Countywide : Drop in Welfare Cases Prompts County Layoffs
A drop in the number of welfare applicants in Orange County prompted layoff notices Friday to about 50 of the 500 county workers who check those applications, union and county officials said.
Kenneth Clark, director of administration for the county Social Services Agency, said the furloughs were required under state regulations, which specify how many workers may be employed according to the caseload. State and federal funds pay for most of the welfare programs, including food stamps, Medi-Cal and aid to families with dependent children.
But the workers’ union, which is in contract negotiations with the county, criticized the state standards, saying they don’t realistically consider the employee duties and workloads.
John Wyrough, director of the union council that includes the eligibility workers’ union, said that in reaction to the layoffs, eight eligibility workers “have quit in utter disgust over the county’s lack of regard for either the public or employees.”
The layoffs are effective July 10, he said.
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