CDCR has extended the due date of Realignment Wave 2 layoff options worksheets from August 31 to September 6, 2012.

The extension was granted due to errors in options worksheets, call volumes at the Office of Resource Planning and other problems.

The Wave 2 options worksheets must be received by the Office of Reserve Planning no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 6. Your completed worksheet can be faxed or emailed; contact information is on the worksheet you received.

Because of the short deadline, we recommend sending your completed worksheet via fax -- most fax machines provide a confirmation of transmission.

If you have any questions, please call the Member Resource Center at 866.471.SEIU (7348).

Richard Hall has been the boss & now he is happy Local 1000 'has my back' again

Richard Hall has seen both sides of union representation as a state employee - and he likes the view of the table as a Local 1000 steward the best.

After years of working as a supervising nurse in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Hall requested a demotion last year to return to work as a front-line nurse. He also quickly returned to being a steward and enjoys representation so much that in April, he was granted union leave to work full-time for the Union Resource Center's (URC) Fresno office. URC union representatives handle representation issues for members ranging from minor matters such as helping with benefit-related paperwork to major issues such as disciplinary hearings, grievances and unfair labor practice charges. 

You don't need to face your boss alone

Union win guarantees stewards & reps access to disciplinary meetings

As a result of an unfair labor practice charge pursued by Local 1000 stewards at a prison in Tracy, the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation (CDCR) has agreed to retrain managers and supervisors in the prison's case records unit.

Under the settlement agreement, the retraining will focus on guaranteeing the right of Local 1000 members to have a steward or union representative in any meeting that could lead to disciplinary action.

by Sam Stanton

Aided by a rapid decline in the state's inmate population, California prison officials are proposing a dramatic change in the way they do business and moving to take control of the system back from the federal courts.

In a plan announced Monday to close one prison, revamp others and scrap most of a $6 billion prison construction plan, officials said they will save the state billions of dollars in coming years.

"It's a massive change," Matthew Cate, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said at a Capitol news conference.

Among the proposals:

• Close the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, where about 1,200 correctional employees work and 3,900 inmates are housed.
• End contracts with out-of-state prisons and return 9,500 inmates to California by 2016.
• Eliminate about 6,400 positions.
• Halt most of a prison-expansion program, saving $4.1 billion in building costs.

Read entire article at SacBee.com >>

The state prison in Norco would be closed as part of a corrections overhaul announced Monday that would save California $1.5 billion a year.

The California Rehabilitation Center has 1,050 authorized positions with a payroll of $76.8 million and houses 3,900 inmates. Closing it would save about $160 million a year in operating costs, authorities said.

The wide-ranging reorganization plan also includes halting a $4 billion prison-construction program, and outlines the department's recommendations for ending years of federal court oversight, crowding, poor inmate medical and mental health treatment, and soaring budgets.

Read entire article at PE.com >>

by Michael B. Marois

California, which once locked up more prison inmates than any other state, may slash $4.1 billion in construction plans, reclaim inmates housed in other states and close one of its costliest facilities.

That plan would reduce general-fund spending on prisons to 7.5 percent from 11 percent, under a blueprint unveiled yesterday by Governor Jerry Brown and the Corrections and Rehabilitation Department. The $4.1 billion is part of a $7.7 billion bond plan approved in 2007 to build more prison as a way to ease crowding.

California's inmate count of about 161,000 last year was about 175 percent of capacity. The number has dropped to 138,000 after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court's order to cut the population because of inadequate health care. Brown and lawmakers shifted felons convicted of nonviolent, low-level crimes to county jails or to alternatives such as monitoring by electronic bracelets.

Read entire article at Bloomberg.com >>

Members organize to meet realignment challenges & plan for the future of corrections

CDCR bears brunt of Brown budget cuts

In the department most heavily impacted by the governor's proposed budget, Local 1000 will continue to defend the rights of our members and help state workers with all possible options.

Under Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) will cut more positions than any other agency as thousands of inmates are released from prisons, juvenile facilities are closed, and supervision of thousands of parolees is transferred to counties.

"As we go forward in realignment, we will continue to fight for our members' rights, ensure that the CDCR works more efficiently and, most importantly, protect the safety of all Californians," said Margarita Maldonado, Local 1000 vice president for bargaining.

Process, options discussed at worksite meetings

Local 1000 members at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) worksites up and down the state are attending meetings to learn more about their options as CDCR begins its multi-year realignment process.

"We are sharing with them the details of a 46-point agreement we reached with CDCR that provides more opportunities and more protections for CDCR employees," said Margarita Maldonado, Local 1000 vice president for bargaining. "It's a much more transparent process."

Download the CDCR Realignment Guide [PDF] >>