Starlight’s contract is open for negotiations. A 3% per year wage increase was ratified by the membership last year. Now we will bargain benefits and the rest of the contract. As union members, we have a voice on how decisions are made at the workplace. Now is our chance to speak up.  We need to know what matters most to you before we begin negotiating our contract.  The purpose of this survey is for you to tell your negotiating team what is most important in your union contract.  This will help the negotiating team identify goals and priorities.  Individual survey responses will not be shared with management.  Once the majority of our coworkers have completed the survey, we will identify our priorities and prepare “opening proposals” to present to management at the bargaining table.  We strongly encourage you to devote time to this survey and think about what is important to you, our families, and for the community we serve.

Remember, strong contracts are not won at the bargaining table—they are won when we show strength and unity at the worksite.  Let’s go!

Please complete and submit this survey by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 6.

In Unity,

Your Negotiating Team

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* 1. Contact Information

*By providing my phone number, I understand SEIU Local 521, the Service Employees International Union, its local unions, and affiliates may use automated calling technologies and/or text message me on my cellular phone on a periodic basis. SEIU will never charge for text message. Carrier message and data rates may apply to such messages. Text STOP to 787753 to stop receiving messages.
Fair Compensation

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* 2. Do you think that rewards or preferences should be granted based on length of employment (seniority)?

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* 3. Are you satisfied with your current benefit package (including health and retirement)?

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* 4. Do you have fair accrual of vacation, sick leave or PTO (Paid Time Off)?

Equitable and Transparent Policies
Most union contracts establish a “grievance procedure” that sets a clear and fair process for employees in the event that the employer violates, misinterprets or misapplies the contract.  This process allows the employee to have union representation and to help find a resolution to the issue.

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* 5. Do you think it is important to have a grievance procedure in your contract?

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* 6. Does Starlight provide sufficient opportunities for professional advancement?

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* 7. Do Starlight workers perform work outside of their job descriptions without compensation (referred to as “working out of class”)?

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* 8. Is outsourcing, use of contract or temporary workers a problem at Starlight?

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* 9. Are hiring and promotions fair and transparent?

Our Role in Our Community
Starlight has grown and will continue to change with Medi-Cal Expansion, ACA and other health policy changes.

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* 10. Is Starlight prepared to meet the challenges of the future?

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* 11. Is Starlight adequately staffed to meet the changing demands of our community?

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* 12. Which of the following would create the biggest improvements for us and for our community?
Rank your priorities where 1 is your top priority:

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* 13. Other improvements

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* 14. Gathering support from the community we work in and serve can be key in our negotiations. What organizations are you involved with outside of work (religious, neighborhood, charities, etc.)?

Your Priorities and Ideas

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* 15. Which of these issues are you most interested in seeing addressed through your contract?
Choose 5 issues and rank them by order of priority, where 1 is your top priority:

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* 16. Other contract priorities

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* 17. What are some current workplace policies or benefits that you like and wish to retain?

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* 18. What is working, specifically in relations to your department or classification that you would like to keep?

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* 19. What is not working that you would like to see changed?

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* 20. Are there any other issues your negotiating team should consider addressing in negotiations (e.g., favoritism, inequalities, health and safety, workload)?

Your Work Schedule

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* 21. How often are you on-call?

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* 22. Are you a salary or hourly worker?

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* 23. Are your billable hours obtainable?

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* 24. Are the Starlight caseload standards manageable? 

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* 25. Does your department experience a high turnover rate?

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* 26. What method do you use to calculate travel time?

How Do We Win?
We can’t win a fair contract that addresses the issues you described above unless we stand strong, united and visibly support our elected negotiating team.

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* 27. What are you willing to do to help your negotiating team win a strong first contract? Check all that apply.

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