“We don’t have a problem with someone getting paid what is right for their classification. The problem was with the amount and with the timing,” Santa Barbara Chapter President Rey Ybarra told a local TV station reporter.
SEIU 721 Santa Barbara Workers just saw the first of their slashed paychecks this month after the Board unfairly imposed terms and conditions on them in December 2011. These deep paycheck cuts have already started forcing members to shift their lives and will eventually cascade to their clients since part of the cuts came in the form of 40 hours of furlough time.
Most of the Santa Barbara County members are social workers, eligibility workers and employment specialists, working with the most vulnerable populations in the County. And now, they too are inching closer to needing those same services.
After some discussion and community comments, the Board eventually stripped out the part of the resolution that would have given the Board the power to grant a larger than 25% raise to County executives. However, the vote to give the Chief Probation Officer an 8.6% promotional salary increase passed by 3 to 1 vote with one abstention.
Members held a news conference after the vote to voice their concerns. The following is coverage provided by KEYT, the ABC affiliate in Santa Barbara County. See the full article on the KEYT site.
January 31, 2012 Rally in Santa Maria
Santa Barbara County members continue to hold the Board accountable for its unjust move to impose terms and conditions with an action on Jan. 31, 2012 in Santa Maria. Members from Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties will join in solidarity at a unity rally at the Betteravia Government Center.
Date: Jan. 31, 2012
Time: 11 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Betteravia Government Center, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria
If you are interested in going to the rally please RSVP with your worksite organizer. Tri-Counties members can RSVP at the union office in Ventura at 805-650-4420. Transportation will be available from the Ventura office at 2472 Eastman Ave., Ste #30, Ventura, CA, departing at 8:30 a.m. and will return at 4 p.m.
Note: Members will need to take a day off to attend the action.
Are you ready to stand up for Santa Barbara County workers and the community they serve?
JANUARY 31 Action Santa Maria SEIU721
Related Links:
- Union Workers Upset at Pay Raise for County Official (KEYT, ABC Santa Barbara)
- Union protests administrator’s pay raise (Santa Barbara News-Press, requires payment to view full article)
- Raise for chief probation officer raises eyebrows (The Santa Ynez Valley Journal)