Why didn COCRA join in the negotiation discussions with CCRA?
A. Background: Last year the Court Reporters Coalition of California (CRCC), a statewide coalition of the three court reporting associations and labor unions, was formed. The Coalition was responsible for defeating the proposed ER measures in the state budget. Soon thereafter, CCRA withdrew from the coalition. When Justice Ardaiz decided to yet again propose electronic recording, in spite of its resounding defeat just last year, he sent a letter to “reporter leaders” inviting them to a meeting to discuss the issue. He did not address his letter to the Coalition. He also specifically and deliberately did not invite the labor unions. COCRA did attend the initial meeting, at which time it became clear what Justice Ardaiz’s agenda was; namely, another attempt at ER expansion. After discussing the matter with our Coalition partners, COCRA decided not to participate in the discussions based on the fact that, one, it was the same issue as last year and we successfully defeated it then, and, t
