EDD Workforce Service Branch (WSB) Office Reopening for Appointments

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Our Union team met again with the Employment Development Department (EDD) regarding the plan to reopen certain WSB offices up for in-person service by appointment.

We were pleased to hear that the Department had taken meaningful steps to address security concerns raised by our members and that decisions had been made that some offices weren’t ready to open. It was also good to hear that offices will not be open to serve the public until all safety measures are fully installed and operational. However, our team believes that there is more work to be done to ensure that all safety and security measures are met before serving clients in person.

Our team’s main concerns were that the Department was not requiring a specific safety and security plan from each worksite, and we discussed at length why it is critically important that each worksite had instructions in writing beyond just the statewide opening guidance already on the Department intranet. After our conversation, we have seen some movement within the Department with drafting these plans, which we hope continues.

The team also shared lingering concerns about security of employees at offices in light of recent threatening behavior from the public, and we were glad to hear that these security concerns are being taken seriously enough to impact which offices are opened.

Employees will be given worksite-specific information about the in-person service on the first day they rotate back into the office and should feel comfortable asking for the information in writing if they want to have it as a reference.  

We will continue to meet with the Department as the resumption of in-person services at the WSB are rolled out so that we can address employee concerns as they arise and make necessary adjustments to how these services are being delivered. We encourage you to raise any concerns you have about this rollout to your Job Stewards, your Unit Chair or direct them tounit1@seiu1000.org Please also be on the lookout for additional information about ways to stay engaged and get involved in activities about this issue as the roll out continues.