Fringe Benefit & Salary Contract Update:

Second & Third Cost-of-living Pay Hikes Effective 10/1/14 and 4/1/15, Fringe Benefit Contract Adds to Paychecks

All six of CAPE’s Los Angeles County bargaining units ratified the salary contract agreement late last year providing for a 6% total across-the-board cost-of-living-adjustment pay increase. The first 2% pay increase was implemented retroactive to October 1, 2013 and hit members’ paychecks at the end of last year. The second and third pay hikes will be implemented in the next 12 months. 2% on October 1, 2014, and 2% on April 1, 2015.

Our work, however, is never finished. CAPE representatives will be back at the bargaining table approximately this time next year to discuss successor salary contract terms. The current salary contract expires on September 30, 2015.

Fringe Benefit Contract: CAPE and CCU representatives announced a tentative agreement on a Fringe Benefit Contract with County management on December 5th of last year. In the months since, CAPE members have responded overwhelmingly in support of the 2-year contract agreement that started on October 1, 2013, and ends on September 30, 2015.

CHOICES—The current agreement provides two 7.2% increases in the County’s CHOICES contribution. The first CHOICES contribution increase took effect on January 1, 2014. The second will take effect on January 1, 2015, for the next plan year

HORIZONS—One of the most-appreciated components of the new Fringe Benefit Contract is the substantial increase our side achieved in the County’s HORIZONS Matching Fund Cap. The cap will increase significantly this year. Next year, the cap will be eliminated entirely. That means all participating employees will receive their full 4% match on their contributions for the entire year starting in 2015.

$500 BONUS TO CHOICES—The new agreement also includes a one-time $500 per employee contribution to CHOICES whereby all CHOICES participants will receive an additional $250 payment on their end of March paycheck and a second $250 payment on their July 2014 paycheck.