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Orozco, Norma From:monica Suter <monicasuter28@gmail.com> Sent:Tuesday, July 21, 2020 4:17 PM To:eComment; Ridge, Kristine; Pham, Steven; Pulido, Miguel; Villegas, Juan; Sarmiento, Vicente; Gomez, Daisy; Bacerra, Phil; Mendoza, Nelida; Solorio, Jose; Penaloza, David Subject:7/21/20 City Council Meeting Public Comments Dear Mayor, Mayor Pro-Tem, City Council, City Manager Ridge & HR Exec. Director Pham-- We were surprised to learn that last week, another 23 part-time employees were furloughed in addition to the 176 who were previously furloughed and then later suddenly separated.  We previously contacted all of you regarding this matter and our understanding was that efforts were being made to try to bring back as many as possible, ASAP, in other areas of the City and we understand that some of this is underway.  Given this, we are very concerned to learn indirectly that another 23 who serve the community (in Parks and Recreation--part of the front-end of safety) were just furloughed last week with no notice to SEIU. Although these employees (several are constituents) are not civil service, they are not "at will" because they are represented by our union and as such any changes to their working conditions, require proper notice and meeting and conferring with our union in advance of actions taken. We estimate that as a result of the approved budget, slated "reductions in part-time staff" savings, deleted and/or unfunded SEIU 721 positions in the approved FY 20/21 budget from SEIU's bargaining unit(s) and/or shifted to other represented associations, result in approximately $3.5 Million in City budget savings on the back of SEIU (before these additional 23 furloughs) and have already been taken from SEIU 721-represented employees. In response to a question if SEIU 721 Santa Ana Chapter is interested in volunteering anything additional due to anticipated budget impacts from COVID-19: 1. Please note the above already taken from SEIU estimated at $3.5 Million not inclusive of the additional 23 just furloughed; and 2. Some full-time employees have indicated interest in voluntary accelerated retirement options for those eligible. We realize that the budget is a moving target with much that cannot be accurately forecasted during these unique times. While we are not opening our contract with this email, as always, we are interested in assisting the City and Community we serve. And, as we helped to obtain CARESAct funding and will continue to fight for COVID-19 funding for Local Agencies, over several years, we have given much to help the City during strained fiscal times and I am proud to stand with the dedicated workers that we represent. Regards, Monica M. Suter Monica M. Suter SEIU Local 721 Santa Ana Chapter President 1