Agreement Reached to Mitigate the Impacts of CCC/Susanville Closure

A Local 1000 Bargaining Team—made up of a number of directly impacted employees and the Bargaining Unit Chairs for those Units— have reached an agreement with the State outlining the process, eligibility and support that our represented employees will have if they choose to participate in the Voluntary Transfer Process (VTP) in advance of the June 20, 2023 closure of the California Correctional Facility (CCC) in Susanville.

We are still in negotiations as to the amount of the relocation support payment that SEIU Local 1000 represented employees will receive if they opt to relocate as part of the VTP. Throughout our negotiations the state consistently has offered only $1,500 for this payment. Our Team believes that amount is not sufficient for the needs of impacted employees and are fighting for more money for those employees who choose to relocate.

Employees at both CCC and High Desert State Prison in most classifications will be eligible to participate in VTP. Some classifications are ineligible, because the impact on those classifications is not only mitigated, but if employees were to transfer out then there would be unfillable vacancies.

In addition to offering in-person, out-of-county vacancies being offered, vacancies in positions that can be performed by telework will also be offered. Those positions will be subject to the provisions of the statewide telework guidance and departmental guidance.

To accommodate those, telework vacancies, the department is establishing a local workspace in Lassen County that employees can use as “hoteling” workstations if they would otherwise be disqualified from, or unable to, telework.

While most positions awarded through VTP will be within an employee’s current hiring authority of either CDCR or CCHCS, packets will also include the option for participants to request to be transferred to positions at the other hiring authority if their initial placement is unsuccessful.

We also secured language to support employees in the event that they transfer to an institution that is the next announced for closure. This language gives employees a few different options in that instance, including the ability to revoke the award in certain circumstances.

Beyond these highlighted provisions, there are other employee rights secured in this agreement, and we will be posting a signed copy in the next few days.

VTP packets are due to be distributed on Monday, October 31, 2022, and employees will have until Friday, November 18, 2022, to return them.

Because the relocation support payment is still under negotiation, we do encourage employees considering VTP participation to bear that in mind as they complete their packets, it may be wise to make your final participation determination only after the amount of that payment is secured.

This agreement goes a long way in protecting the rights of our represented employees and we’re committed to continuing to fight for better support for our impacted employees throughout the entire process

We will be holding informational sessions via Zoom on Wednesday, November 2, and Friday November 4, 2022. These meetings will be an opportunity to ask questions about the agreement, VTP and any concerns about the closure generally. We encourage you to keep an eye on this web page for additional information about these meetings. Meeting information will also be sent out via email so we encourage you to sign up to receive these emails.

FAQ’s regarding this agreement will also posted to this page, and we encourage anyone who has further questions to contact CCCClosure@seiu1000.org