2021 M&CA Negotiations Process

Joseph C Windham on Thursday, February 4 2021 - 7:44am

HOPE 2021 Meet & Confer Negotiations Process:

Over the last 15 years, HOPE Members have worked together to win improvements in Compensation, Benefits, Policies, and Procedures. This process has led to you latest 2021 HOPE Meet and Confer Agreement (Linked HERE)!

The Previous 2018 Meet and Confer Agreement (Linked HERE) expired on June 30th, 2021. Use can view both this and your 2015 Meet and Confer Agreement (Linked HERE) for reference.

The HOPE Constitution and Bylaws calls for Members to elect the Negotiating Team that will be at the table pushing for our top priorities, and every member of HOPE gets a say in that process.

HOPE Constitution and Bylaws; Article XV - Meet and Confer: “The authority for meet and confer shall be vested in the negotiating team which shall be elected by the membership.”

This page will serve as your guide for this process:

Meet and Confer Roles and Responsibilities:

HOPE Members will only win an Agreement we can be proud of through organization and united action. The HOPE Constitution and Bylaws clearly outlines the purpose of this process:

HOPE Constitution and Bylaws; Article XV - Meet and Confer: "Meet and confer is intended to involve members directly and actively in determining their wages, hours and working conditions.

There is a role for EVERY HOPE Member to play in order to win!

Election Committee: The Negotiating Team Election Committee is responsible for the Oversight and Verification of the Nominations and Elections Process. These Members In Good Standing are Appointed by the HOPE President. To protect the integrity of the Election Process, they Can NOT serve on the Negotiating Team but are welcome to join the Bargaining Council.
Negotiating Team: The 2021 HOPE Negotiating Team will execute the will of the HOPE Membership as expressed via the Bargaining Council, Bargaining Surveys, and other HOPE Member feedback. Made up of 25 Members In Good Standing, the Negotiating Team is elected by the Membership,
Bargaining Council: The Bargaining Council is responsible for Conveying the Will of the Membership to the Negotiating Team. The Council is made up of literally every HOPE Member Leader (whether an Executive Board Member, Department Union Representative or Workplace Leader) who commits to doing their part to make sure the Negotiating Team has the direction from and support of the General Membership.
HOPE Members: Every HOPE Member is responsible for winning a Meet and Confer Agreement we can be proud of. HOPE Members Elect the Negotiating Team, Direct the Negotiating Priorities, Support the Process, and ultimately Ratify the Agreement.

Negotiating Team Election Results:

The HOPE 2021 M&CA Negotiating Team Elections have officially concluded and the results have been certified by your Negotiating Team Election Committee.

The Nomination period lasted one week. It was opened at the Conclusion of the HOPE General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, February 2nd, and closed on Tuesday, February 9th.

All Nominees were verified by the Elections Committee as Members In Good Standing as defined in the HOPE Constitution and Bylaws and have formally accepted their nomination.

Nominees had the option to submit a brief bio to appear on the ballot next to their name so that their relevant qualifications were clear and HOPE Members could make the best selection decision

-- CLICK HERE FOR THE ELECTION RESULTS FOR YOUR 2021 M&CA NEGOTIATING TEAM --

The Negotiating Team Elections were held online and voting was from Thursday, February 11th, at 7:00 AM CST to Saturday, February 13th at 7:00 PM CST.

IMPORTANT: If you have any questions or concerns regarding your 2021 M&CA Negotiating Team Election, please reach out to your Elections Committee via [email protected] or contact the HOPE office @ 832-962-4506.

Negotiating Team Election Committee:

The 2021 HOPE Negotiating Team Election Committee was duly appointed by the HOPE President and approved by the HOPE Executive Board. The members tasked with serving in this capacity have displayed themselves as capable, honest, and committed throughout.

The Election Committee is hereby comprised of these members:

Diana Shepherd (HPD), current HOPE Secretary
Lisa Gonzalez (GSD), Department Union Representative
Pat Escalante (HHD). Department Union Representative and HOPE Health Benefits Advisory Member Representative.

The election committee will verify the standing of members and the list used for the election.

Any questions, concerns, or Nominee contact information should be sent to [email protected].

Negotiating Team Online Elections:

The Negotiating Team Election was held online and voting was opened from Thursday, February 11th, at 7:00 AM CST to Saturday, February 13th at 7:00 PM CST.

The results have been sent via email to all members, posted on the hopetx.org website, and shared on the HOPE Facebook immediately following the verification of the Election Committee.

The election was conducted by a 3rd-party vendor online to ensure maximum confidence and participation in the process. IMPORTANT: Only HOPE members could vote in the Negotiating Team Election.

An email and/or text was sent to members' personal email/phone on file on Thursday, February 11th with instructions on how to vote as well as a unique link for voting. IMPORTANT: This email was sent from the email address [email protected]. [Please check your spam folder].

IMPORTANT: If you have any questions or concerns regarding this process, please reach out to your Elections Committee via [email protected] or contact the HOPE office @ 832-962-4506.

To protect their voter ID, members were required to go through a two-factor authentication before voting. We needed:

Your Name (As it appears with the City of Houston)
Your Employee ID Number for authentication.

After voting, members received a confirmation number, which could be emailed to personal emails as well.

Negotiating Team Composition:

The HOPE Negotiating Team will be made up of twenty-five (25) Members in Good Standing along with the Union President per the Constitution and Bylaws and an experienced Chief Negotiator.

As the Constitution and Bylaws call for an elected Negotiating Team, every HOPE Member will have twenty-five (25) votes to use as they see fit. Every Department will be guaranteed at least one (1) seat for every 100 Members in their Group. No single Department Group may have more than five (5) seats on the Bargaining Team to ensure a diverse team.

HOPE Constitution and Bylaws; Article XV - Meet and Confer: "The size and method of selecting a negotiating committee will vary based on factors such as the number of facilities, number of shifts, variety of classifications, the demographics of the members, and other factors that should be considered in assembling a committee that reflects the needs and diversity of the members."

Here are the 16 Department Groups with the 25 Applicable Seats:

Houston Public Works (HPW): 5 Seats
Houston Health Dept (HHD): 3 Seats
Houston Airport System (HAS): 2 Seats
Solid Waste Management (SWM): 2 Seats
Houston Police Dept (HPD), Houston Fire Dept (HFD): 2 Seats
Administration and Regulatory Affairs (ARA): 1 Seat
Department of Neighborhoods: 1 Seat
Fleet Management: 1 Seat
General Services: 1 Seat
Housing and Community Development (HCDD): 1 Seat
Houston Emergency Center (HEC): 1 Seat
Houston Public Library (HPL): 1 Seat
Municipal Courts: 1 Seat
Parks and Recreation Department (PRD): 1 Seat
Houston Information Technology Services (HITS), Human Resources (HR), Planning and Development: 1 Seat
Controller’s Office, Council's Office, Legal Department, Finance Department, Mayor’s Office, Secretary’s Office; 1 Seat

These Department Groups have been selected in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws. The principle here is simple: we want a Negotiating Team that looks like HOPE.
Having a set number of seats based on Department numbers will make sure every Department has a fair chance to be a part of the Negotiating Team.

NOTE: Members that are not elected to the Negotiating Team will be provided a seat on the Bargaining Council so that they may continue to use their efforts to win a 2021 Meet and Confer Agreement we can be proud of.

HOPE AFSCME Local 123