The Local 1000 meet and confer team met with the state on Oct. 27, 2011. This is the first of many meetings that the team will have to mitigate the impact of budget cuts at the Department of Justice.

The following was discussed during this meeting:

• DOJ employees who have options will receive an options letter by Nov. 1
• Not receiving an options letter DOES NOT mean you will be laid off
• When you receive your options letter, you only have 10 days to return it to the appropriate personnel
• Layoff letters have to be sent out 30 days before a layoff
  

Local 1000 is working with the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) and management at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to mitigate the impacts of budget cuts.

If you have received a State Restriction of Appointments (SROA) letter, here's what you can do to inform yourself:

What is a state restriction of appointments (SROA) notice?

In preparation for reductions at the Department of Justice, the state will send out SROA (State Restriction of Appointments) notices to all impacted DOJ employees. This notice is designed to help you find another job in state service by giving you priority for vacant positions in your geographic area; it is good for 120 days. The state usually sends notices to two-to-three times more employees than may be laid off.
 

Dear Local 1000 member:

The Department of Personnel Administration has approved DOJ's reduction plan, which addresses the $71 million cut in the Division of Law Enforcement budget. In the next few days, more than 1,100 DOJ employees will receive notices informing them that they may be impacted by the budget cuts; 400+ will be SEIU Local 1000-represented employees.

Local 1000 is working to mitigate potential reductions as the Department of Justice is forced to reduce its operating budget.

The DOJ is being forced to reduce its Division of Law Enforcement budget by $71 million. On top of that, the division will lose $30 million in various matching funds.

Attorney General Kamala Harris is seeking additional revenue streams to fill the budget gaps and keep state workers in their jobs. She says she will work with Local 1000 to do everything possible to avoid layoffs.