A union representing 711 employees at the Sonoma Developmental Center is suing the state of California over its furlough policy for facilities which operate around the clock.
The policy calls for mandatory time off for state employees. Unlike the department of motor vehicles or other state offices which simply close for a day, the development center must meet minimum staffing requirements 24/7. To do so, the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians contends, its members are being denied use of furlough time they have earned.
“In a nutshell, they’re not getting the time off and they’re not getting paid,” said union spokesperson Brady Openheim.
As it applies to members of the union – who also staff prisons and state hospitals – the furlough policy is illegal, she said, as employees are working 40 hours and getting paid for 32.
The workers accrue unused furlough time, but any banked hours are set to expire on June 30.
The court case opens March 19 in Sacramento. If the union wins, the employees will likely receive back pay. Oppenheim said the governor has appealed rulings against the state in similar cases.
Oppenheim said 54 employees were laid off at the Sonoma Development Center in September. The cuts compromised the level of care at the facility while offering only illusory savings.
“The overtime shot up $840,000 the next month alone,” Oppenehim said. “It’s the perfect storm of furlough policy, budget cuts and staff reductions.”
Sonoma Developmental Center’s Psychiatric Technician Caron Ewald said the governor’s cuts are not only directly affecting Sonoma employees and fellow California taxpayers, but also clients who depend on employees to provide a safe, secure environment around the clock.
“Anytime there are staff reductions in a 24-hour facility, it means more overtime and less safety and services,” said Ewald, union president of California Association of Psychiatric Technician’s Sonoma Chapter. “These state cuts are truly hitting home at Sonoma.”
California Association of Psychiatric Technician members at Sonoma Developmental Center include psychiatric technicians, psychiatric technician assistants and senior psychiatric technicians. These licensed and certificated nursing staffers provide a broad range of medical and rehabilitative services to clients at the facility who have severe developmental disabilities.
