In summary
Dozens of disabled workers hired through the nonprofit PRIDE Industries are losing their jobs at a California prison after a union outsourcing dispute.
Kathy Hart works five days a week inside the state prison at Vacaville. From 6:30 am to 3:30 pm Thursday through Monday, she cleans and maintains correctional officers’ workstations, vacated cells, and nursing areas. She’s trained to handle spilled blood, human waste, biohazardous materials — sometimes even the toxic aftermath of pepper spray incidents.
Not a glamorous job, but for the 57-year-old struggling daily with the on-and-off physical effects of lupus, her three years of stable employment at Vacaville’s California Medical Facility through nonprofit contractor PRIDE Industries means a great deal.
“I’m able to pay rent without having someone else help me,” she says. “I can live independent. Just because I have a disability, I don’t have to rely on my Social Security. I can pay my car note and my 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 a Vacaville environmental service technician will soon be cut short. She and 60 other employees received layoff notices over the holidays to take effect Feb. 28, the result of a long-running union dispute forcing the state prison to no longer employ PRIDE workers in what are typically civil service positions.
For over 55 years, PRIDE has provided training for disabled and challenged workers and places 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, has maintained a nearly decade-long contract with PRIDE for custodial support staff in two medical prison facilities — Stockton and Vacaville.
Service Employees International Union Local 1000, the largest union in state government, says that such jobs must legally be filled by public employees, not outside contractors.
“We challenged the outsourcing of custodial services at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville because it violated civil service protections enshrined in the California State Constitution, which safeguard stable employment and fair treatment for public workers,” said Anica Walls, President of SEIU Local 1000.
The State Personnel Board ultimately agreed with the union. “It is unacceptable that for years (the state) has allowed the civil service janitorial and custodial vacancies to exist at the California Medical Facility (CMF), opting instead for the sake of convenience to enter into a costly contract with PRIDE to provide those essential services,” wrote board executive officer Suzanne Ambrose in her August 2024 decision.
Previously, state lawmakers had intervened to help the nonprofit extend its contract despite the complaint from SEIU. Time ran out after Ambrose’s last ruling.
“It was devastating — not only for myself, but also for my coworkers and colleagues,” said Amanda Bledsoe, a PRIDE assistant operations manager who suffers from anxiety and a panic disorder.
“Contracts like this one and others within PRIDE have provided us sustainable financial freedoms,” she said. “We’re able to earn a living wage where other places may not be able to provide that for people like me.”
No one claims responsibility for displacing the challenged workers from their hard-found jobs — nor does anyone seem particularly motivated to find a solution that keeps them in their positions.
Asked for comment about the layoff notices, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation press secretary Terri Hardy deferred to Ambrose’s decision while further noting that prison officials have not objected to any of PRIDE Industries’ attempts to gain a contract extension.
Hart remains optimistic that the situation within Vacaville might still be resolved positively, but also that PRIDE can continue to offer stable employment for her somewhere else.
Bledsoe is not so sure. “These positions are unique, and these contracts are what help provide employment,” said the working mother of two teenagers. “I’m gonna probably have to work two jobs that may not nurture what I need to support my family.”
Walls, the union president, pointed to government administration as the cause for the Vacaville layoffs. She said the union supports some adjustments to the state’s normal hiring process that might allow the PRIDE workers to become state employees, with full benefits and pensions.
“Instead of making accommodations and taking meaningful steps to integrate these workers into state service, the state is allowing the contract to run its course, which is set to expire at the end of February. This situation highlights the need for stronger policies that ensure all workers have a fair shot at stable public sector careers.”
Camille Travis, the director of communications for the California Human Resources Department, declined to answer questions about whether the state was considering a fix to retain the PRIDE workers. Her department oversees civil service guidelines that restrict hiring practices by preventing government entities from simply offering a job to someone without giving fair consideration toward other viable candidates.
As it stands now, PRIDE workers at Vacaville will no longer have their same job opportunities come March.
Hart recalled what employment for her looked like before PRIDE. “It was very hard,” she said. “I didn’t feel comfortable letting them know that I had lupus because if I was to tell the employer that I was sick, I could face getting laid off or being discriminated against. [At PRIDE] they always tell me ‘your health comes first.’ They always ask me how I feel.”
PRIDE allows Hart to take breaks and days off when necessary to manage the fluctuations and flare-ups brought on by her lupus. At Vacaville, it’s understood that she needs to leave the facility at certain times to adhere to her daily medication 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 at the present,” she said. “We really need it every day. The (correctional officers), the doctors, the social workers all 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 difficulties in work environments less conscientious of her specific mental health needs. With a background in education, she initially joined PRIDE as a job coach and quickly moved into management.
“My previous field — with my disability — kind of limited me from being able to be seen for my attributes,” she explained. “They would always just look at the disability. I do require certain accommodations when it comes to needing space or needing an extra moment to gather myself in certain situations.
“Working here at Vacaville CMF, it is very stressful at times but I’m in an environment that is nurturing me to get a hold of my disability. I’m supported. I’m valued. I’ve been promoted twice since I’ve been here. So it helps people a lot.”
Joe Garcia is a California local news fellow.