Contact Tracing Update
August 11, 2020
On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, SEIU Local 1000 met again with CalHR and CDPH regarding the contact tracing assignments. Since the first meeting in July, our contact tracing team continues to listen to the concerns and questions raised by our members and is working diligently to mitigate the impacts caused by contact tracing assignments.
Our team submitted a comprehensive proposal that ensures employees selected are treated fairly, compensated appropriately, and are given the opportunity to succeed and thrive in not only their contact tracing assignments, but their State careers as well.
The proposal included:
- Out-of-class compensation and experience credit for employees below Staff Services Analyst and a pay differential for employees performing additional investigator duties;
- Return rights and options for employees while on contact tracing assignments;
- Career development benefits such as required performance reviews;
- Employment security, such as outsourcing prevention; and,
- Accommodations ensuring employees having everything they need for their assignment including schedules, duty statements, equipment, and ergonomic evaluations.
At the table, our team also discussed the CDPH expectations memo for contact tracing, highlighting members’ concerns and confusing phrases regarding approvals for time off, call in procedures, breaks, required response times, and schedule changes, among others. Our team pushed back, and the State agreed to review the expectations memo based on the team’s feedback and concerns.
“We understand how important contact tracing is to everyone in California. But, we are also committed to enforcing and protecting the hard fought rights and benefits of our contract.”
- Nicola Callahan, Health Facilities Evaluator Nurse, CDPH – San Bernardino
Our team awaits the State’s counter proposal as well as their revised expectations memo and will be scheduling another meeting date.