A series of Joint Labor-Management Committee meetings between DDS officials and various labor organizations is ongoing in an effort to share accurate information about the closure process. ACSS representative Tom Considine has been present at those meetings; ACSS President Tim Behrens also recently met with DDS Labor Relations Chief Brad Louie to discuss our members’ position on employment options after closure. At that meeting Mr. Louie indicated that excluded employees would be afforded the same general protections that have been offered to rank and file employees in recently concluded MOU’s.

At the most recent Labor-Management meeting on November 26, the projected closure date of June 30, 2008 was re-affirmed. Seniority surveys, for the purpose of assigning seniority scores, have already been sent out; employees are strongly encouraged to complete and return those forms. Agnews administrators and DDS officials announced it is anticipated that notice of layoff, SROA and reemployment lists would be forthcoming in “2 or 3 weeks."

Detailed information about the layoff process is available on the DPA website, www.dpa.ca.gov.

ACSS expects to meet with DDS officials once the formal layoff announcement is made to us. We will continue to update our members at Agnews as developments warrant. Anyone with specific questions, concerns or suggestions is encouraged to contact Tom Considine at 805.895.2910, or call ACSS at 1.800.624.2137.

by Tom Considine, ACSS Labor Rep
December 3, 2007