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Union and public commenters urge BRN and DCA to address nursing education consultant pay and vacancies
Summary
Public commenters and SEIU Local 1000 representatives urged the board and Department of Consumer Affairs to address low pay, vacancies and working conditions for nursing‑education consultants (NECs), and referenced CalHR policy for off‑cycle compensation requests.
Union representatives and members of the public used the BRN public‑comment period on May 28 to press the board and the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) to raise wages and reduce vacancies among nursing‑education consultants (NECs).
Bobby Roy of SEIU Local 1000, representing bargaining unit 21, said NECs – a small, specialized workforce who consult with nursing education programs – are underpaid and at risk of leaving. "We're asking the board, the DCA to do the right thing and invest in the greatest resource that it has, its workforce," Roy said during the meeting’s public comment segment, noting NEC pay “tops out at $10,900” (as stated in public comment) and that NEC roles are marketable to private employers amid a nurse shortage.
Roy urged BRN and DCA to pursue an employee compensation request under CalHR policy section 17.15, which allows off‑cycle employee compensation requests, and said unions historically have not opposed employer requests to increase represented staff pay. He also told board members that NEC vacancy rates had been high in recent years — earlier in the meeting staff said the BRN’s NEC vacancy count had been as high as 40% in 2023 and was down to about 27% on the day of the meeting — and said the union would be willing to work with the agency on proposals.
Board counsel Reza Pejuez and DCA staff later addressed public comments: Reza reminded the public and board that DCA must follow due process for discipline and licensing actions and that pending hearings can explain why specific license statuses remain unchanged; DCA budget staff summarized vacancy reduction directives and said they had provided vacancy lists to the executive officer.
Why it matters: NECs provide technical assistance and review for nursing education programs; understaffing or high turnover among NECs could slow program approvals, clinical facility reviews and other BRN functions that affect how nursing students enter the workforce. The board did not take immediate formal action on compensation but heard the public and union requests and was told staff will pursue appropriate administrative channels.
