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Less than two weeks after Hollister city officials issued notices of termination to at least 37 employees, the city council unanimously withdrew the notices following an Oct. 26 special closed session meeting.
The affected employees were set to be laid off on Nov. 13. They were placed on paid leave and told to leave their jobs when they received the layoff notices, then were asked to return to work until the layoffs were due to take effect.
In reporting the decision at the meeting, Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens cautioned that the council could re-issue the notices if not enough savings are identified through negotiations between the city and labor unions.
“We need some very solid concessions from all of our unions,” she said, noting the city is facing financial hardship.
Neither Stephens nor acting City Manager Jeff Crechriou immediately responded to BenitoLink’s request for comment, including questions about how many city employees received a notice of termination and when they are now expected to return to work.
Crechriou took over the top administrative role after former City Manager Ana Cortez was fired on Oct. 21 for convenience following backlash over her handling of the layoffs and other management issues.
The termination notice said the cuts were necessary to address financial deficits, which Cortez last reported at $6.9 million. The city’s two largest unions — the Hollister Police Officers Association and Service Employees International Union Local 521 — challenged the finance reports.
The police union, which had eight of its members included in the termination notice, celebrated the reversal of the layoffs in a Facebook post, while also acknowledging city spending cuts need to happen.
“But we also know that collaboration will ease that pain and we will find a solution together,” the statement said.
Service Employees International Union Local 521 President Frank Garcia said that “most” of the union’s 16 members who received the termination notice are back to work, including those who returned to work following the City Council rescinding the fiscal emergency declaration and asking laid off employees to return to work on Oct. 19.
Garcia said the rest of the employees are allowed to return to work on Oct. 29 or they can use their available time off until Nov. 2.
With regard to the notices being withdrawn, Garcia said the union welcomes the decision and that employees are ready to put forward ideas that benefit the community.
“Our members take pride in serving Hollister,” Garcia said. “We want to work with the city to strengthen the financial footing, while protecting the services our community depends on.”
City employees who received the termination notice were placed on paid leave on Oct. 14. After backlash, nonsworn police staff returned to work on Oct. 19. Later that day, the city council rescinded the emergency declaration and asked the rest of the employees to return to work.
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