Hello sisters and brothers of UPE! During recent site visits this week at OB3, Kings Way, and GRP, we learned that there have been rumors that UPE made a “shady backdoor deal” with the County regarding staffing at the Sacramento Welcome Homes.
Fact: When the County received notice that UPE members were going on strike, they filed an injunction relief against the union for an Unlawful Labor Practice (ULP). The DCFAS contended that the department needed over 144 workers to cover multiple programs throughout the department to protect the health and safety in the event of a strike (County Sanitation Dist. No. 2 v. Los Angeles County Employees’ Assn. (1985) 38 Cal. 3d 564, 585). These workers, therefore, would be excluded from participating in a strike.
UPE went through two days of mediation with Sacramento County, the DCFAS, and the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB). At these mediation sessions, UPE was able to prove that there were enough management staff to cover the workload during a strike. There was one exception, which was the Sacramento Welcome Homes. This was mainly due to the licensing regulations placed on staff working at the Sacramento Welcome Homes.
UPE, therefore, had to identify employees to be excluded from striking. The parties then agreed that the overnight staff and four other employees at Sacramento Welcome Homes would be excluded from participating in the strike. The majority of employees identified as excluded were not UPE members.
At the conclusion, UPE was able to reduce the number of employees the DCFAS and County of Sacramento wanted to force to work during the strike. UPE was represented by our attorney, UPE Executive Director, UPE Business Agent, and Governing Board members Sarah Singleton and Deanna Green at these mediation meetings.
UPE will never put our members at risk and will vigorously protect their union rights! Furthermore, UPE finds it ironic that the County will only view our members as essential workers when it suits them; however, they fail to recognize and pay you as essential workers for every day you show up to perform those essential duties.
