Winning for Our Children, Families and Communities
For six days, LA County Children’s Social Workers stood strong on the strike lines–we protested, rallied and some of us even got arrested in the name of child safety. It worked.
When the Supervisors saw the incredible solidarity of our members on the street, they understood the importance of lowering caseloads and hiring additional CSW’s and they knew they had to act. The Board asked a mediator to ask us to come back to the table.
And we said yes.
Two days later, we won huge gains for LA County’s most vulnerable children.
Here are some highlights:
450 More Children’s Social Workers by Oct. 1
This is the net increase. The County will hire behind all CSWs who leave County Service. The total number of CSWs hired will exceed 600, or 50 per month during the first year of the agreement!
Enforceable Caseload Goals Below Yardstick
The County agreed to meet CSW’s caseload goals based on the hiring plan.
Educational Based Discipline
The County agreed to end the climate of fear and instead educate workers for policy violations.
Less Paperwork, More Social Work
The County agreed to decrease policies by 25% in the next 6 months.
Mobile Worker Program
The County agreed to give CSWs more flexibility in how they do their jobs.
“It wasn’t easy, but we made history. Because we put it on the line, the County accepted our Child Safety Now plan. That’s a victory for us and for the children we serve.”
–Chychy Ekeochah, LA County CSW and Chair of the CSW Bargaining Team
DPSS UPDATE
On Friday, Dec. 13, we expect DPSS workers reached an agreement. Management dropped its proposals for mandatory night shifts and unilateral changes to assignments and workloads.
Download a victory flyer to post at your worksite.
Workplace Retaliation? Tell SEIU 721. If you have experienced workplace retaliation as a result of your strike participation, contact your worksite organizer or call the SEIU 721 Member Connection: (877) 721-4YOU.
If you have experienced workplace retaliation as a result of your strike participation, contact your worksite organizer or call the SEIU 721 Member Connection: (877) 721-4YOU.
Are the CSW raises retroactive to October 1st?
When do they actually have to lower my caseload? Currently it is 45 and did they do away with CAP when calculating caseloads?
What is the difference between mobile worker and telecommuting?
Join the discussion..Mobile work is a CSW actually working from home and visiting the SCSW to case conference monthly and attending the region’s monthly meeting. Telecommuting is taking one day to complete your home calls, paperwork and court reports at home. It is intended for the CSW to telecommute once per week, but that depends on your individual SCSW..
Great victory !!! I am now a former DCFS employee, however I just heard today on 1070 am radio that the Los Angeles population is now at 20 million. I hope that DCFS can continue to see positive changes regarding the hiring of these new workers so that their able to accommodate to the population in a sufficient non-hectic manner.
What kind of raise did we get?
Jeanine Mercer
Shop Steward
SEIU 721
I want to thank Larry Golan, who fought behind the scenes and was critical in getting valid data to the Bargin Team throughout the negotiation period which led to contract language protection, keeping caseload yardstick and cap numbers from being raised, and for educational based discipline which is fruitful vs. negative and fear based. Additionally, for those who were part of the Bargin Team that spent their own time through this ardurous process, we the line staff of LA County DCFS say thank you! As we are ethical, conscientious, employees who just could not keep up any longer, as it… Read more »
As a social worker and a pessimist by nature, I am glad to hear an agreement has been met. Im proud of those who bargained for our gains and the union that has supported us. Good job!!!!
THank you SEIU. THANK you to all of us. It seems management has continued to hold onto the principles in “The Art of War” which was literally handed out to them many years ago by a Director at the time, and that those principles have survived even through several “kindler, gentler” directors. It’s time for administration to quit treating social workers like the enemy and give us some support. Retaliation can be very subtle. I urge all my fellow CSWs to report ALL instances of retaliation in the coming weeks for the sake of all of us.
What’s going on with 721 custodians strick?
For dpss. How is our contact looking? And what was our proposed raise and did we reach a agreement with the percent negotiated?
Congrats to LA County Social Workers! You fought a hard battle but in the end it is the children who have won! Wish I were there working with you all instead of Ohio looking for a Social Work job! Good luck to you all and maybe one day I will be there working with you all. I should have stayed in CA after earning my MSW at APU!
Dot Walsh, MSW, LSW
What about our raises! I work for parks and rec…
We haven’t heard anything?
The agreement is exactly the same as the County as proposing BEFORE the strike. So, what did we gain?