Local 521 members to protest unfair appeal process surrounding mandatory furloughs
FRESNO, CA – Roughly 500 Fresno County employees represented by SEIU Local 521 will sit for up to four hours, for four nights waiting for Fresno County Administrative Officer John Navarrette to call their name. The employees have to wait Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and possibly Tuesday, May 26th for their appeal of mandatory furlough to be heard. The County has not released any schedule or broken the appeals down by day. Just sit and wait for your name to be called for up to four nights.

John Navarrette has no respect for employees or their families,says SEIU Local 521 Regional Director Tom Abshere. Navarrette thinks he's a one-man show in Fresno County: He made the decision to furlough workers and he's going to hear their appeals. There's no concern about employees' time or their families; he expects his employees to sit around for four hours up to four separate nights over two weeks.

That's the issue that Fresno County Local 521 members will protest when they speak at the meeting Monday evening at 5 p.m.

The appeals will address the County's handling of its own Personnel Rule 12, which governs how employees must be notified of mandatory furlough. Fresno County has also violated the employees' various contracts (MOUs) by attempting to unilaterally impose mandatory furloughs.

Local 521 filed Unfair Labor Charges on Monday, May 11 with the Public Employment Relations Board for their attempt to impose mandatory furloughs. According to a letter from Local 521 Regional Director Tom Abshere, the union represents employees in Unit 2, 3, 4, 12, 22, 31 and 36. Each of these contracts is now closed until October 30, 2011. Each of these contracts contains substantial terms and conditions of employment including wages, and hours of work provisions.

With respect to Units 3, 4, 22, 31 and 36, not only are they covered by a written MOU which is now closed, but these units are also excluded from the scope of Personnel Rule 12’s "Mandatory Furlough" provisions. With respect to Units 2 and 12, the Union takes the position that insofar as the contracts for those units are now closed, and insofar as the County has not reserved any rights to impose a furlough on those units, it has no entitlements to do so.

Fresno County Mandatory Furlough Appeals
5 p.m. Monday, May 18, 2009
Fresno County Plaza
2220 Tulare St.
Downstairs Ballroom