Tulare County employees working without a contract

For more than a week, Tulare County employees have been working without a contract.

But that may change soon and the 2,700 disgruntled employees, whose contract expired June 30, say they are ready to picket if a new contract is not negotiated.

“We’ll be picketing at different job sites around Tulare County,” county employee Rose Clark said today. “We’ll have signs and we’re going to picket on breaks and lunch. It is our way of letting the community know what is going on.”

Calls to Tulare County Human Resources Director Tim Huntley were not returned as of deadline.

Sam Shaw, communication specialist for SEIU — Service Employee International Union — Local 521, said the informational picket is scheduled Aug. 5.

“Essentially, we have TC employees at quite a few sites,” Shaw said today. “They’ll be handing out information and talking to the community about specifics in their department and about things going on with the contract negotiations.”

The county has worked with other Tulare County employee associations to improve their wages and benefits. Shaw said the Tulare County Deputy Sheriff’s Association received a 21 percent increase in wages for three years and up to $11,000 in employer health care contributions.

“We’re not asking for that much, that would be unheard of,” Shaw said. “We’re looking at a 10 percent increase.”

Until that happens, Shaw said, everything is business as usual.

“Work will continue as usual for Tulare County employees,” Shaw said. “The worker-elected bargaining team [will continue] meeting with county management on a weekly basis to develop a contract that is comparable to surrounding counties in wage and benefits.”

Shaw said Tulare County’s budget has jumped 35 percent in three years, reporting surpluses each time. Despite good financial health, he said county services continue to deteriorate. Even so, he said the Board of Supervisors granted up to 10 percent salary raises and restructured salary caps for executive management, and in addition, increased their own health care contributions to $14,000, while offering county employees no salary increase and only an additional $12.50 for health care coverage.

“To be perfectly honest, that offer was a slap in the face,” seven-year employee Steve Browning said today.

Union representative Kerry Keeley agreed.

“It’s awful. The things we have proposed, they said no,” Keeley said. “They have a freeze on everything on our contract.”

In the meantime, Tulare County employees overwhelmingly voted, by a count of 405 to 5, to continue bargaining without a contract.

The voting took place on July 2 and 3 in Porterville and Visalia and comes in the wake of a record-setting turnout on June 26 at the Tulare County Courthouse where more than 700 workers and supporters gathered to speak out against the decisions made by the Board of Supervisors and management.

“I was born and raised here in Tulare County,” said Greg Gomez, user support specialist and bargaining team member. “I love working for the county, but it is getting more difficult to stay here when my paychecks barely cover the cost of health care for my family. Our county deserves the best, but it is hard when conditions in Fresno and Kern are so much better.”

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