UAPD is part of a coalition of unions that is challenging the governor’s furlough plan in court. The hearing date for the union-sponsored cases has been set for Jan. 29. Union attorneys will argue that the governor lacks the power to arbitrarily cut state worker salaries and work hours under both the California constitution and government code. To balance his budget, the Governor seeks to saddle state employees with two unpaid days per month starting Feb. 6.
UAPD has been pressing the DPA to agree to replace expensive outside contractors with currently-employed civil servant doctors by allowing them to accept more than one appointment simultaneously. UAPD is urging the state to adopt this sort of prudent cost saving measure rather than cut worker pay across the board.