We Are Family….So 54 of Ya’ll Got to Go!!!!
In an all-staff meeting this morning, DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) Director Dr. Roque Gerald announced that more layoffs were coming to the agency.
Repeating over and over that CFSA was a “family” that everyone had to “share the burden”, Dr. Gerald explained that the purpose of the meeting was to be “transparent” about the cuts forced on CFSA by Mayor Fenty’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year. Although emphasizing the agency’s commitment to the children and families of DC, Gerald began by reading off laundry list of services cuts that would effect the neediest families most, including the elimination of funds for the Rapid Housing program (which helps to prevent families with children from becoming homeless), and a pay cut to families caring for abused and neglected children in foster care.
This is our commitment to DC’s children and families?
Dr. Gerald then dropped the bombshell that everyone was waiting for: the announcement that CFSA would need to eliminate 54 full time positions. He gave no specific information about who would be affected by the Reduction in Force (RIF), only that employees will be notified in 30-60 days. One worker asked if any positions would be protected from the RIFs. The answer was “No”. Another worker asked why the agency wasn’t using furloughs to as other jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia have been doing to save money and prevent the devastating loss of jobs. Although Dr. Gerald didn’t have an answer, he passed the buck by saying that the decision was made “above [his] pay grade”.
Ironically, Dr. Gerald started the meeting by giving an update on CFSA’s progress toward exiting court monitoring, and gave great accolades to the employees of CFSA for the results of recent federal evaluations which ranked CFSA as one of the top child welfare agencies in the country in several categories.
Dr. Gerald failed to mention that Fenty’s budget proposes a freeze on yearly step increases starting June 1.
This is how you treat “family”?
dcunionpower
This is insane! Fenty has been at war with the workers of DC since he was elected. The schools, the day care workers, and now CHILD WELFARE! Why does this city have money for billion dollar stadiums and tax breaks for rich developers, but can’t fund the agency that looks after children???
Difficult news is always hard to swallow and to hear – when I heard that the City of Los Angeles is closing every city office for 2 days of EACH week (other than police and fire) and that Arizona is ONLY investigating allegations of child sexual abuse, I knew that we were better off than other places. Officials like County Exec Ike Leggett and Director Gerald are among the few who have bothered to come to their staff members directly rather than hide and let the papers speak for themselves. The agency’s duty and mission is to the children and families that it serves – first. The duty to its employees is important, but in tough times, should employees be saved at the expense of those they serve? That would be like paying the LaShawn Court Monitor before serving the families of the District!
Mumsie -
There are too few social workers as it is. If the employees are eliminated, there is even less help available to the families.
How does eliminating the Rapid Housing program fulfill the city’s “duty and mission to the children and families” of DC? Or cutting foster care payments to people caring for abused children? The people who are going to be fired are people who HELP FULFILL THE MISSION OF CFSA. It takes more than just case-carrying licensed social workers to carry out the mission of keeping children safe, and eliminating around 10% of the agency means that so many of the behind-the-scenes duties that assist those social workers are just not going to get done.
The devastating layoffs aren’t due to “tough times” as much as they are to Fenty’s commitment to dismantling and privatizing the city services of DC. Why have furloughs not even been considered? The city seems to find plenty of money for parks in NW and a billion-dollar baseball stadium for the millionaire owners of the Nationals, but cry poverty when it comes to workers. This is a continuation of the privatization and gentrification of this city.
And I give ZERO credit to Dr.Gerald…being honest about firings is the VERY LEAST he owes CFSA!!! If he was any kind of leader with an ounce of courage or integrity, he would have stood up for the workers of CFSA demanded furloughs, not RIFs. That’s what real leaders do…especially leaders to claim that we are “family”. Absolute BS!!
How does eliminating the Rapid Housing program fulfill the city’s “duty and mission to the children and families” of DC? Or cutting foster care payments to people caring for abused children? The people who are going to be fired are people who HELP FULFILL THE MISSION OF CFSA. It takes more than just case-carrying licensed social workers to carry out the mission of keeping children safe, and eliminating around 10% of the agency means that so many of the behind-the-scenes duties that assist those social workers are just not going to get done.
The devastating layoffs aren’t due to “tough times” as much as they are to Fenty’s commitment to dismantling and privatizing the city services of DC. Why have furloughs not even been considered? The city seems to find plenty of money for parks in NW and a billion-dollar baseball stadium for the millionaire owners of the Nationals, but cry poverty when it comes to workers. This is a continuation of the privatization and gentrification of this city.
And I give ZERO credit to Dr. Gerald…being honest about firings is the VERY LEAST he owes CFSA!!! If he was any kind of leader with an ounce of courage or integrity, he would have stood up for the workers of CFSA demanded furloughs, not RIFs. That’s what real leaders do…especially leaders to claim that we are “family”. Absolute BS!!
Residents of the District of Columbia can continue to believe that the city does not have any money if the want, but this is the Fenty Administration in-direct way of UNION BUSTING. The District’s has established a pattern when it comes to the RIF in DC Government. The employee that exercise their 1st admendment rights are targerts, civial services employee are targets and if management does not like you but have fail to follow the discipline procedure (union contract)you are a target for the “Hit List” the illegal reduction-in-force. DC we must take a stand NOW, because later maybe to late.
@Mumsie although the offices are closed folks kept their job and this is the wrong agency to cut in such economic times. The least of us need the most at this point.
If things are sooooo bad, why is DCPS, OCTO and the Fire Dept getting increases in their budget.
DCPS can’t figure out if they have $34 million or not.
OCTO…ummm why? The last Director was marred with stealing too. Remember “Yusuf E. Acar”. Additionally, I have a question and maybe someone on the council would ask OCTO since Mr. Wells doesn’t seem to interest in asking is how many OCTO employees has a H-1B visa?
The Mayor is proposing to cut funding that helps grandparents raise their grandchildren.
The Mayor is proposing to cut vouchers to for daycare.
It seems that these cuts are on the backs of the poor.
I’m suggesting that those who need to be cut w/in many D.C. Agency’s are managers.
We are too top heavy. We have too many special assistants making $120K who don’t assistant in anything.
ah