DHA: General Assistance Reduction

Greetings, UPE sisters and brothers. On January 6, 2025, your 008 bargaining team met again with DHA management regarding their plan to reduce the General Assistance (GA) staff from more than 30 down to, we were told, four (4) workers. The first surprise was that management now plans to add two “temporary” GA positions to the 4 permanent GA positions announced previously.   The Union insisted that all six (6) positions be readvertised in a new internal announcement bulletin, with everyone being given the chance to put in for either one of the four permanent positions or one of the two temporary positions.  Management stated that the “primary” duty of the two temporary positions would be back-end functions like the pending list and maybe TLCS.  The four permanent GA workers would do either Intake or WOD.

UPE has proposed that there be a daily WOD rotation, among other UPE proposals: a “Hold Harmless” clause for all transferred workers and all workers remaining in GA or GATE through July 1, 2025.

UPE made clear our convictions that GA and GATE staff are being reduced too far and that there is no way that work will get done in a timely manner.

There will be at least one more meeting on this, and management has yet to provide some of our requested information or responses to some of our proposals.  We will share all the information we receive with you when we receive it.  Stay tuned!

TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG!