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More than 80 employees at the county's courts could strike if they are forced to give up more of their wages in labor negotiations, said union representatives.
If the ongoing negotiations between the Merced County Superior Court and the union representing much of its work force fail, the county's justice system may come to a standstill.
The Merced County Trial Court Employees and the court are at loggerheads because of the state's budget and its effects on the court.
The state's dire finances have depleted the court's budget, and so it is asking union members for concessions they don't want to give up.
"At some point along the line if we are unsuccessful at these impasse negotiations we could take a strike vote," said Jere Copeland the regional executive director for the Public Employees Union Local 1, with which MCTCE is affiliated.
Since April, MCTCE has been negotiating with the court for a new contract.
They have been working without one since July 1.
In the meantime, the union rank and file voted Oct. 27 to ask their parent union for the right to strike in case the negotiations fail, said Copeland. The parent union is set to decide on giving strike authority Nov. 17.
On Nov. 9, the two sides will enter into arbitration, the penultimate stop in the negotiation process. While there is no timetable, if they come to an impasse the court can give its last and final offer, which would be the effective contract for a year, said Copeland. At that point the union could either work under the court's contract offer or strike, he said.
The court, which is funded by the Administrative Office of the Courts, a state body that manages California's courts, has seen its budget dip by 8 percent, said Kathie Goetsch, Merced County Superior Court's CEO.
The court's administration has already put employees on mandatory furloughs, which are equivalent to a 4 percent pay cut, said Goetsch. "It's difficult because California is in the worst crisis that we've ever been in and the court is funded from state money," she said. So far, the court has not had to lay anyone off and she wants it to stay that way, she said.
While union representatives understand the court's financial woes, they say the court is asking for unacceptable concessions. "They are asking for a long-term contract that has concessions two and three years down the line and we don't know what the economy is going to be then," said Copeland.
The acrimony in the negotiations has deepened since union members say management continues to receive raises while everyone else has lost income, said Copeland.
Goetsch, who has been the court's CEO since 2004, said her pay is tied to that of the court's judges. She is now paid $144,000 a year, she said. But, added Goetsch, she like everyone else has received raises in the last five years. She would not say how many or how much.
MCTCE has been with the 14,000 member Martinez-based Public Employees Union Local 1 since 2005. Their four-year contract with the Merced County Superior Court expired in July.
Reporter Jonah Owen Lamb can be reached at jlamb@mercedsun-star.com.
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