On May 10, 2021, UPE met with Sacramento Superior Court to discuss the procedures the court utilizes when a Courtroom Clerk is unavailable to work in a department and the Court has to utilize a qualified Courtroom Clerk supervisor or manager.
This stems from a settlement that was reached between UPE and the Sacramento Superior Court regarding multiple Unfair Practice charges filed against the Court by UPE. UPE had discovered that supervisors and managers were performing our bargaining unit work during the absence of Courtroom Clerks, including working overtime.
At the May 10th meeting, Sacramento Superior Court came unprepared and without either an operations or a divisional manager who could make decisions and answer the questions UPE has on the silent unwritten procedures the Court utilizes when they make such decisions that may violate our members' opportunities and workplace rights.
An example of a question in which the Court representatives could not answer was for them to identify specialized departments that require specialized training for a Courtroom Clerk to have knowledge of, in order to be eligible to work in said department?
A question in which they did answer when UPE asked was if the Courtroom Clerk supervisor or manager had to have the same specialized knowledge or training, this same training in which the Court was adamant that our members must possess. The Court’s response was no and their rationale was that a supervisor or manager as by virtue of their tile was eligible regardless of their knowledge or training for a “specialized department”.
Of course, this was unacceptable and was communicated as such by the UPE Executive Director!
“Sacramento Superior Court management is putting restrictive barriers in place in order to limit the Courtroom Clerks from working in particular departments and by doing so, limiting their opportunity to enhance their ability as a Courtroom Clerk to promote or transfer, and denying overtime opportunities when they should arise. They are blatantly cheating our members by making a system that will only benefit management and their chosen friends. This must be equal for all Courtroom Clerks!”
As a result of Sacramento Superior Court management not being prepared for the May 10th meeting, another meeting has been scheduled with confirmation that a manager will be present.
UPE would like to thank Lizette Sweezer-Morris, and Alexandria Mendibles for being our subject matter experts for these meetings.
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