Q. What is VTP?
A. VTP is a Voluntary Transfer Process that the California
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and its
division – California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS)
use as part of the institutional closure procedures. VTP allows
employees who may otherwise be at risk of going through the
layoff process to select a vacant position elsewhere.
Q. Who is eligible to participate in VTP?
A. All employees at California City Correctional Facility (CAC)
from both CDCR and CCHCS as well as CCHCS employees at California
Men’s Colony (CIM) in the Dental Assistant and Laboratory
Assistant classifications.
Q. What positions are available in VTP?
A. Vacant positions statewide in CDCR or CCHCS. All available
positions will be located outside of Kern and Riverside counties.
Q. Why can’t I transfer to somewhere inside Kern
County?
A. The goal of VTP is to remove as many employees as possible
from the area impacted by the State Restrictions of Appointment
(SROA) process. If employees transferred into positions within
Kern County, they would remain in the area of layoff.
Q. Why can’t I transfer to somewhere inside Riverside
County?
A. Chuckawalla Valley State Prison is slated for closure in March
2025 meaning that this process will be carried out in Riverside
County related to that closure in the coming year. If employees
transferred into positions within Riverside County, they would
remain in the area of layoff for that later closure and would run
counter to the goal of removing employees from the layoff
process.
Q. Why are Laboratory Assistants and Dental Assistants at
CMC included in this process?
A. CMC will have one of the West Yards deactivated
Q. What positions can I transfer to during VTP?
A. Any position for which you have held permanent status at CDCR
or CCHCS – either for your current position or a position for
which you have a mandatory right of return. The position must
also be the same time base as your current time base. (For
example, if you are permanent, full-time, you would transfer to a
permanent, full-time position. If you are a permanent
intermittent, you would transfer to a permanent-intermittent
position.)
Q. I’m in a Limited Term position right now. Can I
participate in VTP?
A. If you have a right to return to a permanent position at the
impacted facilities, you will be able to participate in VTP as
related to that permanent position previously held. If you do not
have permanent status in any classification, then you will not
qualify to participate in VTP.
Q. Will the only positions offered during VTP be at other
institutions?
A. No. Vacant positions at CDCR and CCHCS headquarters and
regional offices will also be offered.
Q. What happens if another institution (besides CVSP) is
announced as slated for closure during the VTP?
A. While the Department doesn’t anticipate closing an additional
institution besides CVSP, our Union negotiated protections for
our represented employees, noting that if an employee uses VTP to
transfer to an institution that is later slated for closure,
those employees who transferred through this process will have
the right to have the first pick in the VTP phase of the later
closure that will continue until one year from the date of the
closure of CAC.
Q. What support can I receive if I have to move to take a
new position?
A. We have negotiated a one-time payment of $1,500 for employees
who are relocating more than 50 miles from their current
residence. We also have negotiated for employees to have
Administrative Time Off (ATO) that they can utilize to make
arrangements for their relocation.
Q. When will I know what new position I am
awarded?
A. The departments plan to inform employees of their award by
September 1, 2023. Some employees may learn of their award
sooner.
Q. Will my transfer be immediate?
A. The timing of your transfer will depend on the staffing needs
at the facilities. When you are informed of the position that you
have been awarded, you will also receive the effective date of
your transfer. If the transfer requires that you relocate your
residence, you will receive at least 30 days’ notice and up to 45
day’s-notice of your report date for your new work location. You
also are able to mutually agree with your current supervisor and
your new supervisor to make your report date earlier.
Q. What happens if I’m in the process of moving and the
Department changes my transfer date?
A. Per our negotiated agreement, the Department will not
move an employee’s transfer date if that employee has already
suffered costs related to moving.
Q. Why does my VTP packet have information about other
employee seniority scores in Kern County?
A. Our Union wants to ensure that all employees have all the
relevant information in front of them to make their decision
about participating in VTP or not. Having access to seniority
scores for other Kern County employees will allow employees to
get a broad sense of where their seniority would put them if they
were to go through the SROA process.
Q. What happens if I don’t want to participate in
VTP?
A. You will then be placed into the SROA process related to the
closure.