Workers Given One Weekend to Make Career-Altering Decisions as Critical Integrated Care Program Faces Elimination
Santa Clara County, Calif — County workers facing layoffs are being forced into a rushed bidding process without the finalized list of authorized and available positions, without proper training, and without adequate time to consult their union, all while the County moves to dismantle a vital care program serving medically fragile residents.
“Working families should not have to pay the price for reckless federal funding cuts,” said Andre Thomas, SEIU 521 Chapter President and County Senior Paralegal. “Proposed layoffs threaten essential services our communities rely on every day. Our members are ready to partner with county leaders on creative, responsible solutions that protect jobs and prevent disruptions to critical services. We urge full transparency throughout this process and a genuine commitment to solutions. We’ve already shown what that looks like by helping spearhead Measure A to backfill essential funding in response to Trump’s attacks on public services. Layoffs should be the last resort, not the first response.”
Last week, the County announced that impacted employees must bid on new positions Monday and Tuesday, providing essentially one weekend to make life-changing decisions. Workers were told they would receive a finalized vacancy list – that didn’t arrive until Friday, February 20 at 5:20 p.m. with the bidding starting on Monday, February 23.
At the same time, the County excluded SEIU Local 521 from layoff training provided to some staff, promising a separate session for union-represented employees. That training has not yet occurred and is now scheduled after the bidding process concludes.
Workers are also raising concerns that the County is refusing to properly follow established seniority protections outlined in the union contract.
“These are not abstract policy decisions, these are people’s livelihoods and essential public services families rely on,” said Lilia Jacobo, a Senior Health Services Representative with the County Health System. “You cannot ask workers to gamble their careers over a single weekend without complete information and without respecting the contract. Fiscal responsibility does not require abandoning fairness.”
Compounding concerns, the County is moving to eliminate the Integrated Care Team (ICT), a program that serves medically fragile and psychiatrically complex residents who rely on coordinated medical, mental health, custody, and housing support. No current program replicates that integrated structure. Workers warn that eliminating the program without an operational replacement will increase emergency room visits, psychiatric hospitalizations, and system cycling, ultimately increasing costs rather than reducing them.
SEIU Local 521 members are calling on the Board of Supervisors to:
- Provide the finalized, authorized vacancy list before any bidding occurs
- Allow two weeks for impacted workers to review options and consult their union
- Adhere to established seniority and contractual protections
- Halt dismantling of the Integrated Care Team until a viable operational replacement exists
Budget challenges require difficult decisions. Rushed timelines, bypassing contractual protections, and dismantling programs that prevent downstream costs are choices, not inevitabilities.
WHO: Impacted County workers represented by SEIU Local 521, community supporters
WHAT: Public comment urging delay of rushed layoff bidding process, and impacts on residents
WHEN: Tuesday, February 24, 2026 – 9am
WHERE: County Administrative Building – 70 West Hedding – 1st Floor Board of Supervisors Chamber
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Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents 72,000 public- and nonprofit, private-sector workers in California’s Bay Area, the Central Coast, and in the Central Valley. Under a Community First vision, we are committed to making sure the needs of our community, and the vital services we provide our community, come first. We believe our communities thrive when residents, leaders and workers recognize that we are all in this together when it comes to our safety, health, and well-being.
