The union representing California state government psychologists and social workers finalized the suspension of its president last week, escalating a messy leadership struggle that came into public view after the president spent more than $100,000 on gift cards for members.

An AFSCME judicial panel member suspended Local 2620 president Shukimba Carlis, determining Carlis had violated the union’s constitution by retaliating against a union member who filed complaints against her, according to a copy of the judicial panel decision.

Timm Twardowski, a Montana-based member of the national-level AFSCME panel, issued the suspension. His decision finalized a preliminary suspension of Carlis that AFSCME had instituted on Sept. 7.

Carlis said Friday that she recently left her California state job and the union, but said she was intent on clearing her name, accusing the union of driving her out because she had attempted to expose financial irregularities.

“I believe that this is slander, retaliation,” she said. “They continue to harass me, constant harassment; it’s not stopping.”

In March, Carlis mailed $25 gift cards to the union’s members. Yok Choi, who was a board trustee, filed internal union charges accusing Carlis of violating union rules by sending out the cards despite a board vote against the expenditure, a charge that was later substantiated by another judicial panel member.

In May, Carlis excluded Choi from an online board meeting. She told the judicial panel that Choi hadn’t completed necessary paperwork to attend (Choi disputed the paperwork was needed). Carlis also testified to AFSCME that she excluded Choi due to Choi’s pending judicial panel charges against her, according to the decision.

Twardowski, the judicial panel member, found Carlis blocked Choi from the meeting as retribution for the charges Choi had filed.

He called Carlis’ exclusion of Choi “punitive and presumptuous,” writing that a serious penalty was needed to avoid creating a chilling effect on would-be complainants in the future.

Carlis on Friday said her exclusion of Choi wasn’t retribution. She said Choi had disrupted every meeting she attended by bringing up the gift cards even though the subject wasn’t on meeting agendas.

Another of Choi’s internal charges, accusing Carlis of intentionally impeding an internal audit of the union’s finances, resulted in a decision of “not guilty” for Carlis.

Choi did not return a voicemail Friday.

The union is in the midst of an election, which had included Carlis and three other candidates for president.

AFSCME Local 2620 represents about 5,600 employees, including psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, pharmacists, dietitians and nutritionists. The organization is set to enter contract negotiations with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration next spring.

This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 6:30 AM.