ShiftBID’s Compatibility with SEIU Local 1000’s Post & Bid Rules
While we have not worked with the SEIU, we’ve taken the liberty to analyze Post and Bid procedures for the SEIU Local 1000 in California to assess whether or not ShiftBID would be compatible with the union’s rules. These procedures and rules are posted on the internet, and we wanted to publish a case study on how our software would align with these standards.
Note: This case study assessment is based on a cursory review of documentation provided by SEIU Local 1000, and exact compatibility would need to be discussed between ShiftBID staff and the local SEIU organization.
Challenges
There are several key challenges when working to do post and bid within SEIU rules:
Addressing inefficient bidding procedures
Post and bid is currently done using a paper-based system at these organizations (or at least the written rules infer this). This can cause a huge burden for administrators for both the union and management at these organizations. It’s also significantly delayed, with communication taking way longer than it needs to. Errors can happen when doing manual data entry.
Contested seniority and resolving disputes
The process outlined by SEIU has specific rules for employees to contest seniority scores, involving a formal complaint process and a Joint Labor Management Committee (JLMC). This can become a point of contention and a time-consuming process to resolve. A digital tool would need to:
- Have a clear and transparent system for employees to flag or question their seniority.
- Provide a mechanism for the JLMC to review and approve corrections.
- Ensure that any corrections are accurately reflected in the bidding process.
Dealing with department-level rules
From their documentation, it seems that the post and bid process is not a one size fits all. Different departments (like CDCR, CCHCS, and DGS) have their own specific rules regarding eligibility, the percentage of posts available for bidding, and the bidding process itself (annual vs. continuous). This presents a challenge for any solution to be both compliant and adaptable. A digital tool must be flexible enough to accommodate these variations and not enforce a uniform process where one doesn’t exist.
Collective bargaining & updated contracts
Contracts and deals change over time, which presents a challenge for digital software tool makers. The tool must be flexible enough to change when collective bargaining changes the landscape of how the bid and post process works.
Solutions
We would address the prior challenges in the following way:
Improve efficiency with a digital tool
By their nature, digital tools speed up manual processes. ShiftBID allows administrators to customize rules within the bidding space, create a bidding order sorted by seniority, run either an annual or continual bid using email and SMS messages, and view/download results in a digital way. This is WAY faster than pen and paper, plus there is a chain of custody associated with it.
Solving seniority scores
Seniority scores are a unique aspect of how SEIU calculates seniority and does tie-breakers: One (1) point for each qualifying month of full-time state service in the employee’s current classification.
For example, an employee with 10 years of service in their current classification would have a seniority score of 120 (10 years x 12 months/year). This score is used to rank employees in order from most senior to least senior.
In its current form, Seniority is calculated in ShiftBID by hire date or badge number. This could be either repurposed to calculate seniority scores, or a custom solution within ShiftBID could be developed.
ShiftBID developers will likely introduce a seniority score calculator as a feature to our seniority-based shift bidding tool in a future development blitz
Adaptability & flexibility to work with different departments
Different departments in California have different minimums when post and bid needs to be implemented. An example table is blow.
There are also differences in classifications and scope for bidding, a couple examples:
- CDCR and CCHCS: Bidding is restricted to permanent, full-time Correctional Supervising Cooks. The document explicitly states, “There shall be no inter-institution bidding on post assignments.” This means an employee can only bid on positions within the institution where they are permanently assigned.
- CDCR-DJJ: This department has a separate process for a broader range of positions, including full-time or half-time Cook Specialist I, Cook Specialist II, or Correctional Supervising Cooks. They must implement two separate post and bid processes – one for full-time and one for half-time positions. This also has a no inter-institution bidding rule.
- Other Departments (CSC; DDS; DSH; and CalVet): The rules are generally less restrictive, allowing any permanent, full-time employee in the classification to bid. There is no mention of an “inter-institution” bidding restriction for these departments, implying a broader scope.
ShiftBID would allow for each department to handle their own rules, settings, and sets of employees within the software. We can also layer in qualification-based bidding, in instances where positions can only be bid on by employees who have matching qualifications.
Addressing contract updates and rule changes with the union
ShiftBID is built to be flexible and customizable when needed as is. The software core can be used like a multi-tool and adapt to many different scenarios. But sometimes there are specific needs that cannot be addressed with the native software. Our developers are very adept at consulting with key stakeholders within an organization and plotting a solution for a specific need. Sometimes we build this into our development calendar, other times we offer custom development on a contract-basis for an organization when their needs are far outside our standard user base. It really depends on the use-case. Our devs prioritize communication with you and remain honest about our capabilities.
Results
ShiftBID would speed up the post and bid process significantly for SEIU adherent organizations. Our software is already built to handle a majority of the needs listed in the available documentation, and anything that is not already available can be developed in a future round of feature developments or custom development for a department.
If you’re interested in trying ShiftBID for in a post and bid use case, reach out to us directly!
Get bidding.
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Get bidding.
Start getting your business or organization set up for bidding. Create an account and invite others to do the same.