EDD workers share the burden with coworkers facing reduced hours
Spreading the cuts lessens the negative impact

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Seventy Local 1000 members at the Employment Development Department (EDD) stepped up to soften the blow for some of their coworkers who faced reduced hours. As a result, what would have been a major reduction in work and pay for a few people was distributed among a larger group for a much less significant negative impact.

The reduction in hours to some Permanent Intermittent (PI) employees in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) division was discussed when Local 1000 members and staff met with the EDD labor management team on June 26 to discuss continuing PI issues. The department made clear that the cuts were mandatory given the UI funding, but the voluntary actions made by permanent full time UI staff would be all that was needed to satisfy the current budget constraints. 

“Thanks to the generosity and helpfulness of 70 of our full time permanent UI members who willingly reduced their work hours, our UI PIs only had their hours reduced 5 percent rather than 25 percent,” said Joyce Wheeler-Owens, a member leader at EDD and newly-elected president of DLC 701. “It is this kind of community that makes me proud to be a union leader in the EDD team.” 

Though the selfless gesture of the members who shared the cuts is admirable, Local 1000 continues to pressure EDD about the PI issue. The department is still violating our contract by utilizing more than 20 percent PI workforce in the UI branch. The department acknowledged the compliance issues and affirmed that they will revisit additional conversions. Local 1000 continues to pursue all legal remedies to enforce our contract and will do so until EDD complies fully.