Last week, a permeant telework agreement was reached for all SEIU Local 668 members employed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The email below was released to members on Thursday, June 24th, and we will be holding multiple online forums to discuss this new agreement.
If you have any questions about this agreement, please complete this form or send an email to Local668@seiu668.org and a staff person will get back to you.
Commonwealth Telework Side Letter
Commonwealth Telework Personal Agreement
Combined Telework Side Letter + Personal Agreement (both individual documents in one PDF file)
Click here to read the final addendum with OIM (CAO/CSC/PC members).
Email to Members
Subject: SEIU Local 668 + Commonwealth Permanent Telework Agreement
From: Steve Catanese, President SEIU 668
Email: Local668@seiu668.org
Sisters and Brothers–
As of this afternoon, we have officially signed a permanent telework agreement that will cover all SEIU Local 668 members employed by the Commonwealth. Our Telework Work Group and union leadership (identified below) have worked tirelessly to make this permanent solution a reality for our members.
We understand that every worker has a different outlook when it comes to telework, and we’re hoping that this two-part agreement will help answer questions and settle uncertainty.
As stated, this is a two-part agreement–the first is an individual agreement that every telework-eligible member will be required to sign; it is similar to the temporary agreement many workers signed, but more in-depth due to the nature of permanent telework. The second is a short side letter that covers additional terms for SEIU 668 represented workers.
Please be aware that additional, localized agreements with individual agencies and shops may also be reached later on to help settle problems that may exist outside of the terms indicated in these two documents intended to cover a broad workforce. A few highlights of this permanent agreement are outlined below, and you can download a complete PDF of the agreement on our website.
This agreement makes seniority the primary determination for teleworking opportunities where such opportunities are limited by operational needs, while also guaranteeing training so all workers could have the skills to work in-person, to preserve both seniority and the integrity of our work.
Our team fought to remove a provision that may have potentially led to workers being punished simply for having dependents at home while working.
The new agreement also includes language to give workers a defined buffer period should a power outage impact their ability to work from home.
And finally, if telework is removed due to discipline, if an employee wins a grievance they may regain the ability to telework again.
I want to take this opportunity to thank our work group and member leaders for the hours they spent looking over the surveys we provided our members and negotiating such a strong, permanent win for our union. We’re happy to reach an agreement and pleased that the Commonwealth will be offering telework options at many SEIU 668-covered worksites moving forward.
We’ll be sharing this information again via email early next week, and will hold multiple online forums to answer any questions that may arise. Complete information on the upcoming live meetings can be found in your email, or members can send a personal email to Local668@seiu668.org for more information.
Additional information on these online meetings is available via email. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions about this telework agreement, please drop them into this form so we can find and share answers.
Thank you again to every single one of our members who have worked without pause for the last fifteen months throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We proved how vital our work is and that our members are capable of providing the state’s most essential services — whether they’re in an onsite work location, in the field, or teleworking. Your continued dedication to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable populations, amidst a global health crisis, has impacted countless lives.
In Solidarity–
Steve Catanese, President SEIU Local 668
JoAnne Sessa, Secretary-Treasurer SEIU Local 668
Donna Lambie
Sabrina Harrell
Shelley Rhodes
Tonia Frank
Laurie Haines
Essex Christie
Rosarie Betti
Jennifer Edmonds
Rachel Gall
Tony Pecorale
Amanda Baker
Aleece Rearic
Jason Harvey
Brad Mengel
Christian Yetter
Christine Bolen
Claudia Lukert, SEIU 668 Chief of Staff
Kathy Stine, SEIU 668 Executive Assistant
Kieran Kenny, SEIU 668 Staff Attorney
Commonwealth Telework Agreement
Complete Telework Agreement Linked Here
Submit Your Questions Now: https://bit.ly/TeleworkQuestion
