Supervisor Cortese Proposes Reduced Work Week for County Employees

County and SEIU to Discuss Ways to Save Jobs
San Jose, CA -  Supervisor Dave Cortese's has proposed that county staff meet with SEIU Local 521 to determine the feasibility of using voluntary reduced work hours to mitigate the number of job cuts to be enacted in the Mental Health Department, the Department of Alcohol and Drug Services and the Public Health Department. The board approved Cortese's request to commence negotiations.

The job cuts enacted as a result of the budget process were necessary to balance the nearly $4 Billion county budget. County staff will be diligently working over the summer with labor units to work out the details and ensure there will be no additional burden to the General Fund.

"It was a difficult decision to make those job cuts knowing that we would be seeing some of our employees losing their livelihoods and knowing that people would lose essential services ," said Supervisor Cortese. "If county employees are willing to share the pain through a reduced workweek in order to save jobs and programs, there is no reason that we should stand in the way of that happening."