County workers press Stanislaus supervisors for higher pay, lower caseloads as CEO says negotiations continue

Dozens of Stanislaus County behavioral-health and social-service employees and union members addressed the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16, urging the board to negotiate a “fair contract” to address chronic understaffing, high caseloads and low pay.

"We need more trained eyes and experienced hands," said Carmen Villa, a child-protective-services social worker and SEIU 521 member, urging the board to stop what she described as a staffing pattern that leads to burnout and poor outcomes for families. Multiple speakers described working nights and holidays, missed breaks and rising turnover.

The testimony included specific staffing concerns: Amanda Barnett, a behavioral-health specialist, said state guidance for Full Service Partnership caseloads is 12–15 clients but that she currently manages more than 40, a level she said undermines quality of care. "Why would people want to stay?" Barnett asked. Other speakers described personal hardship tied to low pay and on-call compensation that has not kept pace with the cost of living.

Union representatives said county offers lagged. "Our most recent offer of 6.75% over three years is about half of what we were asking for," said Carlo Vasquez, a health-education specialist and SEIU 521 member, calling for parity with other bargaining units and raising concerns about perceived inequities after an 11% increase the board approved for unrepresented positions.

County Chief Executive Officer Hayes responded at length, thanking employees for their testimony and describing the formal bargaining process as constrained by state law and case law. Hayes said the county has programmed an 11% increase into long-range financial models for the majority of the workforce and has reached agreements or set wage scales for roughly 75% of county employees. "If anyone has said that the county is unwilling to reach a final agreement within those same terms, that is just factually untrue," Hayes said.

Hayes also described the early positions in negotiations: "SEIU's demand ... was about 30% for three years. It's a $63,000,000 hit to the county," he said, adding that the $63 million figure and other economic proposals were modeled and that some combinations would leave departments financially strained. He said the parties are not at impasse and that he expects movement from both sides.

No formal action or vote on wages occurred at the meeting. Board members thanked speakers and the CEO for the update; Hayes encouraged ongoing transparency where permitted by bargaining rules and invited individual follow-up after the process concludes.

The next procedural steps are continuation of negotiations between SEIU and the county bargaining team; Hayes said the county intends to be available for more frequent bargaining sessions to keep the process moving.