 On Monday, August 15, 2022, Negotiators, APEA Staff (missing from this picture, Annie Knight), and the State put pen to paper to finalize the contract that we worked so hard for. It was like a reunion, of sorts. We were all in the room again for the best of circumstances. Thank you to all the support we received from our members so that we could get the best contract we could have negotiated. 
1 Comment
We are happy to announce memberships approval and pending ratification of our 2022-2025 contract! We are so thankful for everyone who stood in support of the negotiating teams efforts and who gave us a fighting chance to negotiate the best possible contract we could bargain!  Dear CEA Members,
This document is a summary of gains and losses in the contract as agreed between your negotiators and State of Alaska leadership. Negotiators were able to get many benefits built into the contract or strengthen, most notably COLA increases over all three year, increased promotional steps, health and safety language, greatly strengthened processes for communicating with the State, and a protocol for holding supervisors accountable for missed evaluations. Negotiations are always a series of compromises, but your team spent more than six months preparing in order to be able to put forward contract language that best represents your needs in the present while caring for the future of CEA. We are satisfied that the tentative agreement reched May 6, 2022, represents the best deal that could have been negotiated for CEA at this time. If an article is not mentioned in the table below, it has not been changed. Your negotiating team is very proud of the work done to create such a beneficial contract. Please feel free to reach out to any of us in order to better understand the changes that have been made and what they may mean for you. A .pdf version of the below information is available here. 2021-2022 CEA Negotiators: Danelle Beck, Angel Collins, Kasey Catalioto, Paul Affatato, Stephen Courtright (APEA), Annie Knight (APEA)  If you would like to download a copy of the update, click here.
 If you would like a copy of the update for download, click here.
CEA Siblings,
Your negotiating team is pleased to remind you that the second bargaining session for a 2021-2024 CEA Collective Bargaining Agreement will take place this Friday, February 25 beginning at 2:30 in the State Office Building. In support of the negotiating team’s efforts this Friday, all members are encouraged to wear CEA t-shirts and to display any other CEA items that they may own. Additionally, this year’s bargaining ground rules permit members to observe these negotiations. There are two ways to observe:
As always, please be sure to follow CEA on social media and at https://cea-alaska.org in order to know the latest bargaining information! Paul Affatato, Negotiator Danelle Beck, Negotiator Kasey Catalioto, Negotiator Angel Collins, Negotiator Stephen Courtright, APEA Field Rep Annie Knight, APEA Field Rep  If you would like a copy of the update for download, click here.
Negotiations are beginning on February 9th, 2022. The best way to show solidarity and support for your Negotiations team will be in our branding. We have t-shirts that can be worn and we also have a Teams Digital Background that can be put up, when appropriate, to help show continued support for the work that will be put into negotiating the best contract that we can. If you would like a digital background for Teams or for your own Facebook page, please save the image(s) below and add it to your background on Teams or elsewhere on social media. If you need help adding it to Teams, please don't hesitate to reach out to one of your board members for help. The Executive Board tab on the website gives you all the contact information you need to reach out. Thank you in advance for the support!  As we approach our current contract's expiration, we must look forward to the necessary steps to ensure we reach a fair, equitable agreement for our membership. We would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that your negotiations team has been preparing for several months now. Your candid feedback and poll responses have been vital in determining the direction for our proposals, so we want to also take a moment to thank everyone who has participated. We are doing our best to represent CEA's collective needs and ensure that you are as proud of your membership as we are for your support! Yesterday, we issued a letter to the State indicating our intent to bargain a successor contract. You should also expect periodic updates and opportunities to show your support as negotiations take place.
This contract negotiation will be the culmination of a myriad of issues and suggestions that have been brought forward by many of you. While those items are as varied as the roles, we all fulfill, please remember that despite differences, we are bargaining to collectively improve the future of our union and its membership. We must now show strength by standing in solidarity and ensuring that the State's negotiators know that we are fighting for: Our Union. Our Contract. Our Future. If you have any questions about negotiations, please feel free to contact one of the following negotiators: Paul Affatato, Danelle Beck, Angel Collins or Kasey Catalioto. Sincerely, Your APEA Representatives, CEA Executive Board, and Negotiations Teams |