Santa Clara County workers agree to mediation, suspending strike and contract vote

The union representing 12,000 Santa Clara County employees has suspended a rolling strike and a membership vote on the county’s final contract offer after changing course and agreeing to enter mediation — a move it rejected before launching the labor actions.

On Thursday, leaders for Service Employees International Union Local 521 signed an agreement to try the mediation route for at least 30 days, according to county CEO Jeff Smith. Mediation involves a neutral third party moderating the negotiations.

In a statement Monday afternoon, SEIU chapter president Janet Diaz said the union is prepared to resume the strike, which took place 10 days last month, if the two sides can’t reach a settlement.

“Our bargaining team believes that the Board of Supervisors and County would not have made this move if they didn’t want to reach a fair settlement. We are committed to working towards reaching a successful resolution during this mediation,” Diaz said.

The county had requested the union enter into mediation before the strike began on Oct. 2.

SEIU’s announcement of the mediation Monday came a day before its members were expected to wrap up voting on the county’s final contract offer.

The county’s latest offer included the same salary offer as its previous one — annual raises of 3 percent over five years, plus additional increases for certain workers — but omits a requirement that workers contribute 2 percent more to their health care premiums.

SEIU represents almost half of the county’s workforce, including cooks, janitors, clerical staff, social workers, engineers and psychologists. Besides general salary increases, the county also offered to give employees in certain positions additional hikes ranging from 0.25% for account clerks to 9.75% for dialysis technicians.

The county has estimated the union’s salary demands would cost about twice as much as the package it’s offering, an unsustainable amount if an economy that has fueled revenue growth over the last several years slows down, as some experts anticipate.

The union on Oct. 2 began a series of walkouts that targeted different departments each day. The strike was paused for several days after a planned blackout by PG&E in early October and has not resumed since members began voting on the county’s offer Oct. 22.

The strike is based on unfair labor practice complaints filed by the union with the state, which focus on restructuring within the Department of Family and Children’s Services, a decision to relocate a Family Resource Center in East San Jose to a county campus on Julian Street, and safety issues related to housing children who have been removed from their homes at the Receiving, Assessment and Intake Center.

County supervisors have since postponed the relocation of the Family Resource Center and asked staff to look for other potential sites nearby. Supervisor Dave Cortese has indicated he’ll seek a moratorium Tuesday on housing children at the Receiving, Assessment and Intake Center.

Meanwhile, Francesca LeRue, director of the Department of Family and Children’s Services, was recently placed on paid administrative leave, Smith confirmed. There has been speculation she was fired or put on leave as a result of issues publicized during the strike.

In its press release Monday announcing the decision to enter into mediation, SEIU said LeRue “led the relocation effort” of the Family Resource Center and other changes within the department that make up the basis of the labor complaint.

Smith declined to elaborate on the reason for LeRue’s paid leave and whether it’s related to the strike, citing confidentiality rules regarding personnel issues.

Employees of the Department of Family and Children’s Services received an email Oct. 24 from Assistant Director Daniel Little about “uncertainty in DFCS leadership.”

Little wrote: “As is our standard practice in the Director’s office, during periods of personal leave I have full authority to make decisions regarding operations. I hope this provides some clarification as to the ability for our agency to continue to move forward while Francesca is out.”

LeRue, contacted by phone Monday, did not want to comment.

Share this: Print

View more on The Mercury News