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Kern County employee raises concerns over hiring denials, asks board to review classifications and SEIU proposal retroactivity
Summary
An 18-year Kern County employee told the Board of Supervisors she and colleagues have had qualified applications denied and asked the board to review whether automated screening, classification steps and SEIU proposal retroactivity are affecting hiring and pay outcomes.
Karen Bessard, a Kern County employee of 18 years, told the Kern County Board of Supervisors during public presentations that she and other workers have had applications denied despite meeting the stated qualifications.
Bessard said she wants the county to clarify whether it uses artificial intelligence to screen applications and to review classification steps that she says limit career advancement. "Does the county initially use AI to scan applications?" she asked the board.
The employee outlined an example she said illustrates the problem: a county job description requiring a high school diploma or equivalent and three years of high-volume customer-service experience including application of child support policies, yet an applicant with long accounting experience was denied from the fiscal support series for insufficient work experience. "I feel that the county is overlooking individuals with viable work experience and denying applications that should be reviewed," Bessard said.
Bessard also addressed ongoing negotiations with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). She asked the board to make the county proposal presented to union members retroactive to the date it was presented, saying those costs were already budgeted at that time. "I do request the board to make the county's proposal that was presented to the members retro back to the date it was presented as it was already budgeted for that time period," she said, referencing COLA and classification adjustments included in the proposal.
On classifications, Bessard said some two-step series have supervising duties at the senior level while others do not, and she recommended adding steps to provide internal advancement. As an example, she contrasted the legal secretary series — where senior legal secretaries perform supervising duties — with the paralegal series where the senior level does not supervise. "If another step was added to these two-step classifications, it would allow for growth for the county and employee," she said.
The remarks came during the public presentations portion of the meeting. There was no formal board action recorded in the transcript in response to her requests.
The board is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, February 11, 2025; any staff follow-up or formal consideration of hiring procedures, classification structure, or the union proposal was not specified in the meeting record provided.
