‘Devastating’ layoff notices hit California prison contractors

Kathy Hart works five days a week at the state prison in Vacaville. From 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday through Monday, she cleans and maintains correctional officer workstations, vacated cells and nursing facilities. She’s trained to deal with spilled blood, human waste, biohazardous materials — sometimes even the toxic aftermath of pepper spray incidents.

It’s not a glamorous job, but for the 57-year-old, who struggles daily with the intermittent physical effects of lupus, her three years of steady work at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville through nonprofit contractor PRIDE Industries mean a lot.

“I can pay rent without anyone else helping me,” she says. “I can live independently. Just because I have a disability, I don’t have to rely on my Social Security. I can pay my car note and insurance. I can pay for my medicine. And at the end of the month I still have money.

But through no fault of her own, Hart’s time as an environmental technician in Vacaville would soon be cut short. She and 60 other employees were given holiday layoff notices to take effect on February 28, the result of a long-running union dispute forcing state prison to no longer employ PRIDE employees in typical civil service positions.

For more than 55 years, PRIDE has provided training to workers with disabilities and disabilities and placed them in jobs established through contracts with various businesses and government agencies. California Correctional Health Care Services, the state agency that oversees medical care in California prisons, maintains a nearly ten-year contract with PRIDE for support staff at two medical prison facilities — Stockton and Vacaville.

The Service Employees International Union Local 1000, the largest government union, says such jobs should legally be filled by government employees, not outsourcers.

“We challenged the outsourcing of custodial services at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville because it violated public employee protections enshrined in the California State Constitution that guarantee stable employment and fair treatment of public workers,” said Annika Walls, president of SEIU Local 1000.

The state personnel board eventually agreed with the union. “It is unacceptable that for years (the state) has allowed California Medical Facility (CMF) civil service vacancies for janitor and custodian to exist, instead choosing for convenience to enter into an expensive contract with PRIDE to provide these essential services,” board Executive Director Suzanne Ambrose wrote in her August 2024 decision.

before state legislators intervened to help the nonprofit extend its contract despite a complaint from SEIU. Time ran out on Ambrose’s last decision.

“It was devastating — not just for me, but for my co-workers and co-workers,” said Amanda Bledsoe, PRIDE’s assistant operations manager, who suffers from anxiety and panic disorder.

“Contracts like this and others under PRIDE have provided us with sustainable financial freedoms,” she said. “We’re able to earn a living wage where other places might not be able to provide that for people like me.”

No one is taking responsibility for displacing struggling workers from their hard-to-find jobs — nor does anyone seem particularly motivated to find a solution to keep them in their jobs.

Asked for comment on the layoff notices, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Terry Hardy deferred to Ambrose’s decision, noting in addition that prison officials have not objected to any of PRIDE Industries’ attempts to obtain contract extensions .

Hart remains optimistic that the situation in Vacaville can still be resolved positively, but also that PRIDE can continue to offer her stable employment somewhere else.

Bledsoe isn’t so sure. “These positions are unique and these contracts help secure employment,” said the working mother of two teenagers. “I’ll probably have to work two jobs that may not support what I need to support my family.”

Walls, the union president, cited state administration as the reason for the layoffs in Vacaville. She said the union supports some adjustments to the state’s normal hiring process that could allow PRIDE workers to become state employees with full benefits and pensions.

“Instead of facilitating and taking meaningful steps to integrate these workers into the public service, the state is letting the contract, which is due to expire at the end of February, run. This situation highlights the need for stronger policies that ensure all workers have a fair chance at a stable career in the public sector.

Camille Travis, director of communications for the California Department of Human Resources, declined to answer questions about whether the state is considering a retention decision for the PRIDE workers. Her department oversees civil service guidelines that limit hiring practices by preventing state institutions from simply offering someone a job without giving fair consideration to other viable applicants.

As it stands now, PRIDE workers in Vacaville will no longer have the same job opportunities come March.

Hart remembered what her job was like before PRIDE. “It was very difficult,” she said. “I didn’t feel comfortable telling them I had lupus because if I had to tell the employer I was sick, I could have been laid off or discriminated against. (At PRIDE) they always tell me ‘your health comes first’. They always ask me how I feel.”

PRIDE allows Hart to take vacations and days off when needed to deal with the swings and flare-ups caused by her lupus. In Vacaville, it is understood that she must leave the facility at certain times to adhere to her daily treatment regimen, which she keeps nearby but outside the prison in her vehicle.

“I really think this contract is going to go through because we really need it right now,” she said. “We really need that every day. All the (correctional officers), the doctors, the social workers tell us, “Thank you for your hard work. You guys are such a big help.”

Bledsoe, a former public school teacher, also discussed her own struggles in a work environment that was less conscientious about her specific mental health needs. With an education, she initially joined PRIDE as a job instructor and quickly moved into management.

“My previous sphere – with my disability – kind of limited me from being seen for my qualities,” she explained. “They’ve always only looked at the disability. I need a certain adjustment when it comes to needing space or needing an extra moment to pull myself together in certain situations.

“Working here at Vacaville CMF is very stressful at times, but I am in an environment that nurtures me to deal with my disability. I am supported. I am precious. I’ve been promoted twice since I’ve been here. So it helps people a lot.”

Joe Garcia is a local news contributor in California.