We marched on the boss back in June 2023. We met one-on-one with Dr. Laura Trejo – Director of LA County’s Aging & Disabilities Dept. – back in November 2023. We escalated our issues directly to the Board of Supervisors at their meeting on Feb. 6, 2024. And we repeated our case to Dr. Trejo on Feb. 29.
To reiterate, these are our demands:
- Management disbanded some special units (High-Risk Mobile ResponseTeam, Centralized Intake Unit and After-Hours Unit) without meeting and conferring with Union members to hear how this action would impact Our solution: We demand that Management bring back the disbanded units to restore those services.
- Management office requirements prohibit workers from making housecalls to clients. Our solution: We demand that Management reactivate the mobile units that keep workers in the community with closer contact with clients.
- Unmanageably high caseloads compromise the safety of the aged Our solution: We demand that Management work with the Union to recruit, retain and develop new employees.
- We also demand that Management respect the decisions of Supervisors as they relate to performanceevaluations, IR downgrades, and approval of staff time.
- We additionally demand that management adhere to the MOU and County Code.
Dr. Trejo now has committed to the following:
- To immediately cease and desist on changes in working conditions and a commitment that the department will meet with the Union as soon as possible regarding work schedules, hybrid work model and case closures;
- To cease and desist on releasing new policies or revised policies without first notifying the Union and providing an opportunity to meet;
- In the next two weeks, to make a decision on the Union’s request to allow Supervisors to downgrade IR’s, especially after normal business hours and on weekends;
- The department will meet with the Union as soon as possible on social worker retention to present its ideas and consider the Union’s ideas for a voluntary mentorship program;
- Consideration of a proposal from Supervisors on the parameters for protected time and home visits, and a response within 30 days.
In addition to these commitments, the Director committed to set up an email account to assist with IR downgrade requests/approvals (using a duty officer approach). This was a request that was made in a recent Joint-Labor Management (JLM) committee meeting, but the Director heard about the idea and wanted to act on it. The Director also agreed to attend the JLM committee meeting when possible and approved those meetings to take place in person.
For new hires, the Director committed to identify where new social workers are to be assigned at time of hire; if there are operational needs requiring a time limited reassignment, that will be communicated to employee as soon as the need is known.
The next meeting with the Director is March 28, 2024. We hope to give you more updates after that meeting.
We are determined to make our voices heard by LA County in order to ensure that the aged population served by the Aging & Disabilities Dept. receives the best services possible.
In Solidarity,
All of Us at SEIU 721
What about staffing and treatment of staff at the community centers? Severe understaffing and dreadful overworking, blatant intentional disqualification of current staff for promotions.