KRCR: Shasta County Agencies take a hit while UPEC employees continue to strike for higher wages

Shasta County Agencies take a hit while UPEC employees continue to strike for higher wages

by Anna MontemorTue, May 9th 2023, 4:10 PM PDT

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UPEC workers say they will continue to strike until the last day Friday in hopes to receive the 15% pay increase they are wanting from the County. The Shasta County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet on May 16th.

REDDING, Calif. — United Public Employees of California (UPEC) continued their two-week strike on Tuesday. These UPEC workers have asked for a 15% pay increase, but, instead, the Shasta County Board of Supervisors approved a final offer of a 2.5% increase on Tuesday, as well as an agreement to form an ad-hoc committee with two supervisors and UPEC workers to further discuss this.

This offer was not enough for the UPEC general unit as they did not receive a contract with the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday and continued their strike. Health and Human Services is one of the Shasta County agencies that is taking a hit during this strike from staffing shortages to open-hour changes all due to employees striking for higher wages.

UPEC General Unit Worker Lynette Shaff told KRCR that this strike is something local employees feel they have to do.

“We are overworked and it impacts the public and the people who need the assistance because there are fewer of us to do it.” Shaff continued, “A lot of us have these jobs because we really enjoy serving the public, serving the community, being there for people in their time of crisis but we can't do that if we can't afford to work.”

RELATED ARTICLE | Employees continue strike after Board of Supervisors approve 2.5% wage increase

UPEC workers say they will continue to strike until the last day Friday in hopes to receive the 15% pay increase they are wanting from the County. The Shasta County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet on May 16th.

Other agencies within Shasta County have had to reduce their hours of operation, due to the staffing shortages from the strike. Now with the end of the strike just around the corner, many UPEC workers say they will continue to strike until the last day Friday in hopes to receive the 15% pay increase they are wanting from the County.

https://krcrtv.com/news/local/shasta-county-agencies-take-a-hit-while-upec-employees-continue-to-strike-for-higher-wages#