That’s the message the Court sent loud and clear to UPE during meetings on May 1 and May 2, 2024. On May 1, 2024, UPE met with Court Leadership at FRC to hear their plans to divide the Family Law Legal Process unit into two separate units: Family Law Legal Process (FLLP) Public Service with 19 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) and Family Law Legal Process (FLLP) Back Office Support with 10 FTEs. The Family Law Legal Process Unit currently allows 3.5 FTEs off on vacation per day. Under the new plan, FLLP Public Service will allow 2 FTEs off per day, and FLLP Back Office Support will allow 1, an overall decrease of 0.5 FTEs allowed off. At the same time, and for no operational reason, FRC plans to reduce the number of Deputy Clerks off in Family Court Services from 1.5 FTEs to 1.
Continuing the pattern, on May 2, 2024, UPE met and conferred with leadership from the Civil Division to discuss their plan to combine the Court Attendants at the Hall of Justice and GDS into one unit. Currently, there are 10 Court Attendants assigned to GDS and 2 assigned to HOJ. Downtown Court Attendants already cover for each other across the units in both HOJ and GDS. At the meeting, the Court acknowledged that they almost never have to deny vacation, given the current setup. Regardless, they wish to combine the units and reduce the total number of attendants allowed off from 3 to 2. There is no business justification. Operations are not suffering.
At both meetings, the Court justified the reductions by stating they wanted to increase consistency in the number of staff allowed off. In response, UPE requested information on how many staff are allowed off in other units. The Court did not have this information. UPE is not sure how the Court can be so sure their reductions will increase consistency when the Court itself does not know its own vacation guidelines. Nevertheless, the Court wishes to proceed forward. The Court does not have a business reason, nor can they prove they are increasing consistency. Given this, UPE is left to conclude the Court simply wants to make it harder for employees to take vacation.
UPE has not agreed to this proposal, and we continue to fight to protect our members’ ability to take vacation. UPE is concerned this is only the beginning.
UPE expresses appreciation to the governing board members, Shawn Boxer, Nancy Wallace, Andrea Howard, Tammi Boxer, Alison Saltonstall, Lizette Sweezer Morris, Christina Arcuri, Julie Valdivia, Paul McGee and UPE member Cynthia Carrillo, for participating and advocating in this meet and confer.