CFS Update: Feb. 27, 2024

Dear OCEA CFS member,

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our recent membership meeting for SSWs and SSSSs. At the meeting we: provided an update on the CFS Social Worker LMC; discussed the meet and confer process; and provided updates on the ongoing "Term Limits & Rotation Practice" and "Alternative Flex Days" meet and confers with SSA executive leadership.

CFS Social Worker LMC

As a reminder, the CFS Social Worker LMC replaced the former CFS Caseload Management Forum in October 2023. The LMC is a space where workplace leaders can each month bring your concerns to management. The committee is a collaborative partnership between OCEA members, OCEA labor relations staff, and CFS management. The objective is to achieve division-wide goals, propose improvements to workplace processes, and resolve broad workplace issues. We are currently focused on global CFS improvements, including recruitment and retention strategies.

Your LMC representatives, allocated by Division, are:

Continuing Family Services Division
SSW Vickie Vonnahme
SSSS Donny Simpson

Family Assessment & Shelter Services Division
SSW Sheila Mecado
SSSS Susan Chisholm

Intervention & Prevention Services Division
SSW Breeze Jeffries
SSSS Stefanie Braum

Planning & Permanency Services Division
SSW Amy Fontenot
(Vacant SSSS Position)

SWII Contact
SWII Jonathan Garcia

Please feel free to reach out to your respective representatives with any questions or proposed discussion items and solutions.

Meet and Confer Process

As required by California law, management must provide reasonable advance written notice to an employee organization whenever it intends to implement a rule or workplace change that will likely have a substantial impact on working conditions, including wages, benefits, or job security of employees in the relevant department or bargaining unit. At OCEA's request, management has the obligation to meet and confer regarding the matter prior to any implementation.

Term Limits & Rotation Practice

We are currently engaging in the meet and confer process with CFS Leadership over its pending "Term Limits & Rotation Practice."  Prior updates regarding this issue can be found here and here.

Additional updates include:

• Former CFS Deputy Director Ken Santini has returned from retirement to work on this practice/policy. This indicates some agency seriousness about implementation, which management representatives have only generally communicated may be in "Spring" of this year.

• SSWs were invited to participate in a Focus Group conducted by CFS Leadership on January 17, 2024. OCEA was permitted to select two SSWs to attend. We sent SSW Melissa Pena and SSW Breeze Jeffries. Melissa is a seasoned worker with experience in multiple assignments. She is currently in a non-case carrying assignment. Breeze was hired into Emergency Response, where she has served for over 3 years.

• SSWs who expressed an interest but were not selected to participate in the Focus Group were sent anonymous surveys complete. The survey asked:

• Please share your thoughts about how a SSW Term Limits & Rotation Practice that is data informed and takes into account "seniority in current assignment" to drive rotations across CFS programs may positively impact staff and core service delivery by staff.
• Please share your thoughts about how the SSW Term Limits & Rotation Practice may negatively impact staff and core service delivery.
• Please share any thoughts you have around what you would like to see in regard to this new SSW Term Limits & Rotation Practice.
• Is there any additional input you would like to share about the SSW Term Limits & Rotation Practice?

• We have requested the results of the Focus Group and surveys from CFS leadership and are awaiting receipt of the information.

• Focus Group and survey participants shared a concern OCEA has consistently voiced: it is extremely difficult to discuss positive or negative impacts of a proposed practice when management has provided few if any details about what it might entail.

• Ken Santini has said CFS managers were provided a full review of the CFS Term Limits & Rotation Practices draft proposal on Feb. 5, 2024. A meeting between CFS leadership and OCEA was scheduled for Feb. 13, 2024.
  
  
• Management presented a very brief outline of the plan at the Feb. 13 meeting. The information provided was not enough to determine the impact to members or get a clear picture of how implementation would work. We explained the lack of detail limited our ability to provide any meaningful feedback. We left the meeting without any significant clarity regarding the proposed changes and potential impacts. We did submit some preliminary questions based on what was shared. We also referred leadership back to the questions you all submitted in Fall 2023 (as many still apply).

We await management’s responses and will update you as we learn more. Please also contact us if you hear any pertinent information or have general suggestions/concerns.

Alternative Flex Days

We have completed the meet and confer process with SSA Executive Leadership over their decision to eliminate alternative flex days. This change in practice was never communicated to OCEA or employees. We were informed of the change by CFS members who attempted to switch their flex day during the holidays last year and were ultimately denied by payroll.

OCEA met with SSA Chief Deputy Director Veronica Rodriguez Jan. 24, 2024, to discuss the decision and implementation. The Chief Deputy Director apologized for the lack of communication. She explained the decision was made prior to her employment. She clarified the change is specific to SSA (not County-wide). She attributed the change to a "business need." She confirmed the change went into effect in November 2023. As this decision is a management right, we were only permitted to ask clarifying questions and discuss impact concerns. We also offered feedback and suggestions.

Following the meeting, we received notice that SSA considered our feedback and determined employees will continue to be allowed to request an alternate flex day at this time. This is a great example of the power of this process! Please let us know if you are still getting pushback (from payroll or your chain of command) with these requests so we can assist accordingly.

Please continue to bring issues forward as you see them. It’s not safe to assume we already know of an issue in your workplace unless you bring it to our attention, and never trust information about OCEA’s position on an issue unless it comes directly from OCEA.

Thank you to all SSA CFS members who have been a part of these processes and continue to stay informed and active in your union!

In Solidarity,

Kerensa Schupmann
OCEA Labor Relations Representative

Publication Date: February 27, 2024