120+ Fresno County Dept. of Social Services Workers Continue Series of Protests Demanding County Administrators Take Workers’ Advocacy for Families Seriously.

Child Welfare service social workers, among other workers, in Fresno County Department of Social Services were joined by local elected officials and community allies.

Fresno County, Calif. – Over 120 Fresno County Department of Social Service (DSS) workers formed an informational picket line on their lunch break on Wednesday, September 13 to protest poor working conditions that result in poor public assistance services for foster youth, families, and community residents seeking support for food, jobs, and healthcare.

For example, the two new child welfare services buildings were solutions offered by Fresno County in 2021, Mod C and Clovis Campus Building 5, fall short of providing the best public services and support when county administrators dismiss, delay, or refuse to collaborate on best practices with DSS workers.

DSS workers’ informational picket comes off the heels of another DSS protest at Clovis Campus Building 5, where youth are processed in county custody. On Wednesday, August 30, Emergency Response held a department check-in/question and answer and workers held an impromptu silent protest with various messages and found courage to follow up with previous requests and ask for the county’s position on workers’ ideas to improve youth experience in Child Welfare Services. Administrators instead sent a scorning letter condemning the action.

Director of Social Services, Sanja Bugay and Chief Administrative Officer, Paul Nerland, are familiar with the concerns, but no concrete action or plans to substantially partner with frontline workers to improve working conditions around retention, safety, training, or providing specialized needs of foster youth have been realized.

Fresno County Social Workers Lorraine Ramirez and JaLeesah Otero, both members of SEIU Local 521 will provide almost two years to the date of disclosing the bombshell story of foster youth sleeping on concrete floors and office tables at Fresno County Child Welfare Offices. DSS workers across Medical, food stamps, and job assistance unite in demanding better working conditions. Additional community speakers include Fresno City Councilmembers Miguel Arias and Luis Chavez, who is a foster parent.

Councilmember Garry Bredefeld could not attend the event but publicly provided a statement in support of the workers who took part in the informational picket.

“There is a culture in [Fresno] County where staff workers’ concerns are being ignored and the administration and the Board of the Supervisors… turn a blind eye to these issues and ignore them. Workers are being given caseloads that are completely unmanageable, the DSS is understaffed, the working conditions are so poor they are unable to maintain staff.” Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld.

“I’ve been a foster parent for six years. I can tell you from my experience that social workers do amazing work. The trauma children go through, you are all essential and know exactly what the solutions are. What has happened to children in Fresno County care is a sad situation. This is not a people problem, this is a system problem.” Fresno Council Member Luis Arias.

“Fresno County DSS workers take every opportunity to speak up for ourselves and our families; Foster care Oversight committee, workgroups, advisory board meetings

labor management meetings, we even met with Chief Administrative Officer Paul Nerland.

The problem is that when we offer solutions, ideas, they tell us ‘thanks for raising the concern,’ or ‘we will circle back on this.’ They don’t ever circle back.” Lorraine Ramirez, Fresno County Child Welfare Social Worker III.

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