VISALIA — Wearing purple shirts and making a lot of noise with clapping “clackers” and whistles, hundreds of disgruntled Tulare County service employees assembled at the base of the Tulare County Courthouse with one thing in mind — to protest contract negotiations and collectively speak out about the escalating issues threatening the county.

“We’re trying to make a point that there’s a large portion of county employees who are underpaid,” said Steve Lloyd, a licensed social worker with Porterville Adult Mental Health Clinic. “Because of that, we have a high turnover and because of the high turnover, we are always understaffed and overstressed.”

Lloyd said many county employees qualify for food stamps and the county’s “Healthy Families” healthcare program.

“There’s something wrong when you work 40 hours a week and then have to get in line for food stamps,” Lloyd said.
It was a sentiment echoed again and again by the demonstrators.

The 600-plus crowd cheered and booed as Luisa Blue, assistant to the president of Service Employees International Unio Local 521, spoke to the crowd.

“Your elected leaders for the county make poor decisions,” Blue said as the crowd cheered. “It’s time we speak out about the problem.”
As different speakers took the microphone, the crowd continued to offer shouts of support.

Janet Baker, a nurse case manager for Tulare County and a Unit 6 Bargaining Team Member, said there was a lack of foresight by county leaders in utilizing the county’s resources properly.

“For three years straight, Tulare’s financial health has been incredible, the county budget increasing 35 percent, and reporting surpluses,” Baker said. “Our community continues to grow at a rapid rate, and that means we need to be able to accommodate new business, development and residents. Even with these surpluses, public facilities have shut down and job vacancies continue to remain open. “

One third of the county’s emergency dispatcher positions, 13 public health nurse positions and 18 child support officer positions remain vacant, she said. However, the Board of Supervisors approved a 10 percent raise for executive management and expanded the maximum salary range, Baker said.

“The board has regularly increased the county contribution to their own health insurance plans to almost $14,000. That’s almost three times the amount that the average Tulare County employee receives,” Baker said. “The county is suffering at the expense of the board’s shortsighted decisions. They are failing to invest in its resources while padding their own pockets.”

Steve Browning, a seven-year county employee, also spoke.

“As many of you here know, we are in the middle of bargaining a contract for 2,700 county workers,” Browning said. “The county initially offered us zero percent in salary increases and an additional whopping $12.50 for health care coverage. To be perfectly honest, that offer was simply a slap in the face.”

Browning said he attended a Board of Supervisors meeting on June 10 to present a unity petition, explaining that public comments begin at 9 a.m. and no other groups were on the agenda to speak during that session that day.

“We were at the session early, all of us excited about presenting our petition of more than 1,400 signatures to the Board of Supervisors,” Browning said. “However, Chairman Conway decided to make us wait for more than three hours. We didn’t have to wait, but the chairman made us because it was in her power to do so.”

The crowd booed each time a county supervisors’ name was mentioned.

“After submitting the petition to the board, management came back to the bargaining table with a 2.5 percent wage increase. I think it’s because they saw the strength in our numbers on that petition.”

Browning ended by shouting: “We aren’t going to take this anymore. It’s time for change.”

The large crowd marched, two by two, around the courthouse, chanting and making a lot of noise.

“Our contract is up June 30,” said Kerry Keeley, union representative and shop stewart for the Lindsay District for Health and Human Services. “The [negotiation] panel represents the Board of Supervisors. Eventually it will be up to them to approve the contract.”

Supervisor Mike Ennis, Dist. 5, said by telephone before the rally that he was aware of the rally and that they have been constantly working on the contract situation.

“You try to explain why you can’t give them what they want,” Ennis said. “I always tell people to look out at their community. A lot of those people are making a lot less than they used to because of the economy. How can we give county employees a raise when they are taking cuts in pay? We try to do the best we can. We can’t give it if we don’t have it.”

But until the new contract is negotiated, county employees say their future is uncertain.

“I don’t know what will happen when July 1 comes around,” Keeley said. “If nothing is resolved, we’re going to need to take further steps. I hate to say strike, but I don’t know. I am a local family girl. My family has been here since 1876. I’ve never been in a union but I believe this is still America. We need equal pay.”

-- Contact Esther Avila at 784-5000, Ext. 1047 or eavila@portervillerecorder.com.