UPE Featured in the Sacramento News & Review!     Read how UPE steps in to advocate for members when they need them the most.   Click here to read more.

Know Your Rights It is imperative that you know your employee rights in order to ensure equal treatment and fairness in the workplace. As a public employee, you have rights that are granted through your union contract, state and federal law, and workplace policies. UPE's staff and member-leaders have fought tirelessly throughout the years to expand and protect these rights. Some of these rights include proper representation during an investigatory meeting pertaining to a disciplinary matter. Your rights to Family Medical Leave Act, American Disabilities Act and sick/vacation leave request/usage. A change of policy that impacts your current working conditions prescribed under the MOU and or government code. All of this matters and we will educate you through this process. To that end, we are developing a series of short, easy-to-read summaries of many of your employment rights. More summaries will be added to this website over the coming months. Always feel free to ask your Steward and or your Business Representative about your employment rights and how they apply to your specific circumstances. In most cases, your employer is not required to inform you of your rights. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

2021 UPE Members of the Month!   UPE Recognizes & Appreciates Your Support! 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter  4th Quarter  OCTOBER: Anna Miller, Elsa Mason, Gretchen Stevenson, Ashley McGuiness, Ashley Fox, Ashna Prasad, Ellen Cehand, Sunday Hicks

008 ARPA Negotiations Update      Your UPE Negotiations Team met with the County on November 8, 2021, to receive their counter-proposal regarding ARPA funds. A copy of their proposal, which contains a number of eligibility criteria, is attached below. The County is offering a one-time payment of $1500 to workers based on certain criteria.  For those workers not meeting these criteria the County is offering 40 hours of time off (cannot be cashed out).  County negotiators stated the same proposal has or will be offered to all other represented employee organizations.         Your Negotiations Team believes this proposal does not adequately compensate our workers for their continued sacrifices during the pandemic.  Our workers have kept essential services running during one of the most challenging times in our Nation’s history.  Our workers deserve better from their employer.  UPE made a number of information requests and is planning to make a counteroffer at our next meeting in the coming weeks.  COUNTY Proposal to UPE

Meet and Confer Update 008 711 G St. Outstation Assignment      UPE and DHA met and conferred on November 2, 2021, over the Department’s plan to send an HSS worker to 711 G St. once a week to provide MACFGA intake services for clients participating in a Court diversion program.  The work will be similar to the services provided by DHA workers at Loaves and Fishes.  UPE asked a number of questions about the working conditions at the new location, including whether there was an onsite supervisor, what were the location’s COVID protocols, what security was in place at the location, whether there were panic buttons in the interview space, what other organizations are sharing the space, and what are the protocols for sharing information between groups participating in the program.  Unfortunately, the Department continued their pattern of coming to the meeting unprepared to answer our questions.  Another meeting is scheduled for 11/15/21 to hopefully receive answers to these important questions.

Meet & Confer Update CPSU Medication Distribution October 28, 2021      UPE and DCFAS continue to meet over the Departments' intent to return medication disbursement duties to the CPSU Social Workers and Supervisors. Once again, UPE reiterated our position that this duty is best suited for a medical professional. The Department disagreed. Despite our objections, the Department is unwilling to move on their position and believes that assigning this duty to a medical professional is not necessary. Rather, medication distribution should remain with the Social Workers and their Supervisors.       Therefore, in order to mitigate, UPE made another wage proposal of a 7.5% differential for Social Workers assigned at CPSU and countered their hold harmless language with language that protects our members from disciplinary action for twelve months due to potential errors and omissions that may occur in the course of facilitating this duty. The Department rejected our wage proposal and countered our hold harmless language.      UPE will review the Departments' counter proposal and respond accordingly at our next meeting later this month. Thank you to our members Eric Booker, Sarah Singleton, Jeannine Lopez, and Sarah Craven for their advocacy.

Meet and Confer Update 008 Return of Face-to-Face Cal-Works RRRs 11/16/21      On November 16, 2021, UPE met with DHA representatives regarding the Department’s plan to resume scheduling face-to-face renewal appointments at open lobby bureaus. These appointments are only for clients without phone numbers on file.  All other clients will continue to have their renewals scheduled over the phone. Cal-Works Service Center staff out-stationed to the open lobbies will perform the renewals as they did pre-pandemic. The Department anticipates only a small number of these appointments each month.  For example, in December, there are only ten appoints in the Department.      UPE questioned the Department about why the appointments are resuming.  When the lobbies reopened, the Department stated that clients without phone numbers began returning to the lobbies asking to complete face-to-face renewals.  The Department needs to begin scheduling again in order to stop them from coming to the lobbies.  UPE ensured that staff would be able to place clients in a separate interview booth and complete the renewal over the phone.  All other procedures relating to walk-in clients seeking RRR’s should revert to the pre-pandemic practice of referring those without appointments to the Service Center phones.  If staff encounter any issues, please reach out to UPE.      The Department also intends to select 3-4 volunteers from the Service Center to work temporarily at the Research and North Highlands Bureaus.  These bureaus are without out-stationed service center staff due to telework or LOA.  The volunteers will be selected based on seniority for a two-month assignment beginning in December 2021.  The assignment may be extended by a month or two based on business needs.  If an extension is needed, the Department will ask those already serving if they wish to continue before offering to other volunteers.

005 ARPA Negotiations Update      On November 10, 2021, your UPE 005 Negotiations Team met with the County to receive their counter-proposal regarding ARPA funds. A copy of their proposal, which contains a number of eligibility criteria, is attached below. The County is offering a one-time payment of $1500 to workers based on certain criteria.  For those workers not meeting these criteria the County is offering 40 hours of time off (cannot be cashed out).  County negotiators stated the same proposal has or will be offered to all other represented employee organizations.        UPE let the County know their proposal does not sufficiently compensate our workers for the sacrifices they have made during the pandemic. Our 005 workers are the frontline workers who helped ensure essential services continued during this critical and unprecedented time. This is not what we expected. Our workers deserve better from their employer. The County must recognize our workers continued efforts and sacrifices. UPE made a number of information requests in preparation for our next meeting where we will offer a counter-proposal. The parties are expected to meet again in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. COUNTY Proposal to UPE

Meet & Confer Update DHA – 005 & 008 LOA & FMLA Changes      UPE met with representatives from DHA and DPS on November 8, 2021, to discuss changes to the administration of leaves of absence and FMLA. DHA is changing its practice to come in line with Countywide policy and practice.  In particular, the Department plans to require workers to use all leave balances prior to placing them on LWOP status.  Previously, the Department would mark workers as LWOP if they were out sick but did not have sick leave balances unless they were on a protected leave like FMLA.  The Department would not allow workers to use their vacation balances, holiday in lieu, or CTO to replace sick leave. This is now changing.  Workers who are out of sick leave will be required to use their other balances before recording LWOP.  This is already the practice in every other Department in the County.  UPE sees this as a positive change for our members as many workers have low sick leave balances due to the ongoing pandemic.  Allowing workers to use vacation will help workers avoid LWOP.      The Department also presented a second change to align with County policy.  Currently, if employees are on SDI or Paid Family Leave (PFL), the Department does not require them to use their leave balances before being placed on LOA.  Under the new policy... Continue Reading...