DCSS Updated Policies
Greetings, Union Family,
On November 3, 2026, your 005 governing board met with DCSS management to discuss updates to some of their department policies, specifically: telework, outside employment, parking, and personal technology use. Most of the edits were grammatical, but our team raised important questions regarding their application of them. For example, the technology policy allows people to listen to music on their headphones with their phone being placed face down. We clarified that staff will not get in trouble for picking up the phone to change their music, or once in a while check in on their phone throughout the day. Of course, in extenuating circumstances where a staff member must stick to their phone more, supervisor approval is required. We also clarified some of our concerns with the outside employment forms that DCSS requires staff to fill out annually.
Management shared that they want to be aware of any outside employment to ensure there are no conflicts of interest with DCSS. An example of this would be if a lawyer for DCSS decided to open a law firm practicing family law and recommended the individuals on the DCSS cases they work on to come to their law firm. The purpose of the outside employment form is not so that management could firstly grant approval. We made it clear that staff have the right to work beyond their regular schedule should they desire to, and management agreed. Though they use the word “approval” in the forms, they mean “approving that the job does not pose a conflict,” but they cannot approve or deny you from attaining additional work.
Finally, the telework policy states workers can be told to come into the office for a department or unit meeting on their telework day, and that workers would then have to stay in the office for the remainder of that day. We proposed that workers be allowed to continue their day working from home after the meetings conclude, if it was on their regularly scheduled telework day. Management will be taking this back and will respond to us soon.
UPE thanks advocates Deborah Tellez and Elyse Avila.
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG!
