number of benefit programs, whether it be health, dental, vision, (and so on).”
Many of the members were so tired of the long process that they just wanted to get it over with, said Danny Hillstock, a Hollister engineer and president of the union.
“It was really close and no one should take it that folks felt real good,” he said, “but we’ll get over it and move on with life.”
If the workers had voted to reject the offer and strike, hypothetically the city would have been in serious trouble, without 44 percent of its employee base, Hillstock said.
With a large percent of the voters ready to reject the offer, it clearly showed that not all of the employees needs are being met, he said.
“The group accepted it and we’re committed to live with it,” he said.
The city felt the process had been a positive one through the months of negotiations, which was demonstrated through the acceptance vote, Shaddox said.
“It was as I had expected,” he said. “I’m just happy it’s done with and we can move on.”
