Bargaining between MEF-AFSCME Local 101 and the City of San José continued this week with a shorter-than-usual session in which the union advanced several additional proposals.

While this week’s meeting was brief, the next two sessions will be important moments in the process.

Next Wednesday, MEF-AFSCME Local 101 and our coalition partners in IFPTE Local 21 will meet with the City’s budget and finance team at the bargaining table. The City is expected to present its outlook on the budget and explain the claims we have been hearing about financial shortfalls.

Our unions will be ready.

We will ask tough questions and present data that challenges the priorities the City has been choosing — priorities that have included hundreds of millions of dollars for luxury upgrades at SAP Center, major sporting events, and developer subsidies while the City warns of layoffs, hiring freezes, and tens of millions in budget gaps.

The following day, Thursday, bargaining will resume as scheduled. At that session, MEF plans to present our wage proposal along with additional major economic proposals, including protections related to artificial intelligence in the workplace.

View All Bargaining Proposals

Members and the public can review the full text of all proposals exchanged so far here:

We met again with the City today for our third 2026 bargaining session.

You can watch the video update here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVhYOieAeLn/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Or on our webpage at: mef101.org

Today, we continued advancing proposals based on what we’ve been hearing from members across departments. These included several non-economic and smaller economic improvements that address day-to-day workplace issues and quality o

We met again with the City today (2/26/26) for our second 2026 bargaining session.

You can watch the tldr video update here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVPIprhkk8M/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Here’s a brief overview of what happened…

After more than two years of fighting — and countless hours spent reviewing contracts, exchanging emails, and pressing the issue through formal and informal channels — we won.

An independent arbitrator has ruled in our favor in the grievance over dispatcher certification pay. This is a major victory not only for our fire dispatchers but for the principle that when you earn it, you should be paid for it.

What Was the Issue?

For years, dispatchers who held required EMD and EFD certifications received a 3.75% certification premium — but the City cut off that premium after 40 hours per week, meaning it wasn’t applied to overtime hours unless they qualified under FLSA rules.

The union filed a grievance because:

• Dispatchers use their certifications during every hour of their shifts, including overtime.

• The MOA says eligible employees “shall receive” the 3.75% — and nowhere does it say that stops at 40 hours.

• This wasn’t a negotiated limitation — it was a unilateral misinterpretation—and the City knew it.

We brought the case to arbitration — and the arbitrator agreed with us.

What Did the Arbitrator Say?

The arbitrator found that the City violated the MOA by capping the premium at 40 hours. She ordered the City to:

• Pay the 3.75% premium on all hours worked going forward.

• Issue retroactive backpay for affected dispatchers, going back to the July 2024 pay period.

• Calculate that backpay with interest and in compliance with the contract.

What Happens Now?

We’re now in discussions with the City about how the retroactive payments will be calculated and issued. Our priority is transparency and accuracy — and we’re insisting on a clear accounting for each member affected.

We’ll share updates as soon as we have a timeline and details. In the meantime, this win belongs to all of us.

It’s proof that our contracts matter. That enforcement matters. And that when we stand together and push back — we win

As we prepare for our own contract negotiations in San Jose, we’re fighting for the same things these statewide candidates spoke about; fair pay that keeps up with the cost of living, affordable healthcare for our families, and a city that values the workers who keep it running.

AFSCME members showed in San Diego what solidarity looks like: public service workers standing together, demanding a California that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected.

Our fight here in San Jose is part of that larger movement. The road ahead will take all of us, united, to make sure our next contract reflects the respect and fairness city workers deserve…. (read more)

Frontline animal shelter workers have spoken with a clear and united voice: San José’s Animal Care and Services Center needs new leadership.

In a staff survey conducted this summer, the overwhelming majority of shelter employees called for the City to bring in a director from outside its current ranks. Their message is simple — it’s time for a fresh start. Workers want a leader who can rebuild trust, restore accountability, and set a new direction for a shelter that has been plagued for years by dysfunction, poor conditions, and low morale.

The results of that survey were recently covered in the Mercury News, where workers’ voices were front and center. The article highlights what staff have been saying for years: the culture inside the shelter cannot change if the same people who presided over past failures remain in charge. You can read the full Mercury News article here.

The stakes are high. A city audit last year exposed…