After Omitting Key Evidence During Court Proceedings, Riverside County Management and Their Legal Counsel, The Zappia Law Firm, Face Sanctions Motion in California Superior Court

 

Sanctions Motion Filed Today Comes on the Heels of Riverside County’s Whopping 27 Unfair Labor Practice Charges, Including the Intimidation, Harassment, and Surveillance of County Employees

 

RIVERSIDE, CA – Citing Riverside County’s continued reliance on a reckless and costly legal strategy that puts lives at risk, Riverside County employees filed a motion seeking sanctions today in Riverside Superior Court against County management and their legal counsel, The Zappia Law Firm. The motion for sanctions stems from the County’s omission of vital hospital staffing information during court proceedings in September.

 

Grave safety concerns at Riverside County facilities and County Management’s rampant law breaking throughout the bargaining process prompted Riverside County employees to deliver their notice of intent to strike directly to the Board of Supervisors in late August. Shortly thereafter, County officials and their counsel, The Zappia Law Firm, took legal action to bar County employees from exercising their right to strike.

 

In court, the County argued repeatedly that highly essential personnel such as nurses and other frontline healthcare workers should be denied the right to strike because the County was unable to secure temporary replacement workers during that time period. It was later discovered that despite their statements under oath to the contrary, the County had already entered into a multi-million dollar contract with a healthcare staffing company to provide replacement workers during the period of the strike.

 

Riverside County’s omission of these critical facts prevented hundreds of County workers from exercising their legal rights. Even worse, the County’s reckless legal strategy also cost taxpayers over $1.6 million – money that could’ve been used to fix the chronic safety breaches at County facilities, and keep deadly weapons out of the County’s flagship hospital.

 

“Riverside County’s shameless behavior in Court shows just how low they’ll go to silence voices of County employees under the misguided counsel of The Zappia Law Firm,” said Bob Schoonover, President of SEIU Local 721. “For months, Riverside County employees have been sounding the alarm about the dire safety concerns in County facilities. Rather than invest in solutions that keep the public safe, the County has chosen to spend millions in taxpayer dollars to prop up their campaign of intimidation and harassment of frontline workers, shortchanging the critical services County residents rely on.”

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Contact:

Mike Long, (213) 304-9777

Coral Itzcalli. (213) 321-7332

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