The State Compensation Insurance Fund (State Fund) has announced that layoffs will take place, affecting employees throughout the state

"It's outrageous that we are learning about this now - just after completing a battle over jobs and work locations at State Fund," said Margarita Maldonado, Local 1000 vice president for bargaining. "It's clear that State Fund's business model isn't working and that management saw these layoffs coming, even when we were fighting to mitigate the effects of downsizing earlier this year."

With a very busy 2010 year ending, Unit 4 is looking forward to 2011 and implementing new contract!

New Information:

Local 1000 has filed a grievance to stop the Employment Development Department's (EDD) mandate that employees work outside their prescribed shifts without pay. Although "set-up and shutdown time" is paid work time under our contract, EDD has directed employees to work before and after their assigned start and end times.

Intense lobbying by Local 1000 members forced the state to extend its layoff date for employees working within the 11 building complexes considered for sale under a budget scheme by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

Local 1000 works to save jobs at DGS

Local 1000's legal team is joining the lawsuit seeking to halt the sale of state-owned buildings that would add $5.5 billion to the state's long-term debt. At the same time, preventing the sale will protect hundreds of members from layoff.

Projects must include job security, training and improved public services         

While EDD modernization is long overdue, Local 1000 has concerns over implementation and potential long-term changes for the workplace. EDD says they don't anticipate layoffs. Local 1000 will continue to monitor this situation.

EDD currently has information technology (IT) vacancies they want to fill and we can assume a significant attrition/retirement rate among other classifications.

For example, about 500 Employment Program Representatives (EPRs) and Disability Insurance Program Representatives (DIPRs) are over 60 years old. We need an upward mobility program for younger Unit 4 employees to transition to EPR and DIPR classifications as employees retire.

Several federally-funded EDD automation and new technology projects are delayed or suspended due to lack of information technology (IT) employees to do necessary front-end work. 

EDD requested an exemption from former Gov. Schwarzenegger's hiring freeze to fill 40 IT positions, but this request was denied. EDD has begun advertising vacancies in anticipation that Gov. Brown will be of a different mind-set and grant an exemption. 

Join Local 1000 representatives to discuss impacts of Employment Development Department (EDD) automation and new technology projects. EDD has a dozen projects in the works which will cost more than $445 million dollars. Implementation will be phased in over the next two years.  

Local 1000 member negotiators have reached an agreement with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) which will allow employees in the San Diego and Santa Ana offices that are closing to make a voluntary transfer to the Los Angeles Regional office with identical classification and pay.