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Workers, unions decry DPH layoffs and ‘deskilling,’ call action discriminatory
Summary
Employees, union representatives and community members told the Budget & Finance Committee that layoffs and job reclassification at the Department of Public Health are discriminatory and would cause service disruptions; speakers urged the supervisors to use alternatives and wait for AB 1383 funds.
Scores of Department of Public Health employees, union representatives and community members used the committee public‑comment period to oppose layoffs and deskilling measures tied to the supplemental appropriation debate.
Multiple speakers said the proposed cuts disproportionately affect women and people of color. Supervisor Daley and several public commenters cited department figures that about 96% of workers affected are people of color and roughly 79% are women. Robert (a provider and union speaker) told the committee that frontline workers ‘‘are being punished for being good quality workers’’ and urged proportionality in how cuts are distributed.
Edward Schauer, an SEIU representative, called the proposed cuts ‘‘a discriminatory layoff’’ and argued the committee should explore alternatives rather than targeting lower-paid clerical staff and certified nursing assistants. ‘‘If anyone thinks the only way to balance a budget is to cut the wages of clericals and nursing assistants and lay off clericals, it defies all logic,’’ Schauer said.
Frontline staff described immediate human costs: anxiety about paying rent, stress at work, and loss of institutional knowledge. Martha Hawthorne, a public health nurse at Castro Mission Health Center, said bilingual clerks and CNAs have long-term patient relationships that ‘‘can never be duplicated’’ and warned that service quality would suffer if positions are cut.
The committee’s subsequent vote to reallocate departmental reserves was presented by sponsors as a way to avert immediate layoffs while the city awaits possible state Medicaid-match funds under AB 1383. Unions and workers urged the supervisors to adopt alternatives that preserve jobs and to ensure any reserve reallocation is accompanied by transparency about which positions or programs would be affected if those reserves were ultimately not released.
Next step: Workers and union leaders indicated they will continue advocacy ahead of the special Budget & Finance Committee meeting next Tuesday, when the committee will consider finalized amendment language.
