Sandia and OPEIU negotiators met today for the first time since the contract expired Sept. 22. Union negotiators passed a comprehensive proposal that revisited several economic and non-economic articles. Because of the limited amount of time reserved for bargaining today, Sandia requested time to review the proposal and to meet again before the weekend. OPEIU negotiators, led by a union international representative based in California, declined to meet again this week or next and said they would not be available until the week of Nov. 1.
Sandia is disappointed the union will not meet for bargaining until next month as OPEIU members remain working without a contract. The labs has agreed to enlist a mediator to help speed up negotiations as Sandia is eager to reach an agreement as soon as possible that is fair to OPEIU employees and supports the labs’ national security mission.