MAY 23, 2005

On Thursday May 19, and Friday May 20, 2005 your Region 4 Bargaining Committee met with regional representatives of the courts two days after holding successful call offs in courts across the Region and after interpreters overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike in the event it becomes necessary. The tone of this meeting was quite different than any previous meeting to date. Court representatives were for the first time, actively engaged in a genuine discussion with the Union and appeared to understand the need for this kind of interchange if an agreement is to be reached, especially by July 1.

At our previous meeting of May 5, court representatives made a feeble attempt at orally explaining the pension system in their respective courts. When the Union asked for written information on these pension plans, representatives of the courts told us that they had none. Lo and behold, on Thursday, they provided a booklet of information for each county's pension plan, and in addition to this written information, the Region also gave the Union a counter proposal on Employment Status. This article is critical since it is the cornerstone upon which agreements on other articles such as benefits and job classification will depend.

Throughout the bargaining session both sides spent a good deal of time explaining their position, with each side asking questions in an attempt to understand the other side's point of view. In other words, the courts appeared to be truly bargaining. The nature and tone of the discussion made it clear that the call offs have brought the courts face to face with the reality of the work that they need to do in order to reach an agreement, and with the reality that they will somehow have to find more money. Bargaining committee members will be reviewing the pension information that the courts have provided and we will provide a summary of that information through our updates.

Your bargaining committee would like to thank each and every one of you who participated in the call offs. It is ultimately this kind of solidarity in word and action that will enable us to reach our goal of getting the great contract we deserve.

Bargaining team: